New BP! help?

[Little B-Py]

Glad to be a part of this forum, and I love my new snake Monty.. (yes, its cliche.. but yet funny )

i think that makes number 8. lol. there is a "monty" poll around here somewhere.

[ninjamonkey1]

since putting the cedar in, the tank is doing great.. 50% humidity constant.. and it hits 80-90 when i spray it.

so if the snake is laying around a lot, that means shes healthy and happy?

any other tips for me? no one answered me before... should i use the reg white light or red 150watt light? if i use the red light, can i leave it on 24hrs? they both keep the temps.. but im not sure if the temp will stay at a constant if i turn the light off tonight?

[Kaorte]

since putting the cedar in, the tank is doing great.. 50% humidity constant.. and it hits 80-90 when i spray it.

so if the snake is laying around a lot, that means shes healthy and happy?

any other tips for me? no one answered me before... should i use the reg white light or red 150watt light? if i use the red light, can i leave it on 24hrs? they both keep the temps.. but im not sure if the temp will stay at a constant if i turn the light off tonight?

You can leave the red light on 24/7 but make sure nothing flammable is around it (just in case!)

Is he laying in his hide? I usually find that if my BP is hiding, that means she feels secure.

[nixer]

since putting the cedar in

i hope you didnt really use cedar bedding. its oils are very toxic to rodents and reptile alike.

[ninjamonkey1]

i hope you didnt really use cedar bedding. its oils are very toxic to rodents and reptile alike.

Wow, i totally was thinking one thing and typed another. I used coconut bedding!

There are a few things im worried about, (shes new, and i want her to be happy, and healthy). The humidity is up.. I have a humidifyer in my room, and i spray the tank twice, maybe 3 times a day with a spray bottle of water. its at around 60% at the moment. I noticed her skin is a little loose. I was reading and saw loose skin was a sign of dehydration? Is this possible? She has fresh water, and a humid tank. The water dish is plenty big enough for her to go into if she needs.

I want to handle my snake at least once a day (except for after feeding), is this good? for maybe 15-30 mins a day? If shes in her hide, is it bad to take her out of it and handle her, and then put her back?

My main concern is the loose skin (mostly only when shes curled in a spot (snakes make a S shape, in the bends is where its a little lose/wrinkley). And seeing the humidity is so high, the temp is going down a bit? towards the warmer side of the tank, the temp is only low 80's (83.6 at the moment). is this bad? i know its significantly cooler on the cool side, but is that too low?

Also, i want to feed her in a seperate tank.. some said i may have a hard time feeding her in such a big tank, but if i use a little 10 gallon tank, would she most likely take food easier?

I may be over reacting a bit, but i want it to be a perfect habitat for her

[Kaorte]

Wow, i totally was thinking one thing and typed another. I used coconut bedding!

There are a few things im worried about, (shes new, and i want her to be happy, and healthy). The humidity is up.. I have a humidifyer in my room, and i spray the tank twice, maybe 3 times a day with a spray bottle of water. its at around 60% at the moment. I noticed her skin is a little loose. I was reading and saw loose skin was a sign of dehydration? Is this possible? She has fresh water, and a humid tank. The water dish is plenty big enough for her to go into if she needs.

I want to handle my snake at least once a day (except for after feeding), is this good? for maybe 15-30 mins a day? If shes in her hide, is it bad to take her out of it and handle her, and then put her back?

My main concern is the loose skin (mostly only when shes curled in a spot (snakes make a S shape, in the bends is where its a little lose/wrinkley). And seeing the humidity is so high, the temp is going down a bit? towards the warmer side of the tank, the temp is only low 80's (83.6 at the moment). is this bad? i know its significantly cooler on the cool side, but is that too low?

Also, i want to feed her in a seperate tank.. some said i may have a hard time feeding her in such a big tank, but if i use a little 10 gallon tank, would she most likely take food easier?

I may be over reacting a bit, but i want it to be a perfect habitat for her

I wouldn't worry about the loose skin. When a ball curls up, there are bound to be some fold in the skin. If the humidity has been down for a few days before, it might take a little while for her to adjust. She should be fine though.

Handling for 15-20 minutes every-day is fine. You can just lift up her hide box and take her out. Then just put her back wherever. Mine usually goes straight for the hide when I plop her back in. I would avoid handling her during shed or right before you feed her. Also (as you know) wait at LEAST 24 hours (48 is preferred) after feeding to handle her again.

If your hot side is only 83 degrees, there is a problem. It should always sit between 90-94. Your COOL side should be between 80-85. Are you only using the heat light to heat? I would get a UTH and a thermostat to help maintain hot side belly temps.

