First Timer Help

[thefridge71]

Hey Guys,

I am a first time poster long time reader and have a number of questions for some answers for. It would be much appreciated.

1. Since the cold weather has started my enclosure seems to top out at about 30 degrees Celsius at the hot end (it corresponds at 25 at the cool end) and the heating lamps are running constantly. I had been monitoring the temps before I got my snake and it was appropriate but since I got the snake it has dropped a bit with the cold. I have a Bredli so would like to get the temp up to about 33-34 if possible. Do I need to get a higher wattage lamp, currently I have a 60w Ceramic and a 75w Infrared. They are both covered with light covers. If I put my thermometer probe on top of the hide rock which is placed under the lights it gets to 35 on top. Is this good enough for the enclosure? I live in Melbourne so it is cold at the moment, but it certainly gets colder.

2. My snake seems to hide in his hide rock a lot rather than basking on top of it. He curls up along the roof of the rock. What would this indicate. I have done a lot of reading and it would seem that if he stays at the hot end a lot then he is cold. However, he is staying under the rock rather than basking on top of it under the lights. Will this change as he gets more comfortable in his enclosure?

3. When should I feed the snake. I was told when I picked the snake up that it was due for a feed. Should I wait a week or two before introducing food to him so he can relax in the cage?


My most important question has to do with the heating and whether or not the temperature on top of the rock corresponds to what you need in the cage or whether it should be that temperature abnove the basking rock and below the light.

Your answers will be much appreciated! I have done a lot of reading on snake keeping, but it is always great to be able to ask specific questions on a forum like this.

Kind Regards,

Tom

 

[saximus]

How old is he? What sort of enclosure is he in? You could try insulating the enclosure to help hold some heat in. My Bredli's enclosure is dropping into the 20s during the really cool parts of the night but he is still eating. That will be your best indication of whether he's warm enough.I'd agree you should give it a week or two before trying a feed though.

 

[Ozzie Python]

how old is the bredli? what size enclosure? if the enclosure is too large it may have found a nice secure spot and staying there, if that is the case a few extra hides should sort that out.

are there any climbing branches in the enclosure? your current setup should be fine if the snake has something to climb up onto to get closer to the heat source. for arboreal species i always provide a basking shelf half way up the enclosure and something to climb on to get closer to the heat if they want to- a few branches from outside or some timber dowel is quick and easy- just make sure you secure it so it can't fall.

 

[thefridge71]

Thanks Saximus. The snake is a bit over a year old. It is a wooden enclosure that I have inherited. It has a glass front, with a vent at the back at the top. The left end has a ceramic and red light fixture, the other end has a fluoro light on the roof. The cage is a metre long, by 80cm high or so and 50cm deep I would guess. I have pre-made 3 marine carpet substrates that fit into the enclosure perfectly. I have a largish hide rock (probably too big but also inherited) at one end, a piece of driftwood that has been treated sitting across the cage and on top of the hide rock. I have my thermometer probe setup next to the hide rock but halfway up the enclosure, when I put this on the top of the rock it registers 35-37. At the cool end (25 degrees) I have a water bowl and another large empty handroll for it to hide in.

how old is the bredli? what size enclosure? if the enclosure is too large it may have found a nice secure spot and staying there, if that is the case a few extra hides should sort that out.

are there any climbing branches in the enclosure? your current setup should be fine if the snake has something to climb up onto to get closer to the heat source. for arboreal species i always provide a basking shelf half way up the enclosure and something to climb on to get closer to the heat if they want to- a few branches from outside or some timber dowel is quick and easy- just make sure you secure it so it can't fall.

Thanks Oz. I have the hide rock setup under the lights and have a branch that goes from the cool end all the way to the hot end and sits on top of the basking rock. There is enough room for the snake to lie on the rock or on the branch on top of the rock which is quite close to the lights. The snake is a bit over a year old and the enclosure details are in my previous post replying to Saximus. Thanks again for the reply.

Another quick question.

4. Humidity. According to my humidity gauge it is at 25%. This seems quite low, would this usually indicate that my water bowl does not have enough surface area? Perhaps a higher diameter less depth water bowl would give me some more humidity?

Regards,

Tom

 

[saximus]

Yeah you might want to bump that up a bit especially during shedding. Even just moving it closer to the heat should do the trick

 

[thefridge71]

Thanks again Saximus.

In terms of heat. Where should the temperature be at 34. When I place the probe on the rock under the heat lamps, it is 35-36. When it is placed on the ground or halfway up the heated end it is only about 30. When talking about the temperature of 34 should this be on the rocks surface or above the rocks surface?

The snake seems to be coming out of his hide far more frequently which is good news, he also has a handroll at the cool end which he spends a bit of time in hiding through the day. He still spends most of his time snug up against the roof of the hide however.

Regards,

Tom

By the way, I stuffed up my estimations on the size of the enclosure. It is about 80cm long, by 50cm high and 40cm deep.

 

[saximus]

That temp sounds ok. For reference though, most temps you read refer to ambient rather than surface.
It just occurred to me that I'd skipped over the hiding thing before. They don't like being out in the open so him sitting in the hide at the hot end is perfectly normal

 

[thefridge71]

Ambient rather than surface. That answers my question perfectly. I think everything is AOK then. Cheers again.

