Micro managing!!!!!

[Elapidae1]

Agree that some people won't ever have an interest in Herps other than as pets, but for a lot their first pet is the starting point for a life long interest in herpetology. For some their initial outlay to obtain their first pet is quite a substantial amount and this trend of micro management is an attempt to do the right thing not only for the animal but to protect their investment. As far as research goes, most of the research I have done leads me to the conclusion that everything needs to be sterilized, however from my own observation it seems that it's not all that necessary. I think we need to consider how far removed from snake reality the snake is as well, and the fact that a lot of animals are kept in relatively small enclosures suggests that at least some system of sterilization is required, as it is completely unnatural for snakes to live in shoe boxes so to speak. Where do newcomers get their information? If we provided them with the basics for their way of life we would leave them in their natural habitats, instead we provide them with the basics for our way of life.
I do agree with you all though the easiest way is to keep it simple, TRIPLE H Heat Hide Hydration

 

[AM Pythons]

no thermo's, heat cords/mats on all enclosures, set on 10amp timers, change the timer to suit the conditions, in summer 6am to 10am then off for the hottest part of the day then on again from 4pm to 8pm, in winter on at 7am off at 4pm, thats it. clean enclosures(change paper,water) once every 7-10 days, disinfect with bleach maybe 2-3 times a year..

 

[Pythoninfinite]

What you say about sterilization applies to the cage furniture in an enclosure, but NOT to the stuff first introduced into the enclosure from the bush. The reason things in the enclosure need cleaning regularly is because cage furniture is invariably far dirtier than anything found in the bush - it has the snake crawling all over it, all day, after it has crapped and crawled through it, and been exposed to snake wastes for months.

Bush stuff never has this happen, unless you collect from a place that's seething with snakes...

Jamie

 

[goneself]

Heat at one end, water at the other, regular food and clean up the ****...seems to get the job done.

 

[glacey]

I use no thermostats on heat cords, lights and mats as comforable that enclosures are of a size that wouldn't result in cooking if timer failed.

I use no thermostats with click clack on a heat mat, but only half container sits on mat, so again a stuffed timer won't cook anything.

 

[kkjkdt1]

When i got my first snake i was told to sterelize everything 1-2 time a week and change water everyday,check temps all the time which i did, got to know a few breeders and now i just clean the enclosures after they have *****/pi*sed,have a hot end/cool end and food once a week and my snakes are doing great, never hade a problem with any of them....touch wood...hahaha.
I think people just want the best for there new snake and dont want to stuff it up.

 

[Chris1]

i like to fuss over mine, fresh water daily, hot spot well regulated with a thermostat, cool end, decently sized nicely decorated enclosures, regualar food,..take them out to the aviary on sunny days, let them out at night,..but in reality, they dont seem to care wheter or not i go to all that effort, so teh times im busy or dont feel like it its nice to know they wont care,...

i figure if i dont make the effort to spoil them its like a prison for some beautiful critters that did nothing wrong to deserve a life sentence in a tub,...so im doing it for me more than for them,..

 

[Norm]

I`m fairley new to keeping snakes but agree. I see alot of questions asking things like `my snake used to sit ina certain spot now it sits somewhere else, is it alright or should I be worried?` It`s a snake! Let it do what it wants, they know how to look after themselves without us interfering every 5 minutes.

 

[wokka]

It amazing how much common sense or stock sense animal keepers develop over the years. On the other hand there are people out there who think milk comes from supermarket and who also want a pet snake. I recommend that all new keepers use a thermstat as a saftey backup and then cut corners when they have an idea why they are doing certain things. I agree thermostats can in themselves be a potential problem if they stick on so it is desirable to keep the heat source to the minimum required to provide the necessary heat. It is very easy for long term keepers to make it sound toooo easy to newbies at the expense of the new pets.

 

[Southside Morelia]

Its like any one in a new hobby or interest...just wanna find out and learn about every aspect of what they are in to at the time... I do it and am the most anal person about...although when it comes to herps, it all boils down to experience and when you have a fair few to look after it then comes down to time management and doing things efficiently...otherwise if you keep being anal, you wont have a life...LOL

 

[Magpie]

I weigh my snakes in the morning, take them out of their cage and put them in a bath of F10. Clean their cage with bleach, put fresh water in. Rinse the snakes off and put them back in their cages. Then repeat again in the afternoon. If a snake has lost any weight, it is immediately fed. I never use newspaper as it looks ugly and there's bad chemicals in the ink. Butchers paper only. If a snake is hanging out at the cool end, I move them under the heat so they know where it is, vice versa if they are under the heat all the time. I have 8 temperature loggers in each cage to make sure there is a good temp gradient.

