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Fuzzybeaner View Profile |
Having trouble finding snake supplies
I also went to the only pet store i know of in Chilliwack that has snakes and everything was crazy priced or just didn’t seem right. I did manage to get some vines that the balls in the store seemed to liked they were like $10 a for a pack though. They had some nice 10 gallon aquariums for 14.99, would that be big enough fo baby ball? They are selling the reptile top thing for 24.99, thats more than the aquarium lol. I also can’t find a thermostat anywhere, is it intrigrated in the accurite? or is it something additional I would have to buy? if so where and how much about r they?. I would like to go get the snake sometime this week so the quicker I can get this stuff and get its viv eady then the quicker I can get the snake. this is gonna be my first snake btw. thanx |
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| 11/11/07 07:29pm |
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Rockyhorror View Profile |
Message To: Fuzzybeaner In reference to Message Id: 1510177 Having trouble finding snake supplies
the accurite is found with all the thermometers in the indoor/outdoor section, sometimes around the tools and camping stuff. i know our walmart has all the thermometers like that near the outdoor place where they sell flowers in the summer. |
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| 11/11/07 07:50pm |
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Fuzzybeaner View Profile |
Message To: Rockyhorror In reference to Message Id: 1510213 Having trouble finding snake supplies
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| 11/12/07 12:24am |
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Frankykeno View Profile |
Message To: Fuzzybeaner In reference to Message Id: 1510649 Having trouble finding snake supplies
You can really go simple for now with the baby BP. There’s no need to spend a lot of money and it’s best for the baby snake to be in a small, simple enclosure (think baby humans in small cribs...sorta the same deal). Your focus with any young snake is getting it settled, getting it de-stressed and getting it eating well for you so simple and secure is best. These snakes can be escape artists especially as tiny babies. Here’s a simple and very cost effective setup option for you.... - the above temp minder - I’m not sure of the cost there but figure $20 absolute tops (likely much less) - a small plastic tub - personally I prefer Iris as they are class clear, have a clean interior with no ridges to trap feces - I’m not sure if you can find Iris brand in Canada - I always have the most luck finding them in places like Office Depot and Office Max here - the one pictured below is 16 x 10 x 6 and works beautifully for the young ones - figure about $5.00 for the tub
- you need something to melt or drill holes into the tub for ventilation - I use a cheapo soldering wand I bought from WalMart for $5.00 - you MUST have something to keep that lid secure - I use large binder clips from the office store - a couple of bucks for a box of those but they do many enclosures - same tub as above with the lid and four clips on it
- a water dish that is easy to scrub clean, won’t tip easily and isn’t big enough for the snake to soak in (healthy ball pythons kept properly do not need to soak) - we use white ceramic ramekins found in dollar stores or any dept store - cheap as dirt - a dollar or two at most
- something for substrate - you can go with a nice fine shred aspen - WalMart or somewhere like that is cheaper than any pet store normally - it’s very compressed packed so goes a long way - feed stores are great for this stuff in bulk (often sold as fine horse bedding) - figure $4.00 for a bag - even better grab a roll of plain white Viva papertowels (about a dollar) - I like to start any snake, baby or newly purchased adult on plain white paper towel - I can then watch for any evidence of mites, easily collect fecal samples if needed and very carefully monitor urine, urates and defecations to make sure the snake is perfectly healthy - for heating go with under belly heat (called a UTH) - since you mentioned you can’t purchase online get that from the pet store - pick a small one and don’t stick it to the tub - just set it under it on about half of the tub (warm side) - monitor temps for a couple of days as the tub stablizes before putting the snake in - not shure what you’ll pay for that there - figure $25.00 - a rheostat for controlling the above heat mat unless it comes with one built in - Canadian Tire should have them in the lamp section - called "lamp controllers" - about $9.00 here - look for a thread here about how to set these up as they are a tad confusing at first - a hide or two hides is even better - just something dark, easy to clean and barely bigger than your snake coiled up - think small, dark and tight - what you see in that baby tub above is simply a smaller than cereal bowl size plastic bowl from the dollar store (with an entrance hole melted in) - 3 or 4 for a dollar. Here’s another option in hides for bigger snakes, a heavy black rubber dog dish - see what I mean about tight hides - this is a happy snake LOL (this one is on aspen as we use that for all the bigger snakes or snakes after quarantine).
