There’s definitely more than one “correct” way to keep snakes, and which type of setup is “best” is highly subjective. Each animal, keeper, and situation is going to have its own unique set of needs and priorities. Part of being a good keeper is figuring out which methods and equipment work best for your specific animals and your specific situation.
A big factor in all this is the environmental conditions inside your home/reptile room. I feel like this isn’t touched on enough in most care guides. If your reptile room is generally kept fairly warm, an UTH might be all you need to maintain proper temperatures. On the other hand, if your reptile room is on the cooler side, an UTH is probably not going to be enough on its own. Same goes for humidity. If you live in a humid area, halogens or CHEs will probably serve you well. But if you’re dealing with low ambient humidity inside your home, you’re likely to have a hard time maintaining proper humidity using those heating elements, and would probably fare better with a RHP, UTH, or DHP. A setup that works perfectly for one keeper in one area may not work well at all for a different keeper living somewhere else.
So long as you’re meeting your animals’ needs and they’re healthy and thriving, that’s what matters.
Perfect post Jennifer! As long as our animals are healthy thriving and well cared for then that particular husbandry method is well suited and working. So yes there’s no one correct way!
Absolutely! I have played quite a bit with substrate alone to find what my snake likes most and how well it will keep moisture and not mold. I live in WA, it is damp and not too hot most summers. I also keep in mind that just cause it says 86% humidity on the weather app DOES NOT mean that it is 86% humidity in my room. I would LOVE to get a nice humidifier for the snake tank room, which is also my bedroom. I keep it around 74F base, drops to 70 at night. The room stays warm because I keep the door shut, there’s two tanks in here with double dome CHE’s, two p.c’s running for most of the day and… I just like it warm. If I left the door open the heat escapes into the house and the room drops to 63F, which honestly I can’t tolerate. As to the basking spot, I have his warm hide just slightly off to the side of where the heat from the CHE comes down. Directly below the CHE is the basking platform, I have not changed where the hides lay as I see them hitting the required cold/warm temps. Currently warm hide is at 81F, cold is at 74F and basking is at 85F.
I have two wonderful noodles, I rescued a girl bp (Sneaker) about three years ago and had her for two years before finding Shoelace at a breeder/reptile store. I sat on purchasing him for a couple of months or so before I brought him home and took that first photo of him.
Sneaker came from a good home but they didn’t have the time to give her the care she required. She was lean, stuck eye caps, and her environment was barren, dry and daylight on at all times, no night cycle. She is now well fed, handled properly and given all the branches and water she could ever want. She is a very happy girl and she falls asleep on my shoulders from time to time. Before I took her in I looked into proper care for these wonderful creatures and learned that not two tank setups are the same. No two breeder or keepers keep snakes the same way. You may feed at different times, or provide live or frozen thawed, but what is constant is they put in the time, patience and care to find what works best. That’s all I can do at this point, is find what Shoelace likes best.
UPDATE: Shoelace has not pooped and I’m starting to save $$ for a possible x-ray. I was hoping after that large release of uraites he may have resolved the issue, but after 7 days of 15 min baths (at 81F, temp gun approved) he has yet to pass a bowel. Momma is getting ready for the vet bill.
I would wait until his next shed before going to the vet. A lot of ball pythons have the amazingly horrible talent of not pooping for way more time than you would think possible until they are in the middle of shedding and release it all. not fun at all but it is very easy to clean it up.
Sometimes they do their business perfectly in the shed so it doesn’t make a mess, like a little bag. Very helpful but can be sad if you like to collect the sheds.
UPDATE PROGRESS
Shoelace has gone into blue about a week ago, he is consistently sleeping in the warmer side of his tank. He did not produce a bowel before his shed but I’m confidant that after he sheds he will poo. Moisture level is being kept at a soild 70%-65% during sheds to insure full eyecaps and I can imagine that it just feels good when you’re litterly growing another layer of skin/scales. I can imagine it being awfully itchy, like that ugly christmas sweater x2, lol. Found him under his basking rock this morning when I went to spray down his tank.
FINAL POST
Shoelace shed for me yesterday, eye caps and all. This morning he pooped!!! Usual color, texture and smell. It was a bit small but I was feeding him small rats instead of mediums to make it easier on his body. He is sleeping on the warm side, eating and drinking water fine. Coming out at night and exploring.
Conclusion
He had to adjust to the warmer temps after living in a cooler climate for about month.
Thank you all for your help and care!
Well I do believe congratulations are definitely in order! I am so glad Shoelace is back on the right track! But don’t make this the final post about Shoelace! Check back in from time to time! We would love to see him grow!
Just wanted to update everyone on Shoelace and Sneaker. Shoelace has had no other issues since my last post. He has been eating, pooping, climbing, getting better at face desensitizing and is gaining his courage. Sneaker is just as happy as ever, she now eats for me anytime I offer her a meal and still just as sweet when I first got her. She thinks she’s an emerald tree boa, once the lights go off she’s climbing all over the place.
