Seeking husbandry help

[PrairieDawn]

I need some husbandry suggestions/help!

I currently have my BP in a Showcase cage and I am trying to determine the best course of action on how to keep my thermometers stuck to the inside. I tried suction cups but those failed after a few hours. :( I currently have two thermometers with probes on the end that I purchased off eBay. They are in C which is fine with me since I am still converting everything from C to F. :D

I am wondering if I can use some sort of epoxy, or will rare earth magnets work with a layer of plastic between them?

Anyone else here use Showcase for their enclosures? (sorry being a noob prevents me from posting urls)

Right now I am just using a thermal gun but my neighbor will eventually want that back!

I had a UTH but it burned itself out after less than 1 month of use. Not a happy camper. I am wondering if that temperature controller from Zilla is worth it or not? Right now I have one of those red heat bulbs which I plan on switching to a ceramic heat emitter once I have the controller selected first.

His current habitat:

Cool side - 70°F - I find it super hard to keep it at 75°F (suggestions?)
Warm side - 85°F
Hides: half a log (came with him) and cereal box on the cool side. I am making new hides this weekend, YAY!
Log to bask on
Aspen shavings

I look forward to hearing your comments, suggestions and what hardware you are currently using. Thanks!

[Lankyrob]

Your warm side needs to be bumped up 5-10f which will help your cold side temps too. Sticking thermometers to the walls of vivs is counterproductive as you are measuring temps where the snake isnt living. Probes should be floor level.

What humidity are you keeping it at?

[jarich]

Yep, this ^

The probe you can just put on the ground where the snake is, like Rob said. It might be easier for you just to buy a temp gun like your neighbour has. They are quite inexpensive, only around $25 online.

As for the thermostat, yes this is a very necessary piece of equipment with any heat source. When you buy a new UTH, please make sure you get a thermostat too. The new UTH should solve your heating problems as well.

[RyanReptile]

What kind of ventilation does the show case cages use? Maybe by blocking off some of the vents it would help keep the heat in the enclosure :)

[shaunyboy]

re suction cups
i put a little spot of quick drying super glue in the centre of the suction cup,then hold the cup pressed down for a few seconds until the glue is set,they stay in place perfectly after that mate

re U shaped cable holders/clips
i use those U shaped cable clips that you would use to keep a telephone cable tight against a wall in your house,they come with little panel pin nails,i just replace the nail,with a small self tapping screw,i use them over the thermostat cables,to keep my thermostat probes in place


cheers shaun

[Terranaut]

Get those temps up asap.

[PrairieDawn]

Humidity - not sure right now but I do have a hygrometer! Had one of those cheap plastic ones but it never was accurate. I purchased a metal one from a cigar shop yesterday; it just needs to be tweaked.

Temps: I had the problem with the temperatures even with the UTH but did not have a thermostat for it. Like I said that UTH fried after 1 month of use. It was under warranty so another is on the way. There has to be another way other than UTH like ceramic heat emitters to keep the heat up. I was looking for a temp controller and will probably go with the one Zilla makes unless there is another brand that someone recommends?

Probes: I can understand having the cold probe near the bottom of the enclosure but for the warm side, why have the probe near the bottom as well? Hot air rises so wouldn't I want the probe somewhere near the middle or top of the enclosure? I tested some fast drying crazy glue on my enclosure and it ate at the plastic. Can't say I am fan about that. What about rubber cement?

The vents: the enclosure has one long vent near the front that measures
L: 36" by D: 4" and I had that covered with an denim insulator that I picked up from Lowes. I removed it the other day in fear that the air flow was lacking causing stagnant air. There is another vent at the back where I have the heat lamp. It is dual purpose - lamp holder and vent. If you do a quick Google image search for Showcase Cages you should get a general idea of what the top looks like based on my description.

[jarich]

Humidity - not sure right now but I do have a hygrometer! Had one of those cheap plastic ones but it never was accurate. I purchased a metal one from a cigar shop yesterday; it just needs to be tweaked.

Temps: I had the problem with the temperatures even with the UTH but did not have a thermostat for it. Like I said that UTH fried after 1 month of use. It was under warranty so another is on the way. There has to be another way other than UTH like ceramic heat emitters to keep the heat up. I was looking for a temp controller and will probably go with the one Zilla makes unless there is another brand that someone recommends?

Probes: I can understand having the cold probe near the bottom of the enclosure but for the warm side, why have the probe near the bottom as well? Hot air rises so wouldn't I want the probe somewhere near the middle or top of the enclosure? I tested some fast drying crazy glue on my enclosure and it ate at the plastic. Can't say I am fan about that. What about rubber cement?

