Quote Originally Posted by kc261 View Post
Welcome to the forum!

That's a lot of questions! That's great; it means that you are really thinking this through carefully and doing your research *before* you bring your new pet home, and that's the best kind of pet owner.
Thank you. I'm a very cautious person by nature, and I know that a snake can/is likely to be a long term commitment, and I wanted to make sure I knew everything possible before I even thought of bringing one home.

You seem to be getting a good idea of what you need to know. It does seem that your sources may not have been the best, or perhaps are out of date.
Yeah, after reading what the FAQs on this board said, I realized that too. But I have read these FAQs, and I feel more comfortable in my newer knowledge. It wasn't just that, but the fact that i've been researching Corns a lot, and I may have gotten the info mixed up, because corns (I believe) are 85 hot - 75 cool, so I guess I can chalk it up to being a noob.

Be careful of buying a snake (or any animal) on Craigslist. Especially since you are not very familiar with snakes, it will be hard to know if you are getting a good deal, or just inheriting a bunch of headaches if the snake has not been properly cared for. It might have internal parasites or other things that aren't immediately obvious. I'd recommend going to a good breeder for your first snake.
Oh, really? Okay - well, i've e-mailed the guy and told him to hold on to it. I mean, you're probably right, and there is a reptile show in the beginning of March. I guess if i've waited this long, I can wait another month. I just saw the price ($55) and got a little too excited - but a breeder would be the best way to go, and it'll give me a little more time to get everything set up first. It scares me to not know if my (future) snake is going to be in great health (as a breeder's would most likely be) and not at risk for parasites, etc. That's the main reason I didn't want to go to a pet store, because I know that a lot of them are WC and/or have mites and parasites. I've read waaay too many horror stories.

75 is definitely too cold. Most people recommend temps of at or a bit above 80 for the cool side, and at or a bit above 90 for the warm side.
Okay, that works. When reading the caresheet on this page, it said not to let the cool side dip into the 70s at all - would that mean that it'd be best for me to get a CHE/Light for the cool side as well? Or would the UTH work for that?

Get 2 hides that are the same and will fit the snake snugly. The water dish does not necessarily have to be in the middle. Some people move it to the warm side to increase humidity. Also most BPs don't choose to soak unless they have mites, so I think most people don't consider a large water a necessity for BPs, but again it can help increase humidity.
The hide thing is something i've seen everywhere. I'll make sure to do that. Identical and snug. Okay, that makes sense. I will just place it where it feels best.

This, along with the temps being a bit off, is what made me say your sources may not be the best. Any good caresheet about BPs would definitely mention humidity. However, the numbers you guessed here are good.
Okay, cool.

Digital thermometer/hygrometer and a t-stat are musts!
Great! That's one of the most common musts that i've read about on all of the message boards.

A 29 gallon tank is a "tall" style and that isn't best for BPs, who don't do much climbing. The height can also make it harder to maintain temps and humidity. However, the floor space of the tank is probably reasonable for a yearling BP. You might want to consider a tub, which makes it much easier to maintain temps and humidity. If you do decide to use the 29 gallon tank, the fact that it was used for saltwater in the past should not matter if you clean it thoroughly. Bleach is fine if you rinse it thoroughly.
Okay - well, I have a 10 gallon as well,(which is probably too small for a yearling) but don't have anything else around here. i'll work with the 29 first, and if that doesn't work out, i'll splurge and get a 20L or 30L - which would be better? i'm wanting to use an aquarium at first, because of the visual enjoyment as well as already having them with nothing in them, and not having to run out to get anything else.

Aspen and paper towels are both fine. Newspaper is also very popular. Reptile carpet is not necessary, and a lot of people recommend against it because it is not easy to clean and if not thoroughly cleaned it can be a breeding ground for bacteria.
Okay, good. I've read that there's a risk of the snake burning themselves if they burrow under the substrate (if it's aspen or anything similar) or it possibly catching fire (newspaper and paper towels) if there's no Repti-carpet on top of the UTH. I think I may have seen that on this forum, actually.

I'm not familiar with the screen/clips set ups, as I've used the kind of tanks with the sliding screens. You will need to do something to the screen to prevent the heat and humidity from getting out. A popular method is to use layers of foil held down by duct tape. I have a sheet of styrofoam like stuff on top of mine. You'll need to close most of it off and leave some open for air flow.
To be honest with you, i'm not very familiar with the screen and clips either, but from what i've read, it's recommended to get some screen clips so the snake won't escape. I'm just trying to make it as secure as possible because i've got 4 cats, and I don't want them to harm the snake.
I'll keep that in mind. I'll test it out without covering it first, and if it's still too dry, then i'll try the foil/duct tape method. I've got plenty of both.

Other things to think about... you haven't mentioned feeding at all. Do you have a plan for live or f/t? Do you have a source for food? Also it would be a good idea to research reptile vets in your area ahead of time, so you know where to go if/when you need to. That's all that immediately comes to mind.
Yeah, I forgot to talk about that in here - I remembered after I posted, and was too lazy to edit.
I'm planning on using f/t - it's less risk to the snake, and it's easier for me because I won't necessarily have to watch the snake kill a mouse. I know it's nature, but i'd get sad if I had to see that. I would do it if the snake wouldn't eat f/t, but if that was the case i'd stun first. I'd like to start out with mice initially. If they're already on rats, then chances are that's what i'd feed them. I'm planning on either going to my local herp show (bi-monthly) and just buying in bulk there, or going through rodentpro.com or themousefactory.com. rodent pro is a vendor at my reptile show, though.
As for reptile vets, there's one about 30 or so minutes away from me in both directions. I've got a website bookmarked (through anapsid.org and herpvetconnection.com) that shows local herp vets, addresses, and phone numbers.


That's reasonable. For your first few feedings, offer the same thing it was used to, even if you plan to offer a different food (rats vs mice) or a different method (live vs f/t).

One important thing not mentioned is to get your cage set up ahead of time and make sure you have the temps and humidity stabilized before you bring your snake home.

Other than that, use the time you have before you get your snake to learn more. Read the BP caresheet, and all the stickies and FAQs on this site. Then just read the postings (especially in the General BP and BP husbandry sections). You'll learn a lot.
Okay, i'll make sure to do that. I've got to clean and disinfect it, and still get a few things for it, and i'll set it up in my bedroom - even if it is snake-less for now. It'll probably be a lot less stressful for the snake and myself if I don't have to mess around with the heat/humidity while it's trying to adjust to a new home.
Ok, i'll do that - thank you so much for your time and patience with me. I know that it's not always fun trying to help out the newbies, but I hope you (and everyone reading this) know that I really do appreciate it. If it weren't for people like you, then i'd be stumped as to what to do. I'd probably think it was ok to co-hab snakes if it wasn't for forums. (I know it's wrong! )