2 Ball Python questions.

Voodoo · #1 (**permalink**) 08-09-2002, 02:31 PM

Okay, I have 3 Ball Pythons. One's a baby still (Spooky), and the others are 3' (Pepito) and 3.5' (Satan) (If any of you read Jhonen Vasquez, you should get that. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] ).

Now, I recently moved from Tx to Mi. The heat in their cage is: day- 80-85, night-78-80. The humidity usually stays around 70%. I actually finally (I know, I know) got temp gages, but in the move I boxed up my snake books, so I'm not sure how warm the warm side should be, and suchlike.

Anyway, to the questions.

1) Pepito recently decided to curl up in the water dish on the warm side. She doesn't appear to be in the blue, but I occasionally miss that phase. I'm just double-checking that this is normal, since my other snakes've never done it. I checked for mites already, and didn't see any.

2) This morning, when I took the water bowl out, Satan went to the warm hidey-hole. When I went to put the bowl back in, I hadta poke him to try and coerce him into moving so the bowl'd fit in the cage. And, for the first time ever, I got hissed at. Heck, I thought BP's didn't hiss. Also, when I misted his cage, he got sprayed with water, and hissed at that, too. Could this have to do with me not handling him as often in the past week since I moved here? None of the others are being pissy.

And one last thing that happened about 2 months ago. I didn't have internet access, or I would've asked about it on here.

Spooky one day just started . . . wagging her tail when she moved around the cage. This went on for about 4 days, but then it went away, and she hasn't done it since. When I say wagging, it looked like a frisky cat, with the quick movement of the tail. So, what in god's name was that all about?

One of these days, I'll post pics of my snakes, yes I will.
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bensnacks · #2 (**permalink**) 08-09-2002, 02:39 PM

G'day Voodoo'
Welcome to the site.
On the tail wagging, some pythons use it as a caudal
lure, particularaly juvies.

Maybe the move upset your other snakes and need a little settling time
just a thought??
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eddie · #3 (**permalink**) 08-09-2002, 02:42 PM

Welcome to Redtail!

And your temps are a little low!
Check out the care sheet for the
Ball Pythons.

( my head hurts too bad to remember at the moment....)

And as for the tail wagging, some are doing what Ben said and others do it for what ever reason they want to... [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]
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Voodoo · #4 (**permalink**) 08-09-2002, 02:52 PM

I actually just read the care sheet for BP's. Now, how do I raise the temp? I have a heat pad and a heat lamp on one side. Soo . . . should I just build a new cage that's better insulated? Instead of the glass aquarium, do something with, I dunno, plywood? I dunno if plywood as pine or cedar, tho. Hmm.

And what is this "caudal lure" of which you speak? I haven't read that anywhere.
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eddie · #5 (**permalink**) 08-09-2002, 03:03 PM

Heating the cage is an experiment at times...
A few questions for you first.

What wattage is the lamp(s)?

What type of fixture? Dome? strip type with single or double lamps?

The heat pad, human or made for aquarium UTH?

Is the tank screen lidded?

What size is the tank? length, width, depth and Gallons.

Are all the snakes housed together or in seperate tanks?

I know I'm nosey.... but the info will help us help you.

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Voodoo · #6 (**permalink**) 08-09-2002, 03:06 PM

This is all of them together.

This is Spooky, the leetle one.

And this is Satan and Pepito.
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Voodoo · #7 (**permalink**) 08-09-2002, 03:27 PM

1/2) The lamp is a 75w bulb, one of those, er, domes on a clamp.

3) It's a Cobra heating pad. Designed for reptile cages.

4) It's a screen lid. I didn't want to get one like the aquariums use, cause they need air flow and whatnot.

5) 30 gal, 30" long, and . . . I have the debth and width written down in my snake records book, but that's also packed up. Gah.

6) They're housed together until I build a new cage for them. I just hafta figure what kinda cage will be movable.
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Dr.Oviparous · #8 (**permalink**) 08-09-2002, 03:33 PM

It might just be me, but a 75W with a heat pad in a 30Gal sounds like it would get up in the mid-high 90's (unless you keep your house really cool). sure about the temps? oh yeah, WELCOME TO RTB! [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] -Juggalo
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Dr.Oviparous · #9 (**permalink**) 08-09-2002, 03:34 PM

Wait, is it a 30 high, or 30 long? what are the dimentions? -Juggalo
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eddie · #10 (**permalink**) 08-09-2002, 03:46 PM

Ok, cool!
Try this, put some foil on the screen on the hot side, cut out a circle or the lamp, and cover 1/2 of the screen.
give it a few hours and see what the temps are.
If still low, cover a lil bit at the time and see how it does temp wise.
If you feel that you have gone too far with the foil, then go up on wattage and start over with no foil, and do as before.

Everything else sounds cool, except housing together, quite cramped...
But as for building a cage, well, there are many ways to do it and still have it portable.
I use caster wheels on mine.

The wood, cedar is NO good.
Pine is fine as long as it is non pressure treated. I use non-pt pine plywood etc.
And it has to be finished with sealer such as polycrylic or urethane to make cleaning easier and to prevent the wood from absorbing odors, moisture etc.

Here's an album to look at for tips.
Cage Construction.

Here's a site that has simple plans.
Building Vivariums.
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Voodoo · #11 (**permalink**) 08-09-2002, 03:47 PM

Okay, let me go check the temp RIGHT now.

71 on cool side, 75 on warm side, 68 humidity.

30" wide, 12" deep and 12" tall.

And it's actually a 60 watt bulb.

I have the light on a timer to turn on at noon, and off at midnight.

It's now 9:45am.
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Voodoo · #12 (**permalink**) 08-09-2002, 03:56 PM

I'll try the aluminum thingy.

Thanks for the links on building. Given that the only cages I've seen have been at snake farm in Tx (I saw 4 adult BP's in a cage just a bit bigger than mine), and the pics of breeder cages, which always seem so small to me.

If I'd had more time, I wouldn't have them so cramped. But I adopted the two big ones from a pet store. They had to get rid of them, and knew me because I was always in there. Ug, I felt so bad for them at that pet store, since the cage they were in was about 1/3 the size of mine, with no hide. They still have two RTB there, a 4' and 3' in the same cage that's half as deep as mine, just a bit shorter, but about twice as tall, with no hide, a small water dish, and just a heating rock. I wish I could've taken them, too, but they weren't up for adoption, and I didn't have enough money to buy them and a new cage and whatnot. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_cry.gif[/img]
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#13 (**permalink**) 08-09-2002, 04:09 PM

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE>30" wide, 12" deep and 12" tall.</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

Sounds like a 20L to me...

IF it is, a heating pad and a 60 watt CHE (my setup at home), you won't get much over 82 with the CHE on for 6 hrs.

I think more wattage is required, but that will probably make the humidity more difficult to maintain.

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE>And it's actually a 60 watt bulb.
I have the light on a timer to turn on at noon, and off at midnight.
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

If this bulb emits visible light, that is a bad idea having it on during the night...unless there is no other light in the room/area at all to throw off the photoperiod.

I'd opt for a CHE, and if light is required (i.e. in a room with no windows), I'd turn the bulb on for 12 hours, 7am - 7pm or something similar.
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