Tips for Newbies thread!

[missie66]

M

 

[jodee]

Hi Everyone,
As a newbie myself, I am forever learning new things about my snake and reptiles in general. Today i learnt about sellmonella and and the seriousness of it when it comes to reptiles and their ability to trandfer it to humans...I was astounded, it was not something i had considered before.
anyway, I came across this website that outlines the problem and some ways reptile owners can reduce the risk of making themselves sick and still enjoy their reptiles

Salmonella in Turtles, Lizards, and Snakes, and the Risk to Humans

 

[nintendont]

im a newbie and Im sure I will have a ton of questions that people on here can hopefully answer.
I just bought an enclosure that is 1500x460x650 that I want to get a pair of Jungle carpets for...eventually, when my set-up is complete...
what age are pythons able to reproduce?
and for the branches that are secured in my enclosure, what product do you use to clean the surfaces? General household cleaning products would be a no-no Im assuming?
and also, Heating and Lighting...I have been doing heaps of research and its doing my head in!!! My enclosure has 2 fittings and I gather that the middle one is used for a light (what sort of light?) that should come on at night and the fitting on the left side should be the heat source controlled by a thermostat...but what exactly is the heat source? I have seen ceramic things that dont put out actual light and then there are heat lamps, and its confusing me a bit...and what sort of wattage is needed?
I know I will have loads more questions, but they are a good starting point...any tips/advice would be appreciated!

 

[harlemrain]

im a newbie and Im sure I will have a ton of questions that people on here can hopefully answer.
I just bought an enclosure that is 1500x460x650 that I want to get a pair of Jungle carpets for...eventually, when my set-up is complete...
what age are pythons able to reproduce?
and for the branches that are secured in my enclosure, what product do you use to clean the surfaces? General household cleaning products would be a no-no Im assuming?
and also, Heating and Lighting...I have been doing heaps of research and its doing my head in!!! My enclosure has 2 fittings and I gather that the middle one is used for a light (what sort of light?) that should come on at night and the fitting on the left side should be the heat source controlled by a thermostat...but what exactly is the heat source? I have seen ceramic things that dont put out actual light and then there are heat lamps, and its confusing me a bit...and what sort of wattage is needed?
I know I will have loads more questions, but they are a good starting point...any tips/advice would be appreciated!

I personally use the ceremic lamps myself, I find they last longer than bulbs, and once a bulb blew and shattered glass all through my enclosure, although that's not to say its something that commonly happens. I have a 3ft tank and I use one 100W lamp in summer, controlled by thermostat and in winter I have a 50W bulb on of a night to stop temps dropping below 20. I'm not 100% sure on this but I have heard on here and other places that having a constant light source can be confusing for them, as they need a sense of daytime and nighttime aswell.

As for the breeding, I'm not sure of the exact age for Jungles, but the general rule of thumb is 2yrs, but I would check that out if I were you.

Also one final tip before you get your Jungles, they are beautiful creatures but do have a tendency to be a bit snappy, this is something they can grow out of with handling but there's no guarantees so if these are your first snakes then that is something worth considering also.

Hope this helps some

oh and p.s unless your snake defecates on the branches attached to your enclosure there's no real need to clean them

 

[nintendont]

yeh I have read that jungles are snappy but that doesnt bother me. I want a good looking snake and I like jungles. besides I voluntarily pay lots of money to get repeatedly stabbed with needles so a bit of blood here and there isnt going to be much of an issue.

now Im confused further about lighting because, correct me if Im wrong, but temperatures are still maintained at night via the thermostat, so wouldnt a heat lamp still be coming on occasionally at night...meaning there was no defined period of darkness, thus, confusing them :S

if a snake was to defecate ON the branches, what would you use to clean the surfaces that would not be harmful to the snake?

thanks for trying to help

 

[harlemrain]

Well as I mentioned I'm not 100% sure about the lighting situation but as I use cermaic heating it's never been an issue for me, when it's daytime it light and night is dark for him. I'm pretty sure infared lighting can't be seen by the snakes so that's another option if you want their tank lit up so you can see them.

I totally agree Jungles are gorgeous and when we can afford another enclosure that's next on my list

When cleaning my enclosure I use a bowl of warm water with a small amount of dishwashing liquid and a cloth- I figure if we can wash things we eat off with it it can't hurt them, and I make sure I wipe over the surfaces with a clean damp cloth afterwards - hope this helps

 

[nintendont]

do carpet pythons poo after EVERY meal? Or does it depend on the size of the meal? how many days after a feed, roughly? also: shedding...how often does this happen?
and what is an RPM...Ive heard them mentioned along with Jags and I have discovered the Jag explanation thread but cant find anything on RPMs...

 

[Broddles]

Newbie - Woma help

Hey everyone!

So I am a snake newbie. Have been keeping lizards for some time now and have finally decided that I might dabble in snakes.

I have fallen in love with Woma's and am having trouble finding decent information online. I have located a good vet (just moved to a new area) and am in the process of upgrading my enclosure (old one is a 4x1 that I used for central netteds)

I have never kept a snake before and would love some info on the difference in husbandry needs. A good book recommendation would be awesome too.

