Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I currently own two large normal females, a yearling pastel male and a baby pastel female. I am looking for a better method to heat my animals. I am torn between heat tape or heating pads. What is the cheapest and most effective way to heat say around 6-8 balls (I am going to expand my collection in the semi-near future so I want to think ahead). The main problem seems to be thermostats. It looks like it could get really expensive having to buy thermostats for every two heating pads / heating tapes. Are there any heating pads that I could safely do without a thermostat? I saw some heating pads at Big Apple supplies that have different settings, but I don't know if its safe to trust those or what.

I am currently keeping my snakes in plastic Rubbermaid type cages and I am using butcher's paper / news paper for each. I have a large shelf that while its not custom built for reptiles allows me to keep all 4 cages (with room for a 5th) neatly stacked.

Another question about heating tape: does each section (I assume you just put once section on each cage) require its own outlet to a thermostat?

So basically I need a recommendation on the type of heating pad and on what type of thermostat to get.

I plan on trying to breed this season and would also like some suggestions on relatively inexpensive incubators (again, saw one for around 60 or so at Big Apple and some other sites.) Do I need a thermostat dedicated just to the incubator, or do some models come with a build in incubator. It seems like the Hova Bator incubator has a thermostat, does that mean I just need a heating source and I'm good to go?

Also note I live in Florida, so humidity most certainly won't be a problem for either my snakes or the incubator. Though I was warned it gets a little hot here during the summer to actually keep my snakes outside (pretty much a high between 89-92) from now until September.

And one final question (I have so many! ). One of my females (when I got them both, they each weighed around 1200g) has never eaten for me, it has been over a month. All my other snakes are kept in similar conditions and have had no problem feeding. She is very alert and probably the most active out of all of my balls, she moves around a lot and is very eager to get out of her cage to explore. (I have a hide and the temp and humidity is good). I even tried a live rat and she showed absolutely no interest in it. I've tried dangling it in front of her, smashing the head to help get the smell to circulate better, feeding her in her cage or in a feeding tank. The only other solution I've heard of is switching to mulch bedding. I'm sure you've had to deal with a lot of problem feeders, any tricks I haven't thought of? I know I asked before but nothing I've tried seems to work and I'd really like to get her eating so she is nice and plump for breeding season (plus I get really stressed when my animals don't eat or are otherwise acting strange).

I currently own two large normal females, a yearling pastel male and a baby pastel female. I am looking for a better method to heat my animals. I am torn between heat tape or heating pads. What is the cheapest and most effective way to heat say around 6-8 balls (I am going to expand my collection in the semi-near future so I want to think ahead). The main problem seems to be thermostats. It looks like it could get really expensive having to buy thermostats for every two heating pads / heating tapes. Are there any heating pads that I could safely do without a thermostat? I saw some heating pads at Big Apple supplies that have different settings, but I don't know if its safe to trust those or what.
*************** thermostats are rated in watts or max amp rated. to ease things a bit get yourself a prewired thermostat and just plug your heat mats in the strip and the thermostat into the wall. talked to Rich at REPTILEBASICS and he'll help you out.

I am currently keeping my snakes in plastic Rubbermaid type cages and I am using butcher's paper / news paper for each. I have a large shelf that while its not custom built for reptiles allows me to keep all 4 cages (with room for a 5th) neatly stacked.
***************i'll post some pics of my setups so you can get an idea and work around that.

