Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ive got a 03 iran jaya , ive had him for about 1week 2 days . last night i tryed feeding for the first time , and he didnt eat . i offered in the dark , pinky and fuzzy . ive got him in a 20 gallon tall , basically like 2 ten gallon tanks tall . should i try just a ten gallon or smaller till he gets a bit bigger , he's about a foot long , or just wait a few days and try feeding again. he looks healthy and is active when i turn the light off.he has branches he uses and i use aspen bedding. water every day . mist him about ebery other day twise . im only using overhead light/heat during the day right now . the tank sits by the window and im going to move him away , i think it may be to cold ( i live in the pacific nw) during the nightbeing by the window .should i add a heating pad till i get an over head heat strip ? any suggestions would help . im not worried just curious what other with the same experience think .

thanks for your opinions

sean

Sean,
I would highly recommend you get a MUCH smaller plastic type container and set it up so it is more secure. For our baby IJs we use small sterilite shoeboxes. I highly recommend that smaller is better in this case. Babies do not usually do well in large cages, especially aquariums.
Good luck.
-Yasser
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"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough."
- Mario Andretti

THAT ALL I HAVE BESIDES THE 20 IS A 10 . YOU THINK THat would be better ? i should i go out and buy a 5 size ? what about the heating ? should i use a heating pad of some kind ? or what do you suggest ? thanks for your experienced opinion .

forget about aquariums for snakes, they suck for holding heat and humidity. go with a rubbermaid, you cant go wrong...they hold heat and humidity very well. forget about YOUR need to see the animal, its your need...not the snakes. ina rubbermaid its not so bright, its not so clear, its warmer, its more appealing to a tiny little carpet python. you wouldnt care too much about eatting either if you didnt feel secure. its a great big world, some little snakes have social anxiety disorder. rubbermaid all the way, plus, its cheap, easy to heat, all you need is a heat pad, and CHEAP

J
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Jaymz
"got a bowlin ball in my stomache, got a desert in my mouth. figures that my courage would choose to sell out now..."

work for rubbermaid ? or what ? haha

kinding . all i have right now is a 10 and 20 tank . mayby ill get a rubbermaid . i dont know . heating pad i can do , but i do have a black light ill use for now . i just transfered him over to the 10 and blacked out the sides SO I CAN STILL SEE HIM . thanks for your opinions , i appreciate it . ill feed in a couple days see how it goes .
sean

ive just kept reptiles for about 18 years now, ive used tanks, ive used custom cages, and ive used rubbermaids (or sterilites or any of the 100s of brands of plastic storage boxes. tanks are for fish, plain and simple. theyre too time involved they dont hold heat or humidity, both just pour out of the top. its fine and dandy that you have tanks, if you want to use em, great, but i would suggest switching to a rubbermaid shoebox until it takes atleast 3 or 4 meals in a row without missing one. its only $1, probably less, for a cage that will make your snake feel alot more secure, warmer, and more comfortable. even a 10 gallon tank is more roomy than most baby carpets prefer, they show it with not feeding. ive had my irian jaya carpet since she was 2 or 3 months old, she rarely skips a meal, her temps are great, never has a bad shed, and she lives in a rubbermaid. the only time ive had problems with her was when she was in a tank for a few days while her rubbermaid was being modified. remember, do whats best for the animal, not whats best for you. try rubbermaid, youll never go back to those aweful tanks
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Jaymz
"got a bowlin ball in my stomache, got a desert in my mouth. figures that my courage would choose to sell out now..."

hi , thanks for you experienced replies , i really appreciate it . as of right now he's in the 10 (was in a 20) with a 60watt black light for 24 hour heat . im going to give him a couple days and if he doesnt feed , im going with your advise and get a rubbermaid , what dimensions should i go for ? he is about 12-14 inches long right now. and id like to be able to view him , do any rubbermaids have clear plastic? i understand about heat and humidity coming straight out the screen top , i thought is use screen with a wood board with a cut out for the light , that would reduce heat and humidity from coming out the top , what about the rubbermaids? what kind of top do you use ? i consider the screen top i have is well secure right now . not sure what the top would be on a rubbermaid , i would be happy to see some pictures of your babys set up. might helm me . again i appreciate your help

sean

there are no clear rubbermaids, but thats good, that means the snake will feel more secure. you really have to forget YOUR need to see the snake and remember the snakes need to feel secure. a large rubbermaid shoebox, about 8x 17 x 6 inches high would be fine for your carpet. you just need to drill or solder holes for ventilation, and since youre not using a rack the rubbermaids lid acts as the cover. as a side note, placing a piece of wood ontop of the tank cuts ventiation, which can lead to resp. infections with carpets. and AFTER the snake is feeding reliable, you could move it into a larger rubbermaid with a modified front..meaning (and this is how most of my snakes are housed), you cut part of the front out, and then add a piece of plexiglass. but thats for after the snake is feeding reliably (3 or more meals taken on the first try). but before anything you need to make sure that baby is feeding. i should really be a spokes person for rubbermaid, but honestly there really isnt anything better for housing small to medium (and even some large) snakes.
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Jaymz
"got a bowlin ball in my stomache, got a desert in my mouth. figures that my courage would choose to sell out now..."

Hi.

How do you put holes in the plexiglass for attaching it to the Rubbermaid container?

Bill

the first modified rubbermaid i built had an attatched front, i used a high strength adhesive (non-toxic after dry), but ill be honest, i dont like the whole attached plexi idea, over time (2 or 3 months) the front on mine actually warped and had to be taken out. so i just redesigned what i was doing. now, i bolt the lid on, and use heavy duty mirror hangers to hold the glass on, with a quick twist the front comes off, and youve got access to the snake. the only tricky parts are making sure you use enough mirror hangers, and positioning them so that those on the top and sides can twist easily, but that they arent loose. you want the bottom ones to be fixed, and with more hangers on the bottom, as they are the supports. this is actually only the 3rd, maybe 4th round of designs ive been thru, im actually focusing more on adult caging with all of the snakes ive got on their way to needing bigger cages. any questions please feel free to email me.
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Jaymz
"got a bowlin ball in my stomache, got a desert in my mouth. figures that my courage would choose to sell out now..."