just learning and a little worried

[Miss. Araco]

Im sorry, I was having a really bad day that day and I am sorry. My mother was saposed to come over and help me, walked in yelled at me and left, for being a failer at cleaning my own apt. Also the money issue, I have to pay for gas (as high as $60 a week, but I drive people around to or from my home town near my horse and the city, so they pay for gas, $5 a ride they are all friends that go to school with me) so I can get to my horse which eats up alot of my extra money and my cat has Diabetes so I always have to be home in the morning and the evning.

Health issues....
I will all ways provide for my pets as best I can, food will always be there and water, fresh out of the bottel. My sister also works at a vet clinic and knows all the dr.s really well, usaly they will give me a discount for my visit, and as I stated before I had put snake expences on my budget thinking she would be coming till chrismas and off of here. Around December I will be getting a job or two to help pay for the extras. Making my buget higher... Also I always have money set aside for Emergancy Vet visits that I really don't want to tap into...

Buying a high price snake...
My friend Elenisil, was going to buy me a snake for chrismas and we were both looking for something on here.

My apologies...

I am sorry if I have insalted any of you, I suffer from bipolar and Depression, (my animals help me deal with that) I also suffer from a learning disability so I get grumpy really fast and I get insalted really fast and I will apologies for that, I just was feeling really bad for my self and I know I should not do that I was being an ass and will try to reframe from doing that again.

I have had many animals in my life time which is really short and I get defesive and Im sorry, I realise that I have been running around making fool of myself and that may just be the way I was rased and Im sorry... I still need help and would still like to learn around here but I need people to understand that I am going to provide it just may take me longer, I have a budget and I don't have any income right now cause I have one horse that needs work out and a cat that needs caring and a apt with a room mate that never cleans, and I am a full time student, I am working off of money save and a small alowence from my parents, Im trying and I will try harder but I will have to do with what I've got.

PS if I come on here and start cussing my BF got a hold of my Password and log on... her has no clue whats going on but that Im aggitated

 

[Miss. Araco]

I just want to say one more thing, which is... by telling me what I have done that I can't fix... like " you should have done more research" or "you should know more before you got the snake" Dose not help the current situation... all that leads to is bad feelings and tempers, let focus on what I need to get done to get this snake happy, she seems fine, but I know that fine is not always as it seems.

current sitch,

I have been for the last couple days trying to get the heat on the uth down, so I rased the tank off them, then I covered them with a cd case to try and limit the heat, but the bottom of the cage is still reaching 95F, So I took it completely away, now i have a heat lamp that is a good 1/2' to a foot away shining on one side of the cage, it is an infured lamp and im going to try this...
Just for the ones that worry, only 1/6 of the cage was getting the heat from the uth, so she was staying pretty far away... today Im going to go look for some nice hides for cheap then I have to go to the farm and Im hoping to get a hide there... so she should have a hide on either end of the cage soon,

...My mom may help me get a regulated uth and a temp reader, if I ask nicely... while she's being nice can any of you think of some other high price items that I NEED...
My BF may be giving me a ten gallon tank for her soon and so then I can use this one for something else...

To clean... I have read around that some people are leaning more to special cleaners for snakes, but i also herd that using a little bit of bleach on a tank is ok... Like a cap full in 1 gallon, or something? is that true... Remeber Im still working on a buget

 

[diamondlil]

For hides the snake will love(even though you might want something fancy) use the tubes from kitchen roll and small cardboard boxes. Snakes like to squeeze into them.
You can get the digital thermometer with probe and a lamp-dimmer (rheostat) in a household store and they will be far cheaper than from specialist pet suppliers.
The dimmer would mean you having to monitor and regulate the temperature but unless your home has huge temperature changes inside it should be fine (I use one for my gecko's viv)

 

[Cat_Eyed_Lady]

you can use bleach for cleaning... the mixture for that is 10 parts water to one part bleach... just make sure to rinse everything REALLY well afterwards and dont use that solution on things that can absorb it, like wood.

If the uth is getting that hot... maybe you can do without it since you have the heat bulb?? I use both kinds with equal success

If you want her in a tank 10 gallon for now is fine but remember she will out grow it.... so if you mom or friend is being really kind.... see if they wont get something just abit bigger? like a 15 or 20... that will last it its whole life

Cheap hides? well... I use cracker boxes, tissue boxes, tp rolls, paper towel rolls and also fake flowers for them to hide in its doesnt have to be expensive to work for a substrate... you can use newspaper instead of aspen, that might free up abit of money too since most papers are delivered to your door free

btw.... dont be sorry for your medical conditions.... you are not the only one on here who has them Plus, its totally understandable to be touchy when you are trying your best and it doesnt seem good enough.... what you are doing is Trying and that is important! good luck and keep your chin up

 

[susang]

I'm sorry you have all these problems, but Id on't get your set-up, why two heating pads, why a water bowl over a heating pad (good way to end up with snake soup) why wet aspen??? I'm trying to get it but just don't. Why spend money on hides when you need a way to regulate heat. Hides can be a piece of broken pottery, or a paper towel roller. Why the light? By a little bit of bleach maybe one ounce to a gallon and rinse very well.
I have a good understanding of your abilities: I think you need to make a list in order of necessities and start there. As for your Mom and cleaning your apartment, I would wonder (as a Mother) if you can't take care of your own home how can you take care of a snake.
I think people have given you good options on here but it appears you are only hearing what you want to and doing whatever, which isn't working. So I go back to the list and then post it and get some help getting the things done in a good order.
I mean no disrespect but really have a grasp of your situation, as I have a very similar problem in my family, susang

 

[diamondlil]

Oh I forgot to add something, if you're getting presents, you could ask for Kathy Love's book, 'Cornsnakes, the comprehensive owner's guide'. 9/10 corns recommend it!