The vents: the enclosure has one long vent near the front that measures
L: 36" by D: 4" and I had that covered with an denim insulator that I picked up from Lowes. I removed it the other day in fear that the air flow was lacking causing stagnant air. There is another vent at the back where I have the heat lamp. It is dual purpose - lamp holder and vent. If you do a quick Google image search for Showcase Cages you should get a general idea of what the top looks like based on my description.

As for the temps, Id suggest a radiant heat panel over a ceramic heat emitter. There is no need to worry about the snake wrapping around the bulb and burning itself, and the RHPs last much longer.

With regard to the probe, no there is no reason to worry about the temp at the top of the cage as your snake doesnt go there. Just as an example, where is your thermostat in your house? Is it around chest height or is up near the ceiling?

[PrairieDawn]

As for the temps, Id suggest a radiant heat panel over a ceramic heat emitter. There is no need to worry about the snake wrapping around the bulb and burning itself, and the RHPs last much longer.

With regard to the probe, no there is no reason to worry about the temp at the top of the cage as your snake doesnt go there. Just as an example, where is your thermostat in your house? Is it around chest height or is up near the ceiling?

Good point regarding the thermostat and the example. The CHE would be outside the habitat, not inside. So the snake wouldn't burn himself. I can't afford a RHP right now, I just had surgery at the end of Feb and have a buttload of bills rolling in because of it. Best I can do for now is a night heat bulb 100w or use the CHE that my daughter isn't using right now.

[Reptile_Reptile]

aspen bedding should be switched with something else that stuff is like a humidity vaccum and it molds :( eeeew. coconut husk is a good substrate, doesnt mold, holds humidity, and is relatively easy to find plus its cheap. i think a brand is eco earth. goes good with repti bark

[jarich]

Good point regarding the thermostat and the example. The CHE would be outside the habitat, not inside. So the snake wouldn't burn himself. I can't afford a RHP right now, I just had surgery at the end of Feb and have a buttload of bills rolling in because of it. Best I can do for now is a night heat bulb 100w or use the CHE that my daughter isn't using right now.

Ah, fair enough. I thought you had to buy either one, and they are about the same price. (think the RHP is a little more, but much cheaper in the long run) The only issue with the CHE outside the enclosure is that it will suck the humidity out of the enclosure. Hopefully its not an issue for you, but as recommended above, I would maybe then use bark substrate to increase the humidity in the enclosure.

[PrairieDawn]

aspen bedding should be switched with something else that stuff is like a humidity vaccum and it molds :( eeeew. coconut husk is a good substrate, doesnt mold, holds humidity, and is relatively easy to find plus its cheap. i think a brand is eco earth. goes good with repti bark

Huh and the vet I spoke with told me not to use coconut husk as it attracts mites and can cause impaction issues. Also I do know that coconut husk does mold. We had a huge issue with mold issues when my daughter had a hermit crab colony. But you are right it does hold humidity well. I am wondering if having a sterlite container (with a couple of holes poked in it) with sphagnum moss inside will help boost the humidity or maybe a home made fogger? Can I just use reptibark or will that have the same heat sucking abilities that the aspen has? To be honest, I wouldn't mind changing the aspen anyway, since I am allergic to the scent of it. If I do the reptibark, do I need a fogger? or is that excessive?

I finally got the hygrometer installed and it says the RH is 50% but I just misted in there before applying the meter inside. I don't remember who asked me what that was but I now have an answer. :D

[Lankyrob]

I us reptibark in all my vivs, some kept at ambient humidity amd some kept at 80-90% and have had no issues whatsoever

[Aaron_S]

Huh and the vet I spoke with told me not to use coconut husk as it attracts mites and can cause impaction issues. Also I do know that coconut husk does mold. We had a huge issue with mold issues when my daughter had a hermit crab colony. But you are right it does hold humidity well. I am wondering if having a sterlite container (with a couple of holes poked in it) with sphagnum moss inside will help boost the humidity or maybe a home made fogger? Can I just use reptibark or will that have the same heat sucking abilities that the aspen has? To be honest, I wouldn't mind changing the aspen anyway, since I am allergic to the scent of it. If I do the reptibark, do I need a fogger? or is that excessive?

I finally got the hygrometer installed and it says the RH is 50% but I just misted in there before applying the meter inside. I don't remember who asked me what that was but I now have an answer. :D

Get a new vet.

Aspen or the husk will "attract" wood mites. Not snake mites. Snake mites don't care what substrate is there. Wood mites are harmless to the health of the reptile but could annoy you.

reptibark could be fine too. I would rate the husk above the bark though.