Help im a first time owner!!

[jessjary]

hey everyone,

I've just bought an exo terra enclosure and a childrens python. my issue is that the thermo mat I've put under my enclosure as I was told to do, isn't very warm at all, in fact the glass is the same temp as when I bought it. I'm a little worried because it is winter and I don't want my new snake to get too cold or for him to freak out in his new home. Does anyone live in nerang or close by that I can get help from. I love my new python and I don't wanna kill him coz I stuffed something up. I was also told by petbarn nerang not to take him out of his plastic container yet and the thermo mat instructions say not to put it under plastic... I'm so confused.

Female in desperate need of help!!

 

[saximus]

Are you measuring the temperature with a thermometer or your hand? Anything below about 32 won't feel very "warm" to your hand. Also when you say "thermo mat" is it a mat with a thermostat built in? Have you made sure it's turned up high enough?

 

[Leeloofluff]

Hey hun, it could be a few things going wrong, maybe the heatmat is faulty or the enclosure is too big? How large is the enclosure that was sold to you? And being an exo terra im assuming its made of glass all aroumd a mesh top? These enclosures can be awesome but in winter, they suck as keeping heat it..
And what brand heat mat? You may need to swap it over, as every now and then you may get a dud. Also how big is the heat mat?

If its a baby childrens python you can probably keep it in a click clack with the heat mat overnight till something is sorted out, just keep an eye on the temperatures.

Hope this helps, just let us know sizes

 

[damian83]

The click clack over the matt should be fine if the matt is working for the time being you could Always try a heat cord in the enclosure under a ceramics tile

 

[Harvez]

Im on the GC, dont stress at all your snake will be fine, what wattage is your heat mat? 5w i assume? I have a hatchy at the moment in a click clack aslong as your mat is under the tub your snake will be fine. Best bet if you haven't done so already is to get a thermometer asap to keep an eye on the temps!

 

[jessjary]

View attachment 260686View attachment 260687

Thats my tank and my heat pad. heat pad is 14x15 and my tank is 18x18x24. I haven't put my snake in there yet because I had a fear that it wouldn't be small enough for him, he is currently in the plastic container I bought him in from the pet shop which has holes in the sides and a water bowl. I've put the heat pad under one side of it and he seems to gravitate towards it. My friend told me that once I put him in his cage i have to get a heat rock for him at night time so when I turn the lights off he is still warm enough.

The light fitting that came with the cage is HUGE and fits 2 15 -25w bulbs in it. I don't wanna burn him but I bought a relatively small light for it. called sun glo. I was told by the pet shop that the heat pad (no thermostat) and the light should be sufficient. but the heat pad only covers a qtr of the big tank and the light on top is so big that it'd warm the whole tank and that would mean no warm or cold side....

Have I been sold the wrong tank or the wrong equipment?

also my python was born dec 7 2010 and this is himView attachment 260688

is he big enough to go in his big enclosure yet or should I keep him in this tiny box with the heat pad and water for a period of time?

my python is 1 yr 8 months old... I have a hygrometer and a thermometer in the big tank ready to go. but is he old enough to be transferred into the big tank??

 

[Pythoninfinite]

If your heat mat is working OK, you won't need lights in a tank that size - the risk of cooking your snake is too great. It sounds like you have been sold far too much stuff by your pet outlet - they do this to increase their profits. You don't need a hygrometer at all - ambient humidity is fine with these guys, and for the smaller Antaresias like yours, you don't need lights - these are not basking species, they are primarily nocturnal, so a substrate warmed by a heat mat is quite sufficient. It's also OK that the mat only covers 1/4 - 1/3 of the base of the tank - it gives the animal a choice of temps to operate in.

Remember - some heat is good, too much heat is fatal, and very quickly...

Jamie

 

[Raymonde]

If your python is big enough that it can't possibly fit through any of the small gaps in the big enclosure and you have lots of hides so it feels secure and you have some heating for the big enclosure then they is absolutely no reason that your python can't move into the bigger home. On the other hand, it will also be fine in the smaller container for a while.