Here’s another setup we use. It’s for bigger babies, juveniles, sub-adults, that type thing - it shows two hides made from ceramic planter saucers - we no longer use these as they are hard to chip an entrance in, hard to keep really clean and you have to sand down the entrance - you can do the same thing though with plastic hides (note Acu-Rite set up)
So there you go, barely anything you need from an expensive pet store. Total for the complete setup shouldn’t be more than about $30 to $40 dollars plus whatever heating option you go for, even with heating added in your well under $100 for a lovely set up that will keep your baby snake happy and healthy. As the snake grows down the road you can go to a bigger tub or a glass enclosure if you prefer those (they are harder to setup, just be aware of that with glass). Something else I should have added that’s just invaluable. Grab one of these from the dollar store, they come in tons of sizes for a couple of bucks. It’s somewhere safe to put the snake when you cage clean or need a vet visit or whatever. I have tons of these and couldn’t imagine managing our collection without them.
Hope this was helpful to you. |
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| 11/12/07 06:25am |
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Fuzzybeaner View Profile |
Message To: Frankykeno In reference to Message Id: 1510750 Having trouble finding snake supplies
thanx again. |
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| 11/12/07 07:33am |
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Marg View Profile |
Message To: Fuzzybeaner In reference to Message Id: 1510798 Having trouble finding snake supplies
Quote: I went to wal-mart and couldn’t find the accurite thermometer/hygrometer. I looked in the pets section Look in the Hardware dept ($11.88+tax).
Check petco for tanks, they are having a 20% off sale... I don’t know if tanks are included, or when the sale ends, but they do have hides, etc., just Do Not get Half Log Hides. I get my vines from dollar stores. If you have some one who could help you with a credit card... I saw tanks for 99 CENTS... Here’s a Link to a thread, I found a place that sell UTHs, and other things fairly cheap, they have dif sales every other day or so :o) That sale may be over, but they change sales often... you may find other things Needed there :o) |
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| 11/12/07 07:50am |
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Fuzzybeaner View Profile |
Message To: Marg In reference to Message Id: 1510810 Having trouble finding snake supplies
http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1408474396674302&bmUID=1194929293261&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524443276956&assortment=primary&fromSearch=true I got a tub there and got a lil excited when drilling holes and put little crack by the corner lol. So ill prob just use that for sumtin to put the snake in when I have to clean the cage. Tomorrow im gonna go back and get an other one, i really like it. its a rubber maid cleverlatch and the dimensions are15.24x15.24x6.54. its pretty clear and i really like its latch. I went to Walmart too but they were sold out of the thermometers, they r $19.99 here. they also only had these lil dinky binder clips, which i wasnt too impressed about let me tell ya. So tomorrow im gonna drive 30 mins to Abbotsford to go to the Wal mart there. |
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| 11/13/07 12:39am |
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ScyllaCharybdis View Profile |
Message To: Fuzzybeaner In reference to Message Id: 1512036 Having trouble finding snake supplies
Just ask and I’ll explain what you need to do. PayPal is very secure and I use it (like millions of other people) all the time. Also...When you go to "drill" the holes in the tub...Put the drill on the low setting (if it has one) and drill slowly without applying too much pressure. Once it starts making the hole you can speed up the drill a bit more...but still don’t apply too much pressure or it will crack again. I prefer to use the Sterilite Brand of plastic tub from Walmart or Target because they don’t seem as prone to cracking and other problems and they always have the right size for my needs. The 40-Quart Ultra Tub from Sterilite (#1986) is by far my favorite and most used tub. Here it is: Link |
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| 11/13/07 01:34am |
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Fuzzybeaner View Profile |
Message To: Marg In reference to Message Id: 1510810 Having trouble finding snake supplies
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| 11/13/07 05:04am |
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Frankykeno View Profile |
Message To: Fuzzybeaner In reference to Message Id: 1512136 Having trouble finding snake supplies
Personally I like melting rather than drilling the vent holes. We always managed to crack a lid when we tried to drill them. I picked up a cheapo soldering wand from Walmart for around $5.00 and it works great (use in a well ventilated area of course, melting plastic fumes are nasty things). This is the rheostat I mentioned. It’s produced by a company called Lutron and usually found just about anywhere for around 10 bucks (called a lamp dimmer, usually found in where you find dimmer switches, lighting supplies, etc.).
