Scenting

[JodiLeigh]

Just bought a bunch more pinkies as I still haven't had chance to get the proper worms or any fish.

Other then worms or fish what can I scent them with? Everyday usual stuff that people would normally have in their cupboards or fridge?

[EasternGirl]

Well, the idea behind scenting is to take something that the snake is used to eating and likes to eat and to put that scent onto something the snake is not used to eating or refuses to eat. So, for example, if your snake usually eats worms but won't eat fish...you rub the worms on the fish to make the fish smell like worms so the snake will smell worms and eat the fish. Using other things in your cupboard or fridge wouldn't work...and may not be good for the snake because there are many things a snake should not eat.

[chris-uk]

I heard Tabasco works well for scenting. :eek:

JodiLeigh- just remind us, is your garter eating pinkies already? If so, you don't need to worry about scenting. I've heard of scenting pinkies with fish or worms, but not the other way round.

[JodiLeigh]

Well my brother said he was eating pinkies but that he didn't have him long enough to feed him himself also my brother is a terrible liar so I have no idea.

I have tried him with pinkies. When I show it to him he goes for it but doesn't eat it and if I leave him with it he doesn't eat it. I just want him to eat and I don't know how.

I tried scenting with tuna and he wouldn't eat it, don't even know if that's ok but he didn't even eat it anyway.

I don't think I have Tabasco, I will try this.

[gregmonsta]

Do NOT try tabasco - that was a joke comment.

[guidofatherof5]

I made up this chart on scenting. I hope it explains what I was trying to say.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/scenting_chart.jpg

[JodiLeigh]

Do NOT try tabasco - that was a joke comment.

WHAAAAT! Ok I won't PHEW! Good job I don't have any in!

Gosh I am that desperate I will try anything to make him eat.

I was taking him out of his enclosure to feed him, I had a tall box and put the heat mat under it. I have now put the pinkie in his enclosure but STILL he wont eat

It's still cold weather wise but the temp in his tank is from 23-30 so it's not because he's too cold also he has 11 hours of light a day and even at night it doesn't go lower then 25 on the warm side and not lower then 20 on the cool side.

I have had him a month today now and he is very settled and seems very happy, I don't get him out every day and not for too long but when I do he is very friendly and doesn't seem to mind at all.

[JodiLeigh]

I made up this chart on scenting. I hope it explains what I was trying to say.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/scenting_chart.jpg

ooow cool! Very helpful THANK YOU =]

I supposed it's not really a scenting issue I have really, I was just hoping that it would help but if he's not eating in the first place then it's not going to help.

I am going to call the vet and see if I can get him checked over, it wouldn't surprise me if my brother didn't take good care of him and he's gotten ill.

Is there anything else that could be making him go off his food?

[kibakiba]

Stress. How long has it been? If it's less than a month, stop worrying. They can go a long time without food. Angel went 3 months before she finally died, but she hadn't eaten much more than one pinky piece in her life.

[JodiLeigh]

Stress. How long has it been? If it's less than a month, stop worrying. They can go a long time without food. Angel went 3 months before she finally died, but she hadn't eaten much more than one pinky piece in her life.

It's been a month. DIED! I don't want him to DIE!!!! :( Was she a baby? So she never ate? Or did she get ill?

[kibakiba]

Angel was a baby, who never started eating so she died. I'm sure he'll be perfectly fine. Maybe you should just leave him alone for a while, you cant really force him to eat if he isnt hungry.

[JodiLeigh]

Angel was a baby, who never started eating so she died. I'm sure he'll be perfectly fine. Maybe you should just leave him alone for a while, you cant really force him to eat if he isnt hungry.

True. I will do my best to leave him to it.

