| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| casper79 |
Posted - 20/03/2011 : 19:39:32
I have never had a Royal Python before but the amount I have read on this forum and the amount of info I have obtained I feel I am ready. I am starting to put the rub together and was wondering if this list is ok as a basic guide:
01. Exo Terra Large Flat Faunarium 18" x 12" x 7 1/2"
02. Polystyrene Tile
03. Heat Mat 11" x 6" 7w
04. Habistat mat stat
05. Exo Terra Digital Thermometer (c/w 2 probes would be better)
06. Aspen Bedding
07. Exo Terra Snake Cave Medium
08. Exo Terra Hide Small
09. Exo Terra Water Bowl
10. Exo Terra Boston Fern Small
11. Exo Terra Silk Vine Small
Cheers for any advice
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| 10 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| AddicksGlenn |
Posted - 21/03/2011 : 18:28:38
quote:
Originally posted by casper79
So the rub is the way to go, all I need now is to know is the rub any old plastic box bought from any old super market or pound shop or is there something particular that I should be looking for when choosing
RUB (really useful box) can be picked up from various places, i got mine from ryman the stationers. These are better than most other plastic tubs as they have handles that double as locks to stop snakey escaping and are more robust than most.  |
| casper79 |
Posted - 21/03/2011 : 18:07:59
So the rub is the way to go, all I need now is to know is the rub any old plastic box bought from any old super market or pound shop or is there something particular that I should be looking for when choosing |
| nok1888 |
Posted - 21/03/2011 : 14:23:42
3' viv is too big for a baby m8 probably the RUB is the best way to go or if you go straight to a 3' section it off to a foot then go bigger as the snake grows |
| casper79 |
Posted - 21/03/2011 : 14:14:39
So I could put a baby royal in a 3'x2'x2' viv with a heater and a whole lot of plants for cover and hides |
| Lotabob |
Posted - 20/03/2011 : 21:43:24
Oh poo, sorry I meant to say about the heat mat in a viv bit but forgot  I have viv-vision, I cant describe a setup without reverting to viv mode.
I too had real problems setting up a RUB, I eventually got fed up with it and put the mat inside the RUB and the RUB on top of my vivariums and then the temps started to behave. I wouldn't reccommend the heat mat inside for a royal though (mine is for a tiny baby Boa so is OK, as it would be for corn snakes too).
Vivariums are more expensive to buy and setup but I prefer them in every way possible.
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| n/a |
Posted - 20/03/2011 : 21:25:42
Yes - a heatmat is only potentially dangerous if in a viv where the snake comes into direct contact with it - a heatmat, placed under a rub, is fine because there is an air gap.
Some people say, place the stat probe beneath the rub - well, I've been setting up a temporary rub for my new corn today, and I couldn't get the damn thing warm enough! I had to make a hole for the probe to go inside.
(I daresay this depends on your room's ambient temp, mind you. The rub I'm setting up is in the back bedroom where I'd need central heating in the winter - may still do, even for a corn, though the weather here is mild at present. Any diffculties and I can move the rub to the top of a viv in a warmer room - this is the trouble with rubs! So, yes, personally I'd place the stat probe inside the rub - especially for a royal who needs higher temps.)
Hope this helps. |
| casper79 |
Posted - 20/03/2011 : 20:50:04
So a rub of the same size as the large flat faunarium would work on top of a heat mat and then just make holes from inside to out for ventilation and the thermostat |
| Lotabob |
Posted - 20/03/2011 : 20:38:14
Yeah the first thing you need to work out before deciding on what type of enclosure to use is how hot (or cold) is the room you want to keep it in. To use a faun you will need a room that is 25-27 degrees with about 50% humidity, similar applies to RUBs although they hold humidity and heat a little bit better than a faun. A vivarium is best for controlling heat and humidity inside the enclosure without having to live in a sweat box. Personally I hate fauns, I have a RUB for a Boa that has the same requirements of a Royal and it only works because its sat on top of my Royal's vivarium, and the heat lost out the top heats up the ambient air temperature inside the RUB.
Apart from that you've pretty much got it all covered, though I had the exo terra bowls and they look great but are a pig to keep clean, they get slimey even though I washed them daily and get a ring of scale around the waterline too, I now use plastic rabbit bowls and they are so much better and easier.
Heat mats are OK when they are hatchlings but very quickly they become too big for heat mats and their heft can cause thermal blocking (basically the heat has nowhere to go so it burns the snake), I use an Infra Red bulb, a dimming stat and a bulb guard, it does two jobs, provides a hot spot and heats the ambient, get the bulb wattage right and you can get a perfect heat gradient.
One last thing, the small exo terra hides are tiny, only really small royal's will fit in one, my Royal who is a 8 month old (although seriously huge) completely fills a medium. |
| n/a |
Posted - 20/03/2011 : 20:02:59
ps a rub does of course need some ventilation - you can melt airholes in the top or sides with a soldering iron or simply a large screwdriver heated in a gas flame - leaves no sharp edges. |
| n/a |
Posted - 20/03/2011 : 20:00:18
Hi, sorry if I overlap with anyone else by the way, before I start -
Hope you get your royal, they are indeed lovely snakes, but faunariums aren't suitable - they have too much ventilation to keep heat in, and they are too exposed, light-wise, for the very privacy-loving royals. A royal's natural habitat is a burrow, and even with numerous hides, a faun is too exposed. A rub (really useful box) is preferable, but only if you can maintain a good ambient heat in the room it's kept in. Otherwise a vivarium, with a guarded and statted bulb, infra-red or ceramic, for heating, is better. Personally I'd still drape a rub with a towel or something, to make it more dim and private.
A heat mat under a rub is fine, and you've got it spot on about the stat and hides and plants for cover - can never have enough hides and plants.
Hope you get your royal soon! |
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