Enclsure too hot

[chad]

i worked out today that i had my substrate temp at something like 38~degrees c.

i have since docked it right down to about 30ish i believe.

my snake (Sw carpet) seems to be not wanting to go into the hot area sometimes, and yet today i found it asleap at the warmest bit (38~) im guessing its just regulating its temperature.

i tried to feed it again today, stupid decision but i noticed it scouting around the enclosure and sitting in wait, so i tried to feed it a pinkie, unfortunatly the fricken thing slipped and splashed into the water bowl, scaring the snake.

ive resolved to leave the pinkie in there untill 2moro.

if it still doesnt eat it, ill remove it and not feed it for a couple of days.

i dont want to annoy the snake, it seems to coil whenever i touch the enclosure now, it doesnt strike, but it tries to look mean .

ill monitor it abit more. but its normal for it to move back and fowards regularly right?

i left the pinkie in the hot part, hoping it eats it later, dont want to move it coz im afraid to piSssssss the snake off any more

 

[Davo66]

What the? 38 deg, mmmmm! what about a serving of chips, a wedge of lemon and washed the whole thing down with some of WA's best Chardy.
Bags the pinky under the heat as an entree.

Davo

 

[jnglgrl]

I'm thinking that the pinky will go off over night under a heat lamp and if he does eat it, thats not good.

ill monitor it abit more. but its normal for it to move back and fowards regularly right?

Yes thats normal, as long as he's not constantly moving backwards and forward all day long.
When I first got my jungle he ate the second day I had him and then nothing for 5 weeks, if I where you i'd be more worried about him eating an off pinky rather than no pinky right now.

 

[Kyro]

Ok mate I think you need a few basics .Firstly how old is your python?If it's a hatchie then he really only needs to be in a click-clack with plenty of ventilation.A heat mat sitting under 1/3 of the container so he has a hot end & a cool end works well, & a probe thermostat with the probe in the warm end to control the temp.38c is way too high, so set the thermostat at 30c max for the warm end.Also have a water bowl in the cool end & a paper towel as substrate.You must also provide a hide at both ends so he can escape prying eyes.If he is in an enclosure then same goes as above really :wink: You shouldn't leave the pinky over night on the heat but the cool end is ok as long as you remove it in the morning if it's not been eaten Cheers Kyro

 

[RevDaniel]

I agree with africancichlidau.

 

[basketcase]

ease up on the newbie people.

chad, how did you measure the temp the initial time when you got a reading of 38? surface and air temp are two drastically different things.

Judging by your pythons behaviour I'd say you do have the cage too hot, but youre probably not too far off. While thermometers and stats are great to get an approximate temp the best way to judge temp is by where your animal spends most of its time. and ofcourse feeding response.

 

[Kyro]

I hope I didn't come across as nasty , I wasn't trying to be so I apologize chad if thats how it reads. I agree, be nice to newbies we all started some where. Anyway, good luck mate & if possible post some pics of your snake, I would love to see him Cheers Kyro

 

[cris]

What harm is 38 degrees going to do if the rest of its cage is cool enough?
I always though dead snakes on the road were from getting hit by cars but maybe its because the surface temp. is above 38 :?

 

[tempest]

Hey Chad, he sounds a little stressed and may not eat the pinky. If he doesn't, as you said, leave him be for a few days before trying again. It might even be an idea to stay away from his vivarium (if you can) until you next try feeding him again so external movement doesn't stress him further.

It takes a lot to come and say you made the mistake you did on a forum, that's admirable. We all make mistakes; you realised your error, rectified it and in the process you've learnt something important.

Good luck with him and I hope he feeds for you soon

 

[snakes4me2]

ease up on the newbie people.

Good call basketcase. This is what really annoys me, most people say when someone introduces themselves "dont be affraid to ask ANY question" even if it sounds stupid. Then when they know they have made a mistake and ask for help they get attacked. :evil: :evil: :evil:

 

[chad]

yeah, i note in my previous statement i may have sounded not too sure of myself.

