Re: Hey Serpentdude...a couple more questions :)

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Posted by serpentdude on March 02, 2003 at 10:36:11:

In Reply to: Hey Serpentdude...a couple more questions :) posted by Nicodemus on March 01, 2003 at 22:29:01:

I have a hide box over the hot spot in my enclosres, with a thin layer (1/4" to 1/2") of aspen or crushed walnut shell over the glass and newspaper surface. I just checked the temp. on the surface of the substrate in my San Gabriel rosy's warm hide box and it is right at 90 degrees. For some reason my rosy's don't burrow into their substrate much, so in the hide box they sit comfortably right on top of it. Yeah, 100 degrees is a little too much. You may have to see if you can get a rheostat or something to reduce the juice and bring the heat down. If you get the temps. down to within a degree or two of 90, either way, your fine. The cool side is fine where it is.

You'll know when you have the right temps. for sure when your snake cruises back and forth between the warm and cool spots. If they continually hang in one spot only, then something isn't right temperature wise. I'll go in and look at a particular snake and he/she may be in his warm hide box, go in an hour or so later and their over on the cool side. They're just doing the thermal balancing act, like they would in habitat.

Your humidity is a little high. Occaisional periods of higher humidity I don't believe would be detrimental, but for long term maintenance, it should be lower. The humidity in my enclosures cruises between 25% to 40% (sometimes lower) so I've never had to deal with the humidity issue. Does the room you'll be keeping your snake in have central heating? Usually, in the winter with heating going most homes tend to dry out a bit.

And no, you're not a pain! I appreciate the fact your trying to get all this stuff down ahead of time. Fortunately, Rosy's are hardy snakes (one of the things I love about them so), so you have a bit of latitude for adjustment even after your snake arrives!

:I know...I'm a pain :)

:So I put a bit of cardboard on the bottom of the tank. The temp directly on the bottom (over the carboard) is 100 F. Is this still to hot? Should I put more stuff down?
:The temp at about half an inch over the pad (.5 in of substrate) is about 95 F.
:The surface is about 80 F (about 1.5 inches of substrate).
:The cool side is staying at a pretty constant low to mid 70 F.

:This gradient sound good? Or should I get that 100 F down a tad more?

:
:Also, whats a tolerable humidity? Right now the humidity guage in the tank says about 68%. I've read this is a tiny bit too high (60% being in the normal habitat or so it says...sounds a bit high to me).
:How can I get it lower?
:Should I get it lower?
:

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Re: Hey Serpentdude...a couple more questions :) Nicodemus 03/02/03 (0)