I am very disappointed now, I thought I was doing so well :(

[EasternGirl]

Angel had failure to thrive problems, right Chantel? My snake Seeley recently went two months without eating for no reason...he went to the vet...he was not sick. Garters go off food sometimes. Don't get worried just yet. Are you trying to feed him whole pinkies? Have you tried chopping them into pieces for him? How are you feeding him...with tongs or on a dish? Some garters are very particular about how they eat. You may have to try different things. One of my snakes eats whole pinkies...but two of them are too small to eat whole pinkies and I have to chop them up. One of them takes them from hemostats...but the others are shy and will only eat on dishes, under hides...in fact, I have to cover Seeley's tank with a towel to get him to eat.

[JodiLeigh]

Angel had failure to thrive problems, right Chantel? My snake Seeley recently went two months without eating for no reason...he went to the vet...he was not sick. Garters go off food sometimes. Don't get worried just yet. Are you trying to feed him whole pinkies? Have you tried chopping them into pieces for him? How are you feeding him...with tongs or on a dish? Some garters are very particular about how they eat. You may have to try different things. One of my snakes eats whole pinkies...but two of them are too small to eat whole pinkies and I have to chop them up. One of them takes them from hemostats...but the others are shy and will only eat on dishes, under hides...in fact, I have to cover Seeley's tank with a towel to get him to eat.

Well I have tried in a separate box, in the enclosure, with tongues, just in the bottom of the box, I've covered the box, I put a hide in there, I have chopped then up small, I have poked the tongues threw the box and wiggled it so he can;t see me but there's movement, I have warmed them, cut them, squished them.

I haven't tried putting them in a dish under a hide, I suppose that is the next thing to try as well as covering the whole enclosure.

I don't get why he goes for it but doesn't eat it? He's bite it but then lets it go. Is that just him being threatened? But he never bites me not even when I go to pick him up out of the box.

[EasternGirl]

It may be because you are using tongues instead of tongs :D. Just giving you a hard time! But imagine a couple of tongues coming at you with food in between them...lol. I'm totally just playing around. Well, I can tell you that the hide trick works for my very skiddish ones. I put a paper towel down over the substrate...then put a little plastic lid with the food in it...then put a hide over the food and put the snake in the hide. I watch the snake carefully to make sure he doesn't drag the food under the paper towel into the substrate. I am honestly not sure why your snake is grabbing the food and then dropping it...but I have heard other people say that their snakes have done the same thing. The only thing that I can think is that the snake thinks it is something else and then realizes it is not what he thought it was when he tastes it...which leads me to believe your snake was used to eating something in particular....but maybe not pinkies. I am just guessing though.

[chris-uk]

Sorry for the Tabasco comment, I hoped it was obviously tong in cheek.
I'd try fish fillets chopped up with pinky, and chop the pinky as well. Some of our checkereds will feed on pinky guts first but ignore the head. If he's a shy eaters just put the food on a big enough dish that he's unlikely to drag it through substrate, and leave it for an hour or two. Make sure you count how many pieces you leave so you know if any are eaten.
Definitely think fish would be my next attempt if you have just tried pinkies so far. Easy to get hold of and something like trout seems to work well for many people.

[JodiLeigh]

It may be because you are using tongues instead of tongs :D. Just giving you a hard time! But imagine a couple of tongues coming at you with food in between them...lol. I'm totally just playing around.

HA HA yeah that would be scary! Totally oblivious to that misspelling there, didn't even realise they were spelt differently.


Well, I can tell you that the hide trick works for my very skiddish ones. I put a paper towel down over the substrate...then put a little plastic lid with the food in it...then put a hide over the food and put the snake in the hide. I watch the snake carefully to make sure he doesn't drag the food under the paper towel into the substrate.

I will try this next time. How long should I wait to try and feed him again? Also how long should I leave the food with him for before I should take it away? Because obviously it will go bad especially in a warm enclosure.

