# First snake



## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

Hi there i am now the proud owner of a coral morph milk snake that we got from a local pet store and asking a bit of advice:
firstly ive got bark chips for substrait which is pushing the humidity up which i know carnt be good for a snake and should i change it? 
Second ive got a low output UV bulb which ive heard is ok for them is this ok?
thirdly he does like to be handled but get a bit scatty for the first 5 mins of handling then calms down chills out is this normal? 
And finally hes been fed on a sunday should i keep it like that hes on medium mice and fully grown 

Any advice is welcome ive tryed to find out as much as i can about his feeding habits and copied his viv in the shop so hes going to be ok with it its just the humidity i am worried about


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## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

Few images of the viv ive got


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## Tongue Flicker (Oct 26, 2014)

Aww congrats on your first snake! As long as there is enough ventilation and the viv doesnt get stuffy inside, a mid humidity level is just fine. Milks are more temperamental than corns or kings so a little bite here and there is something you can expect. Anyways enjoy and good luck!


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## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

He doest bite he runs off if anything


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## Tommy Coopers Ghost (Sep 14, 2014)

he would Appreciate a hide 
at either end of viv... one at warm end, one at cool end...

what Heating set up and temps you Running?

Nice snake :2thumb:


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## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

Yea am thinking of it but the viv is really small 2 ft temp atm is set at 28 degreese took me a wbile to get it sorted but i am using bark atm and its putting a lot of humidty in the tank and fogging up the glass


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## Tommy Coopers Ghost (Sep 14, 2014)

swap the bark for aspen... its cheap... put it in Nice and deep they Like to burrow through it...

i would still put a hide at each end, small cardboard box with entrance hole will do for now...


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## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

I dont like the look of aspen i know they like to bury in it but i want him on show really


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## Tommy Coopers Ghost (Sep 14, 2014)

hornet2k8 said:


> I dont like the look of aspen i know they like to bury in it but i want him on show really


hell still be on show when he is out and about... would solve your misting up Problem... and enrich his Habitat... worth considering?


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## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

Fair enough ill give it a go on next change i mite try drying it all out see how it goes will he be ok with the high humidity ive got beardies and know they dont like high humidty


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## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

Any tips on defrosting the mice i left it out overnight and put it in luke warm water to warm it up and it poped is there any other way ?


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## Iulia (Mar 2, 2011)

pretty snakey :flrt:

yeah they need hides to feel secure - you shouldn't force a snake to be on show - they need to chose when they want to be out and when hidden.

I don't keep milks so don't know what humidity they need. There are various substrates that will probably be ok - aspen, lignocel, repticard, beech chips may be ok also I don't know. 

I usually try to defrost the mice on the boiler, or on a radiator. I think some people use hairdryers to warm them up before feeding. Your water was probably a bit too hot -

you can also try putting warm water just on the head - that doesn't tend to explode, and gives the snake a nice warm smelly bit to aim for :lol2:


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## Tommy Coopers Ghost (Sep 14, 2014)

Take them out of Freezer 2 to 3 hours before feeding, thaw at room temperature... if you want to warm them up after that, either put Under Heat Lamp, on Heat mat, or use a warm hairdryer...


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## TaxMonkey (Oct 14, 2014)

I generally don't take the food out to defrost until about 3 or 4 hours before feeding time ( i'm using small weaner rats), about 5 mins before I feed I put in in water from the hot tap that is not so hot I can't hold my hand in. I then dip the mouse in that (inside a something like a sandwich bag so it doesn't get wet). That seems to work well.

It's possible if your ambient temps were high enough overnight the mouse may have already started to decompose, if the water you placed it in was hot enough then any gas built up from decomposition and the sudden heat could have caused it to pop.


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## clumsyoaf (Oct 23, 2012)

The bark will probably only fog up the glass for a couple of days while it drys out, once it is dry then obviously it will stop! With regards to him burying (I know nothing about milk snakes in particular) if that is what is normal to do, then you really should make sure that he can, it is important that you satisfy all his needs and allow him to show his natural behaviour, or you are depriving your snake of a happy, healthy life! Remember you chose the snake, so now you need to suit his needs not your requirements in the look of his viv. 

You really do need hides for your snake, he needs to feel secure or he wont eat and possibly not shed properly, he will still come out when he is hunting or just for a mooch, so you will see him looking fab. For my snakes, because they like to hide so much I just make sure that their vivs look good so that even when they are hidden away I am not looking at an empty box! 

Defrosting rodents depends on the size, but generally up to small weaner rats I take them out the freezer and pop them straight in the sink with fairly warm water and leave for an hour or until they feel fully defrosted and warm. I have had some pop when the snake constricts them, but I think that just happens sometimes and it is (unpleasantly) part of snake ownership.


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## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

Ok thanks for your advice ive changed to aspen see how he is what u think


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## jason7579 (Jun 14, 2008)

Do you have a warm end and a cool end or is it 28 degrees throughout the vivarium?


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## Iulia (Mar 2, 2011)

that's looking better. :no1:

maybe another hide on the other side?

I know what my young corns (and pythons and rosy boas lol) all loved were the tubes from either toilet roll or kitchen towel (depending on size of snake)

they are maybe not the prettiest, but you could put it behind the plant.


