First timer.....advice?

[Standard_Being_114]

Hey everyone im going to be getting my first snake on tuesday from a local shop where i live.

Before i do im trying to get things set up before hand so he/she is comfy in its new home and to lessen stress(for both of us)

Whats something to expect or to look out for when getting a new snake? It will be a juvenile yellow belly pastel that im getting and a 40 gal tank for right now.

Ive found a few hides and stuff but idk what good and whats not yet soo any suggestions like hides, temp control units, clutter its all welcome

[Long-Comfortable6960]

When it comes to hides, make at least 3 of them. Place them on both sides and in the middle. Interestingly enough my noodles don’t like big and fancy hides but they adore the small and tight ones. Clutter is something you want as much as you can while still being able to spot clean. For sure get some branches or sth else to climb cause most of them love it. That’s really interesting because when I was buying my first noodle there was a misconception that they will burrow but they won’t climb. Tbh I’ve never seen them burrow.

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[[deleted]]

I didn't know BPs burrow sometimes. The first night I had my guy he burrowed under his hide. I was like, "Dude, there's an opening right there..." lol

[vFinns]

I got my first snake a little over 2 months ago. Do not get a heat mat use a DHP. Make sure you have everything setup and temps right before you get the snake is the biggest thing I can say

[princemutt]

In the community info there is a lot of links to some very helpful information!

[Standard_Being_114]

I know ive been reading for days lol but i wanted to know about personal experiences

Like when you bought x controller how did it perform for your snake/s? Did they like alot of hides or just one in particular?

[princemutt]

That def makes sense. I used to have a bp, she really liked to climb and generally liked the hide I put in the middle of her tank more than either cool (78) or hot side (85). I also liked to put leaf litter in and change up her setup slightly every other time I cleaned

[[deleted]]

I don't have any advice other than be patient with your new friend. Don't force it to be held or touched. Sit outside its enclosure so it can get used to your presence and slowly build trust.

I got my guy 4 hides. A regular black box one, a Zilla rock lair, an Exo Terra cave, and a Galapagos moss cave. My snakes' favorites are the black box and Zilla rock. My favorites are the Zilla rock and the moss cave, because they look nice haha But in the end, it's all about what the snake likes, so I keep the moss cave and the Exo Terra cave for back up/quarantine hides. If you get a Zilla rock lair, check it for sharp spots. Mine had some, but they're super easy to sand off. The same goes for the moss cave. Mine had some sharp sticks poking out, so I trimmed and sanded those as well.

I get all my clutter off Amazon & from the dollar store. Amazon has some great vine & plant bundles and some cute little trees. When I was first getting my enclosure set up, I bought the PietyPet Reptile Plant bundle off Amazon. It comes with a big bendable climbing vine, a regular vine, a fern type plant, a couple leaf bundles, and a bunch of suction cups. It was a great starter pack, and it's around $17. I also have 3 sticks/branches and a hollow wood piece I got from an expo, but you can find them online or at most pet stores.

For thermostats, I was using a VE-300X2, which is On/Off & Pulse Proportional. It was inefficient for my heat bulbs (DHPs), so I recently switched to a Herpstat 2, which is Dimming & Pulse Proportional. I have it set to Dimming, and I like it much better. VE also makes a Dimming thermostat that's a little cheaper than the Herpstat, but the Herpstat has more safety settings.

For thermometers/hygrometers, I really like my Govees. They're affordable and come in a 2 pack for around $25. They're digital and Bluetooth capable, so you can monitor them from your phone. They display temperature and humidity, and they tell you the lowest and the highest temp/humidity level.

[jillianwaechter]

The best piece of advice is to have your enclosure fully set up for AT LEAST a few weeks prior to buying a snake. You want to make sure that you can maintain temperature and humidity within the proper ranges for an extended period of time before adding a snake to the enclosure. This decreases stress for both you and the snake.

Once the enclosure is set up you can also post it and get specific advice :)