You can feed her in the same enclosure. Her temperament will stay the same. It can be stressful for her to move from her normal cage to a feeding enclosure and then back again. Worst case scenario, it could cause a regurgitation, and that is no good!

[ninjamonkey1]

I wouldn't worry about the loose skin. When a ball curls up, there are bound to be some fold in the skin. If the humidity has been down for a few days before, it might take a little while for her to adjust. She should be fine though.

Handling for 15-20 minutes every-day is fine. You can just lift up her hide box and take her out. Then just put her back wherever. Mine usually goes straight for the hide when I plop her back in. I would avoid handling her during shed or right before you feed her. Also (as you know) wait at LEAST 24 hours (48 is preferred) after feeding to handle her again.

If your hot side is only 83 degrees, there is a problem. It should always sit between 90-94. Your COOL side should be between 80-85. Are you only using the heat light to heat? I would get a UTH and a thermostat to help maintain hot side belly temps.

You can feed her in the same enclosure. Her temperament will stay the same. It can be stressful for her to move from her normal cage to a feeding enclosure and then back again. Worst case scenario, it could cause a regurgitation, and that is no good!

Right now im using the heat light with a 150watt infrared heat bulb, and a 30-40gallon UTH. I dont know why its so cold in there?

Theres a thermometer on the glass mid tank, its reading 85-90 degrees (not sure how to read the non digital one..) but my digital one about 1" off the bedding, on the warm side is reading 83.8 now (slowly rising since i moved the position of the thermometer towards the ground).

I cant seem to get this right AT ALL. first i had the heat perfect, and horrible humidity, now i have the humidity great, and horrible heat.

I saw her drinking though, thats good huh?

[Kaorte]

Right now im using the heat light with a 150watt infrared heat bulb, and a 30-40gallon UTH. I dont know why its so cold in there?

Theres a thermometer on the glass mid tank, its reading 85-90 degrees (not sure how to read the non digital one..) but my digital one about 1" off the bedding, on the warm side is reading 83.8 now (slowly rising since i moved the position of the thermometer towards the ground).

I cant seem to get this right AT ALL. first i had the heat perfect, and horrible humidity, now i have the humidity great, and horrible heat.

I saw her drinking though, thats good huh?

Seeing a ball python drink is pretty rare! What a lucky sight!

As for the temps, I would invest in some digital probe thermometers. Those dial ones are hard to read for a reason, they are crappy. The digital that you have 1 inch off the ground, is it the flukers one? If so, that one is good for measuring humidity and ambient temperatures, so you are doing okay with the ambients (or cool side).

The best advice I can give you for right now is to place the digital thermometer right on the glass above the UTH. If the temp is around 90 (but less than 95) you should be fine with your temps. But first thing tomorrow, go out and get a thermometer with a probe and a light dimmer for your UTH (which is probably too hot).

[ninjamonkey1]

Seeing a ball python drink is pretty rare! What a lucky sight!

As for the temps, I would invest in some digital probe thermometers. Those dial ones are hard to read for a reason, they are crappy. The digital that you have 1 inch off the ground, is it the flukers one? If so, that one is good for measuring humidity and ambient temperatures, so you are doing okay with the ambients (or cool side).

The best advice I can give you for right now is to place the digital thermometer right on the glass above the UTH. If the temp is around 90 (but less than 95) you should be fine with your temps. But first thing tomorrow, go out and get a thermometer with a probe and a light dimmer for your UTH (which is probably too hot).

http://www.zilla-rules.com/products/...terrariums.htm Thats the type of thermometer/humidity reader i have.. both Zilla. I cant really afford to get anything else at the moment.. can having the cool side around 75-80 and warm side 82-85 be bad for the snake?

[ninjamonkey1]

Seeing a ball python drink is pretty rare! What a lucky sight!

As for the temps, I would invest in some digital probe thermometers. Those dial ones are hard to read for a reason, they are crappy. The digital that you have 1 inch off the ground, is it the flukers one? If so, that one is good for measuring humidity and ambient temperatures, so you are doing okay with the ambients (or cool side).

The best advice I can give you for right now is to place the digital thermometer right on the glass above the UTH. If the temp is around 90 (but less than 95) you should be fine with your temps. But first thing tomorrow, go out and get a thermometer with a probe and a light dimmer for your UTH (which is probably too hot).

Also, she keeps burrowing =/ that mean shes cold? the temp TOUCHING the UTH is 110... its warm to the touch of my hand, can she get burned on it? i can hold my hand on it without it getting hot.