Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just picked up a 14 year old female ball with her cage. I don't really want to move her into one of my racks because she is obviously used to her more spacious cage. Unfortunately, the cage is untreated wood with a glass front. The bedding is bone-dry cedar chips. She has a retained eye cap. No hide box and a heat pad on the floor of her cage. Despite all this, she seems quite healthy.

I am thinking that I will just change her bedding, figure out a way to increase the humidity and stabilize it (and hope that the wood on the cage doesn't mold), and monitor the temp on the heat pad. I could move her out for a few days and paint/seal the wood.

What would you do?

Actually Balls are pretty adaptable. They can tolerate unkind conditions as long as it's not extreme. Lacking something else to put her in, I think I'd just seal the wood one and use it. At least the humidity could be controled that way. Good luck with her.

Quig

I picked up a 11 year old female a couple of months a go with her home made viv, and using heat mats - I dont like heat mats either so after leaving her for a week or so just swapped the mats for a bulb but left her in her own viv - its taken her a while to ajust and she went off her feed a bit but is doing well now - i think sneakypetes right about trying to correct the humidity first, if the mats have been working for her.

I've moved adult snakes that were used to being in large setups into tubs without any problems. Considering that they spend most of their time in their hide and only come out to feed and explore as long as you are taking her out to stretch her legs (so to speak) every so often she should adjust to a rack well.

In the mean time - if she has been kept in a wood cage and the wood has been left untreated then there is a good chance there is quite a bit of icky stuff soaked into the wood - if you are going to put her back into it - be sure to clean - disinfect and seal it before you do. For heating you can try running heat rope under the substrate - it'll be safer than a mat for inside the cage heating - it doesn't get too hot but will give you a nice ambient temperature by warming up the substrate. There have been discussions on the cage forum about different ways to heat up wood cages - you may want to check in there - see what other people have been using.
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Tosha

"Nihil facimus sed id bene facimus"

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