| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| n/a |
Posted - 06/01/2011 : 17:24:41
I realise I won't be having to think about this for another year or so, but I can't seem to find much info about the housing of neonate royals.
I've seen the sticky about the homemade incubator (very good - got my polybox and other gear already) and I've learned some basic info about hatching, shedding, feeding and housing, but beyond that I haven't found out very much.
They will all be in small separate rubs, right, and in a rub rack their rubs would be sitting on a heat strip, but what thermal gradient, if any, is it desirable to provide in a small rub?
I haven't the facilities or space to provide the correct ambient temps for a special room for a rub rack. My new year's project is the big viv stack in the upstairs south-facing room, and I'm now thinking:
If I create the desired ambient temp in a spare viv, or three, and place the neonates' rubs in the right place in the vivs, and have this all up and running before the eggs are even hatched, and observe correct humidity etc., would this be a feasible way in which to rear the young? They would then move into bigger rubs within the vivs and, if they stay with me, eventually their own individual viv.
I realise I may have made some glaring mistakes and omissions here - but suggestions and corrections welcome! |
| 12 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| anatess |
Posted - 11/05/2011 : 08:10:11
The damp paper towel (or kitchen roll for you Brits!) is necessary to keep the umbilical cord moist until it falls off. If the umbilical gets dry, it could strip the skin off the royal which causes bleeding.
After the umbilical cord comes off, you don't need the damp kitchen roll anymore. |
| n/a |
Posted - 10/01/2011 : 14:10:41
Ah well, this is just what I can't do in this house, provide a specially heated room for a rub rack. I plan to get my viv stack up and running in the next few months, and space won't be a problem as I'll have spare vivs. I think I will adapt heat mats in the vivs, ie place the newborns' rubs part-way on the mats, or, if that isn't suitable, I'll get heat strips. Thanks, Bob.
ps Edit - naturally the heat mat/strip decision will be made well before any babies take up residence. |
| Royalbob |
Posted - 10/01/2011 : 00:58:13
Hello fellow crime fighter lol. Thing is say for instance you have a big clutch of 6 or 8 eggs then it's gonna be very space consuming to fit these in vivs. Also you still need to create a thermal gradient in each rub. The easiest way of doing this is to keep them in a room heated to the correct ambient temperature then use the heat strip to provide the hot spot and thermal gradient. This is the same way a normal racking system should work. |
| n/a |
Posted - 09/01/2011 : 13:27:29
LOL, Kel, I like it!
Thanks Bob - I knew about the paper towel substrate (because where they've been connected to the egg is still vulnerable, like a mammal's umbilical cord, right?) But didn't know about keeping it damp. Yesterday I saw some hatchlings on Youtube and they were lying on soggy kitchen roll, and I thought maybe he was giving them a post-egg bath.
Actually there's one point I've forgotten too. When I first started this thread, I had the idea of setting spare vivs up with infra-red, and putting 2 or 3 rubs in each (making sure the temp was just right in each rub naturally - I have a temp gun, though you have to be quick with these blighters as obviously temps change the minute you open viv or rub!) Then you mentioned a heat strip, so I thought I'd adapt heat mats instead of infra-red.
But, would it be possible to use infra-red heating, or is it better for the newborns to have bottom heat? |
| Kelfezond |
Posted - 09/01/2011 : 13:10:24
This was really informative. Thanks bob and bats. ..... Bob and bats sounds good you two should fight crime together or something.
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| Royalbob |
Posted - 09/01/2011 : 11:22:31
Hi Lilith, sorry i was just reading through and noticed i'd forgotten something. Once all of the hatchlings have come all the way out of their eggs on their own and you have cleaned them. You must use a paper towel substrate and keep it slightly damp until the snake has shed. After shedding leave for 4 days and offer food. Then the set up is as per normal. |
| n/a |
Posted - 06/01/2011 : 23:18:10
Cheers Bob, and Hodgie too - been very useful! |
| Royalbob |
Posted - 06/01/2011 : 22:49:57
yep mine are in rubs. Place rub directly on heat strip and stat probe directly on heat strip as well. thermometer goes in rub to measure surface at hot hide. 90-91F i use a pulse stat on my mats incredibly accurate.
Ambient maintained at 80F during day and naturally drops to about 77 at night. |
| n/a |
Posted - 06/01/2011 : 22:40:47
Ah, cheers Bob, so a heat mat/s under rubs, right. And I've been watching a clip on youtube about washing them - I'd never seen that before - to my mind the guy was too rough, but, yes, a gentle 'swim'.
Glad I've started researching a year in advance - there's a lot to learn. Thanks! |
| Royalbob |
Posted - 06/01/2011 : 22:25:05
Hiya bats, think this is what your after. Not my work. but in re; to temp and gradient it's exactly the same as if you were bringing a youngster home. heat mat covering 1/3 to max 1/2 the rub to create that 90 - 80F gradient. my mate who's bred for a few years doesn't let the cold side/ ambient temp drop below 82 day or night.
After the babies have come out of their egg, the first thing is to clean them off from any excess medium stuck to their bodies. You can use your ink or ae et them
s plastic tub, we basically slightly fill it with warm water (maksure you don’t fill it to high, you don’t want your baby to drown!) and l sort of swim off the excess substrate. Once they are cleaned off, we weigh them, and then they are ready to go into their tub! We have found that 6 qt tubs work best for babies. If you go much larger, they can tend to stress fairly easily and will refuse food. We set them up with a paper towel substrate, small water dish, and a hide if we feel needed. Before they eat their first meal, they will need to go through their first shed, which usually occurs within the first couple weeks out of the egg. We typically start our offspring on hopper mice or fuzzy rats. We have found it’s best to offer their first couple meals live, it seems to kick on their feeding response a little better, after a few meals, they typically switch over to frozen foods. Although, there is nothing wrong with a baby that starts on frozen food items, we have had a few that have done that, and they still eat just like all of the others. |
| n/a |
Posted - 06/01/2011 : 21:18:47
Cheers, Hodgie!
So what temps should I keep the little ones' rubs at? |
| hodgie |
Posted - 06/01/2011 : 21:15:44
I would say your spot on as this is what you`ll see in rep shops, its what i have in mind as well. |
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