A little worried

Colonel SB · 07-15-03, 05:51 PM

Hey guys & gals I'm getting a little worried about my female ATB...she is 43 inches long & is a LTC. Now she is very listless and not as agressive as she should be the only was she will bite me is if I pet her head. She also does not seem to have good grip with hre tail I"m just a little worried. Here are the cage specs and stuff.

Cage Size: 24x18x24
Day Time Temp Top: 44c
Day Time Temp Bottom: 33c
Day Time Humidity: 71%
Night Time Temp: 27c
Night Time Humidity: 65%

I hope these are okay for her. Am I paranoid or is this normal for ATB's.

CraigC · 07-15-03, 07:43 PM

Hey,
I'm not that familiar with ATB husbandtry, but imagine that it is similar to ETBs. Your daytime humidity seems a little low. Should it not be in the mid 80's?

Do you notice any rough breathing sounds or see any mucus coming from the mouth or nostrils? Any signs of distressed breathing?
CraigC

Ed_r · 07-15-03, 09:03 PM

44C is incredibly HOT for an ATB she's cooking thats why she is so lethargic. ATBs should NEVER have a hot side of over 85 Degrees F or 26 degrees C 44 is like 116 Degrees F no snake can live in that.

Linds · 07-15-03, 11:15 PM

Ditto what Ed said. Your cooking her in those temps :firestart . Ideal temps for ATB is 75-85.

Colonel SB · 07-16-03, 09:08 AM

That is right under the basking spot the ambient temp is 33c, but I'll lower the wattage on the bulb.

Ed_r · 07-16-03, 10:50 AM

Just remember ATBs are strictly nocturnal, and do not need a basking spot. They are never out to bask in the sun. Best thing to use is an undertank heater on medium, and let the warm air rise. I don't use bulbs at all. ATBs will strike at bulbs in the cage. For light I use a flourescent bulb. They do like the cooler temps. they digest well at those temps. High temps will cause an awful lot of stress on them and dehydration. These are a lot different from Ball Pythons and BCIs. Their humidity needs to stay in a fluctuating range of 60-80% humidity. Full time at too high of humidity will cause skin blemishes and infection. Trust me I found out the hard way, and I lost a snake to it.
Just think of where they are from, The Amazon Rainforest. They live in the canopy and brush, very little sunlight penetrates to the ground.

Colonel SB · 07-16-03, 11:34 AM

okay thanks for the help.