New member, need some general info from OWNERS

[Derteufel]

Ya the shelf and keeping it off the ground will take care of itself. LoftLizard, others too like Argenta have given me broad spectrum of ideas. Im piecing them together and figuring out what works best for teh place I live in, for the BP. Im narrowing it down. The thermostats and UTH seem straight forward after a conatainer choice is made. My room is usually low lit though I open a curtain for sunlight at times but just a crack. So im feeling my way around. I dont want to do the trial and error method with a life. The noise is something I think will be my biggest hurdle.

[SatanicIntention]

I started out with one snake and kept her in tubs. First using dimmers for the heat pads and then went and bought a Herpstat 2 and some flexwatt.

For someone with ONE snake in a cold apartment, I'd recommend using small plastic tubs until the snake is old enough for a display cage.

You'll start out with a 15qt tub, then as the snake grows bump it up to a 32qt, then maybe a 41qt so they get used to the size, and then to a 3x2 or 4x2 plastic display cage. You still may have to insulate the display cage but it will at least look nicer in the end than a tank would.

Using a glass tank for this person's situation is not feasible. They are heavy, fragile, hard to keep properly heated, drafty, and the glass will always try to be the temperature of the room. I know I don't want my snake resting up against 50 degree glass. That's going to leach the heat out of the snake and cause illness.

All that is needed is a thermostat(digital not analog), flexwatt digital thermometer/hygrometer, small tub w/lid, bungee cords or binder clips, newspaper for bedding, 1-2 hides, water bowl, and possibly some foil tape so you can tape the flexwatt onto a shelf so it doesn't wiggle around. That's it!

[Derteufel]

Y aIm thinking some sort of cage, not glass, flexwatt, digi thermos, and 2 hides and the water. Ive got to nail the humidity and what to fil the cage with, not wood chips I know.

this is coming along.

[Bruce Whitehead]

I think you'll do great. The critical thing is understanding why people recommend what they do.

These are not arbitrary things being thrown out there.

Knowing the why makes the decisions easier to make.

I do think you are best to start with a tub, learn your husbandry, and then work up to a larger dispay.

I do not hate tanks and display vivs, but I do consider them to be in the area of "advanced husbandry" and sadly, most people start with them, and then spend several months trying to perfect their husbandry with the snake in the enclosure.

I think what you are doing is great. You figure out what you need and then you set it up, you let it run, and once it is stable, then you bring the snake home.

Most people find snake forums after they have the snake, and sadly often, after they start having problems.

It is a rare treat to get to talk with keepers that are still pre-snake.

Bruce

PS: If you ever leave me a message in a thead and I do not see it... feel free to PM me. I do not attend to the forum daily so sometimes the threads I am part of disappear before I get back.

[Derteufel]

Exactly Bruce. I want to hear what people think regarding my situation and their own and I can determine the people who actually have a very good idea of things and I like ot hear peoples setups and what they find ____ in ____ situations. Then I can think, inderstand, then apply. I dont mind spending some money as long as im not unecesarrily overlappting or going in circles. Taking steps is fine. And of course if im going to do it, I want it to be right for the snake. Im still pretty young but ive been on my own for several years and never anywhere I can keep a pet and I enjoyed having dogs and the other reptiles before. Ive had Imperial scorpions, they are amazing to watch and I still look at pictures of them and read up but they arent much to hanlde and they dont really do much hahaha. Nice to look at and interesting. Ive handled snakes even had a 4' - 4.5' rattle snake wander right up to me in a mountain park in the Santa Monica mountains. No kidding I was nervous just a little at first but... Ill save this story for the next post.

[Derteufel]