[JodiLeigh]

It may be because you are using tongues instead of tongs :D. Just giving you a hard time! But imagine a couple of tongues coming at you with food in between them...lol. I'm totally just playing around. Well, I can tell you that the hide trick works for my very skiddish ones. I put a paper towel down over the substrate...then put a little plastic lid with the food in it...then put a hide over the food and put the snake in the hide. I watch the snake carefully to make sure he doesn't drag the food under the paper towel into the substrate. I am honestly not sure why your snake is grabbing the food and then dropping it...but I have heard other people say that their snakes have done the same thing. The only thing that I can think is that the snake thinks it is something else and then realizes it is not what he thought it was when he tastes it...which leads me to believe your snake was used to eating something in particular....but maybe not pinkies. I am just guessing though.


Sorry for the Tabasco comment, I hoped it was obviously tong in cheek.
I'd try fish fillets chopped up with pinky, and chop the pinky as well. Some of our checkereds will feed on pinky guts first but ignore the head. If he's a shy eaters just put the food on a big enough dish that he's unlikely to drag it through substrate, and leave it for an hour or two. Make sure you count how many pieces you leave so you know if any are eaten.
Definitely think fish would be my next attempt if you have just tried pinkies so far. Easy to get hold of and something like trout seems to work well for many people.

No worries, I should have got that but I was too worried about Manny.

I am getting some fish anyway so as soon as I get some I will try him with that too.

[EasternGirl]

Well...if he hasn't eaten, there is no real time frame that you have to wait between tries...usually when my snakes are going off food...I offer it every day until they eat. You can leave it in there with him for an hour or two...and it should be fine. If it's pinkies...I'd say a couple of hours...if it's fish...maybe an hour. If it's worms, I watch closely and as soon as the worms start to get hard, I remove them...because a hard worm can cause an obstruction. I also usually put a little water on the worms to help keep them soft.

[JodiLeigh]

Well...if he hasn't eaten, there is no real time frame that you have to wait between tries...usually when my snakes are going off food...I offer it every day until they eat. You can leave it in there with him for an hour or two...and it should be fine. If it's pinkies...I'd say a couple of hours...if it's fish...maybe an hour. If it's worms, I watch closely and as soon as the worms start to get hard, I remove them...because a hard worm can cause an obstruction. I also usually put a little water on the worms to help keep them soft.

Ok thank you!

It's just so frustrating also because it's a waste of food, I just need to be patient.

THANK YOU guys, I can stop worrying so much now :)

[JodiLeigh]

Awww I just noticed I messed up my other post :/
I'm just not on the ball tonight am I!

Also, what is this Donny show I keep hearing about?

[GarterGuy17]

I am very late but by reading im confused what are you trying to do , feed him something new or just feed him in general ?

[aquamentus_11]

I just wanted to say, Chris, your "tong in cheek comment" did not go unappreciated. Nice.

[Light of Dae]

Well I have tried in a separate box, in the enclosure, with tongues, just in the bottom of the box, I've covered the box, I put a hide in there, I have chopped then up small, I have poked the tongues threw the box and wiggled it so he can;t see me but there's movement, I have warmed them, cut them, squished them.

I haven't tried putting them in a dish under a hide, I suppose that is the next thing to try as well as covering the whole enclosure.

I don't get why he goes for it but doesn't eat it? He's bite it but then lets it go. Is that just him being threatened? But he never bites me not even when I go to pick him up out of the box.

I'm sorry I missed this thread earlier...

Try serving the food at a cooler temperature. Garters natural prey like worms, frogs, n fish are all cold to the touch right? So try this. Chop the pinky mouse while it's frozen into bite size pieces (about the size of his head) and place them in a shallow dish with a little cool water. Place dish in enclosure. By the time he smells it and comes to eat it will be thawed but still cool to the touch.

It has worked for me, my Radix Babs used to excitedly grab food n then drop it as well, I was always so confused. Until I thought about it. It may smell good to them but then once they have it in their mouth it doesn't feel right to them.
Like right now, George didn't eat all of his food over night n now it's warm, so i'm going to experiment n put his food in the fridge when I shower, then give it to him before I go to work n see if he finishes it. There is a mouse left, he ate some worm chunks and I know he can eat more then that!

[JodiLeigh]

I am very late but by reading im confused what are you trying to do , feed him something new or just feed him in general ?

