| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Laws |
Posted - 03/03/2011 : 23:50:06
    kyles home at the min |
| 18 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Invalid User |
Posted - 05/03/2011 : 12:11:13
quote:
Originally posted by Laws
[br
hope u dont think i am a bad owner (kinda feels like y'all think that rite now?) i love my snake to bits and want the best for him .
You took advice from a rep shop so to be fair you would think they knew what they were talking about and I can understand why you didn't question the advice.
I think it shows that when doing research it's always best to look at the advice/caresheets from more than one place.
There are lots of caresheets out there and before I got my corn I looked at loads just to see if there was any conflicting information. I joined this forum and asked questions and ended up with the perfect setup thanks to the advice I was given. When I then bought my snake I was given no advice what so ever by the shop on how to look after him!
The main thing is you want to put things right and we are here to help you do that. Some people get given the advice then still choose to ignore it!
Good luck with the shop today and let us know how you get on. |
| lotabob |
Posted - 05/03/2011 : 01:51:47
We aren't (I certainly wasn't) having a go. Unfortunately and you will see this the longer you spend on here, shops seem to sell snakes with a wide variety of wrong information and bad advice. Even if you went there with knowledge of their care they have a way of convincing you that they are right (it happened to me). If any posts seem blunt its purely to avoid confusion and be very clear on what is wrong and why so that you have a good base with which to put things right.
Just by been on this forum is a good indicator that you care so thats not in question.
You may struggle to get the heat gradient using a bulb though at least with the thermometers you'll be able to try. Don't fear asking a question think we'll judge you a bad owner, there is no such thing as a stupid question. (apart from would you prefer to be attacked by a duck sized horse or a horse sized duck?). |
| Laws |
Posted - 05/03/2011 : 01:07:59
right so its 1 am in the uk. in the morning im going to a reptile place to buy two thermometers and to upgrade his tub . i cant do anything until then and i cant take him out of the viv as the house drops way too cold for him . we werent given a heat mat for him , we brought a complete set up that includeed light thermostat etc . The tub he is in at the min was what a different reptile shop had kept all of the young snakes in , there was no mention of thermometers which i now understand to be misguidence on her part , i have linked the site to the place we brought him so u can see we havent just picked up a snake from somewhere random , and we have followed the advice given on the caresheet that she clearly hands out to everyone who purchases a snake /reptile from them . i will post the changes tomorro as im going as early as possible to sort this out.
hope u dont think i am a bad owner (kinda feels like y'all think that rite now?) i love my snake to bits and want the best for him . |
| lotabob |
Posted - 04/03/2011 : 23:39:29
I am a little worried about a few points. Firstly I am sure that you have airholes in that tub but unless you turn it into a sieve (more holes than tub) the heat will accumulate in there like a green house would in the sun. Also I would say its far too small, its the size of tub used to transport hatchlings but usually without decor. They need enough space to thermoregulate and no way is that achievable in such a confined space with such a general heating method. The stat will do you no favours, it will ensure you get the vivarium at the right temp but its not in the vivarium and as above, green house effect. And you've no idea how hot it is in there.
In my opinion you need to switch the light off ASAP, open the tub and let out the accumulated heat. Have a read of this http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=9878 and re-evaluate your setup as a matter of urgency.
It is well known shops don't appear to know anything about keeping snakes, your just one of many who get the wrong info, but now you have to cram months of research into overnight really to get the setup right ASAP. |
| CentricMalteser |
Posted - 04/03/2011 : 20:53:54
listen to Louise,
and until you got a themometre do NOT use heat bulb, or thermostat as you got no accurate way of measuring the ACTUAL temperature,
so until u get these keep in a warm room, and that doesnt mean on top of the radiator
there is a couple of members, who uses heat bulbs etc, and they have complicated set up, i think lotabob mentioned this
straight forward really
take heat bulb out
have heat mat on a table where the rub will be,
have a thermometre probe AND thermostat prob ON the heat mat OUTSIDE the rub
place one third of the rub over the heat mat,
inside rub on the warm side have a scattering of aspen
on the cooler side have thick layer of aspen
turn dial on thermostat until it turns of when your thermometre reads about 29C or 85F
problem solved, ul then should see snakey spend almost equal time in warm and cooler part! |
| Laws |
Posted - 04/03/2011 : 17:19:31
I've taken some pics to take to this other reptile place and they will guide me some more , and also sort us with another tub . He's really friendly and calm , we held him when we have cleaned him (briefly less than five mins ) altho we haven't had him a week . We won't properly handle him till tuesday -ish . Altho wen we have held him he doesn't hide after , he's very active . |
| Mole |
Posted - 04/03/2011 : 14:35:35
Hi your snake is a beauty, and I would fully agree with what lou has said, I must say he looks a little cramped in the rub, but am glad that you are sorting out the temps, my reptile shop said to us that about 80ish in the hot end and to place a therm on top of substrate so you can tell temp of what snake is lying on and this works really great as the temp you set the stat at not really indicative of this due to size of viv and stuff in etc. Anyway good luck and cant wait to see some more pics of him in that lovely viv  |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 04/03/2011 : 14:34:14
He's a gorgeous guy! Have you looks at fish thermometers on ebay? I got mine form there quite cheap :p |
| Laws |
Posted - 04/03/2011 : 13:54:37
http://www.reptile-specialist.co.uk/ this is the site from the shop we got him from , we thought it seemed like a good place to go due to them advertising good knowledge! xx |
| Invalid User |
Posted - 04/03/2011 : 13:46:35
Im quite shocked too but glad now that you have got some better advice.
