|
When starting out, keep it simple. The following setup has worked quite well for me in the past. Get a Hovabator with the expansion ring. The expansion ring will allow you to put your eggs into a container that will fit into the Hovabator and provide more room. The purpose of this container (or inner chamber) is to help retain humidity and shield your eggs from temperature fluctuations. This inner chamber should have some air circulation holes in the sides. If you don’t have an expansion ring, don’t stress about it. Although, you may not be able to use a container. Next, I use a vermiculite/perilite (5 to 1) mixture. I add warm water until I am able to squeeze the vermiculite mixture in my hand and it holds its form (without dropping excess amounts of water). I normally mix in a 5 gallon bucket – filling it half full. Try to keep your eggs in the center of the Hovabator. This will shield the eggs from higher temps when near the heating element. I place the eggs inside and cover from ½ to ¾ the surface of the eggs – ¾ if not using an inner chamber – in the vermiculite mixture. I set my temp at 89 degrees and let them go. Once a week or once every 10 days, I will add fresh air. This also gives me a chance to inspect the eggs. I do not use a hygrometer to check humidity. As long as my windows are full of moisture and my eggs are not collapsing, I know my humidity is where it needs to be. Periodically, you may need to spray around the eggs with a misting bottle.
If you have an accurate temperature probe, use it in the center of the eggs. If you can, use some other device to maintain temps, like a Helix controller. The Hovabator “wafer” does work but will fluctuate 1-2 degrees. This has not been a problem for me in the past, however. Although, it's really not worth the risk.
Sometimes your snake may have a "bad" or partial shed. I use a sweat box to help remove the remaining skin. This has never failed me. Basically, you need a rubbermaid or plastic tub of appropriate size, a lid, a "breathable" pillowcase and a heat mat or heat tape. Take the pillowcase, wet it and ring it out. Do not wet the whole thing. Place the snake inside the bag and place the bag inside the container. The container should have some air holes. Place the heat mat under one side of the container. Ensure it does not get too hot. If you live in a warm climate, you may not need the heat mat. Simply put the enclosure outdoors but not in the sun. Close the lid. You should see condensation shortly. The humidity combined with the rubbing action of the snake on the pillowcase should remove all remaining skin. It should take no more than an hour if done correctly. Use a thermometer to ensure it's not getting too warm. Additionally, this will help re-hydrate your animal as a poor shed is an indication of less than adequate hydration.
The reptile industry is full of unethical people who will stop at nothing to part you of your hard-earned cash. I have a few tips that I hope will help you avoid being a victim of an unscrupulous "dirt bag".
- Research as much as you can about your potential purchase.
- Know what the animal is worth. If you know the market value for a female 100% het albino is $750 and someone is offering a 1.1 pair for $500, look real close. This is probably a bad deal.
- Ask for references and contact them. Try to get a feel for what type of person you are potentially dealing with.
- Use the Board Of Inquiry. This is an amazing source to find out about some of the good and bad elements in this business.
- Netiquette. Look for posts made by the seller. They might be on the BOI or one of the reptile forums. Is this person professional and helpful? Do they know what they are talking about?
- History. Is this seller new? Again, look for posts made by this person and review the dates. If you find details on this person going back a few years, that's in your favor. If they have no history, be cautious and look to other cues.
- I always avoid ads that list only a first name. Who is "John" and how do I research someone who puts just his or her first name?
- I avoid ads that list a transient email address such as yourName@hotmail.com or yourName@yahoo.com. These are too easy to use for scamming and provide virtually no way to track down the real person.
|
|