What you do is plug your heater into the receptacle of the rheostat then plug the rheostat into your wall socket. Their is an LED light and a slide to adjust the amount of control the dimmer is putting on your heating element. The tricky bit is most people use these lamp dimmers backwards the first time (I know I sure did LOL). At the top of the slide the LED light is brightest, therefore exerting the most control on the heating unit and reducing heat output..this is your "cool setting" (I mark the top of the slide with a C)....at the bottom of the slide, the light is dimmest, therefore exerting the least amount of control on the heating unit, allowing it to pump out more heat....this is your "hot setting" (I mark the bottom of the slide with an H). Find the sweet spot that most of the time will keep your enclosure just right and put a mark on that exact slide position. Most people, me included, figured brighter LED light = more heat to the snake, it’s actually the exact opposite. These lamp dimmers are NOT as good as a real thermostat. They do need to be checked at least twice daily depending on the stability of the room the snake’s are kept in but they are a reasonable option or a stopgap until you can purchase a proper tstat. |
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| 11/13/07 05:27am |
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Fuzzybeaner View Profile |
Message To: Frankykeno In reference to Message Id: 1512137 Having trouble finding snake supplies
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| 11/13/07 06:07am |
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Frankykeno View Profile |
Message To: Fuzzybeaner In reference to Message Id: 1512151 Having trouble finding snake supplies
Here’s a link to show you a Lutron lamp dimmer if you can’t see the picture of the one I posted. Link It’s the one on the left, the Credenza model. |
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| 11/13/07 06:21am |
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Fuzzybeaner View Profile |
Message To: Frankykeno In reference to Message Id: 1512157 Having trouble finding snake supplies
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| 11/14/07 12:11am |
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Frankykeno View Profile |
Message To: Fuzzybeaner In reference to Message Id: 1513365 Having trouble finding snake supplies
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| 11/14/07 06:06am |
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Fuzzybeaner View Profile |
Message To: Frankykeno In reference to Message Id: 1513481 Having trouble finding snake supplies
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| 11/15/07 01:30am |
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Rockyhorror View Profile |
Message To: Fuzzybeaner In reference to Message Id: 1514535 Having trouble finding snake supplies
For someone with no experience you are getting a snake that is likely to be unhealthy. You are also supporting a poor pet trading place. It is much better to get a snake through a breeder. You can then know for sure if it is eating, how old it is, if it is shedding properly ect. Quote: wow, thank u so much for that info, u acctually helped me not like other bud who responded before. the tub sounds like a good cost-affective idea. ima go around tomorrow and see wat all I can get.
How nice of you. |
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| 11/15/07 05:39am |
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Frankykeno View Profile |
Message To: Rockyhorror In reference to Message Id: 1514585 Having trouble finding snake supplies
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| 11/16/07 05:16am |
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Fuzzybeaner View Profile |
Message To: Frankykeno In reference to Message Id: 1515723 Having trouble finding snake supplies
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| 11/16/07 04:00pm |
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Fuzzybeaner View Profile |
Message To: Fuzzybeaner In reference to Message Id: 1516147 Having trouble finding snake supplies
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| 11/19/07 03:30pm |
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Fuzzybeaner View Profile |
Message To: Fuzzybeaner In reference to Message Id: 1516147 Having trouble finding snake supplies
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| 11/19/07 04:14pm |
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Frankykeno View Profile |
Message To: Fuzzybeaner In reference to Message Id: 1519919 Having trouble finding snake supplies
You’re going to see benefits from doing this the right way. It’s far easier on the snake to be put in an appropriate enclosure that’s already stable and ticking along nicely. A less stressed snake is always best and tends to be a much stronger feeder. Good for you! |
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| 11/19/07 07:30pm |
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Fuzzybeaner View Profile |
Message To: Frankykeno In reference to Message Id: 1520174 Having trouble finding snake supplies
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| 11/19/07 11:02pm |
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Frankykeno View Profile |
