Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i just got my snake- he was given to me from a friend. he is 8-9 years old. the vivarium is wooden w/ pexy glass front which is also the door. and it has a screened window on each side. the heating pad is on the INSIDE of the cage and it has been this way for 8 years. the water bowl is at the opposite side of the cage. so anyway heres my questions:
is it ok for the heat pad to be on the inside of a wooden cage if it is covered by that pine [bleep]? (its a clear pad w/black stripes on it)
is it ok that the water bowl isnt big enough for him to submerge his entire body?
he has an occational loud breath, is this normal?
he opens his mouth and leaves it open a lot, is this normal?
i know the things about the cage are wrong, but i feel like hes been living like this forever and he is really happy, nice, friendly snake. i guess im just wondering if there is anything that needs urgent attention. im most concerned with the water submerging thing and the heating pad.
thanks guys! sorry it was so long!

Water bowl should be good if he can submerge his head in it.The water bowl and the heat pad both on the inside sounds kind of risky; you might find you snake electriccuted one day if he tips the water bowl or over flows it.Also mouth gapping and audible breathing sounds like a respritory infection, not normal.Is there any mucus visible?

theres no visable mucous- i took him to the local vivarium (reptile shop out here) and they said hes cool so i guess hes ok. i think he was hungry- i found out the guy who had him befor eme was only feeding him once every 3 weeks when he should be fed at least once every 2 weeks if not every week- im going to start feeding him every wednesday because thats what they suggested at the shop.

I would be worried about a heat mat being too hot for the snake to sit on.If the cage is all wood you might wanna switch over to heat lamps.As for the mouth always being open i would want to check that out with a vet.What is the current air temp inside the enclosure?If it's to cold you might be setting yourself up for respitory infections....Good Luck..Paul..

i have a question for you. is it entirely true that pine bedding causes respiratory problems in corns (or snakes in general.) and also, i use pine bedding for my mice (i am attempting breeding) and will this cause respiratory problems in my corn? Right now in Tech's cage i use the reptile carpet.
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*Kirsten*

I use it for rodents, without problems. But as a substrate for snakes, it can lead to trouble. The oils in it can irritate skin, and also interfere with a snake's ability to smell, leading to occasional feeding problems. Many people use it with no problems at all, but I have always steered clear. It's a loose substrate, which means I'll have to scoop it out, it produces dust, which I'll have to clean, I have to take the snake out of the cage every time it feeds, and it could still cause problems.

Aspen is a better substrate. Just check it carefully for mites before you use it.

--Naamah

Pine is fine for rodents.If you like the look and smell of wood for substrate for snakes cypress mulch isnt a bad choice.Not only that at this time of year it's extremely cheap to buy.Personally i use newspaper because i feed my snakes in there enclosures.It doesnt look great but it's easy to replace and i dont have to worry about my snakes laying in there excrement and getting scale rot..