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**Red** · 10-16-2002, 06:33 AM

Re: Heating

I hate to say it but the primary rule in buying snakes in captivity is never buy a non-feeder... But I think we can change that problem... so once you get you enviroment down it will be fine and I bet it will eat just fine... Now what you are going to want to do is get a uth(under tank heater/heating pad..) The heating pad's for humans with the three level's are good... and you may have one... since you are getting another cage we will fix this temparaly... place it on the same side as the light... your temp's should be up at 90 on the hot side give or take a lil'.. and about 82-80 on the cool side... now you are probley not going to get a proper heat gradeant.. that is ok as long as you get a new cage soon... now also you need to be keeping track of the humidity and the temp's for the rest of the snakes life... so go get a good one... They sell at wal-mart a humitity/temp guage with a probe for like $15 I own four of them...(four snakes) This will be able to moniter the temp.'s on the cool and hot side plus the humidity... To keep the humidity up in the cage use a towl that is slightly wet and put it on top of the cage... you may need to discontinue use of the heat lamp... By the way your snake does not need any uva or b ray's so it is not needed... also if you temp's go back down because of the non-use of the heat lamp you can insulate the cage with another towl rapped around the glass...(glass is the worst cage meduim for trying to heat it has heat loss that is unmatched by any other type of cage...) Now let your snake alone for like 4 day's try to keep the temp's up and the humitiy at about 60% and then try to feed again... I bet your snake will eat with vigor...
Well I hope I could help...
Eric aka...Red
P.s. Make sure when useing a uth to put enuf stuff on the bottom of the cage so the snake can not get on the hot glass it may/probley will burn the snake... I use a couple layer's of new's paper under the aspen bark I use...

**TonyPa** · 10-16-2002, 02:01 PM

Re: Heating

Thanks very much for the great advise. I ran out tonight and bought a heating pad for the underneath. Took him out earlier, and before putting him in a seperate box, he was all over me....Quite a curious one, but didn't want to be put in the box. I left him in there for about 2 hours, and he still didn't eat. I put him in the aquarium, and put the pinky in there with him. Hopefully he will eat it tonight sometime. I am at 82 degrees now, and climbing....Thanks very much!!!!!!

**Gib** · 10-16-2002, 08:06 PM

Re: Heating

A pinkie mouse or a pinky rat???

A pinkie mouse is awfully small I would try offering a live Fuzzy or a pink rat....something a little larger would probally get him going...and remember if you Feed Live NEVER leave your snake unsupervised!!!

**Red** · 10-17-2002, 02:07 AM

Re: Heating

what do you have on the ground of the cage.? I put a towl..(towl's are real good tool's when it come's to rep.'s) over the top of the feeding box... and if you are using a pinkie mouse then you should try somthing bigger... My larger boa will not take anything that is not strech for him... you may be running in to the same thing... but like I said leave the snake alone for like 4-5 day's don't even hold it... let it acclamate to the new temp.'s in the cage and to get those enzyms going... then try to feed....
Eric aka...Red
P.s. have you got a heat/humidity guage ... You have too have this... it is as nessasary as the cage it self... in less you live in colobia.. lol keep the humitity up.. the snake may-not eat with the humidity too low.... Have you read clay's care sheet's... if not read then repeat intell you can quote it word for word...

**tatdaddy** · 10-17-2002, 04:52 AM

Re: Heating

First let me say welcome,
I have a 20 gal glass tank and what I do to keep every think close to the right thing is. I use a UTH made by Zoo Med
it cover about 30% of the bottom of the tank. Right above the UTH i have a 60 watt buld. Now this is verey imporant! I had a problem with the hot spot getting really hot like 120 f hot.
At that temp it will cook a snake. You need to get a thermostat.
This will help keep the hot spot at 90 to 95. My air temp are on the warm side 90 to 95 on the cool side 80 to 85 my humidity is 60% to 70%. I keep a towl on the top of the cage and like red said keep it damp.

I agree that you should try a larger food item than a pinke mouse. Clay says that a rat is much healther for your snake, if you have acess to get pinke rats your snake would do much better. Well good luck and keep us posted.

Joshua s32.gif
USMC Semper Fi

**TonyPa** · 10-18-2002, 04:22 AM

Re: Heating

Thanks for all the awesome advice...I got my humidity up now, and my heat....Whew...I was getting nervous....I did notice when i am near the tank, his head follows me around now, and he wants out, as I am messing around, he climbs onto my arm right away....
I tried to be nice, and not put him back, as I was told to do for a while, and he got little crabby when I tried to put him back in the tank again......I called the pet store, and told them what was going on, and they said he ate a pinky "mouse" every two weeks there...And said he sounded nervous, and he would eat soon, for me not to panic.......They did offer me free food, if stopped by.....Thanks guys....Tony

**Red** · 10-18-2002, 05:56 AM

Re: Heating

I have a "?" Did you ever let that snake acclamate to it's inviroment..?? (this is probley the #1 cause of stress in baby boas...I also could call stress nervesness...)This is also a very crucial stage of getting a pet snake... I know it seem's mean but you have to relize that this snake is not a human and they sit in one place in one position for like a week.. If you have not let the snake acclamate to it's inviroment then you are putting undue stress on your snake... I would bet on this being the reason that this snake is not eating... enless of course it is sick witch I don't think it is... Please don't take my word for it wright clay a instant message and ask him.. (All you have to do is clilck on his name where every you see it on this site... and there will be a a write this member a message thing to click on...)
Also 1 pinky mouse is not even half of what that snake should be eating.... You should be feeding it one pinky rat (pinky rats are like the size of hopper mice) every week... not every two... I am telling you let your snake acclamate and then try to feed a larger prey iteam and I but your snake will eat...
Eric aka...Red
p.s. if you can't find a hopper mouse or a pinky rat try two pinky mice... Of course once it starts to eat... Alot of pet stores try to feed there snakes that can get big less so they don't get too big while it is at the store... (good pet stores don't do this but most pet stores suck.. Like 99.9 of them s-u-c-k
Pps. I can tell you right now that you should stop listing to the people at the pet store... I can tell you just by the way they where feeding that snake that they don't know what the h%$l they are talking about.... But they where wright about the nervesness.. I can tell you what it is caused by not letting it acclamate to its inviroment...

**TonyPa** · 10-18-2002, 06:18 PM

Re: Heating

Thanks very much!!!..I have let him go now,,and not handled him....He actually sat in his waterbowl all day today, with his head poking out of the top...He submerged his whole body....Been that way for about 16 hours now. I just keep checking on the humidity and temp....that is all good...So I will wait and see what he wants to do....i guess he is nervous...I know you are right, The pet store did seem a litte lost on the phone with me.....

**draco842** · 10-20-2002, 07:36 AM

Re: Heating

16 hours? along time. I would try to put him in the bath tube with about 1/2 to 1 inch of warm water they like it and helps them shed give him 15 min. He could be going into a shed they sometimes stop eating when about to start shedding. I would try feeding a pre-killed rat from rodent-pro or whereever you get yours (Rodent- Pro are very good and have helped alot of my friends). You can TRY FEEDING IN THE BACK YARD that has helped my ball python which are supposed to be bad eaters, but he has never missed a meal. Try the BACKYARD

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