Acting Strange?

[katieandsyd]

hi there! new member!
i feel like such a goof. considering i just got my new baby corn today, this morning. now its late afternoon and im getting worried already.

i was informed to feed her asap because she had not eaten for a while, so i did with no problem. she was a little scared/aggressive when i tried transporting her to her viv but i expected that. when she got in there she explored everywhere but under my hidaway where it was warm (good temp for digesting). she settled on top of the hidaway. i checked later and she was underneath sleeping but looking back now, she is on top again! im wondering if maybe its TOO hot down there? i just dont want her to throw up everything she just ate because she's cold, and i dont want to move her underneath because i want her to settle in for a couple days without interuption, she's just been shipped acrost two states for crying out loud...

what should i do
?
i dont have a thermometer so i cant tell how warm it is, i just bought one of those heat pads that stick to the bottom of the viv.. outside air temp is probably around 76ish

[snakewispera snr]

We need temps to determine how hot it is in there.... I suppose you haven't got a 'stat either.... You'll have to go herp shopping tomorrow for all the necessary kit to monitor and maintain correct temps....

[Sarynkitamo]

Or at the very least buy one of those little digital thermometers. I bought one at the Source for $10. It's the kind you tape to your dash to see how cold it is outside your car.

[Nanci]

So, don't bother her now that she has eaten, for two days. But a heat mat can get to 120-130F if unregulated with a thermostat, so you need one of those, and you also need an accurate thermometer to get the temps set right. Even if your air temp is 76, she'll be fine digesting.

[Caryl]

New parents always worry - we feel for you. (I'm currently doing a bit of low-level worrying myself, lol.) Like Nanci said, 76 is okay for digestion. Not ideal if your snake is a baby, for okay. DO go get a good thermometer so you'll know what's going on. A thermostat is nice, too. Enjoy your new hobby, and welcome to the forum.

[v_various]

I can think of two options for maintaining temps:

1) Get a thermostat. The most expensive option, and you want a good one because I know more than one person who lost collections due to faulty thermostats.

2) Get an indoor/outdoor thermometer ($10 or $15) they have probes that can measure the heating pad directly which is better than measuring ambient temp. Also get a table top lamp dimmer (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v333/fifthevilbunny/snakes/dimmer.jpg). The thermometer will tell you how hot it is, and you can turn the heat up and down manually with the dimmer.
(this is what I do)

Another option is to build a dimmer yourself, that costs around $7 and instructions are somewhere on this board. It's a little bulky though, and you still need a thermometer.

feeding her right away might not have been the best advice, new snakes should be given some time to settle. I'm sure she'll be fine, but you're going to want to measure and maintain the temps to keep her happy.