Throw all your Woma knowledge at me

Thanks

 

[jpicot1]

Hi all,

Just wondering what you think the most hygenic way to defrost and keep frozen rodents is.

Cheers!

 

[GeckoJosh]

Hi all,

Just wondering what you think the most hygenic way to defrost and keep frozen rodents is.

Cheers!

Defrost them as you need them in either warm water or on a warm surface, try not to leave them for too long once defrosted, once defrosted do not refreeze.
For keeping them in the freezer just keep them in pressed sealed bags, double bagged imo is better for rats and large mice as the claws tend to tear small holes in the bags.

 

[mje772003]

Defrost them as you need them in either warm water or on a warm surface, try not to leave them for too long once defrosted, once defrosted do not refreeze.
For keeping them in the freezer just keep them in pressed sealed bags, double bagged imo is better for rats and large mice as the claws tend to tear small holes in the bags.

I normally use double snap lock bags

 

[GeckoJosh]

They are easy to keep, however they are not forgiving if one gets something wrong.

 

[jpicot1]

Hi all,

Another question. I live in QLD and we get some very warm days. I just checked my Woma hatchies enclosure at around 4pm and it was 33-34 degs all over. No heat! Is this ok? Should i bother with any heat at night when it cools down a bit? Cheers.

 

[Morbid]

Not sure if these have been said before but these are the tips I give my friends when buying their first snakes, sorta no brainers but for some reason these are the things they do not know:

1) Do not waste your money on a nice display cage until your snake is full grown, or if you want to buy one early but one that will fit it's adult size.

2) Keep your snake in a click clack or a rack system that is secure when it's younger. Don't put your snake in a enclosure too large for it. It will stress it out.

3) NEVER USE A HEAT ROCK.

4) Make sure you get a thermostat. It's nice to have the temp gauges in the enclosure but the cheap stick on ones you can get are not that accurate and don't help fluctuate the heat supply.

5) Do not house multiple snakes together, unless its for breeding. Snakes do not enjoy eachothers company and that situation can turn bad quickly even with similar sized same species snakes.

6) And of course do plenty of research before guying the snake, including on care, size, easy, temperament.

7) I saw this one posted but I can NOT emphasize this one enough. Do not settle. Find the snake you want, and do not worry about price (unless it's a $7,00 + morph) and save up for it. You end up spending more on nice display cages, food, heat supply (in energy costs too), ect... than you will on your snake. Your snake will live for a very long time. You might as well have what you really want than waste money on the first snake you could afford. Here in the states, not sure about Australia... you can get a baby Colombian Boa for $25. In my opinion they are boring, ugly and I would never want one but they do get pretty darn big for a "beginner" snake. That $25 snake will need a 6' enclosure, and it will need to be fed small rabbits often... can you afford that? If your going to buy a $500+ enclosure for your snake eventually you might as well be willing to spend that much on your snake. I mean if I Colombian Boa is your ideal pet go for it, if not find your ideal pet and spend the cash to get a high quality one from a good reputable breeder.

8) Don't buy the first one you see from some random pet store. Find the type of snake you want, find a good breeder do research and pay the extra money for a higher quality one. It will really pay off when the snake is an adult.

 

[riotgirlckb]

I do all the research I can before aquiring a new pet no matter what species or breed, I don't want to go getting myself into anything I can't handle and making the animal suffer because of it, learn everything you can before getting a new pet

 

[daneo]

hey people. im new at all this. need a bit of help. i recently my first python a week ago. its a jungle. ive tried feeding it 3 times. each time it takes the mouse, wraps it up, then holds and smells it for a bout half an hour. then it leaves it on the floor of the enclosure?? its still there in the morning too. is this due to it being in a new enclosure ?? the temps are at 28 during the day and 24 at night. any suggestions would be great. cheers

 

[Zeusy]

hey people. im new at all this. need a bit of help. i recently my first python a week ago. its a jungle. ive tried feeding it 3 times. each time it takes the mouse, wraps it up, then holds and smells it for a bout half an hour. then it leaves it on the floor of the enclosure?? its still there in the morning too. is this due to it being in a new enclosure ?? the temps are at 28 during the day and 24 at night. any suggestions would be great. cheers

I'm by no means an expert or even very knowledgable yet but i've been researching this forum for some time now on everything snakes, particularly Jungles and their temps and i think a basking spot of around 32 degrees is what you need. Do you have a heatmat/cord or heat light or something running off a thermostat? I believe, and correct me if i am wrong anyone but 32 seems to be the temp jungles want to aid digestion.
If its too cold, the snake may not eat as it realises it wont be able to find a warm enough spot to digest.

 

[Zeusy]

but it could just need some time to settle, undisturbed, into it's new surroundings before it feels comfortable. Once they eat, they become a bit vulnerable so everything needs to be nice and comfortable before they eat...........i think

 

[cathy1986]

Your heat is way to low !!!

 

[Marzzy]

Every problem lately seems to be temperature related.... = /