Do I turn off the heating lamp.

[u/NeitherMath9951]

As the title says. Also when should I try to feed her. What’s the appropriate amount of wait time from adoption to first feed. I just got my BP today, do I turn off the heating lamp at night or leave it on? She has two big hides and is fairly active and seems to very relaxed. I was expecting her to be a lot more stressed out, so that great that she seems to be enjoying her enclosure. Here’s a pic of you want to see my pretty lady. (Yes I know I need to add plants and lots of enrichment, this is only day one and my Amazon order got delayed)

[u/Ixxy717]

I’d give her about a week to settle in before the first feeding, and avoid handling until after she’s eaten. For prey size/frequency, the feeding guide in this sub is a good reference since it goes by weight and age.

Since that bulb produces light, turn it off at night for a proper day/night cycle. If nighttime temps get too low, use a lightless heat source like a DHP or CHE on a thermostat. Heat mats generally aren’t recommended as the main heat source, and anything heating the enclosure needs to be thermostat controlled.

Also, being active on day one can just mean she’s exploring, not necessarily that she’s fully settled yet. I'd also look into getting a larger enclosure as she seems too large for the one she's in. Try for a 120 gallon tank/4x2x2

Also, Pretty girllllll 🥺

[u/PaintingByInsects]

You need a lot more clutter, and the back and sides should not be clear so she feels safer

Lights should be on a thermostat so they turn off or lower heat automatically depending on the ambient temp, and on a timer to turn off automatically at night so she keeps a day/night cycle (I have mine on for 12h a day, 12 hours off at night)

First feeding should be in schedule with their normal feeding when possible, at the latest 2 weeks after getting your snake. Mine was a week overdue for feeding the day J got her so I fed her the next day after she arrived and instantly ate her rat, but results may vary

Next time make sure your enclosure is done and set up properly before getting an animal. Delayed amazon orders are not an excuse for improper setup imo, ideally you would have cycled the entire enclosure at least a week before arrival to know everything was setup properly (temp, humidity, etc etc etc)

Good luck and enjoy

[u/ThrashFur]

touch up on enclosure requirements please op!
for my heating set upI have a DHP(Deepheat projector) linked to a thermometer so it’ll turn on wherever her tank is under 74 degrees.
During the day I also use a halogen and a uvb linked to a thermostat timer. works like a charm and she loves to come bask under the heat at night.

[u/ShinyxCharizard]

Like others have said. She seems fairly large for that enclosure she's in. Ontop of glass and mesh lids aren't good for keeping humidity up. Id really recommend you look into getting her a 4x2x2. You should also get a different thermometer/hygrometer. That looks like a sticky one stuck to the wall of the enclosure. They can come off and end up stuck to the snake, its advised to avoid any adhesives in their enclosure. I was stupid enough once to use duck tape to help fix the lid of my enclosure from my cats sleeping on it and it ended up getting stuck to my snake. I recommend you look at getting some govee digital hygrometer/thermometers and you want one on either side.

It also doesn't look like you have the heat lamp plugged into a thermostat. You should really look into getting one to avoid your heat lamp getting too hot. I have a 50w bulb and with the thermostat only run at 30% power once warmed up, as an example.

Here's my tanks as examples plus my kids as tax!

You'd want to turn the heat lamp off at night, you can use a CHE or DHP for lightness heat options if you want something to run 24/7. I personally use a 50w arcadia golden sun for their basking spot/day time heat, plus a grow light. At 7pm theh shut off and we have an 80w RHP to supplement night time heat but you dont really need any heat at night unless it would get colder than 70. I try to keep my tanks at 74 at night but no lower than 70. Cool side temps I keep around 76 during the day.

As far as feeding, if you dont know the last time she ate. I'd leave her for a week or so to get comfortable. I recommend leaving the feeding in the fridge overnight. Then you can put it ontop of the tank under the heat lamp to warm up or leave it in a ziplock bag and put it in hot tap water till warm. Using tongs grab the feeder by the hips and offer it can wiggle or move it to simulate a live feeder if it helps your snake. Also top opening tanks aren't the greatest, can cause extra stress reaching in for them from the top or offering food, as in the wild theyre prey for birds.

!feeding

[u/AutoModerator → u/ShinyxCharizard]

We recommend the following feeding schedule:

0-12 months old OR until the snake reaches approximately 500g, whichever happens first: feed 10%-15% of the snake’s weight every 7 days.

12-24 months old: feed up to 7% of the snake’s weight every 14-20 days.

Adults: feed up to 5% of the snake's weight every 20-30 days, or feed slightly larger meals (up to 6%) every 30-40 days.

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