He smashed a rat this afternoon as well. Dangled it in front of his face for about half a second and he munged it down very quickly. Has retreated to his hide now so will leave him alone for a couple of days.

 

[thefridge71]

Just an update. Have left him for a couple of days and have handled him the last two days. He was very placid, and has started to lie around the enclosure a lot more rather than in his hide. In fact he very rarely goes into either hide (the hot or cool end). I have noticed that if I move my hand too quickly he does not bite. It has only happened twice, but instead of biting me he smashed his head into my hand without opening his mouth. I found it quite interesting as I am sure he could have made some small punctures if he wanted. Is this common in Bredli?

Also, he seems to like curling around my neck and laying his head on top of mine where I can not keep an eye on him. What is the easiest way to get him away from my neck without startling/frightening him? I would prefer to keep him out of the habit of getting aroudn my neck, and today whilst handling him I was much more effective and keeping him on my arms. If I do get in the situation however, it would be nice if anyone had some advice on how to best get him to come down. The day before last I got his long toilet roll hide and put it on my shoulder, he eventually went into it. At the moment my girlfriend is not too keen on grabbing him when he is wrapped around my neck and I do't blame her. I dont like the idea too much myself

I should be able to post up some photos of him hanging out in his enclosure in the next day or two!

Regards,

Tom

aa

 

[Bluetongue1]

Just reaffirming some of the great advice you have been given with a few extra tidbits thrown in. So I shall apologise in advance for the repetition.

I agree that air temperatures just above the given surface are the way to go. If you are looking for a critical area to measure the temperature, it should be in the middle of the enclosure and the reading should be equal to the preferred body temperature for that species. One side of that will be cooler, the other side warmer = your thermal gradient. The basking area can be several degrees warmer than the warm end near the substrate. The snake can then do what it does in nature and move between areas as required for it to regulate its temperature. A hide at either end and an elevated basking spot at the warm end for arboreal species, should be provided.

Hides should be snug. The snake should be able to feel at least two surfaces when inside and preferably the roof as well. Small cardboard boxes (about the size of a cigarette packet) that medicines come in and similar, are ideal. Just remove between a third and a half of the opening flaps, lay it on its side and away you go. The cardboard rolls out of kitchen wraps and paper towelling are often of a smaller diameter and therefore better than toilet rolls while the snake is small. Just cut to desired length with a hacksaw.

25% humidity sounds really suspect to me. Google your local weather information and compare the relative humidity given there with your reading. If there is a significant difference I would borrow someone else’s hygrometer to check yours. Air-conditioners remove moisture from the air so if your enclosure is in such a room then that could be correct.

The depth of water in the water bowel will NOT affect humidity in the enclosure. The surface area of water and the water temperature will as these two factors directly affect the rate of evaporation.

In addition to the above, the rate of air exchange will also affect humidity levels within the enclosure. The degree to which it will affect it depends upon the humidity of the surrounding air compared to the humidity inside the enclosure. The greater the difference in humidity levels, the greater the influence ventilation will have. You can always try blocking off say half of the top vent and then adjusting as required. Bear in mind this may also serve to retain more heat if you do not have thermostatically controlled heating.

Blue

 

[thefridge71]

Bluetongue, thank you so much for taking the time to answer some of my questions. The answers have really helped me. I have come to the conclusion that my hygrometer is very suspect. I will be buying another one ASAP so I can get it right before he sheds. He is outside of his hides most of the time I check on him now which is nice. He has a rock hide that he can bask on top of (ambient just above it gets to about 34-35 before the thermostat turns it off), and a large roll from paper towel at the cool end (ambient is between 22-27 depending on the heat lamps). He also has a piece of driftwood which I run from the cool end to the hot end (goes over the basking rock and sits into the corner snugly). This allows him to climb on it to get closer to the heat lamps if he wishes, but I find he rarely does this at this point in time. I don't think the rock hide is quite small enough for him. He gets into the far corner and curls up onto the roof and into the corners. I will manufacture something for him that will be a little more snug. Thanks for the advice.

Most importantly though, I am happy with the amount of time he spends outside of his hide and the way in which he took his first meal. He didn't ask any questions which makes me happy that I chose to get a yearling rather than hatchling for my first snake. No feeding problems that way (knock on wood) provided I keep his temps right and make him feel comfortable in the enclosure. I have also taken some photos of him to put up here.

[video=youtube;Jz69WgSrmMQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz69WgSrmMQ[/video]

 

[thefridge71]

Ended up turning down the thermostat a little. I found he spent pretty much all his time at the cool end and didn't bask at all. Since doing that, he seems to bask a lot more and lie on his log up near the heat lamps. He still spends a fair bit of time at the cool end in his hide however.

Took him out for a handle tonight and he was amazingly friendly. I think he has settled down very nicely.

Thanks a lot for the great advice guys!

Regards,

Tom

 

[Bluetongue1]

Great to hear and see. A beautiful animal by the way. Congratulations.

Blue[FONT=&quot]

Additional Info:[/FONT] On re-reading my post I release I forgot to mention one important thing. Although you set up the temps for the species as recommended, the geographic origin or background will affect and individual snakes temperature preferences. I addition to that, individuals do vary. So if you find your animal spends an inordinate amount of time at one end of the viv or the other (not including when digesting a meal or coming up to slough), adjust the temperature accordingly until there is a more equitable split and regular movement between one end and the other.