Another question about heating tape: does each section (I assume you just put once section on each cage) require its own outlet to a thermostat?
***************unless you wire flexwatt yes each heat mat that is already wired will need an outlet. unless you cut and rewire in parallel. (CAUTION-IF YOU REWIRE ALREADY CORDED HEATMATS ENSURE THAT THE WIRE IS CAPABLE OF THE EXTRA LOAD IF REWIRED)

So basically I need a recommendation on the type of heating pad and on what type of thermostat to get.
***************use what you can afford. as long as you can create a heat range gradient within each tub you'll be ok

I plan on trying to breed this season and would also like some suggestions on relatively inexpensive incubators (again, saw one for around 60 or so at Big Apple and some other sites.) Do I need a thermostat dedicated just to the incubator, or do some models come with a build in incubator. It seems like the Hova Bator incubator has a thermostat, does that mean I just need a heating source and I'm good to go?
***************you can make an incubator out of anything, microwave (no, i'm not kidding), cooler, fridge, wooden box, etc..... all an incubator is, is a controlled enclosure. if you have an enclosure and can control the temperature of the enviroment....then you got your self an incubator.

Also note I live in Florida, so humidity most certainly won't be a problem for either my snakes or the incubator. Though I was warned it gets a little hot here during the summer to actually keep my snakes outside (pretty much a high between 89-92) from now until September.
****************eggs can incubate at higer temps 90-92, however if you stay using that temp for the full term of incubation you run a risk of cooking the eggs at the last quarter if incubation due to the eggs warming up themselves.

And one final question (I have so many! ). One of my females (when I got them both, they each weighed around 1200g) has never eaten for me, it has been over a month. All my other snakes are kept in similar conditions and have had no problem feeding. She is very alert and probably the most active out of all of my balls, she moves around a lot and is very eager to get out of her cage to explore. (I have a hide and the temp and humidity is good). I even tried a live rat and she showed absolutely no interest in it. I've tried dangling it in front of her, smashing the head to help get the smell to circulate better, feeding her in her cage or in a feeding tank. The only other solution I've heard of is switching to mulch bedding. I'm sure you've had to deal with a lot of problem feeders, any tricks I haven't thought of? I know I asked before but nothing I've tried seems to work and I'd really like to get her eating so she is nice and plump for breeding season (plus I get really stressed when my animals don't eat or are otherwise acting strange).
*******************your snakes will eat when they are ready. you can't force them , just offer them to eat. my motto is feed them all they can eat while they eat.........cause sooner or later they will fast and you have some months at waiting for them to begin eating again. in your case if you just got them recently give her sometime to readjust to her new home.

Pitoon

Hey,

First of all isn't Pitoon awesome. Dude I love your posts. I just wanted to add one small thing on the feeding issue. I use to have 4 balls at one time and one of them never ate. When I fed I fed all four at the same time. When the one problem child would not feed it was so frustrating. I would have to refreeze the mouse and after the second time I would have to waste the mouse. I wanted to pull out my hair. Now I have 15 balls and when she does not eat someone else gets a bonus meal. It makes it so much easier now. I am not saying to buy more snakes but it wouldn't hurt (LOL). Once you have more snakes the ones that do not feed regularly kind of take a different roll in your husbandry issues. And you realize it is not you. Out of the 15 snakes I have 3 that are picky eaters. That is not bad at all. Probably a better ratio then most breeders out there have. Just like Pitoon said, and it is so true. The snake will eat when it is ready. Just keep offering the same time you feed your other snake. And do not try feeding it 6 times a day daily that does not work either. Believe me we have all tried. Less is more when working with a finicky eater. Just offer the same time and eventually you will be surprised. Hey I am on a roll...And here is the big key that everyone screws up. I have a small theory that we kind of create these monsters. Here is what happens. We have a snake that does not eat for months. It finally feeds, YEAH, and guess what the novice owner does. They feed it more lets give it another and another and another and another...well you get the point. You feed it so much that it wont eat for a year again. When you finally get it to eat just feed it a good small meal each week. Do not overfeed or you are going to be right back in the same situation again and again and again.

Regards,
Bill

Ya, It is nice having a few extra balls to give it if one doesn't wanna eat. Very nice. I had a friend who used a blood python for the same thing. Garbage can. Lol.
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Coolluigi

1.0 Pastel
1.0 Yellowbelly
0.2 Normal
0.1 Spider
1.2 Het VPI Axanthic (Babies are getting bigger!!)
and soon to be more. *fingers crossed*