Re: Basking area?

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Posted by GregH on April 02, 2003 at 16:11:42:

In Reply to: Basking area? posted by Doug T on April 02, 2003 at 11:37:11:

I have been using a day 40W (ZooMed) overhead bulb on one side. I also have a "human" heat pad under the whole tank that I have been typically using during the night on the lowest setting. It raises the ambient temp to around 70 about a half inch above the bottom. There is about 2 inches along the edge of the tank it doesn't cover and this is where he seems to stay. The hide on this side of the tank is a box and it is easy for him to move it where he wants it. Since it has been getting nice out I have been letting the sun do the job for me. I open the blind, at the window by his tank, just enough so the sun covers the one side.

He doesn't seem to hang out on the warm side very often. I have hides on both sides of a 10gal tank. He is approaching 2ft, granted this is a rough measurement.

Greg

:How is the cage heated? Is there a basking area that the snake can go to and warm up to it's liking? Undertank? Overhead?

:DT

:::Hi All,

:::I have a question about my 9 month old male Indigo. In the past 2 months I posted that his blue cycle seemed to be lasting WAY too long. The common consensus was to increase the temps. This I did (one side around 70 and the other side around 75-80). Since then his shedding cycle has decreased in amount of time and he is eating pretty well also. So it seems that the increase in temps helped with this issue.

:::But one thing I have noticed in the past 3 or so weeks is that he is not active at all anymore. When I feed him, the mouse will lay in there for 30-45 minutes or so and he won't even bother. The last several times I have had to literally get in his cage and remove him from his hide so that he knows there is actually food laying in the cage. This actually seems to be working to get him to eat because once I leave him and come back within 15 minutes or so the mouse is gone. So, as everyone keeps talking about these guys being SO ACTIVE, is my snake going against the grain of the Indigo? Is this normal for a 9 month old Indigo? He doesn't come out of his hide at all except to peek his head out on occasion. He is also extremely nervous still at this point, which I expected to change by now. Dan Felice once told me not to tip-toe around my snake but if I don't I would never see him.

:::One more thing, I haven't handled him a whole lot, should I maybe handle him more often to get him less nervous? How often should I handle him?

:::Thanks for any tips,

:::Greg
:::

::Still sounds abit cool to me. My room ambient is 72-74 with a basking spot for my indigo at 85-87. Mine is typical in the fact he goes ballistic at feeding time. I handle mine twice a week, once to feed him in a separate enclosure, once to let him know every time he comes out its not a dinner bell. My male is just over 1-1/2 and 5' and thick. When he was young I had a few dry sheds, for about the last six months he soaks alot pre-shed. Even blue this snake eats, anything and everything.
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