At first I thought it was a scenting problem but now it's just a problem feeding him in general.
I've had him a month now and still not eaten :(

[JodiLeigh]

I'm sorry I missed this thread earlier...

Try serving the food at a cooler temperature. Garters natural prey like worms, frogs, n fish are all cold to the touch right? So try this. Chop the pinky mouse while it's frozen into bite size pieces (about the size of his head) and place them in a shallow dish with a little cool water. Place dish in enclosure. By the time he smells it and comes to eat it will be thawed but still cool to the touch.

It has worked for me, my Radix Babs used to excitedly grab food n then drop it as well, I was always so confused. Until I thought about it. It may smell good to them but then once they have it in their mouth it doesn't feel right to them.
Like right now, George didn't eat all of his food over night n now it's warm, so i'm going to experiment n put his food in the fridge when I shower, then give it to him before I go to work n see if he finishes it. There is a mouse left, he ate some worm chunks and I know he can eat more then that!

oooow Thank you, I will try this too.

Hopefully with all this advice I will get it right this time.

Oh and by the way, I like the way when you have quoted you've put the relevant parts of my post in bold :D

[Bart]

Wake up.
See this:
4065
Wat do?









Hint:
4066

[angrygamer]

wake up.
See this:
4065
wat do?









Hint:
4066

nom nom nom

[Bart]

No, but srsly, you should try with feeder swordtails or guppies in the water dish. My Izy, even if he's fasting, ALWAYS eats them, even if he refuses other stuff like pinks, worms or smelts.

[JodiLeigh]

No, but srsly, you should try with feeder swordtails or guppies in the water dish. My Izy, even if he's fasting, ALWAYS eats them, even if he refuses other stuff like pinks, worms or smelts.

Yeah I was thinking this as they are live it's more like nature so probably more inclined to eat them.

Thank you :) I will definitely try this too

I have a lot of shopping to do for such a small snake HA HA

[Light of Dae]

My George I've had since late December, and he had only eaten one pinkie mouse in just over a month n refused food otherwise. Until recently he has been eating way better.

As for feeding guppies or Platies you could try them yes. George saw his n didn't do anything, while Babs tried n tried to catch hers, it just kept flipping out of the dish so I had to be careful n pick it up, clean it off, try again. I personally if feeding live would do it in a separate tank so that you don't have to worry about him eating substrate.

[JodiLeigh]

Ok so I took all your advice guys about getting Manny to eat but still no result, I figured sticking with the pinkies for now as he supposedly already eats them.

I put the frozen chopped up pinkie in a small shallow dish with a little cool water placed it on a paper towel and put his coconut hide over the dish.

One other thing, I noticed when I started setting this up he got very VERY uneasy and shot right into the corner then scared himself with the noise his tail made on the side of the tank. He was awake when I started doing this, as usual when I go into his tank I make sure he knows I am there by opening the lid and resting my hand in and he usually come to investigate but this time he came out into the middle of the tank but then hide away :/

I'm worried he may be getting stressed from something but I don't know what. I had tried to feed him a few days ago then made sure his tank was clean and refreshed his water so I could leave him for a few days with out getting him out and put a towel round the sides of his tank so he had no disturbance at all. Then tried to feed him tonight but nothing and he was all jumpy and skittish which made me very upset and worried.

Advice pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?!?!

[GarterGuy17]

Did you thaw the mice ?

Even so if you want to try other food I think you should wait until he is eating again. When was the last time he ate ?

Also a lot of snakes have different personality's and adjust with time , some can be very aggressive that strike at you as soon as you get close so the behavior isnt really a problem if he is healthy and all.

[JodiLeigh]

Did you thaw the mice ?

Even so if you want to try other food I think you should wait until he is eating again. When was the last time he ate ?

Also a lot of snakes have different personality's and adjust with time , some can be very aggressive that strike at you as soon as you get close so the behavior isnt really a problem if he is healthy and all.

Yes, because the pinkies are only small and I chop them up they thaw by the time I have done setting everything up.

