Hey guys !! Im new to snake some help ?

[Light of Dae]

Thank you.

For my tanks I'm just using normal bulbs 100w but I got a very cold house. All my vines n plants I buy at the dollar store, it saves you a lot of money, instead of 6 buck for 1 little plant you can get 6 big different plants / flowers / vines of your choice for the same 6 bucks pretty much the same quality too. Reptile bark is better in the fact that you can feed on it without the worry of it being ingested and killing your snake, where as coco husk can be ingested easily if not very careful and can and will kill your snake. But it really just depends on personal preference and availability. Coco husk like I got I find hard to spot clean cause its just so hard to see (Mind you she favors pooping on the fake rock so it seems lol) reptile bark I hear is very easy to spot clean.

As far as temps go, I don't have heat mats just lamps. Now I shut the lights off at night of course and allow my tanks to get down to house temps which go down to 17c or about 60f. I have been doing this with my Radix since I've had her. In Alberta Canada that is about what the temperature drops to on a summer night so I figure its ok. During the day their tanks get to about 65f - 70f (cool side - Warm side) Now this is just me, most other keepers probably do it a wee different.

[GarterGuy17]

Okay so I will be going with the lamps instead and buying my furniture in the dollar store.The log and rocks on the other hand I will probably buy in the pet store its just easier then treating for mites all together. On that note about the bark is it true they you need to replace it with new bark only once a year ? but clean it about every 2 -3 months , because if that's the case I will not mind get reptile bark at all.

[tress29]

One snake won't get it too messy! You will need to spot clean and add more bark/shavings as needed. Deep clean a few times a year. It's still cheaper (and less mess) than kitty litter!

[GarterGuy17]

Thanks Theresa I will be sure to do that.

[EasternGirl]

One thing to remember is that a snake can actually get an obstruction from ingesting any kind of substrate and an obstruction can kill a snake. A snake can ingest reptibark....there is no ultimately safe substrate, as we have had a discussion about this. In fact my snake ingested a piece of reptibark just last week. She seems to be fine so far...but I am still watching her. The best thing to do is to take the snake out of the tank and to feed in a separate tank on paper towels...that is your safest bet for avoiding ingestion of substrate and obstructions while feeding. Another safer option is to feed with tongs or hemostats...but you have to make sure the snake doesn't drag the food into the substrate...as that is what happened with my snake. What Dae said about paper towels is a good idea...when I feed in the tank...I always put a paper towel under the food dish...but I never feed in the tank on reptibark....only on carefresh...the wood worries me too much. I do however feed on a dish on top of a paper towel when I am using carefresh. On aspen, I would recommend using a separate feed tank.

As far as bulbs versus UTH (heat mats)...it is really a matter of preference...although I found this morning it was very cold in my house and I turned the mat on in addition to the heat bulb. Using mats can be tricky though, so make sure that you talk to us and know what you are doing if you decide to do that. Here are some picks of my snakes...

My easterns:

Cee Cee: 007.jpg Cee Cee and Seeley: 027.jpg and Hermes: 026.jpgmy albino
checkered.

[GarterGuy17]

Wow your snake's are beautiful. The picture with Cee Cee and seely is just wow , I love it ! So which brand is best ( Reptile bark wise ) ? The lamps I'm going to purchase off of petco so that shouldn't be a problem. Maybe ill get both an under tank pad. Even though the house stays warm most of the time it might be necessary on some days.

[infernalis]

Why give petco your money?

I get "sunbeam" reflector bulbs at Dollar Tree for a buck all the time.

[GarterGuy17]

Well I thought of petco because I have to buy the actual lamp not only the bulbs , but now that you tell me this I will but the bulbs in the dollar store. Thanks for the advice

[infernalis]

Reflector hoods are $ 8 at wal mart, home depot or Lowes.

Shop around, Petco is a rip off.

[EasternGirl]

Thanks...Cee Cee and Seeley are always posing like that...I swear they do it on purpose for the camera! An option for your lamp fixture might be a terrarium hood...Zoo Med makes one..the Naturalistic Terrarium Hood...that has two sockets so that you can put a daytime bulb and a nighttime bulb in it Zoo Med Naturalistic Terrarium Hood at PETCO I am not sure about different brands for reptibark...I just bought what they had at my pet store. I didn't like it though so I switched back to carefresh...my snakes like it better for burrowing, and I feel it's safer. With under heat mats you have to make sure the tank is propped up on the bottom so that the heat can escape from underneath, and you have to make sure you have plenty of substrate over the mat...but not too much. About 2 inches is good. You may want to wait until the snake is a little bigger if you are getting a baby...I worry about snakes burrowing down and getting burned on the hot glass with heat mats...but that is my opinion...others use them and do not agree. I don't use one with my baby albino...I worry too much about him burrowing and getting burned.