Stressed or just Unsure?

[Fraido]

Don't bother with a heat rock, just get a thermostat for that heat pad and get it regulated, just because you've yet to see it get too hot doesn't mean it never will. You're taking a risk you don't need to take.

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[KingWheatley]

You NEED to buy a separate thermostat. You should NEVER run a heat pad unregulated unless you want to risk cooking your snake alive. You also don't need the heat lamp for a ball python. Ball pythons will self regulate but only to a certain degree. The thermostat's probe should be places between the pad and the enclosure and should be set to around 88-90F. As long as the heat source is fine, you don't really have much to worry about besides humidity which you shouldn't have a problem if you are using a proper enclosure.

Which this is likely also not a proper enclosure as it was also recommended by the store.

I get paid soon, so I'll be purchasing better supplies and ignoring the store associates, armed with this knowledge.

I also want to get more hides than just the two I have.

[Fraido]

You're using a glass tank with a screen top, right? Humidity will likely be an issue, but it doesn't necessarily mean you have to buy a new enclosure, it just means you probably have to work harder to find a way to keep the humidity where it should be. It definitely is easier to just buy a 'proper' enclosure, though.

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[GoingPostal]

My advice is skip the store-I can't think of anything I would possibly need for my snakes at a big box store.

http://www.reptilebasics.com/ sells hides, some thermostats and just about anything else you could need.

I prefer herpstat thermostats http://www.spyderrobotics.com/ but VE or rancos can work too depending on what you need.

PVC cages or tub setups are recommended for snakes, secure, well enclosed, hold heat/humidity, lightweight. Tub heating is flexwatt/heat pads or room heating, with a pvc enclosure I do under tank heating and/or radiant heat panels. Animal plastics, vision, boaphile and a ton of other companies make a variety of quality options.

In the meantime go pick up a lamp dimmer to somewhat regulate your heat pad or unplug it until you can get a thermostat on it.

[redshepherd]

Just to reiterate, you NEED a thermostat, and a temporarily lamp dimmer for a few days before the thermostat arrives is a good idea... A thermostat isn't an optional piece of equipment. A heat pad's temperatures can be either 100 some days or 120 on a random day, and that's when you're screwed with $300 of vet bills for a scorched Wheatley.

It's true, toss out whatever the pet store has told you. Learn from the caresheets online and on this site, read it thoroughly.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

Also, you don't want a heat rock... That's another piece of belly burning equipment.

[redshepherd]

Just for when you find the Ultratherm UTH on reptilebasics that says it won't go above 95... That is not true either, you need a thermostat.

I have all ultratherms and have personally witnessed it reach above 125 degrees when my past roommate moved my boa's enclosure without my permission and left the thermostat probe on the carpet.

[KingWheatley]

My advice is skip the store-I can't think of anything I would possibly need for my snakes at a big box store.

http://www.reptilebasics.com/ sells hides, some thermostats and just about anything else you could need.

I prefer herpstat thermostats http://www.spyderrobotics.com/ but VE or rancos can work too depending on what you need.

PVC cages or tub setups are recommended for snakes, secure, well enclosed, hold heat/humidity, lightweight. Tub heating is flexwatt/heat pads or room heating, with a pvc enclosure I do under tank heating and/or radiant heat panels. Animal plastics, vision, boaphile and a ton of other companies make a variety of quality options.

In the meantime go pick up a lamp dimmer to somewhat regulate your heat pad or unplug it until you can get a thermostat on it.

Ill get that tank next month. Hopefully Wheatley can hang in there a little longer...

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Stressed by improper husbandry and over handling especially since the animal is so small

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...Husbandry-Help

Again

Based on the pictures of the snake in the other thread (underweight animal, even if eating for now) there are a lot of things to do and this is where to start.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...-hatchling-101

An underweight snake that is leaving in too large of an enclosure and that is handle frequently is not a good thing.

The enclosure is way too big that's for an adult, the thermometer is junk, you need a digital thermometer and should read the temps at the floor level.

The hide should preferably be identical so the animal does not chose security over thermoregualtion, a proper hide is very small tight touching your BP's body, in you case nothing bigger than a 6 inches plastic flower pot saucer.

A tub and a dimmer can be bought TODAY for less than $20, the longer you wait the more you are jeopardizing the health of this animal stress + improper husbandry usually translate as RI especially with very young animal that are already underweight and have a weaker immune system.

[KingWheatley]

Stressed by improper husbandry and over handling especially since the animal is so small

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...Husbandry-Help

Again



A tub and a dimmer can be bought TODAY for less than $20, the longer you wait the more you are jeopardizing the health of this animal stress + improper husbandry usually translate as RI especially with very young animal that are already underweight and have a weaker immune system.

This is turned from "is he stressed?" to "yes because of the husbandry issues."

I wanted to get something a little better and natural to him, because while nature is stressful, it's also something instinctual for them to recognize. Like a rock or a hollowed log.

I didn't follow your advice because I didn't think he was stressed out. He eats and poops, drinks, goes to his hide, and overall doesn't seem to do out of the normal things typically.

after posting, I took steps to make it more comfortable for him. I made it more enclosed using aspen and it's a lot more snug for him. The rock now has a smaller den inside aspen. I'm rather proud of this set up now. I got really creative with it.

[KingWheatley]

Stressed by improper husbandry and over handling especially since the animal is so small

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...Husbandry-Help

Again



A tub and a dimmer can be bought TODAY for less than $20, the longer you wait the more you are jeopardizing the health of this animal stress + improper husbandry usually translate as RI especially with very young animal that are already underweight and have a weaker immune system.

that being said, for now he will be placed in a make-shift enclosure that I can afford now. I'll worry about "enrichment" or showy things later when it's affordable.


thank you