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## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

Yea looks a lot brighter now  think he loved it when i put him in he dove in to it had a quick look around then went in to his hide, is it bad for them to lay directly on the heatmat ??


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## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

Its has a warm end but its difficult in a smaller tank simple logic really just have to try and balance it its easy in my beardie viv due to the size of it but in a 2 ft viv it hard to get the temp right so hes not too hot and not too cold but ive got the thermostat set at 25 degreese and it knockes off when it hits that


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## Iulia (Mar 2, 2011)

is the heat mat in the viv?

under substrate?


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## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

Yea where else can i put it ?


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## Iulia (Mar 2, 2011)

no I just meant no point in replying without knowing what you were asking :lol2:

he won't come to harm unless the temperature on top of the mat is too hot, and/or he feels scared to move

I keep a laser gun type thermometer (pretty cheap off ebay or amazon) for just this, testing the temps on top of the substrate where the snake likes to hang out

and another reason to have another hide 'cool' side

you could also try putting in a second layer - I use these 

Trixie Natural Living Shelter, 30 x 22 x 25 cm: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies


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## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

Oooh i like that  ive got a low output UV bulb but he keeps climbing on the top of the holder i know it wont do him any harm but i think thats what he needs


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## Iulia (Mar 2, 2011)

one of my corns practically lives on top of his :lol2:


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## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

Lol i got some plastic vines from ebay for £2.30 cut it in half and it looks better now


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## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

What should the temp be in the snake viv i think my viv is too cold for him ive got the thermostat at 29- 31 degrees C is that ok??


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## jakk (Jan 22, 2008)

When your are using a heat mat in a viv its not a question of over all temp in the viv its how hot is the mat. You will never heat the whole viv with a heat mat they only provide belly heat thats why I always use ceramics in my vivs. That dial thermometer you have in there is totally useless. You really need to get a digital thermometer of an infer red and take your readings from the heat mat.

As for trying to keep a hot and cold end, that should be easy the mat should only be large enough to cover one side of the tank. If it covers the whole tank then there is no cold end and thats no good. How have you got the heat mat set up? Can you post pictures please? Do you have a thermostat?


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## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

Yea ive got a thermostat in the tank and a heat mat i got told ypu dont need a basking bulb just a heat mat its my first snake so i dont know ive got beardies and there set up has got a ceramic heat bulb and uv light should i get a small one for the snake ?? The tank is only 2 ft long


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## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

this is the set up ive got a large heat mat which i used for my beardies a while ago and found out it can burn them


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## jakk (Jan 22, 2008)

If your worried about heat mats burning your beardies, stand to reason the heat mat can burn your snake as well, and it can if you don't have t set up correctly. the probe from the het mat needs to be set on the substrate dover the heat mat or it won't get correct readings. How much of the viv is covered by the heat mat? 

The ceramic vs heat mat debate has been going for ever. I prefer ceramics myself. They cost more and need more expensive thermostats, Im sure you have one with your beardies? But they provide heat for the entire viv not just belly heat. I think about it like this in the wild there ambient temperature is high, so i replicate that with ceramics. 

The heat mat won't heat up the air in your viv so the vivarium will only be as warm as the room its kept in. That dial thermometer is reading the room temp not the temp on the heat mat and thats recipe for disaster.


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## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

Arr rite ok so am best off getting a small ceramic bulb for it ?


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## jakk (Jan 22, 2008)

If you could answer my questions about how you have the mat set up I can give you full advice. Theres no reason why your current set up can work as long as it is optimised and running correctly.


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## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

The mat is on the bottom of the viv about 3/4 filling the viv


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## jakk (Jan 22, 2008)

ok, it really should only be half. What about the thermostat probe?


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## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

I got a micro climate from pets at home


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## jakk (Jan 22, 2008)

No where is the thermostat probe? is it on the substrate above the mat or do you have it on the wall?


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## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

Its dangled about 3 inch off the sub strait


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## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

Thats the probe


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## jakk (Jan 22, 2008)

ok it really really needs to be on the substrate where the snake will be sitting otherwise its just reading the air temp in the the viv and will over heat and burn the snake.


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## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

Ok no worries ill do it now


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## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

Ok ive put it near the bottom out of reach of the snake


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## jakk (Jan 22, 2008)

Some one please slay this troll. :bash:


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## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

Who u calling a troll ??


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## TaxMonkey (Oct 14, 2014)

jakk said:


> *ok it really really needs to be on the substrate where the snake will be sitting* otherwise its just reading the air temp in the the viv and will over heat and burn the snake.





hornet2k8 said:


> Ok ive put it near the *bottom out of reach of the snake*


If the probe is out of reach of the snake it can't be measuring the temperature where it will be.


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## Tommy Coopers Ghost (Sep 14, 2014)

sorry havent read all thread...

if its a Heat mat, tape Probe to Centre top of mat with a wee bit of electrical tape (high enough tack to stick, but low tack enough to get off snake if need be)

if Basking Spot or ceramic, secure Probe at closest Basking level to bulb at warm end of viv... easily held in place with Those Cable nail jobbies


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## hornet2k8 (May 4, 2014)

Just another question i try to handle him about once a day but he still takes the fight or flight mainly flight is this normal for them ??


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