He hasn't eaten in over a month now :/ I know they can go a long time with out food but I want him to be healthy and he is only 11 months

When I first got him and up until just this week he has always been very friendly and not reacted to me putting my hands in his cage like that before especially when I was moving and doing thing on one side and he was on the other and I wasn't even going near him.

[EasternGirl]

If he has been alone and nothing has been disturbing him...no loud noises in your house...no loud thumping or vibrations...no other animals that could be going up to the tank...then I don't know what would be making him stressed. Sometimes I think some garters do better with stimulation...maybe he needs to be held by you...maybe he was used to that. I think that if they get used to it and then they are left alone, they get skiddish and have to be socialized all over again. I've noticed that with my easterns...they seem to get less skiddish the more I hold them and put my hands in the tank, talk to them, etc. Maybe with no contact, and the towel around the tank and all...it was so quiet for him...that when he finally had some light, noise, etc....it was a little too much for him and it startled him. I think it's better to let him adjust to things as they normally are...don't make it too quiet and secluded for him. There has to be a balance...try putting a towel over one end of his tank...the cool end. That is what I do for my snakes. It makes the cool end nice and dark and secluded for them...but the warm end is bright, and they can see out. Hold him and make contact with him, just don't do it too much. Try it for a couple of minutes each day. When was the last time he ate?

[EasternGirl]

What time of the day do you feed him?

[JodiLeigh]

If he has been alone and nothing has been disturbing him...no loud noises in your house...no loud thumping or vibrations...no other animals that could be going up to the tank...then I don't know what would be making him stressed. Sometimes I think some garters do better with stimulation...maybe he needs to be held by you...maybe he was used to that. I think that if they get used to it and then they are left alone, they get skiddish and have to be socialized all over again. I've noticed that with my easterns...they seem to get less skiddish the more I hold them and put my hands in the tank, talk to them, etc. Maybe with no contact, and the towel around the tank and all...it was so quiet for him...that when he finally had some light, noise, etc....it was a little too much for him and it startled him. I think it's better to let him adjust to things as they normally are...don't make it too quiet and secluded for him. There has to be a balance...try putting a towel over one end of his tank...the cool end. That is what I do for my snakes. It makes the cool end nice and dark and secluded for them...but the warm end is bright, and they can see out. Hold him and make contact with him, just don't do it too much. Try it for a couple of minutes each day. When was the last time he ate?

I did think this but as no one else had mentioned it and this is the first snake I have had I figured I'd go with what long time snake owners say.

Over a months now, he is drinking fine though and he doesn't feel or look thin compared to other peoples pictures. I peek in through the top every now and then to see what he's up to and he seems as active as normaly (always a bit later on in the day I find) and seen him drink a few times, he also seems to be burrowing a lot more then usual.

I will take your advice about moving the towel and will see what he's like tomorrow.

[JodiLeigh]

What time of the day do you feed him?

Oh yes! I forgot to ask about this, does the time makes a difference?

I normally put it in late afternoon/early evening about six/seven-ish because then I can leave him in peace with it for a few hours and check on it when I come back to my room at night before I go bed.

[GarterGuy17]

Well one thing could also be that your pinkies are no good so Manny isn't attracted to them. A lot of things could be taken into consideration. But with we have the same species / sub-species snake my jade is very comfortable with me she eats from my hands / on my bed practically everywhere and I feed when ever I get the chance not at the same time every feed.

[EasternGirl]

I'm not sure what you are saying. What long time snake owners? What did they say? Someone told you to leave him alone and cover him up? The timing can make a difference for feeding depending on the snake and when he is used to being fed and how skiddish he is. I found with my young albino when he wouldn't eat for me at first...that he liked to eat in the middle of the night. You could try putting some pinky pieces on a dish for him on a paper towel under his hide like I told you and try leaving it overnight. It can be risky because of the possibility of ingesting substrate...but he might come out and eat at night. What kind of substrate are you using?