Message To: Fuzzybeaner In reference to Message Id: 1520501 Having trouble finding snake supplies
It’s a lot of work setting up that first tub but once you get it sorted out they run with little messing with them. I’ve set up enough now that I can pretty much do it in my sleep but I remember setting up my first tub and all the fiddling about it took to get it just right. Even now if I try a different size tub or when we got the new rack, it’s a hassle at first but then it’s a dream to maintain. |
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| 11/20/07 06:31am |
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Fuzzybeaner View Profile |
Message To: Frankykeno In reference to Message Id: 1520738 Having trouble finding snake supplies
this is exactly what i got, i got the medium sized one it covers most of the bottom http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/heat_wave_rainforest.php |
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| 11/21/07 05:50am |
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Frankykeno View Profile |
Message To: Fuzzybeaner In reference to Message Id: 1521801 Having trouble finding snake supplies
Next. Remove all the substrate, just lay down about three layers of plain white paper towels. Put in a full water dish and your hides and the monitoring device, close the lid up. Leave it alone for about 12 hours. Check the temps again. That will tell you if the substrate is adversely affecting the ability for the heat to get through. I’m not familar with that heat mat. It may be that it’s such a low wattage that it isn’t appropriate for ball pythons. I’m sorry I can’t be more help with that. Perhaps another member who uses these can chime in on how good or bad they are as a UTH. Lastly, what is the tub and heat mat sitting on? Is it a wood shelf or piece of furniture? Lift the mat and feel under it. Do you feel warmth? If so you are losing valuable heat. Buy some heavy grade BBQ type aluminium foil. Lay down a double layer of it completely under the enclosure, shiny side UP (that’s very important). Lay the heat mat on the foil, put the tub on the mat. Now any heat radiating off that mat will automatically be reflected up into the tub, not lost down into whatever the tub and mat are sitting on. If the heat mat is ineffective you may have to return it and exchange it for something else. If it’s covering that much of the bottom of a small tub it should be fine but obviously it’s not. Don’t get frustrated, we’ll sort this out. |
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| 11/21/07 06:09am |
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Marg View Profile |
Message To: Fuzzybeaner In reference to Message Id: 1519862 Having trouble finding snake supplies
Quote: so today i went to home depot and got the thermostat, then i drove to abbotsford walmart and the only digital thermometer/hygrometer didn’t have a probe You would think national stores would have the Same Stock! LoL
Home Depot Here does not have Stats, (that I saw of), and Wally World has Digital Therm/Hydrometers (in the Hardare dept!) Quote: so i bought a digital thermometer and a dial hygrometer. is that ok? ive onluj heard bad thigns about the dial thermometers. Probably be ok for now, but....
Read this post - Digital -vs- Dial Dial gages tend to get "stuck" or just don’t read properly (for Temps and Humidity)... and Stick gages are "vague" - they give an "average area reading". |
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| 11/21/07 06:53am |
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Fuzzybeaner View Profile |
Message To: Marg In reference to Message Id: 1521816 Having trouble finding snake supplies
i think the UTH just isn’t getting hot enough. i wish i knew how hot other ppls felt to the touch. on a scale of 1-10 mine is around a 2. i absoloutely would not call it hot. im not %100 but pretty sure the thermometer is accurate but it is digital and responds if i like put it under my arm or sumthing, the temps change a little throughout the day but the highest ive gotten is 75. im also not %100 but i dont think we have this "Wally World" in Canada, ive heard its like a walmart. the home depot here had the lutron rheostats but i got the wrong one. im gonna go back and hopefully they will have the right one, if they dont ill email lutron and ask them where i can get it. its almost starting to seem this might not work without getting a paypal account or finding sum1 to use their credit card......man how nice that must be to just order everything from here and just sit back and wait for it to come. i have to admit i was starting to get a little frustrated but ur guys help is definitely making me feel better about it. |
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| 11/21/07 06:10pm |
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Marg View Profile |
Message To: Fuzzybeaner In reference to Message Id: 1522320 Having trouble finding snake supplies
Quote: im also not %100 but i dont think we have this "Wally World" in Canada, ive heard its like a walmart. Ok - You said you went to Wal-Mart and Home Depot, I assumed you were in the states.. sorry my bad :o)
Wally World = Wal-Mart  |
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| 11/28/07 05:53pm |
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