| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| cykogoalie79 |
Posted - 22/05/2010 : 06:46:23
I will be bringing the new baby home in the upcoming week and have a few questions about getting her home ready. This is the first snake I've owned, however I have dealt with many snakes over the years. I have been researching what a good first snake is and this has become my decision over a colubrid and other boids. Especially since Peenualowp (remember Club Dread?) has such a mild disposition, especially handling her towards the end of active handling of her at a herp show and being in shed. Also, I got her from a private breeder in Colorado. I'd rather support local people than mass breeders that deal with our local pet shops. I paid $130 for her, an excellent price since I saw many other females with her colors (deep reds & oranges) & sheen (still visible through milky skin) for over $200 around this area.
Cage setup:
48"w X 13"d X 24"h (55gal fish tank)
Custom lid made from 2" redwood - hole cut for heat lamp, bar light, & 3 2" vent holes
1/4" chicken wire to prevent escapes
5.5" dome w/ 75 watt blacklight bulb
Exo Terra Heatwave (Rainforest) UTH
2 hides + 1 sphagnum moss hide humidity box
Cypress mulch substrate
1 XL water dish
Zilla digital day/night cycle timer/power strip
Questions:
What's the best positioning for the humidity box? Heated or cool size?
Best positioning for water dish? I currently have it half & half over the UTH.
How to keep humidity stable & high?
Fountain, fountain/fogger, spraying?
Blacklight or IR bulb? Wattage on IR bulb if recommended? ***See below for tanks heat cycle
Tank so far:
So far the digital power strip/timer is working great. Light cycle is 13hrs light & 11hrs dark (blue bulb). It's keeping the heat around 83F during the day & 78F at night. I have been running this cycle for about 1 week and seems to be consistent w/ warming up & cooling down. I have not used a temp gun to test heat of the surfaces, BUT to the touch it is slightly warm (similar testing process for babies) on the warm end and cool on the cool end. Right now I 1 hide on the far cool side, 1 hide about in the middle, & the moss humidity box on the warm side. Is this appropriate or should i move things around. Also, water dish is 50/50 over the heater with the temp of the water remaining cooler (doesn't feel warm to the touch). I will be adding branches (real & fake) and plants, but I'm researching what plants would be good. Any recommendations on this part?
I'm having issues regulating the humidity. It fluctuates between 60% & 80%, with lows/peaks at 50% & 85%. Average, I'd say it's around 65% humidity. Would anyone recommend using a water proofer on the wood that faces the inside of the tank, or perhaps spritzing the wood when I mist the cage? When I did this (for the first time today) it seemed to peak to about 85% and has been there for several hours (wood is still somewhat moist).
Basically, I'm happy with the temp cycle but am unsure about the humidity. What can I do to raise the humidity, or is it required to raise the general humidity. I checked the humid hide box and it was in the high 90% humidity. Inside her hides the humidity was in the high 80% humidity range. Would I be ok to put a layer of sphagnum under the cypress mulch to help boost humidity?
Peenuhlowp:
Born August 2009 and about 2'. I plan on heavily planing her viv, adding hides, and breaking up the vision across the cage to reduce stress.
Any help with my questions or general suggestions are welcome. I'm stoked to bring her home. Pics will go up once I have her home and she has time to adjust. |
| 6 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Snakesitter |
Posted - 20/08/2010 : 19:44:09
I'm not a cornsnake expert  , but from what I hear they grow to about three to five feet, occasionally up to six. Brazilians usually reach four to five feet (males) or five to six feet (females), with rare specimens getting another foot in length. |
| somewhereovertherainbow |
Posted - 20/08/2010 : 10:54:00
another question is what is the size comparison between a male BRB and a male cornsnake is there much size diffrence |
| Snakesitter |
Posted - 20/08/2010 : 00:07:55
Congratulations, and welcome to the rainbow keeper ranks!
Addressing one point at a time:
> would it be good for me to keep him in a 2wide 1.5tall 1.5deep wodden viv
The cage size is fine for a baby. (At some point you will need to increase it as he grows.) The wooden part, however, may pose some challenges. Rainbows need high humidity, so the wood surfaces would have to be well-sealed, and with a substance that is non-toxic.
> with light fitting
What type of light were you considering? A top-mounted incandescent bulb can play hell with humidity. As rainbows are primarily nocturnal, I don't use lighting in my individual cages at all, but rather have a central room lamp that projects indirect light to all the cages -- this solves both issues.
> and heat mat with thermostat hides and logs. is heat mat good ? it will have a thermostat on it to keep it regulated.
I've heard many people express wary opinions of heat mats, as they can cause burns. Most of the breeders I know use either undercage heating such as Flexwatt, or radiant heat panels. So long as you have a (good) thermostat though, and keep the mat set to 85 at most, you should be fine. (Disclaimer: "heat mat" may mean somthing different in the UK than US where I'm based.)
> what bedding
There are lots of options here, and what you use will be a tradeoff between cost and ease. I use a mixture of paper towel and newspaper in mine, but it's really for convenience and to help with humidity. Other options include bark shavings, cypress mulch, coco bedding, and even outdoor carpet. Some people use aspen, but it tends to mold in the humid conditions that rainbows prefer.
> how should i keep it humid i might get a humidifier
The three key tools are a large flat water bowl (to maximize the surface area where evaporation occurs), a moist moss hide (to give the snake an extra-humid area to retreat to), and a cage lid or door that minimizes air exchange with the outside (to keep the humidity inside). Some people mist regulary as well. A humidifier could help, but may be overkill this early on.
> what else would i need ?
Make sure your hide is small enough that the baby will feel secure inside (meaning, he can press up again the sides). The moss helps here. For moss, I use sphagnum. You can buy it in various sizes, but it holds moisture well and resists mold. You noted "logs": while cage decor is great, just be aware that rainbow cages neeed more cleaning than other snake cages due to the high humidity, which can encourage mold. So I try and keep cage decor to a minimum.
Good luck, and please let me know if I can help further-- |
| somewhereovertherainbow |
Posted - 19/08/2010 : 22:45:56
hey i have a question also i am goin to get a hatchling male soon would it be good for me to keep him in a 2wide 1.5tall 1.5deep wodden viv with light fitting and heat mat with thermostat hides and logs. is heat mat good ? it will have a thermostat on it to keep it regulated. what bedding lighting and how should i keep it humid i might get a humidifier. what else would i need ? |
| Kazerella |
Posted - 12/07/2010 : 14:24:38
Have you go any pictures of the set up? It might help us picture it 
It all sounds alright though.
If you have 3 hides, I would place the humidity box in the middle, so that the normal hides offer the hot and the cooler spaces.
I have my water bowl on the hot side as this helps with the humidity. I have a fogger, but I don't think they are entirely necessary. Spraying regulary is just as good. Humidity will fluctuate as it is unavoidable that it will dip throughout the day, but as long as it is maintained to the best of your ability then that's all we can hope for. Mine gets a spray in the morning so it's up, then dries out during the day so it'll drop, then I put the fogger on when I get home from work for an hour. The humidity box should prevent your BRB from dehydrating.
I wouldn't have the light cycle on 13 hours- just because BRBs are nocturnal so they have less time to play. I'd probably do a 12/12.
Hope that helps  |
| cykogoalie79 |
Posted - 22/05/2010 : 07:49:31
Oh, a little about the cycle I have on the light & heat w/ the Zilla timer/power strip.
Light:
630am turns on, 930pm turns off
Heat:
Heatwave (Rainforest) UTH runs with light cycle
Lamp (blacklight bulb) always on |
|
|