So im sitting in a 30m sq ft grassy area with 3 large park benches space far apart. Im sitting on one on the table feet on the bench and I look over my book and there is a rattle snake sitting there kind of oscilating his head side to side with his tongue in and out just sizing me up. then slowly comes toward me. I was wearing leather boots to my knees and I was high enough up and far away so I slowly creep on to the table. It slithers under the table and out the other side very calmly. So I put my feet on the bench on the other side as it comes out then step down 12" away from it. It stops not looking at me then slithers forward slowly. I follow slowly still a little nervous for 2 minutes. I stop and the snake turned toward my direction and we both changed direction. Im still 1 - 3 ft from it this whole time. Then it heads for the small street leading to the "more parking" area so I decide to walk it across. We slowly make it half way across the narrow street and this guy pulls just past in front of us stops jumps out about 3m away "is that yout snake! is that your snak! thats a NW Diamond Back! HONEY GET THE CAMERA!" I said no im just walking it across the street. The snake stops, the guys gf starts panicing and I get nervous he tellls her its cool starts taking pictures. Then a car full of asians, looked like a tourist family, pulls up bhind and the snake and I are in the middle of the street. im about 2 -3' away from it. Suddenly it becomes a little aggressive and starts to scrunch up and move in on the guy with the camera who starts say "Oh F#@#$ OH @#$%#..." and backing away the snake starts to get closer. Dont ask me what or why... but I kneeled onto one knee and the snake instanly stopped turned back toward me went right under me I could feel the pressure of it against my left ankle then crosses the remaiming 2 ft into the bushes at the side of the street. No one said anything the guy just turned got in his car and left. This isnt why im getting one. Ive handled BP and albinos but never anything happend this special. Just an interesting story. Ive got come cell phone pics. Ill get them up.

[Sonya610]

"is that yout snake! is that your snak! thats a NW Diamond Back! HONEY GET THE CAMERA!" I said no im just walking it across the street.

Good story! LOL...the part about "Is that your snake?" is hilarious!

[littleindiangirl]

So im sitting in a 30m sq ft grassy area with 3 large park benches space far apart. Im sitting on one on the table feet on the bench and I look over my book and there is a rattle snake sitting there kind of oscilating his head side to side with his tongue in and out just sizing me up. then slowly comes toward me. I was wearing leather boots to my knees and I was high enough up and far away so I slowly creep on to the table. It slithers under the table and out the other side very calmly. So I put my feet on the bench on the other side as it comes out then step down 12" away from it. It stops not looking at me then slithers forward slowly. I follow slowly still a little nervous for 2 minutes. I stop and the snake turned toward my direction and we both changed direction. Im still 1 - 3 ft from it this whole time. Then it heads for the small street leading to the "more parking" area so I decide to walk it across. We slowly make it half way across the narrow street and this guy pulls just past in front of us stops jumps out about 3m away "is that yout snake! is that your snak! thats a NW Diamond Back! HONEY GET THE CAMERA!" I said no im just walking it across the street. The snake stops, the guys gf starts panicing and I get nervous he tellls her its cool starts taking pictures. Then a car full of asians, looked like a tourist family, pulls up bhind and the snake and I are in the middle of the street. im about 2 -3' away from it. Suddenly it becomes a little aggressive and starts to scrunch up and move in on the guy with the camera who starts say "Oh F#@#$ OH @#$%#..." and backing away the snake starts to get closer. Dont ask me what or why... but I kneeled onto one knee and the snake instanly stopped turned back toward me went right under me I could feel the pressure of it against my left ankle then crosses the remaiming 2 ft into the bushes at the side of the street. No one said anything the guy just turned got in his car and left. This isnt why im getting one. Ive handled BP and albinos but never anything happend this special. Just an interesting story. Ive got come cell phone pics. Ill get them up.

Nah, it aint mine. Just walking a snake across the street!

Personally, I would have bagged it and relocated it away from human establishments, or called to have someone remove it.

[fishmommy]

Ive got to nail the humidity and what to fil the cage with, not wood chips I know.

you can definitely use wood chips, as long as you are careful about what kind of wood. It's best to start off the first couple months at least with a simple substrate of newspaper or paper towels so that you can carefully monitor your snake's output but once you get the hang of feeding and your snake proves to be healthy, you have some choices if you like wood chips.

I alternate between shredded aspen in the summer and shredded cypress in the winter. The cypress helps raise humidity, and looks great. Aspen does not raise humidity.
The key with using loose substrate is taking measures to prevent ingestion of it during feeding. Some people feed in a seperate tub with a paper substrate (or nothing at all) and some (like me) are able to feed on a plate or paper towel placed on top of the substrate right in the home enclosure. This second option is really designed for feeding prey that is already dead, otherwise it would just walk away from the clean feeding area.

anyway, good luck. I was thinking that if you wanted to dress up a tub, tank, or cage setup you could create a tombstone facade around it. you could even put the name of the snake on the tombstone. LOL!

[Derteufel]

fish mommy thants for the aspen and cypress contrst. And thats is a good idea about the decoration... Ill find something horror filled im sure. hmmm now Im thinking about it.