Are click-clacks strictly necessary?

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Congratulations on the job offer and for seeking answers! It's great seeing people do their research before getting animals! I'm sure the pet shop will help you out a great deal! I wish I had that opportunity :)
 
I went into a pet store today and the manager of the reptile and amphibian department is a breeder. They had some nice tubs there that make great click-clacks he told me and he also mentioned that while some hatchys and juvies don't mind the openness it is always better to keep them in a smaller enclosure, such as a click-clack. Particularly for the reasons that Snowman stated. Thanks for all of the advice on this guys. I also would like to announce that I could be taking a job at that pet store working with this guy to learn more about various reptiles and the set-ups required and am really excited :D
If you were talking to Matt at Pet magic, you can't go wrong. A nice bloke and really knows his stuff with all things reptile.

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I was only going off 40 years of experience . Young experts who read something somewhere obviously know best . All my hatchies have been healthy and thriving kept at 30c till sold . While we are at it my snakes incubate their own eggs with almost 100% success . So once again goodbye to this site ;
Don't be like that. The whole idea of the forum is for different opinions. Doesn't matter if people agree with you or not.
In essence this thread is about helping first time keepers. So keeping it simple for them is best.
 
Many of the the older keeper used the click clack inside adult cages before heat cord and heat tape was around. I run my juvs in an incubator now..... They are fine. Thermal gradients are not essential for larger animals or for non breeding juvs- it's preferred so the animal can choose its temp. I provide gradients for my adults but not always..... It depends what enclosure they are in.

btw a lot of the larger python breeding facilities heat the whole room rather than enclosures.... Have a look at snake bytes tv for their heating setup..... It's room based rather than individual cage controlled
 
Although it seems a bit left field to what were all used to, it does make me wonder if keeping clickclacs in a heated enclosure and therefore removing the cooler ambient temps could help with problem feeders and overall getting hatchies to feed? The forum is full of threads about hatchies that wont feed and a lot of the problems seem to be cool ambient temps to me, which if the whole click clack was in an enclosure that is heated the ambient will be warmer.

Is that making sense?
 
If you were talking to Matt at Pet magic, you can't go wrong. A nice bloke and really knows his stuff with all things reptile.

Yep that's him :D He is very protective of his animals and really is passionate about them, hoping to have received an e-mail from him today to hear what the owner of the shop said about a volunteer. :D

Although it seems a bit left field to what were all used to, it does make me wonder if keeping clickclacs in a heated enclosure and therefore removing the cooler ambient temps could help with problem feeders and overall getting hatchies to feed? The forum is full of threads about hatchies that wont feed and a lot of the problems seem to be cool ambient temps to me, which if the whole click clack was in an enclosure that is heated the ambient will be warmer.

Is that making sense?

Sounds interesting and makes sense to me. Could be that it's the miracle fix hiding right under our noses :D might be worth trying for anyone who really knows what they are doing :)
 
It's not a miracle at all..... It's been utilized by some of us for years.....there is ways around getting hatchlings/ neonates to eat.

The Heating a reptile enclosure needs suit the reptile enclosed. As we all should know reptiles are ectothermic. This essentially means that their body temperature is at least part controlled by the environment and their behavior. There are three broad categories that reptiles tend to fall into.

Heliothermic species seek seek to regulate their body via basking in the sun and hiding in shade. Eg a Bearded Dragon

Thigmothermic species seek to regulate their body via conduction.... Sitting on warm rocks in a cool stream eg Gulf Snapping Turtles

and Homeothermic species that remain close to ambient temperature and regulate via behavior...... Seeking out burrow when too hot or to be warmer by seeking sheltered locations . Macleays Water Snakes.

What needs to be remembered that often some species may utilize more than one thermal category depending on time of day, month and year, whether they are gravid or not, age etc.

to relate this to captivity if you have an issue eg a hatchling not eating retrace your husbandry first, check the animal over .... More often than not that's where the issue lies.
Cheers
scott
 
If young snakes are happy as long as they are warm, why don't my snakes spend all day in the warm side? My snakes spend more time on the cool side than they do on the warm side. Only for a few days after a meal to they stay on the heat. I understand that keeping them warm will get them feeding, but wouldn't that just be because their metabolisms are in over drive? I can't see how that it healthy. I definitely think snakes, of any age should be given an area to cool down if they need to.
 