 

[Southside Morelia]

I weigh my snakes in the morning, take them out of their cage and put them in a bath of F10. Clean their cage with bleach, put fresh water in. Rinse the snakes off and put them back in their cages. Then repeat again in the afternoon. If a snake has lost any weight, it is immediately fed. I never use newspaper as it looks ugly and there's bad chemicals in the ink. Butchers paper only. If a snake is hanging out at the cool end, I move them under the heat so they know where it is, vice versa if they are under the heat all the time. I have 8 temperature loggers in each cage to make sure there is a good temp gradient.

Mags you sound like my OCD cage furnishing rant...lol

 

[Troyster]

Im not a believer in thermostats either,providing you use the correct wattage bulb they really arent ALWAYS necessary.Again,water is changed once sometimes twice a week depending if im cleaning them out or not.If they have crapped they get cleaned if convenient,otherwise it gets picked up and then cleaned when i have a spare minute to do so.Ditto with the timers,i use cheap HPM timers from bunnings,usually 2 for $10 as i only use them to control the uv fluros anyway.

 

[J-A-X]

It amazing how much common sense or stock sense animal keepers develop over the years. On the other hand there are people out there who think milk comes from supermarket and who also want a pet snake. I recommend that all new keepers use a thermstat as a saftey backup and then cut corners when they have an idea why they are doing certain things. I agree thermostats can in themselves be a potential problem if they stick on so it is desirable to keep the heat source to the minimum required to provide the necessary heat. It is very easy for long term keepers to make it sound toooo easy to newbies at the expense of the new pets.

ok, i'll play devils advocate and ask the opposing question, why do so many experienced keepers make it sound toooooo complicated ? no wonder a lot of newbies panic and wind up micro-managing their new housemates, and ultimately wind up with 'issues' they get too hung up on gradients and optimal temps, humidity, weighing food, over sterilising things, someone should make a wiki entry on exactly what the newb needs to know, ONE wiki entry not several topics over different wiki entries.

 

[wokka]

Theres nothing wrong with micro managing. It gives keepers a real understanding of whats going on. Once you understand what is happening then you can let down cotrol. If you only keep one snake its easiest to go overboard and be sure of the conditions in which your snake is kept. Technology tends to make up for inexperience in many cases. The exception to thois is the overuse of drugs which I beieve develops superbugs which devop resistance, then when you really need something there is nothing pwerful enough to use.

 

[Elapidae1]

ok, i'll play devils advocate and ask the opposing question, why do so many experienced keepers make it sound toooooo complicated ? no wonder a lot of newbies panic and wind up micro-managing their new housemates, and ultimately wind up with 'issues' they get too hung up on gradients and optimal temps, humidity, weighing food, over sterilising things, someone should make a wiki entry on exactly what the newb needs to know, ONE wiki entry not several topics over different wiki entries.

Because there are large commercial companies pushing their products by establishing a belief that their product is necessary for the welfare of the consumers animals

 

[driftoz]

im a new herp keeper for the first few weeks yes i was worried about the gradient of hot and cold ends and all that now i just monitor the hot ends make sure they have a warm end and dont really bother about the cool end, ive never weighed my snakes or food i just feed what size i think is right, change water every few days and clean every week and thats it.

 

[J-A-X]

Because there are large commercial companies pushing their products by establishing a belief that their product is necessary for the welfare of the consumers animals

but experienced keepers and large commercial companies are not often one and the same thing, i understand retail outlets trying to make a dollar, but there are several experienced long term keepers on APS, that have no retail link, that seem to enjoy perpetuating the 'everything available is what you need' mentality, and thereby contributing the the whole micro managing scenario, which i think has been determined by the posts here to be unnecessary, and by the way Wokka, since when has providing the needs of a python with minimal expense been deemed as 'cutting corners' ???

 

[wokka]

, and by the way Wokka, since when has providing the needs of a python with minimal expense been deemed as 'cutting corners' ???

I agree that was a poor choice of words, which is why i wrote "let down contrl" in my next post. however many keepers believe cheaper is better which is not necessarily the case.

 

[J-A-X]

I agree that was a poor choice of words, which is why i wrote "let down contrl" in my next post. however many keepers believe cheaper is better which is not necessarily the case.

thats fair enough, i can understand this statement,