38 isnt so frigen bad, it stayed there for a while.

i have a thermo set up controlling the heat mat, where i have the thermo set is at ~31-32, but thats coz the probe is abouve it, with no plastic to heat thru. i have a stick on thermomiter, on the inside, with the tip just dipped into the substrate, thats giving a reading of just below 30 right now.

i didnt want to cook the pinkie, so i moved it to the centre of the enclosure last night. no luck, its ok. pinkies in the bin. going to attempt feeding at about 9pm on friday night again. thats when its most active. wont be touching it till then.

the housing is sitting facing into a room, so when i move in here sometimes it sees me. ive noticed it is more active at around dusk-night time. and its sleaping in almost the same area as yesterday, again today. its all good, i know 38 was too high, thats why i checked.

i know the basics, so if your all gonna insult me for asking questions i think you all need a good look at yourselves. i care about the snake alot, thats why i was trying to micro manage everything, thus causing too much stress on the lil fella.

by last night it was coiling kind of like it was going to strike or run from my hand, it never did, but its ok, it was just abit scared. the 1st time i tried to put a thermomiter in the enclosure it tried to do a runner onto my hand . so i think well be ok, ill let it be untill friday, and attempt another feed. if it was due for a feed on monday, when should i start worrying about it not eating?

its approx 30cm long. its a sw carpet. i believe that its ~5-7 months old, correct me if im wrong, but that would be fitting due to the hatching season, i doubt its 15-17 months old.

 

[WoodyB]

Its possibly just stressed, leave it alone for a few days, i know its hard, but then everything will be fine.

( its more active at night becuase they are nocturnal ) lol

 

[chad]

yeah, i tacked on the more active times, i meant to link that into feeding times, but i got distracted and forgot lol

 

[Kyro]

Let him be for at least 4 days before you try feeding him again, if he can see you moving around the room then cover the enclosure with newspaper on the outside which you can slowly remove from the top down, over a few weeks to slowly get him used to his new environment, particularly if he is in a high traffic area. Don't worry if he doesn't feed for a few weeks,just keep offering every 4-5 days

 

[chad]

had to bother the lil guy agian just then, got the thermomitor in a realy great spot.

the temp was at 31 degrees, im going to keep it between 30 and 31 there, coz thats right at the hottest part. and right down in the substrate. it moved from where it was lying in the hot and is now in full explore mode.

i understand that its important that i remain patient and let it get used to the area. it will have to get used to people walking infront of the cage. its a shame that the click clack has such a good clasping system, coz it inevitably moves the enclosure a little bit when i open it.

now i wait untill friday night.

or should i wait longer to attempt feeding?

 

[chad]

hes not in a high traffic area. its my room. although i do walk in and out probably 20 times in a full day. and i think he can see me at my pc when he looks over this way.

i dont have the light set up in his enclosure yet, ive heard that it can melt the plastic, so ive got just a heat cord in there. natural light comes through my window. the front panel is glass, the rest of the pannels are wood, so if i cover it it will look like its night time all the time. the way i see it, if i leave it for 4-5 days, no touching, so thats... sunday night ill try feed it again. and not touch the enclosure untill then... i hope that it wil get used to my walking infront of the enclosure every so often, but me not coming near it, so it knows its safe in there.
only i do stand infront of the enclsore sometimes to check the thermomiter, but it stands up and checks me too

 

[glacey]

Get your temps right and give it time, can take awhile for some to settle in.

Just a minor thing - but if it's kept in your bedroom.........probably wouldn't advertise that too much, given that it goes against your licence.

Cover it with a light sheet if it starts hitting the glass.

 

[chad]

thanks for the heads up, it will be moved to a better location when we construct a new enclosure. infact.. consider it moved right now.

i dont see a problem with a carpet python in the bedroom, it cant do any harm to me as such, even fully grown. an olive. or a dugite however...

but yeah, ill move it, problem solved.

why would it start hitting the glass? i dont see it hit the glass ever.

 

[glacey]

No issue in your room - just be aware of telling everyone.

If they are coiling from feeling threatened and there's a lot of movement outside the enclosure, then they may strike out and hit the glass. This can result in an infection.

 

[chad]

yeah, ive been watching it, its not so bad, it watches me like: hey come in here and ill kick your ass.

its wary of me atm, when i had my hand in yesterday it was 1/2 defencive position 1/2 inquisitive. cant wait to play with it, much happier to see the temp sitting at about 30-31 at the hottest end

so, if i dont have a light, and i cover the glass coz its striking wont it think its night time? and doze off?