If young snakes are happy as long as they are warm, why don't my snakes spend all day in the warm side? My snakes spend more time on the cool side than they do on the warm side. Only for a few days after a meal to they stay on the heat. I understand that keeping them warm will get them feeding, but wouldn't that just be because their metabolisms are in over drive? I can't see how that it healthy. I definitely think snakes, of any age should be given an area to cool down if they need to.
I don't think that they are saying keep the whole enclosure at 32-33 but more like 30 degrees.
 
i just love the way we all do things the same and get along so well........hahahahaha

i am glad i dont say what i do......geees ..... my 40 years of experience looks very lame compared to all you 21 year old experts.... i would be shot down in flames. but feel free to P.M. me
 
i just love the way we all do things the same and get along so well........hahahahaha

i am glad i dont say what i do......geees ..... my 40 years of experience looks very lame compared to all you 21 year old experts.... i would be shot down in flames. but feel free to P.M. me

Actually with the exception of myself the majority of the posters in this thread are at least over 30 and some have tonnes of experience

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Also the time you have been keeping reptiles doesn't mean a thing, I know 18-20 year olds that would run rings around the majority of people on this site.
 
In the end there are a lot of correct ways of keeping reptiles and very few wrong ways. Shooting someone down because a comment wasn't understood is a bit excessive. Perhaps someone could have asked for a clarification first because it has been proven that you can keep snakes in this way.
 
Actually with the exception of myself the majority of the posters in this thread are at least over 30 and some have tonnes of experience

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Also the time you have been keeping reptiles doesn't mean a thing, I know 18-20 year olds that would run rings around the majority of people on this site.

Myself, I am 23 and I am really glad that I posted this thread. I wasn't sure about it all before which is why I asked but now I have some very different views that I will have the time to try with my reptiles in future, find what works for me and then I will be able to feel confident that my snakes will be as happy being with me as I am to have them with me.

Thanks for all the useful info guys I really appreciate it! :D
 
I don't think that they are saying keep the whole enclosure at 32-33 but more like 30 degrees.

I still don't understand. That isn't letting them cool down.

And just to clarify, I'm not saying my experience/knowledge is better than anyone else's, I'm just curious about the advice people are giving so I'm asking questions for clarification. I completely agree that other people have more experience, but before anyone takes advice on the internet, i think its pretty important to question it instead of just believing it. Fair enough?

I also agree with Geckojosh. how long you have been keeping is irrelevant. Someone could practise bad husbandry for decades, doesn't mean they are a good keeper.
 
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I still don't understand. That isn't letting them cool down.

And just to clarify, I'm not saying my experience/knowledge is better than anyone else's, I'm just curious about the advice people are giving so I'm asking questions for clarification. I completely agree that other people have more experience, but before anyone takes advice on the internet, i think its pretty important to question it instead of just believing it. Fair enough?

I also agree with Geckojosh. how long you have been keeping is irrelevant. Someone could practise bad husbandry for decades, doesn't mean they are a good keeper.
You are dead right that questioning the why is the way to go if nothing more than learning. My basic knowledge on this is they thermoregulate to reach an ideal body temperature and once looked at that theory and asked a few questions as to why we can not keep snakes at that temperature. I was told that different stages of life and functions require a slightly different "perfect temperature" . Some of these reasons are when a snake is pregnant or sick but possibly when a snake is found and growing the ideal temperature is pretty stable. I am not saying that this is the case and after eating may actually be one of those times that it requires a slightly higher core temperature so hopefully your question gets answered. I don't think the original poster would have minded so much if his idea which has passed the test of time (may not be ideal but will not kill) was questioned or if someone said this is not ideal for this reason but when it is shot down rudely with "face palm" or told it is not quite the worst idea ever posted but close it really puts people off posting. I am not accusing you of either of these things and don't really care who it was but think it was a bit rude. I also agree with what you are saying in your post and hope someone has some scientific reasoning as to the why the method works and which method is ideal. Remember there is many ways to skin a cat.
 
I have looked after and kept snakes for many years but like others I learn each and everyday. I have bred some of my reptiles. My female Bredli maturally incubates I have had no losses or fatilites I have had 100% success rate. Once the eggs start hatching I take all hatchlings out and any eggs that haven't finished hatching into a long enclousure with a light bulb on a themostat for heat. I keep the hatchlings together until their first shed. Once they shed I then place them into their own clickclack. They are then fed weekly. For heat I place them ontop of my enclousures over the light bulbs which are heat source and the others back inside the long enclousure. I have never had trouble with food refusaul aggresion or growth. They seem happy healthy little guys they are all weighed weekly. Before selling they are all vet checked and sexed my vet thinks this in unnecessary as they are always happy healthy animals.
Sorry to go on but wanted to share what I do when I have babies.
 
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