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Snoos

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Hi! Well just to start off, I've been stalking this forum forever but due to a dash of social anxiety haven't joined. Anyway, I'm here now and hoping to stay! I've been seriously considering getting a Stimsons python for around a year now; spending every spare moment reading up on anteresia in general, but there are some embarrassingly obvious things I have yet to pick up, either due to being told two different things by two different people, or the fact that every book/article I've read plainly doesn't say. I'm 15, but look quite a bit younger, (and a girl, that shouldn't matter, but somehow it seems to) so people tend to take me less than seriously when I'm trying to talk to them seriously about things like this. As you can see, I'm not very straight to the point; but here are the questions, and excuse my ignorance but I'm just trying not to screw up, for the sake of the animal.
- What exactly would be necessary in a 4ft melamine enclosure? I've been told by certain individuals that a heat mat and normal household bulb + thermostat is all that is necessary, yet others insist on a UV bulb? I'd lean towards the latter, seeing as we're trying to replicate the animals natural habitat; but it's whatever.
- Any big no-no's when purchasing an enclosure?
- How often on average would a stimmie shed? (Dumb question, I'm sure. Trust me, I feel as stupid as I sound. :oops: )
- Any outstanding sources of information around the Maitland/Newcastle/Cessnock NSW area? I've been to almost every pet shop in a 100km radius, all things slimey at tuggerah have been the only people who've sounded like they know what they're doing, so far.
- How long is long enough to keep a hatchie in a click clack? I'm under the impression that 6-7 months is adequate, but correct me if I'm wrong! And lastly, how long should a stimmie go without feeding before I should get worried? (Prepare for the worst, right?) Thanks in advance for any help!
 
Firstly, welcome to the forums! :)
We are happy to help you in any way that we can, especially by trying to answer any questions that you may have. Feel free to to ask as many as you want to.
Research as much as you can and I strongly recommend that you invest in a few good books. Forums like this are also a good resource, as there's quite a few knowledgeable reptile keepers here and there's a plethora of information in the archives (go through old threads using the search function).

To kick things off, I will try and answer a few of your questions for you.
You don't need an artificial light source, as most pythons get by fine without UV, including the Stimson's Python.
Temperature is arguably the most important thing to get right. Make sure that you have a temperature gradient in the enclosure.

Enjoy
 
First of all, 'hello', and of course, welcome.

Secondly, it's good that you've been trying to read up, and it's not unusual in the reptile hobby to find that a lot of keepers do quite different things (at least on a superficial level).

Good keepers do tend to adhere to a few basic principles, though:

- Provide security
- Provide heat
- Provide food and water
- Provide ventilation
- Provide any other necessities (UV for some animals, but not so much for most pythons)

Security: Snakes are shy creatures by nature - basically everything in the wild eats them, or at least tries to. They like dark, cramped holes, a bit counter-intuitive to what you might at first assume (I know I was that way).

Heat: Whether it's via heat globes, mats, heat cord, or a fancy ceramic heat emitter, it's generally considered necessary to provide snakes with a hotspot of 30C. There should of course be a heat gradient across the cage, so that the snake can self-regulate. But the hotspot is considered important to facilitate digestion, and fighting off disease etc.

Food and water: Of course you must feed and make sure your snake has access to fresh water, but how often you'll need to feed your snake will tend to vary depending on the snake's mood, the time of year, the kind of food you're giving it, and the ambient air temperatures. When they're younger, snakes tend to need food quite regularly (once a week or so), and provided you keep the temperatures up, this shouldn't be an issue. Should the snake wish to skip a feed or two, however, don't fret. Depending on what kind of condition your snake is in, it might well be able to go for months (or even a year) without food if given access to good warmth and water etc. Not saying it's advisable, just saying it to give you some perspective of how long they CAN go without food. As a general rule, once a week as a juvenile should see you sitting pretty. As it gets older, you'll notice even a normally very hungry snake might go off its food for a while. This has a lot to do with their natural reproductive cycle. Males in particular TEND to go off their food in the middle of the year since their main food isn't active during that time of year, temperatures are low, and sperm takes very little resources to make. Females will still tend to eat during the middle of the year, though less frequently. Oh, and don't be surprised if the little guy isn't into their food for a week or two after the initial purchase. They just take a little time to adjust. Also, some critters can just be harder to feed than others. Just ask the breeder/retailer you buy from.

Ventilation: This is a given, though depending on what animals you get, some will be more tolerant of stagnant/humid air than others. If you're after a stimmie, which tends to be a desert snake, then it will be important to make sure there's good air exchange, and that there isn't too much built up humidity in there that could lead to respiratory infections.

Any other necessities: For snakes, that's very little. Most pythons are nocturnal, so they're not likely to see the sun in their natural lives anyway. Hence, most snake keepers don't provide UV. Snakes tend to get most of their Vitamin D from the organs of their prey items anyway, but if it makes you feel better, go nuts - can't really hurt the snake. You'll need some light to see by anyway.

As for shedding - this is strictly related to the snake's growth. So if you have an average young python, and it's eating well, then you can expect it to shed every month or so for at least 6-8 months. Again, don't fret. If the snake doesn't need to shed, it won't. Just like humans, there will be those that grow faster than others, and those that stop growing sooner than others too.

Provided you adhere to the principles above, you could keep an adult stimmie in a large enough tub for its entire life. Most breeders just tend to keep young snakes in click-clacks because they're more secure, easily stackable, and easy to clean. It generally takes more time to keep a full-blown enclosure clean than it would a clickclack - important if you have 100 of them.

Lastly, for information, the search function on here is gold. You'll see a lot of heated debates about some of the finer points of animal husbandry, but just try to pay attention to the guiding principles. You should be fine. Generally, snakes are pretty tough animals, and easy to look after. Above all, enjoy your pet and have fun.
 
hello and welcome to APS,
Sadly I can't answer the questions about Stimson pythons I myself am new to snake keeping however I can answer the enclosure questions.
A 4ft melamine enclosure will require the following:
- A thermostat that is correctly wired to at least one light globe fitting
- A thermometer (optional however you will need something to check your temperatures don't rely on your thermostat)
- UV light source (either from the sun or from a globe/tube).
There are only really 3 big no no's with buying an enclosure:
-Don't buy an enclosure that is the wrong size.
-Don't buy an enclosure that is incorrectly wired.
-Don't buy an enclosure that is damaged or insecure eg has holes.
I hope this helps you out a bit Snoos
P.S Gender, age and level of experience is not an issue on here and I hope you enjoy your stay :).
 
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Well there you go. We've given conflicting info already. Pythons don't need UV and you don't necessarily need any type of globe if you're using floor heating. As previously said, how you heat is totally up to you. I'm currently using heat cord and use a LED light strip just so I have light in my darkish room.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Sorry. [MENTION=40330]GlenyseT[/MENTION] is right. Wired thermostat etc is not needed if you are using other means of heating your enclosure (I should have said that instead of making it sound like a necessity).
 
Although having a thermostat will just make it easier to monitor your temps, I think you should get one.

For the type of snake you're getting you don't need UV.
If you are using a globe then you wont really need anything under the tank to heat it, it could make the tank too hot if you do.
 
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