Hatchling enclosure

[kateyk]

Hi there everyone, new to the site and will soon be the proud parent/chew toy for a hatchling water python. I had a couple of questions about the enclosure as Ive received a bit of conflicting advice.


The hatchling will be in its own tub that it can hang out in for a couple months. I was told by the breeder to get a heat mat and thermostat, pop in a hide and water bowl and would be good to go. I went to grab some supplies from a place nearby that breeds its own snakes and has heaps of different breeds at different stages of life so I figure they have some idea of what they're talking about.

They said to forgo the heat mat cause they could be problematic, and to just use an infrared light over the hide on the warm side. Would that actually be sufficient for a little one? They only need to be around 30-32° and we live in Sydney so this sounds ok in theory but people have been adamant about the advice they're giving!

Also, I figures I'd get everything id need for the next year or 2 in one go and bought a tank (reptile1 one metre long). I've heard a lot of people saying to keep young ones in a smaller space, but is that for the snake's comfort or just because you don't really need a full setup for a while? I'd be happy putting it all together and having him/her in there now, but if its better to keep them in a smaller spot for good reason then I'll do that.

Thanks everyone for your advice, reading up on here has been super useful already

 

[JAS101]

some hatchlings can stress out easy in a large enclosure , this is one of the reasons why people use the click clack style setups.

 

[Newhere]

Sounds like they're just trying to get as much money out of you as possible by selling you a full setup instead of just a heat mat or cord and thermostat. Never take advice off people that are just trying to empty your wallet.

 

[kateyk]

Just to clarify, it wasn't the owners that were telling me to get all the gear, I just figured I'd need it in a few months time anyway and asked for it.

 

[Newhere]

So they advised you to forget about the heat mat and have an infrared light over the click clack/tub? The breeder gave you the right advice and the pet shop is just after a sale.

 

[Senator358]

Definitely go with what the breeder has told you over what any pet shop tells you. Check on here for other peoples tub setups and you will find noone uses a light. Heat cords are they way to go, especially if you have more than one tub or have a larger enclosure. Heat mats are also fine if you're just doing one setup.

Snakes do prefer smaller spaces and need that safety. I keep all my snakes in tubs for as long as possible, generally a year and a half to two years, just because they are more comfortable.

 

[kateyk]

So they advised you to forget about the heat mat and have an infrared light over the click clack/tub? The breeder gave you the right advice and the pet shop is just after a sale.

Bummer. Nah they said just section off the enclosure and use the light above the hide if I'm buying the enclosure anyway. If I get a mat for the tub will the IR still be useful for the bigger enclosure? I'm not really asking whether I got ripped off (though I appreciate the advice) more whether I'm ok to the enclosure now with a light or if I now have to get a mat for the tub. The breeder actually offered to sell me a heat mat but that was more expensive than the light setup and as I said, I WA going to get the enclosure anyway.

- - - Updated - - -

Definitely go with what the breeder has told you over what any pet shop tells you. Check on here for other peoples tub setups and you will find noone uses a light. Heat cords are they way to go, especially if you have more than one tub or have a larger enclosure. Heat mats are also fine if you're just doing one setup.

Snakes do prefer smaller spaces and need that safety. I keep all my snakes in tubs for as long as possible, generally a year and a half to two years, just because they are more comfortable.

Thanks for that, I was wondering why lights don't seem to come up much in conversation here - are they significantly worse options or is it the expense?

 

[Senator358]

Lights are fine and quite widely used for enclosures but for a tub setup it is both impratical and much harder to get a temperature gradiant. Hatchies also wouldn't be able to escape the brightness of the light which would also cause stress.

The enclosure will be fine once it has grown a little and you could probably move it in as a yearling.

 

[Newhere]

Just get a heat mat or cord for the tub and use the enclosure with the light when it gets bigger, lots of people use lights and they are fine as long as you use a light cover thing so the snake cant burn itself. Also use two hides instead of one just put one on the cool side and one on the warm side over the heat mat/cord.

 

[Senator358]

BTW if you are looking at purchasing anything else I would look at buying online. There are much cheaper products and at least 3 stores in Sydney which have quality products and will even let you pick up.

