yeah, yeah...here's another one.

[sweety314]

OK, so it's not deliberate, but it appears, due to my kind and loving roommate, *SNORT* NOT!!!!!!!! my Baby is getting 84-89 cool, 94-99 hot during the day and 77-82 during the night. The last two times I've tried to pick her up, she's struck at me, and that's never happened before since I got her in Feb. She ate two mice on the 29th and again today...but today was another time she struck at me 4x. I picked her up w/a hook, but once in my hands she was fine..didn't try to bite..was a lady again.

Soooooooooooooooo, is she PMSing???? due to the lower temps she's getting pissy because she's wanting to breed? Took her a little bit to find the mice, but ate just fine. I don't have a scale, but by best guestimate measuring, she's 2.5-3' long. Looks like too she's JUST starting into ANOTHER shed cycle. (She shed on the 29th), but a small section of the scales on her body are "smashed". HUH??!???

I'm hoping/thinking they'll be "normal" again after she's shed. I had to soak her on the 29th to get her peeled. < thx again to the roommate! *#&#&#&#&*#*(#()# >

Any feedback, suggestions?

Thanks!

R.

[justcage]

What type cage and what type heating element and controls...

[sweety314]

Justcage,

It started out w/just a heatlamp light and UTH (a piece about 6" or 8" square) on the left side of the tank...the prev. owner said that was enough, but when < I > did it, the tank wouldn't stay hot enough. I've added a heating cable UTH w/the hot, non-plug end to the right of the tank under the tupperware water bowl. The lady I bought Baby from didn't have ANY temp/hygrometer or any kinds of gauges on/in the tank at all.

I figure the tank's a 40g or 40g tall...I don't have the dimensions with me here at work right now....

Screen lid. Tried the glad seal wrap but that didn't help the heat or the humidity, so now I have two 150w ceramics and a blue "night" heat lamp (75w?) on it. For a while I had them figured out which was on/off/on combo to be the right temps for what I mentioned in my earlier post, but w/my roommate ****ing with the AC and fan in the room all the time, it's REALLY screwing everything up. I have a humidifier running all the time, but it hasn't worked well. I'm looking to get some GLASS cut for the lid, and then I'll put the lamps on top of IT so I can get the heat, but cut down on the moisture loss.

I just bought some s. moss today, and will get a bowl of that rinsed and moistened to help boost the humidity.

I'm more into her behavior right now. It appears, and from what all I've read here, the temp drop at night is getting her into an ovulation cycle & I was wondering if the pissy mood is a precursor to her ovulating (she's into an ovulation shed?) and had I had a male, would she be breeding now?

Thanks!

R

[justcage]

Justcage,

It started out w/just a heatlamp light and UTH (a piece about 6" or 8" square) on the left side of the tank...the prev. owner said that was enough, but when < I > did it, the tank wouldn't stay hot enough. I've added a heating cable UTH w/the hot, non-plug end to the right of the tank under the tupperware water bowl. The lady I bought Baby from didn't have ANY temp/hygrometer or any kinds of gauges on/in the tank at all.

I figure the tank's a 40g or 40g tall...I don't have the dimensions with me here at work right now....

Screen lid. Tried the glad seal wrap but that didn't help the heat or the humidity, so now I have two 150w ceramics and a blue "night" heat lamp (75w?) on it. For a while I had them figured out which was on/off/on combo to be the right temps for what I mentioned in my earlier post, but w/my roommate ****ing with the AC and fan in the room all the time, it's REALLY screwing everything up. I have a humidifier running all the time, but it hasn't worked well. I'm looking to get some GLASS cut for the lid, and then I'll put the lamps on top of IT so I can get the heat, but cut down on the moisture loss.

I just bought some s. moss today, and will get a bowl of that rinsed and moistened to help boost the humidity.

I'm more into her behavior right now. It appears, and from what all I've read here, the temp drop at night is getting her into an ovulation cycle & I was wondering if the pissy mood is a precursor to her ovulating (she's into an ovulation shed?) and had I had a male, would she be breeding now?

Thanks!

R

Sounds lie you need to switch to a flat UTH and ditch the cable. Heat cable is really awful at making a god even hotspot. With 375 watts of element going into that cage it shoudl be like an oven if you wanted it to be. The single 150 watt emitter and a flat UTH controlled by a themostat shoudl be plenty. Also you can put reflectix on top of the cage to seal in the heat and humidity. You can also use it on the sides and back of the cage to make it more efficent in insulating from the outside temp problem. She could be in a cycle, yes but if she is ready to breed really depends on her size.. I woudl leave the breeding and all that to Adam, as he is the man on that field... Here are some links...

Thermostats
http://www.mgreptiles.com/thermomain.html

Under Tank Heaters
http://www.mgreptiles.com/UTHMAIN.html

Reflectix
http://www.mgreptiles.com/REFLECTIX.html

God Bless,
-Matt

[sweety314]

Matt,


Thx for the addtnl info. Yeah, sometimes the tank gets to 100+, but that's because the roomy's AC bout has cooled the tank down so low, I've turned ALL the lamps on, and then have to tune it. I have a thermostat but have been told it's the wrong kind....it appears to be a unit installed into a wall of a room. The roomy's BF (who's a journeyman electrician) said it's the wrong voltage. *$%&$&& Fricka-frappin'-goober-gunk!!!!!! NOBODY around HERE knows what they're talkin' about!!!!

I KNOW I can get this all into sync once I'm moved and away from the RM & her BF messing with my stuff!!!

Thanks for the links!

[justcage]

I believe he is probably talking about "line voltage" that is what home thermostat run off of..

[Adam_Wysocki]

I'm more into her behavior right now. It appears, and from what all I've read here, the temp drop at night is getting her into an ovulation cycle & I was wondering if the pissy mood is a precursor to her ovulating (she's into an ovulation shed?) and had I had a male, would she be breeding now?

Your snake is not ovulating. Do your records indicate that she's due for a shed? It's really not likely that the night time drop is effecting her in any way.


-adam

[mr~python]

dont BP's ovulate only after mating? i didnt think they could ovulate because of a temp drop.

[sweety314]

Do your records indicate that she's due for a shed? It's really not likely that the night time drop is effecting her in any way.


-adam

Thanks for the addtnl info. No, she's not due. She shed just a week ago. It was a rough, i.e. dry one, because of low humidity, but after a warm water soak, she peeled right out of it. But it appears that 2 mice every 1-2 weeks will be her feeding schedule. Until I can breed rat pups, the rats I buy have been too big and she refuses, but she's been gobbling the two mice just fine the last feedings. *YAAAAAAAAAAAY!*

Okay, so I'm jumpin' the gun. Why the pissy attitude? Nothing else has changed since last week....even the jumpy temps were part of life last week, too.

R.

[Adam_Wysocki]

Why the pissy attitude?

Cause that's just what she chooses to do. She's an animal and can have different "moods" ... it happens.

-adam