Yesterday we went to petsmart to buy something other than dogs and cats ( we have 2 dogs and 5 cats and 1 turtle)

We didn't want to buy anything which makes too much noise (like bird, parrots) so we ended up getting a snake. We asked the guy over there and he pointed out a Reverse Striped California Kingsnake. He said this was the easiest to handle.

So far my concerns are:


even with the 55w (50w?) bulb the heat wont go up to 80-90F.
Its just around 60-70 and the snake wont even come out from the rocks.

( we have a 20 gallons tank and we placed the light in one end, above the brench, and the rocks is in the other end of the tank.)

The other thing is feeding:
As i was told by the worker from petsmart:
When i want to feed the snake, i should put the snake in another small bucket or something and dont use my hands to gice the mice to him.
And dont even try to feed him on my palm.


But my firend had many snakes and he told me this is BS.. i shouldnt take the snake out because of the feeding time, it wont bite me, and i dont have to use any tool to give the mice to them, i could use my hand without any problems.

I told my friend that this guy from petsmart told me these because the snake will get used to that the feeding will take apart in a different bucket and not in his tank so it will never bite me.

Once again he told me that this is BS, but i can do whatever i want.


One more thing: how many days i have to wait after feeding before i can take him out from his tank?


btw its small snake, i only feed him once a week


other things:
should i place the lights directly on hes tank? so the lights will be closer to the branch.
But the petsmart guy told me that he could burn himself if he climbs on the top of the tank from the branches. ( of course the light would be placed on the screen.

 

pet snake.. yukkk haha im from hawaii.. i see a snake and i freak out.. but yeah i guess thats cool! haha

 

I don't own a snake, but two of my friends do, they put their snakes into a diff. container when feeding, and just drop in the mice and let the snake do the work.

Thats all I kno

 

Probably better off listening to these guys.
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

 

my brother had 2 snakes when i was younger he had colombian boa's (sp?)

to Feed u can leave him in his tank, but now u can either feed him a live mouse or a dead mouse, thats jus depending on the snake and his preference really, but if the snake doesnt eat while a live mouse is in the tank REMOVE the mouse, the mouse will get too jittery and start slashing at the snake with his nails thinking its fine and possibly hurt the snake. Snakes are moody so it really depends they might want it live they might want it dead it depends.

and as far as the heatlamp my brother use to leave it directly on top of the tank by the mesh part on top.

 

Ive have owned many snakes and worked in the past as a reptile specialst.

Do not use an in the tank heat stone. They are notorious for causing burns. Buy a under the tank heater, a thin plastic unit that has adhesive on one side. Stick it directly to the glass. Get one that is big enough to cover ~20-25% of the tank. They are very effective and use less than 10w.

Use a 100w bulb (standard household type is fine I believe, unless your species requires UV/UVB rays) and keep it on the same side of the cage the under tank heater is on. That way you will have a thermal gradient (one side of the tank will be cooler than the other and the snake can regulate its temp that way). Generally, you can put these directly on the screen top, towards the middle (away from the walls of the tank) and above a basking area. Branches are fine, or a large rock would do as well.

Consider attaching the light to something as the snake can push on the screen top and possibly knock over the light, causing a fire hazard.

Having kept reticulated and Burmese pythons (20+feet for the retic), I would say it is VERY important NOT to feed the snake in the cage in which it lives. Otherwise they will think evertime you open the cage its going to get fed, and can bite you. This is less a concern with smaller species, but unless you want to increase the chance you will get bit, feed them outside their home. Also, wash your hands after feeding time – you don’t want to smell like your snakes food. This WILL get you bit. I learned this the hard way after forgetting to wash my hands only one time. I fed my larger species in the bath tub, and as I was removing my retic out of the tube and sending her back to her cage, she could smell the rabbit on my hands and gave me a rather nasty bite. Teeth are razor sharp and as I pulled away, I ripped my arm open rather nicely.

Give them at least 24-36 hours to digest before you handle them. Might not need to wait as long with the smaller species, but it is good practice. Proper temps are ESSENTIAL to quick and healthy digestion.

Provide you snake with multiple hides (cool and warm sides). This helps reduce stress in the snake. Snakes WILL hide as many are nocturnal. This is normal. Handle the snake on a regular basis to help keep it “tame”.

 

I have a Normal Ball Python.....