 

[kateyk]

Thanks all. I'll pick up a mat and keep the tub setup for a while then, I was semi hoping everyone would be like "section it off!" so I could watch it hanging out sooner

 

[bdav70]

use a small tub (7l sistema from woolworths is a good one) perforated with holes using a soldering iron, and consider covering 3 sides with black adhesive contact or cardboard so that the little on feels safer. Use heat mat or heat cord (lots of people these days recommend the latter) and make sure its regulated by a thermostat

 

[Pauls_Pythons]

There are many ways to set up a hatchling enclosure, each of them comes with individual benefits/problems.
Many people use heat cords or mats. I hate mats, never used them & never will.

What you must do is exactly what you are doing, look for advice & other suggestions. Your animals behaviour will tell you if it is happy with the set up you provide. Any heat source is ok so long as your animal is protected from direct contact and always use a thermostat.

Some of the comments above stating you should do this, that or the other are going from their own experiences & those experiences may be right with the particular animal or species they keep. Not too many of the comments will be from people with experience in keeping water pythons.

I can tell you I have NEVER kept a hatchling in a click clack. I use enclosures because I want to see the animals & how they act with the envirnoment I have provided. You should however provide suitable temperature & places where the animal can hide at each end of the enclosure if it wishes to do so.
I don't know anyone directly on here who keeps water pythons but if you can find someone with experience in that area they will be better served to answer your questions.

 

[The_Geeza]

some hatchlings can stress out easy in a large enclosure , this is one of the reasons why people use the click clack style setups.

This is the most sensible answer in this thread so far

 

[Lawra]

some hatchlings can stress out easy in a large enclosure , this is one of the reasons why people use the click clack style setups.

+1. First reply to the thread and sums it up so well.
[MENTION=39995]kateyk[/MENTION] basically it's important to learn good husbandry methods early and the easiest way to achieve this is to start small.

Get used to cleaning and interacting with your water python in the click clack with minimal furnishings and then start adding to it.

Your python would quite happily be housed in a larger enclosure provided it had adequate furnishings and wasn't just a large open area - but you'd soon find out how difficult it is to get her out when she's wrapped around several different vines and branches.

 

[kateyk]

It's so hard! I really do want to see it and set up a good enclosure. If it's heat is right with the light, if it has plenty of hides and seems okay feeding etc, I feel like maybe I should try it in an enclosure that's all set up. However I understand that they like small areas when theyr'e young. I guess what I'm wondering is if it matters being in a bigger enclosure if it has places it can feel secure and still be comfortable within that heat gradient.

 

[Lawra]

@katyk well that's the theory - if it's bigger and has plenty of furnishings it will be comfortable.

The best initial set up is still a click clack. There is so much to learn and many different options out there. Start small and work out what you like before rushing out to buy what's recommended only to find something else suits your purposes much better. A click clack set up is relatively inexpensive, user friendly and proven to be successful.

Of course, you're going to do whatever you want, so I hope whatever you do will help your new pet thrive

 

[kateyk]

So a quick update, we chatted to a couple of owners we knew and they suggested popping the click clack in the enclosure and having him work out where he wanted to be. We left the click clack (with the hide and water inside) in the enclosure (also had a water bowl and a couple hides) and left the lid open a little bit. He stayed in there for the first day until night-time, them he got out and went straight for one of the other hides and hasn't been back in the click clack. The other night we took it out then fed him the next night and he chowed down on a couple of fuzzies. Hope we did the right thing, he seems happy for now. Sealed off the door gap with paper towel then gaff over the top to prevent escapes. He seems happy enough.... hope we did the right thing. Still worried about escaping, I get pretty nervous when he is exploring of a night, he really fangs around every inch :s in hindsight we definitely should have got/built a smaller one.

 

[parrot46]

Sorry to sorta hijak this thread. But I was just wondering what store you go to. Because I have no idea where I should get food for my hatchling. Iv been looking to get everything online so far :/. I dont even know a good store to purchase my hatchking!!(jungle carpet)

 

[JAS101]

Sorry to sorta hijak this thread. But I was just wondering what store you go to. Because I have no idea where I should get food for my hatchling. Iv been looking to get everything online so far :/. I dont even know a good store to purchase my hatchking!!(jungle carpet)

it would help if you had what state your in on your profile ... even a suburb .