Aidan Rhiannon

what are you supposedly doing wrong?

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Well, one person thought I had him on pine, not aspen. I can kind of see why she thought that, pine bedding being common and it being hard to tell from photos.

Then there's the THREE people who have told me that a half log hide isn't going to work, AFTER I said that it was temporary and I'm trying to find a better one, and the person who was being all passive-aggressive about how I need to consider the snake's needs before my own when I said I didn't want tupperware hides because he was for display and I wanted his cage to look nice. As if wanting his cage to look nice means I'm going to abuse him! And saying that a ball python was a bad display snake anyhow because of how much they hide. Which, duh, I knew already, and would have kind of noticed by now even if I hadn't known. I didn't mean I want the snake out and visible every second, or that I bought it only to look at! I just want wood and leaves and other pretty things rather than purple tupperware with holes cut in, that's all!

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always remember that what most of these people state is fact is only opinion. his setup looks great to me and i cant blame you for wanting a nice natural looking setup rather than tupperware. a snake feels more securing hiding in something realistic than in plastic which lets light thru. i have somewhere a fake hollow tree stump thing that our old snake loved to hide in and rub on when he shed. youre welcome to have it if you like. just lemme know and ill clean it up for you.

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That's cool. And yeah, there's a lot of different opinions about things. It's just annoying when people just assume I don't care about my snake! Most of them have dozens of snakes, and I just have the one. I think mine gets a lot more love and care than theirs do!

As for the log, how big is it? That'd be really awesome as the second hide I want, if it'll fit. I only have a ten gallon right now though. It's already crammed full with the first hide, climbing branch with leaves, and water bowl.

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not sure on size. our tank was just a smidge better than a 10 gallon and it fit ok. i had climbing branches, a half log and a waterbowl in there as well.

oddly enough, he wanted nothing to do with the branches. silly snake.

and take it from me....as someone who is a hardcore advocate for proper animal care, youre doing incredibly well. i cant find fault with anything youre doing. looks quite good. youll probably want to upgrade to a bigger tank in the not too distant future tho. ;) and ball pythons are quite good escape artists, so keep an eye on him.

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Yeah, the tank has a clever little latch that keeps him in and the cats out. I paid a fair bit extra for it too! ($20 more than the tank without the sliding lid and latch.)

And thanks! I'm doing my very best to make sure he's well taken care of.

(And already glad I did the extra research, as the pet store guy insisted I didn't need a hydrometer or thermometers, and I've already adjusted a lot of things based on having them!)

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*rolls eyes* you definitely cant count on pet store employees. soo much ignorance there. they also claim bettas are okay in tiny little cups. and theyre definitely not.

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Well, this guy knows his stuff on a lot of things. He gave me the exact same advice as I've been reading on most stuff. He just seems to have a problem with using gauges. I suspect it's one of those "I'm too good, I know without needing one" ego things, or something.

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(He's the breeder and owner, not just an employee, and it's the reptile-specific store, so it's not like PetSmart or something.)

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ah ok.

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Amen. Those poor Bettas...

-- Kiyo --

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im actually looking into getting a male betta. or a couple girls and house them together in a 5 gallon tank. :)

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I was told that Siamese Fighting fish aren't supposed to be put together for the reason that they kill eachother. >_<

I looked it up and I they said something about even after they mate there is a possibility of them killing eachother.

Do you know if this is true? I had two male bettas, in seperate bowls, but they would open their gills and try to attack eachother through the glass. XD;;

-- Kiyo --

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Males yes. Females no, you can keep as many females together as you like. But males have to be alone, usually.

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Oh! That makes sense! =)

I couldn't keep the water warm enough for them so I had to leave a lamp on over them. Do you guys know anyway to keep their water warm? Otherwise they go pale and I'm scared I'll kill them. =(

-- Kiyo --

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wolfmare.livejournal.com

The bettas? Usually with fish, if they're pale it's because they aren't getting enough light. You can actually turn goldfish silver if you keep them in a dark place long enough.

