Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I read alot of postings here, about alot of issues involving correct husbandry for Blood Pythons - Well, I have a Male, year and a half, hasn't eaten since early January, is ornery, hisses,
and bottom line is I just don't know what it is he needs to make him a bit more comfortable - He is in a 20L Tank, newspaper substrate, large Hide, and a large bowl for soaking....
SO, just how does one UP the Temp and UP the Humidity...he soaks alot, so I would imagine the humidity issue is correcting itself since he likes to soak, but don't quite know how to UP the temp - and don't know what to use to get the Temp up either....
Any ideas???

ALAN

Do you have a temp and humidity gauge?What are you currently using right now for heat?I have a 26L glass tank with a undertank heater and at night I run a ceramic heat emitter thats mounted on the top of my custom lid.Misting helps keep the humidity up.SOmetimes you have to mist daily.My sweater boxes though don't need to be misted barely ever, and they are easily heated with heat tape.So I guess what you want to hear is mist more often for humidity, make sure your lid is covered almost completely to keep humidity in, and add a heat source from up above for more heat.

Maybe his hide is too large for him? (You did say "large" hide!) They need super-super tight hides to feel comfortable -- it might not even look like it'll fit your snake, but he'll probably love it. Pro Exotics has a thing on their FAQ on hidespots, and what it basically boils down to is that they need to be as tight as possible for the snake to feel comfortable. My snake wouldn't use the bigger hides I gave him (the ones that looked like they would "fit" him), and he was VERY ornery and agressive. Now that he has a much smaller, tighter hide (he barely even fits in it, but he loves it!) he is much calmer and feels comfortable enough to eat.

That may help his disposition . . . As for upping your temps and humidity, I use a "nighttime" incandescent bulb right and a water bowl. The closer the bowl is to the bulb, the more evaporation occurs, and the higher the humidity. This works great, because it doesn't require misting or anything, just relocating the water bowl. I'm not sure what your heating setup is, plus I'm no expert, so I can't really say what would work best for you.

Man, I write long posts Hope this helps a bit,
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A. Fox

dish because they think they're hiding in the water. I'd definitely try a smaller hid.
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Rob Talkington