DO NOT USE A HEATING ROCK!!!!!!!

use UTH (under tank heaters) or RHP (radient Heat panel if your a G) When i have my snake up at my school aparment its draffty so in my 20g tank i have a 100watt light with UTH

ALSO!!! Always have the heat source on a thermostat!!!! You need to be able to monitor the temps you dont want to burn your snake....

Get a dital temp gauge with a probe to mointor both sides most of them have humidty built in....Accurite Digtal....Walmart like 10 bucks

I feed in a different container, Live Mice....its all personal preferences.....

Give em a day or two before handling after eating.... and if you feed in seperate container about 30 mins after eating the meal put him back

Humidity levels around 70% for shed cycle youll see their eyes turn blue, look pale (Dont handle of feed during shed cycle) 50% humidity everyday is Good

GOOD HUSBANDRY IS KEY

obviously you probably know at least 2 hides one on each side Hot/Cool and water supply

If you have a screen lid top you can wrap foil or something to help insulation...

***Also some thick cardboard or poster board around the outsides of the tank to make the snake feel secure and help insulation

 

I'll redact my statement about the stone. Haha.

 

thx for the help guys.
I dont have heating rocks.

i have regular rocks so the snakes could hide.
i have one temp sensor on the middle of the tank.. so its between the "cold" side and the warm side of the tank. should i get another temp sensor and measure both sides?

i will not feed him with live animal for a while, but i will put him in a different tank for feeding.

i might wrap around the falf of the tank... i only have a 55w bulb.

 

yup thats i know too..

 

Feeding in a separate tank is a very good idea as others have said.

One thing to note that I did was put the food in the container, then wash your hands and get the snake. I made the mistake once of putting the snake in first, then going to put the food in, got bit on the finger. Luckily the snake was still small so it didn't do much. That was the only time I ever got bit as well.

And my other advice, keep them on frozen food. Feeding live is a pain in the ___. I'd much rather by a pack of 25 frozen mice and keep them in the freezer than buying live every week. Plus then you don't have to carefully watch to make sure the mouse doesn't attack the snake. It happens and can be deadly to the snake.

 

really!? ive only known about live or dead mice....not frozen...

 

You could just move the sensor - get a hot side reading and move it to the cool side in the evening and check it near or after midnight and again in the morning to get a feel for what the temp range is. I find it easier to monitor both sides myself, but if your short on funds, moving the ther is always an option.

Personally, I always feed live food - I find it more natural and forces the snake to use its natural instincts. Keeps the snake from just trying to swallow its food without constricting it first.

A 100w bulb is no more than a dollar. Go and buy one.

 

Like I said, big or small, it is a good idea to get into this practice.

Well, you should be stunning ANY live prey you offer a captive snake. Im not going to get into any morality discussions - in my eyes, its nature - its what they eat.

 

As a huge reptile lover, previous/current owner of reptiles & previous employee at Petsmart (when I was 16), DONT RELY ON THEM. The majority of employees there don't know jack about the animals & aren't properly trained:

1) It's better to feed him outside of his tank because this teaches him not to bite when something is placed in his tank. MAKE SURE TO WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER HANDLING HIM. To them, fingers can even resemble a mouse, therefore if you reach your hand in there he can bite you.

2) if he's in a 20 gallon tank 50w is WAY too little, you need atleast a 75w, heck, even 100w is good, get a 24 hour spot light (they're red bulbs) & set it near a rock so the rock gets about 95 degrees, no more cuz he'll burn his belly. Don't ever get the heat pads that go under the bedding. I can't tell you how many times I saw cooked snakes.

3) Get a clamp lamp so it's not even sitting on top of the screen, he can still burn himself.

Word of advice, if this is your first actual reptile-esque animal (tortoises/turtles are taken care of differently) do tons of research, there's a bunch of reptile websites that are incredibly educational.

 

Dead mice are usually frozen mice, at least I've never seen anywhere that sells fresh, dead mice. With the frozen mice, you put them in some hot water and thaw them out. Makes life a lot easier IMO.

I agree with HeathenBrewing about not getting into which is morally right, but I'll tell you I'm the complete opposite of what he is.

 

Glad I saw this thread, I've been considering a snake for a while. Anyone know much about geckos? jw, don't stray far from the op's topic though!

 

pics of the snake?

 

^ x2

 

so far i have only feeding pic with the mice in his mouth, im not sure if anyone wants to see that.

http://s479.photobucket.com/albums/r...t=IMG_1580.jpg

http://s479.photobucket.com/albums/r...t=IMG_1581.jpg