[aquamentus_11]

my <1y is also being stubborn so I may not be the best source of advice, but my strategy is to have her tank right next to my desk so she sees me all the time and gets used to how i move and smell gradually. i'm not going to try to handle her or offer food for a week. i've only been doing this since yesterday and it already seems to be paying off: she's been staying out on her branches all night and basking out in the open in the day. actually, when i saw her still in the same spot that i saw her in last night, i was worried she was dead. she's not:rolleyes: she's been out so often that i have delusions that she's giving me the "food now" look. even if she is, too #@$& bad: she had her chance(s). two can play at this game.

she also let me remove her food dish from the day before without moving: i had to reach right over her and jostle the branches she was on to get to it, so that's huge to me. try setting your snake up uncovered wherever you go most and only mess with him to change water and clean. I even keep the amount of peering into her cage at her to a minimum.

[JodiLeigh]

I'm not sure what you are saying. What long time snake owners? What did they say? Someone told you to leave him alone and cover him up? The timing can make a difference for feeding depending on the snake and when he is used to being fed and how skiddish he is. I found with my young albino when he wouldn't eat for me at first...that he liked to eat in the middle of the night. You could try putting some pinky pieces on a dish for him on a paper towel under his hide like I told you and try leaving it overnight. It can be risky because of the possibility of ingesting substrate...but he might come out and eat at night. What kind of substrate are you using?

When I say long time snake owners I just mean people on this forum who have had snakes longer then me, because no one on this site has mentioned about having too much isolation I figured it wouldn't be a problem.

I tried leaving it over night too and still nothing. I use aspen bedding.

He goes in his coconut hide the most so I put the pinkie parts in the dish on a paper towel in that hide, I made sure there's enough room for him to go into the coconut hide even if he didn't want to eat but he hasn't been in it at all and is just burrowing even though he has two other hides and a silk plant to go in/under.

[JodiLeigh]

my <1y is also being stubborn so I may not be the best source of advice, but my strategy is to have her tank right next to my desk so she sees me all the time and gets used to how i move and smell gradually. i'm not going to try to handle her or offer food for a week. i've only been doing this since yesterday and it already seems to be paying off: she's been staying out on her branches all night and basking out in the open in the day. actually, when i saw her still in the same spot that i saw her in last night, i was worried she was dead. she's not:rolleyes: she's been out so often that i have delusions that she's giving me the "food now" look. even if she is, too #@$& bad: she had her chance(s). two can play at this game.

she also let me remove her food dish from the day before without moving: i had to reach right over her and jostle the branches she was on to get to it, so that's huge to me. try setting your snake up uncovered wherever you go most and only mess with him to change water and clean. I even keep the amount of peering into her cage at her to a minimum.

I have removed the towel now and the tank is and always was on my clothes cupboard which I have to walk passed to get into my room which I can see from my bed and chair so can check on him with out having to get up close and disturb him but he will know when I'm here and stuff.

He used to come to the corner of the tank and look at me but I guess giving him complete privacy has made him weary again.

It funny though because he burrows so well that I can't figure out where he's burrowed and get that split second of panic when I think he's got out HA HA

[JodiLeigh]

He's getting ready to shed, he's gone dull and his eyes are fogging over. I guess this is another reason he will be off his food.

Andy advice on shedding?

[aquamentus_11]

keep humidity up: 60-70% limit handling

[JodiLeigh]

keep humidity up: 60-70% limit handling

How do I keep it up so high with out having to drop the temperature right down?

I have a hide on the cool side with damp moss in, that won't be enough though will it?

[EasternGirl]

To keep the humidity up you want to take a spray bottle with water in it and mist the inside of his tank lightly a couple of times a day. Aim for the plants in his tank...because it is important that you do not get his substrate too damp. Keep a towel covering about 1/2 to 3/4 of the top of the tank lid to limit air circulation in the tank. All of this will increase the humidity. If he is getting ready to shed...that could explain him wanting to be left alone and being more jumpy, reclusive, etc. Garters do not like to be handled...they want to be left alone before a shed. It is when they are most vunerable to prey in the wild.