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| Laws |
Posted - 04/03/2011 : 13:40:47
hey so i called a different reptile shop , who said he is fine in his tub , to move the probe to the edge of the tub in the warm end so that the hot end wont get warmer than the 82 that the stat is set at , to pick a thermometer up , and to get some pics from them to see and they will tell us all we need . i feel slightly upset that we have been guided so wrong by the store we brought him from considering they specialize in reptiles ! ive moved the stat thing now to the edge of his box and plan to get a thermometer on my next day off . they said to take pics of his current set up and they will go over everything with us. feel annoyed at the store we got him from . as the way they have advized us would mean the cool end is 82 and the hot end would be much more than that ! |
| Invalid User |
Posted - 04/03/2011 : 13:02:10
It wont make him ill or sluggish it's just not good to have no idea how hot his tub is. You say warm and cool end but without checking the temps you don't know if there even is any difference in the two ends?
He may not want to go to the cool end as there is nowhere to hide there.
Let us know what the shop says.
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| Laws |
Posted - 04/03/2011 : 12:56:03
im going to give another repltile shop a call and get some advice from them to see what we can do . he doesnt look ill or sluggish , hes alert and he goes to sleep under the paper towel under his hide . i would have thought that should he be too hot he would be as far in the cooler end or in his water bowl , thanks for the advice so far i will make a phone call now and try and get some advice :) |
| Invalid User |
Posted - 04/03/2011 : 12:49:23
For a rep shop to tell you that is crazy! How can you know what temp his tub is when the only thing controlling the temps is a probe located at the other end of his viv?
Yet gain a petshop fail!
I can't offer any advise on the lamp as like I say I don't use them but if I had him in that tub I would remove that log, put a cardboard tube in each end for a hide. Buy a digital thermometer and a heat mat and set it up that way. Problem is you have a stat for a bulb not mat so maybe your best sticking with the bulb for now but will have to wait for other advice. |
| Laws |
Posted - 04/03/2011 : 12:35:19
aaah see we got him from a small reptile store and all of the tanks were set up in this way with the stat probe in cooler end , then it said in the care sheet to do it this way also , we asked about thermometer and she said it wouldnt be needed for definate as the stat would do all the work ? now im feeling worried? xxx |
| Invalid User |
Posted - 04/03/2011 : 12:29:56
Basically no.
Now I'm not at all familiar with heat lamps as I have never used them but the stat probe usually goes under the heat lamp ontop of the substrate I think. Problem is you need to know the temps inside the tub where your snake is. You have no idea at the moment on whether he is too hot or too cold.
I would strongly advise getting a small heat mat if he is spending a few more weeks in that tub as a lamp is no good.
The stat should keep his warm end at a fairly constant temp so there is no need to turn it up or down.
Until you have temps sorted I also suggest you do not feed him yet as incorrect temps can cause problems.
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| Laws |
Posted - 04/03/2011 : 12:24:23
we havent got one as yet , do you reccomned one straight away? we asked in the store and she didnt say we needed one there and then as the temp stat is very accurate? she adviced that we place half of his box near the warm side and half near the cold? his behaviour at the min is very active when we have cleaned him out , then he hides under his hide underneath the paper towel , and then wen we turn the stat down he becomes active again and then hides . the stat probe is in the cooler side at the moment set to 82 in the day and 76 at night? does this sound about right? |
| Invalid User |
Posted - 04/03/2011 : 07:44:13
Hi, Kyle looks lovely.
Do have a question though. How are you monitoring the temps inside that tub as I can't see any thermometer probes?
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