 

[Miss. Araco]

I have a good understanding of your abilities: I think you need to make a list in order of necessities and start there. As for your Mom and cleaning your apartment, I would wonder (as a Mother) if you can't take care of your own home how can you take care of a snake.

I would just like to say that I am insulted by your coment, the fact that it is very unlikely that you have or will ever meet my mother makes your coment completely asumption... She had walked in with the nolege that I had spent seven hours one day cleaning my apartment and had asked her to come and help me organize it. All my animals have clean compartments and so forth... again I have dried out the cage and had thought it a good idea with the nolege that these critters come from florida, which usally has very humid climate and her cage was not at all humid... Also my house is spotless and if you would like proff I will send you a picture.... don't judge people by the reactions of others or your in for a world of miss understanding and judging, the only time a person should be jundged is in death.

 

[Miss. Araco]

PS. Im sorry you hit one of my rants, I go off when ever some one brings the subject off, got me great SAT score so what ever.... Also if you are going to attack take it some were else, I only want advise on snakes not on how I suck at life!

 

[Rich in KY]

I only want advise on snakes not on how I suck at life!

Miss Araco you do not suck at life! You have obstacles and you are dealing with them. Do not get effected by things that are posted on here. Some things that are typed come across in the wrong way. We are here to support you and help you take care of your snake the best that you can.

 

[MegF.]

Actually, if you judged my animals by my house you'd think that I don't ever look at them. The fact is, I spend more time on my animals than I ever will cleaning my house. My horse's stalls will be cleaner than my livingroom table....my snake cages will be taken care of long before the laundry is folded. The dogs will be walked and fed before I make the bed. Some things are just a priority

 

[susang]

Actually, if you judged my animals by my house you'd think that I don't ever look at them. The fact is, I spend more time on my animals than I ever will cleaning my house. My horse's stalls will be cleaner than my livingroom table....my snake cages will be taken care of long before the laundry is folded. The dogs will be walked and fed before I make the bed. Some things are just a priority

I totally agree I do lots of things before cleaning quilting, reading, talking to snakes and petting rats. I merely said from a mother's point of view, being old enough to be this person's grandmother (just a little on the odd side, since I don't bake them cookies or baby sit or go to games) rather spend time with my animals. A mother, many mothers, any mothers may think or act out by leaving because the house isn't clean to their satisfaction (which is very retentive in some cases, not necessarily this case, or anyone I know) and yet you take in a snake. Face it few parents on this forum of young snake keepers come to it with open arms, of course all of us old enough to have children would see the good in taking in a snake.
If my Mom were here she would probably be OK with the snakes, but question why I spend money on them. Why I let a $3000.00 sewing machine sit to read a snake forum. Why I can write my name on my TV but I am cleaning rat cages. You know what my Mom would be right, but I don't blame her or anyone for mistakes I make. I do my best that is all any of us can do. susang

 

[tracy0416]

I totally agree I do lots of things before cleaning quilting, reading, talking to snakes and petting rats. .... I do my best that is all any of us can do. susang

My house is tidy but not clean. I hate cleaning and don't consider the up-keep of my snake tanks actual cleaning. More mothering really.

 

[bitsy]

Most of my flat looks like an explosion at a car boot sale! The only things that get cleaned out regularly are my bathroom and my snakes.

If only I could live in one of the vivs, I'd be OK....

 

[Flagg]

As I have already pointed out, all you really need to fix your setup is a lamp dimmer ($9) and a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer with a probe ($9-$12). That's it. You won't need any new UTH, you won't need to move the UTHs or put anything in between them and the tank.

For hides you can use recycled cardboard boxes of the proper size, cardboard tubes, etc.

 

[diamondlil]

Most of my flat looks like an explosion at a car boot sale! The only things that get cleaned out regularly are my bathroom and my snakes.

If only I could live in one of the vivs, I'd be OK....

That's me! (except for the bathroom bit............................)

 

[Miss. Araco]

I got the probe, and she seems alot happy, I am big enouph of a person to say you were right.

 

[Ohana]

WoW, I missed this thread.

Just use what is around. There have been tons of good suggestions for what to use. For a thermometer I purchase mine from Wal-mart they are anywhere from 2-5 USD. They work great!

Good Luck and I can't wait to see what you come up with to make the viv interesting to your snake.

 

[MerlinsPop]

I got the probe, and she seems alot happy, I am big enouph of a person to say you were right.

Nobody's trying to be 'right.' Okay, there might be someone who'd rather argue than help, but the VAST majority of the people on this site just want to help...maybe a little aggressively is all.

Glad the probe thermoter is helping. For your hide, just be creative! If you don't want to go the absolutely cheapest route (toilet paper rolls cut in half lengthwise) try something else. Take two unused coffee cups and half bury them sideways in your substrait with the rims offset by just enough for your snake to get in. Now you've got a hide that has two dark areas and two entrances. Plus, you've found a use for two ugly coffee cups. You like Pringles? They come in hides!

We're all just trying to help!