Jodi...do not worry too much about him being skiddish at this point. It takes time for garters to adjust to a new home. Some can be very skiddish at first. After he sheds, I would try taking him out a little each day and getting him used to you. Just hold him for a couple of minutes and then put him back. I would also try to feed him again, after his shed. He will come around. You aren't doing anything wrong...he just needs time. :) Don't worry...we're here and we'll keep helping you.

[JodiLeigh]

To keep the humidity up you want to take a spray bottle with water in it and mist the inside of his tank lightly a couple of times a day. Aim for the plants in his tank...because it is important that you do not get his substrate too damp. Keep a towel covering about 1/2 to 3/4 of the top of the tank lid to limit air circulation in the tank. All of this will increase the humidity. If he is getting ready to shed...that could explain him wanting to be left alone and being more jumpy, reclusive, etc. Garters do not like to be handled...they want to be left alone before a shed. It is when they are most vunerable to prey in the wild.

Jodi...do not worry too much about him being skiddish at this point. It takes time for garters to adjust to a new home. Some can be very skiddish at first. After he sheds, I would try taking him out a little each day and getting him used to you. Just hold him for a couple of minutes and then put him back. I would also try to feed him again, after his shed. He will come around. You aren't doing anything wrong...he just needs time. :) Don't worry...we're here and we'll keep helping you.

Ok thank you!

I have sprayed the plants and refreshed the moss and water, covered the cool half with a towel and moved the heat lamp as far to the right as possible so it doesn't dry out the plants straight away.

And thank you for the reassurance, I just worry because I've never had a snake before.

=]

[EasternGirl]

It's tough being a first time snake mommy :). It's still tough even when you've done it for a little while. I still worry about my snakes...I get up at least once during the night to check on them...and if they are sleeping and I don't see them...sometimes I wake the poor things up just to make sure they are okay :rolleyes:. Don't move the lamp away from the warm side. You need to have that gradient of a warm and cool side...just mist the plants every couple of hours. Like I said, just make sure you aren't making the substrate wet...because it isn't good for a snake to sit in wet substrate. Your worrying is normal...and you and your little snake will get through all of this. This time next year you will be sitting here typing and giving some new person advice just like I am with you!

[aquamentus_11]

if you cover half of the lid, your humidity should be fine. my house is dry (36%) and i can keep it at 60% in my tank with a piece of cork board over half of the lid. a broader water bowl will also help keep humidity up: larger surface area = more surface for evaporation

[EasternGirl]

I think it depends on your tank though....or something. Because even with half of my lid covered and misting, my humidity won't get over 30% some days. It must have a lot to do with the temps outside and the humidity in the air too. Temps in DE fluctuate so much...when it gets warmer here on some days...my humidity will suddenly spike up to 40% or 50% in my tanks. Then as soon as it gets really cold out...it drops down to 30%...sometimes even 20%. It's very frustrating. You're actually pretty lucky...aquamentus...because a lot of members complain of having trouble keeping humidity up...especially this time of year.

[aquamentus_11]

hmmm i used to have a lot of problems with it too. hence, the fancy schmancy plastic tank on the way: amazon tree boas need very high humidity and i was done struggling. i'm not sure why it's so steady now....i use forest bark blend by zoo-med, have a decent-sized water bowl and a live ficus. i don't mist every morning either. the substrate holds water well and the live plant made a difference. i wish i had had it this good when i had my tokay....had to buy a fogger for him.

[GarterGuy17]

Well I just dont understand why I am so lucky my humidity never drops under 40 and never goes about 60 even if the temps are 65 at night the humidity is still that high !

[aquamentus_11]

red-sideds must give off steam.

[EasternGirl]

Aquamentus...it's probably the bark substrate and the live plant. My substrate does not hold humidity well and my plants are not real. Therein lies my problem. John...you're just lucky with everything...shaaat up! Lol...j/k ;).