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males will fight and kill each other. they do it by ripping each others tail and fins to pieces. a few females can be house together (females dont fight, but theyre not as fancy as males) or one male can be housed by himself. :)

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Heh! Thank you. I'll look in to getting a few females in a nice sized tank then. =) How do you keep them warm? I used a lamp but that required me not ever shutting it off because they would go pale. >_<

-- Kiyo --

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just remember that 1 gallon per fish is the bare minimum. :) so 2-3 females in a 5 gallon is comfortable for them. :)

a submersible heater is much better and more effective than a lamp.

dunno if they make anything less than a 100 watt. water temp should be between 75 and 86F.

http://cgi.ebay.com/100-Watt-Heater-Aquarium-Fish-Tank-Supplies-pet_W0QQitemZ290143500421QQihZ019QQcategoryZ46311QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

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wolfmare.livejournal.com

Males can be housed with other fish, but you have to be really careful what kind of fish. They can be housed fairly easily with either females or with fish that look different enough from them not to be mistaken for another male.

I researched all this not too long ago, was thinking about getting one myself...

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i was talking about keeping strictly bettas. ;) and males will quite often pick at females.

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You don't need a clever and expensive little latch. All these tanks have a little hole in the center of the lid. Just stick an allen wrench in the hole. This works incredibly well to keep snakes in and other critters out.

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Uhm... The other tank they had had a plain screen top that just sat on top of the tank. No holes to stick anything into, you just picked it straight up, and held it on with clamps or hooks or heavy books or something like that. So I'm not sure what you're talking about. I couldn't have stuck an allen wrench in that and made it secure. The one I do have, in addition to the latch, does also have a bit where I could stick a wrench in, but the sliding lid, that lockable bit, and the latch were all part of the whole unit, I couldn't get the sliding lid without the latch. The $20 less tank was completely un-lockable, and even if you clamped it down, it could be bent up at one corner with enough pressure.

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Oh yeah, the rodent tanks have the lift off tops. The better glass tanks have the slide on lids that can be secured with something like an allen wrench.

I have never purchased a tank with a lift off lid for a snake. Too easy to escape from. It is common for the plastic bits that hold the lid on to break, thus making the lid completely useless.

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wolfmare.livejournal.com

Actually, bad idea to use a tank like that for rodents. They're too difficult to keep clean since there's nowhere beneath for wastes to go, and any mouse or rat worth it's weight can escape from them. Those are, first and foremost, marketed for fish.

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If you want a display snake, get a chondro. They are the only snakes that don't hide.

There is nothing wrong with making the tank look nice, whether the snake is for display or otherwise.

Personally, I keep my enclosure hidden under a mound of blankets and stuffed animals because the snake is against the HOA rules. Of course I didn't know this till after I put up a non-refundable deposit. The bastards.

But why risk having nosy neighbors find out?

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Yeah, welcome to the world of animal people.
My advice is not to ask advice in snake forums because you will be ripped apart. People love doing that.

Just find a couple of friends who know stuff about your snake and compare notes with them.

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Heh. I didn't ask for advice, I learned that one already! I just posted a photo of my new baby to show him off!

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You learn to grow a thick skin with regards to pets and the internet.

I was called inhuman and a rotten horrible person because I chose to give my dog back to the breeder. My dog was nine years old and had severe separation anxiety issues. I tried everything I could to find a way to keep him, but he was miserable.

Now he is living in Saratoga and having the time of his life. It hurt to be called terrible names because of one of the most difficult decisions I've ever had to make, but I know he's far better off and happier than if I'd kept him.

Same can be applied to any pet situation. Don't worry about the assholes because they are in abundance. They are also the most likely to spout their venom at you.

Bring the snake to FC. I'd love to see it.

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Meh. Good luck, BladeSpark... You aren't a bad person... people just love to screw with others... =( *hugs*

-- Kiyo --

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birdrock.livejournal.com

Pet people are fucking retarded, especially on the internet. Feel free to join

pet_snark_snark and rant.

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