(by the way your pictures didn't work for me.... maybe try posting them again using the advanced options and previewing your post to see if they work)

 

[jessjary]

hi jamie

the temp in the big tank is currently 20 degrees without the heat pad, i use coconut substrate for his big cage and i dont know whether the heat mat will make it all the way up through it to him coz the substrate is rather dense forrest looking. will it definitely be warm enough for him? also should i put his hide right on top of the hot spot?

he just bit me and im wondering whether i should feed him a pinky now when his last feed was the 23rd july n the pet store told me to wait n feed him on sunday. if he is snappy it probably means he is hungry right?? he wrapped around my thumb and attempted to swallow it.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

You'll need to get the temps sorted in the big tank before you put it in there - 20C is way too cold. A pinky what? Pinky mouse is way too small for a snake of this age - 18 months old should be taking small adult mice at least.

Have you done any reading about these snakes before you purchased it?

Jamie

 

[bigjoediver]

Put your heat mat in the enclosure covering it with about 20 mm of substrate, make sure it's on a thermostat with the probe under the mat set to 32 deg. Snake will be fine in its new home and yes feed it but do it in its plastic tub and when it's finished put tub in enclosure and let it find it's own way out.

 

[Skelhorn]

Also as Jamie said above you could try a fuzzie rat over the adult mouse.

Also some may agree or disagree however my heatmat is inside my tank. I put a tile (bathroom kitchen-Doesn't matter they are all the same) over my heat mat. The tile I use is 20cmX20cm and is on a 14watt heat mat. Works a charm. Disperses the heat perfectly across the tile and the pythons love it. Its not to hot and they usually chill on it for a couple of hours before moving elsewhere!

Do some reading, try looking up a couple of fact sheets and have a read that way you won't be going in blind!

 

[bigjoediver]

And get some larger food items. My stimmie was on 2 velvet mice weekly at 12 months and 2 adult mice at 18 months. Food item should be around the size of the thickest part of the snake, don't worry if it looks to large to swallow you'd be amazed how far a snakes mouth can open

 

[Skelhorn]

As said above, doesn't hurt for your snake to stretch to eat its food. Recently my Male Stimson ate (for the first time in 6 months) and he ate a Hopper Rat! Nailed it, was quite please actually. The rat was about double the thickness of his body and he has a massive lump in him right now but is happy all cuddled up under the heatmat. I will try get a photo to show you how big the food is so you can compare! Attached is a photo from when they were a year old eating a hopper rat!

 

[jessjary]

Pictures

ive done plenty of reading about snakes and I've even done a course in keeping reptiles..... but I just did what the pet shop told me because that's what they had been feeding him every fortnight.... I would gladly throw out the pet shop rule book if you guys think its a good idea.

ive done plenty of reading about snakes and I've even done a course in keeping reptiles..... but I just did what the pet shop told me because that's what they had been feeding him every fortnight.... I would gladly throw out the pet shop rule book if you guys think its a good idea.

View attachment 260867View attachment 260868View attachment 260869View attachment 260870

I hope the pics work this time. they were yesterday for a bit.

Yeah the pet shop that sold me the snake said 1 pinky mouse a fortnight was all my python was getting.... no wonder he bloody bit me if you all think that is way too small, I'd be more than happy to feed him much bigger food. i will feed him another pinky in 2 days and see how he goes, he is due for a shed in the next week or two so I wanna give him another before he loses his appetite. thanks guys I really appreciate it. I'll take the current heat pad bak and get one with higher wattage for under my tank but with a thermostat this time so I can control the temperature.

I knew all of that stuff about how much to feed and what he needed for his tank... bloody petshop said, feed him rarely and the tank is WAY too big for him... after they sold it all to me of course. last time I listen to a pre pubescent teen hired in the reptile section.

goes to show you can only trust people that have experience. not the people at petbarn nerang and pet centre burleigh.

Thank you everyone. I'll post again if something goes wrong. I really hope my snake will be happy in his new home.

 

[Harvez]

Haha i know exactly the guy you are talking about! Did you by chance by your hatchy from Burleigh pet centre on Sunday?

 

[jessjary]

nah they only had one childrens python. i bought mine from petbarn nerang. bought the enclosures from burleigh on saturday