Hi everybody,
It’s been awhile since I’ve made a post! A few months actually, because life has truly been in session!
I had to move twice, and Nagini moved with me the whole way both times! But things are getting better now!!!
Anyway to the topic at hand;
Because things are looking up; my wife and I have actually invested in a male to go with Nagini eventually!!! We are getting him from the same breeder that we purchased Nagini from. He is a few months younger than Nagini, but is thriving well so far. His name will be Draco! (Yes, it’s a nerd naming reptiles after the Wizarding World!!! ) And he is a Banana !!!
Sorry, no pictures of the boy yet, as he doesn’t come home with his new enclosure until tomorrow! However when I get good pictures I will post them to this thread!! (As well as some new pictures of how Nagini is doing!!! She’s over 373g now!!!) …
But, therein lies my issue! His new enclosure is custom made, and with heat tape. I have never had a custom enclosure, nor used heat tape ever LoL… So please MM-Family, throw some education and advice my way please???
I have a BN-Link brand thermostat, same as I have for Nagini, I would never not use a thermostat!!! That much I know for sure !! However, I will be investing in a Herpstat-2 next month instead, so it can regulate both Nagini and Draco’s enclosures!!!
As always, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME!!!
With heat tape (or any under enclosure heat) attach the thermostat probe to the heat source outside of the enclosure. If it’s inside, it can be moved by the snake, peed on etc. You then adjust the thermostat setting so the surface temp above the tape is where you want it. This will usually result in the thermostat being higher temp than the actual hot spot, so don’t be alarmed.
@randall_turner_jr took the words right out of my text lol. I would recommend that you follow the setup that he recommended as this is what people commonly do.
Awesome! THANKS!! To both of you.
I actually just got home from our local snake shop. We got the enclosure home, but the shop will be watching Draco fo a few days longer. It turns out, my thermostat I have isn’t compatible with this custom enclosure design. So I’m putting in an order for a Herpstat-2 SpyderWeb!!!
As for pictures of Nagini, I’ll post them here tomorrow!!! I didn’t get a chance to snap them today LoL. I’ll get them in some natural light in the morning.
Well, between the weather and it causing shipping issues…
I have not been able to take Nagini outside to get pictures, I live in the Southern California Desert, and sadly, it’s severely too cold to have her in the chilled wind!!!
As for Draco, the shipping for my new Herpstat-2 was halted a few days, I am hoping to have it by the weekend; as it finally left today; I hope lmfao …
Finally got the pix today!!!
As the weather is finally coming back to spring normal temperatures!!! It was 78° today, and we are supposed to see our first 100° day next week.
An update on Draco…
Our new Herpstat-2 is in mid-ship, should be here by Monday afternoon!!! We are so excited for him to come home!!!
And as for Nagini, I weighed her again today and she is 419grams!!! At just under 8months!!! I’m so happy and proud!!!
Here the pictures.
UPS has lost my Herpstat-2 in shipping…
They don’t know when it will arrive; nor can/will they tell me what condition my package is in at this point, either…
I am so irritated and stressed that my unit will be damaged!?! So, here’s all my prayers for hopes that it arrives safe and in one piece!!!???
As for Draco , he’s still at the reptile supply store where I purchased him. We hoped to have him home today…
But now it looks like the earliest, could be tomorrow or Wednesday, and that’s ONLY if the UPS investigation finds my unit, and it’s hopefully still deliverable!?!?
Thank you @graysnake for the idea.
I actually have BN Link thermostats, but the custom enclosure is designed to fit only exactly the probe from the Herpstat/Spyder Robotics products! So I am stuck anyway LoL!
Update:
The Herpstat unit was found by UPS and arrived Tuesday!!!
We brought Draco home yesterday!!! But as he’s acclimating to his new house, we will post pictures of him on Sunday!!!
Nagini is in blue/shed. So She’s grumpy lmao… I’m hoping for the shed this time to be salvageable LoL.
I tried to get good contrast with the black verus his pale tones… With that said, I don’t feel I have done the Handsome Boy justice:snake:. His pinkish tones are as pronounced as his yellows. And his speckling is more than I have normally seen!!! A great 1st mate for Nagini I believe!!!
In the second from the top, I was trying to show his “barely there” headstamp!!
It’s so pale a spot but almost like it glows through!!!
I finally understand the name debate of “Banana” vs “Coral Glow”
He is a VERY investigative personality type as well… So I feel like he photo’d well because he was trying to follow my hand/phone as I was snapping the pix!!!
Nagini is still blue and grumpy!!! Lmfao… The wife, and kids, and I went to Disneyland, yesterday.
I was hoping to collect fresh shedskin when I got home; but alas no!! She is just balled up in her cave; and puffed up LoL…
Now, LoL since I did started this thread as a way for me to hone skills with heat-tape, more questions,!!!
1)- With the Herpstat unit probe attached to the heat tape, what’s a “best” average “outside temp input” to set it at???; given these facts…
A) We keep our apartment as medial in temp as possible on any given day, around the mid 70s;
because
B) we live in the hot CA desert
And so:
C) I lightly mist the enclosures daily as needed to keep a slightly higher than 50% humidity mix…
More facts:
HOWEVER;
A) I have laser temped both of the enclosures at about 77°-81°, give or take a gradient from the hot side over to the cold…
B) Although; Draco’s custom enclosure seems to collect more condensation on his cold end;
So, next question,
It’s way more “sweat”, than Nagini’s homemade tote-enclosure I put together myself that has way more ventilation!??? Is this an issue!? Am I making this mole hill into a mountain!?!?
… I hope I don’t seem like an idiot asking, but I have a motto that says, “I have No answer to a question, that I don’t ask at all!”…
I like that motto! So imho I don’t think condensation is a good thing in an enclosure so I always correct it and for me it is working with the water bowl. Is there too much surface water or is the bowl too close to the heat hot side ? But again, this is just my opinion/correction for condensation. Others will chime in with advice……
I can’t imagine what it would be like to live in a desert!……….
) And he is a Banana 
!!!
!! However, I will be investing in a Herpstat-2 next month instead, so it can regulate both Nagini and Draco’s enclosures!!!
, he’s still at the reptile supply store where I purchased him. We hoped to have him home today…
So I am stuck anyway LoL!
but almost like it glows through!!!
She is just balled up in her cave; and puffed up LoL…