Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all. I am new at keeping viridis and I had a few questions. I just recently purchased my first GTP, a juvie Lereh from a gentleman in NC. The snake is quite healthy and ate its first pinkie for me the day after I got it home! This was a surprise to me because I didn’t know how long it would take for it to feel “at home.” I would like it to stay as healthy as possible (obviously,) and I was wondering if I could get some opinions on a few items I was thinking of implementing into its environment. Like heat panels for instance, what are the chances of these things inflicting a burn? Sphagnum moss: is this a good substrate? I am thinking that it is due to the fact that it can hold moisture well, and seems better than using something like aspen or cedar. I have done my fair share of research about this animal before purchase and I think that the set up is good that I have, but I want to make it better for the comfort of the snake. Any tips about heating, set up or anything would be great. I will post a pic of my new baby as soon as I get my camera back. Thanks everyone.
Sean

Heat panels are great and they will not burn the animal but you have a baby so you wont need one for awhile. You will have to find something smaller to heat the cage like heat tape, heat rope or heat bulbs but you have to make sure to use a good quality thermostat and digital thermometer so you don't cook her and make sure she can not burn her self by the heating device.. Sphagnum moss is bad to use it will mold within a week. You can use paper towels for babies or newspaper most of the other stuff will mold and thats not good at all for them.

Good luck, Tim
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Tim Rash
www.nocturnal-creations.com

I figured as much. But then I have had bad experiences with aspen, and I have heard bad things about it. I have tried cedar before, and that "Bed a Beast" and again... people have told me that these are not ideal substrates. So I am wondering what I could use for not only asthetic appeal but also to keep the snake happy and healthy. Would it stay humid enough in the cage if I just use paper towels? I know that some substrates contain some oils (I have heard) that can be bad for it's health. Any ideas would be great, like I said this is my first GTP.

Cedar is generally hazardous to all reptiles due to the high amounts of fragrent oils found in it. I don't know of anyone who uses it for snakes or any other reptile. Aspen isn't real good at holding moisture without molding and is probably best for colubrids. I've used bed a beast and I'm now using cypress. I really like how it looks and it holds moisture well.

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1.0~amel corn~C.S.
1.3~Aztec Okeetee corns~Coatl,Maya,Acatl,Tepin
0.1.1~Green tree python~Tempest, Whisper
0.2~Rhodesian Ridgebacks~Akilah, Ona
0.1~Old black Lab~ Callie
2.0~fat cats~Topper, Briscoe
3.0~Horses~Zaarah,Galliano,Achilles.....
www.franclycac.com

Thanks for the input guys. I am taking out the moss for now and going to use paper towels as a temporary fix. I am just going to have to experiment I guess. Does anyone have a specific misting system they like to use? Thanks.

I use one of those personal misters that you find everywhere in the summer. They hold about a quart of water and dispense the spray in a really fine mist. I use a regular squirt bottle for misting the cage and the fine mist for misting her. I noticed my local pet store is now carrying the mister bottles like I'm using.
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1.0~amel corn~C.S.
1.3~Aztec Okeetee corns~Coatl,Maya,Acatl,Tepin
0.1.1~Green tree python~Tempest, Whisper
0.2~Rhodesian Ridgebacks~Akilah, Ona
0.1~Old black Lab~ Callie
2.0~fat cats~Topper, Briscoe
3.0~Horses~Zaarah,Galliano,Achilles.....
www.franclycac.com