Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Paul,

I have printed out this post of yours telling me how to feed my CRB in a separate enclosure:

Scott,
I feed all my boas in a rubbermaid enclosure that measures 24"x16"x6". I remove them immediatly after the last rat has settled in and have never had one regurgitate. Just handle gently and return it immediatly to its enclosure.
Next time you feed a rat try this. Wait an extra week before feeding. Use a rubbermaid type box with the dimensions indicated above. Take two sections of newspaper and lightly wet the bottom of one section and place both in the rubbermaid with the wet side down (snake would be placed on dry section). Put the rubbermaid on something warm (high 70's). Put the CRB in the rubbermaid and give it about 10 minutes to settle in. Stun a rat by whacking it and place in the rubbermaid in front of the snakes head but not too close to scare the snake. Leave them alone for an hour. If after an hour it has'nt eaten, leave overnight. Keep trying this. It will work.
Paul

Now I have a question that I asked before but I don't know if you saw it because I posted it a few days ago. But what exactly is the purpose or the slightly wet newspaper? Is it just to maintain humidity in the container? That's the only logical explanation I could think of for that. Please help clear this up! Thanks!
-----
Scott

Reptiles
--------
1 Colombian Rainbow Boa (Rocky)
1.0 Ball Python (Sultan)
0.1 California Kingsnake (Leota)
1.0 Eastern Painted Turtle (Yugi)
0.1 Red/Gold Bearded Dragon* (Irwin, R.I.P.)

Other
-----
1.0 Betta Fish (Tyrone)

Hey Scott,
You are right, the wetted newspaper is to create a very humid environment. Paper towels would work just fine also but use alot of towels and probably less water, you don't want a soppy mess of towels. The idea is to make the snake as comfortable and secure as possible. The temps in the high 70's is also really important, I use a temp gun all the time on my BRB's and 77-79 (hell, lets just call it 78) is a common body temp (and I supply a wide range of temps). I should add that even though high 70's is a commonly sought out temp for BRB's (I think your CRB would actually like it a little warmer) they need a wider range of temps (like all snakes). For instance the other evening I measured my four BRB's at 83, 77,76, and 68. When out and about at night they are often found in areas in the high 80's (my gravid female has been gunned at 92). Unfortunately it is just not practical for large collections in small enclosures.
OK, I'm going off on a favorite tangent; you just asked about wet newspaper!
Good luck,
Paul

Actually I try to make sure my warm end stays in the low 80s(around 80-82). Since I never got a digital temp gun for christmas or my birthday, I still have to measure with my digital thermometer with a probe. I just stick the thermometer slightly under the surface of the substrate(to get a good idea of what the snake is usually feeling). Yea I know you guys have been telling me to stick the probe on the actual heat pad, but it's kind of complicated to do so because there is not much space between the shelf and the bottom of the cage(there is some to prevent stress cracks, just not enough to fit a probe). Wow I say all that and forgot to thank you for answering my question. Thanks!
-----
Scott

Reptiles
--------
1 Colombian Rainbow Boa (Rocky)
1.0 Ball Python (Sultan)
0.1 California Kingsnake (Leota)
1.0 Eastern Painted Turtle (Yugi)
0.1 Red/Gold Bearded Dragon* (Irwin, R.I.P.)

Other
-----
1.0 Betta Fish (Tyrone)