Cuddles!

[acovert]

If I ever find a girlfriend for Cuddles maybe there will be speckled babies xD
I'm not planning on keeping ALL of the babies (if there ever are any).

OHBYTHEWAY
I may be getting a job. I have two interviews (probably three) coming up this week and that's the part I tend to be good at. As soon as I start making money and I begin paying off my Walmart card (<_< never should have let my mother talk me into getting that thing) and I can take over my Sallie Mae bill, Cuddles is getting spoiled.

On another note, I noticed a few times that I occasionally get moths in my room. They're small, but I don't think they can find their way into the tank...but, still, can they be harmful to Cuddles in any way? They might be getting in through the window. I'm not sure. I'm certain he won't eat them, so that shouldn't be a problem.

[EasternGirl]

Congrats on the possible job! Don't get a girlfriend for cuddles unless you thoroughly understand all of the demands of breeding. Breeding is tough...taking care of babies is tough and demanding. If you decide to get another snake...best to get another male. . I wouldn't want to take care of baby snakes...if Cee Cee is gravid...I will have my work cut out for me. This is why I am getting a female roomie for her and a male roomie for Seeley as soon as possible! Moths in your rooms shouldn't be a problem as long as they can't get into the tank. You don't want insects to be able to get into the tank because they can actually hurt the snake...they can bite the snake. As long as the tank is secure, they shouldn't be able to get in...just check for any places you think they could. I found a tank lid online that fits on tanks to make them secure...it has plastic sides that snap down over the top and lock down. I bought it for my tank that I am going to use for the new albino baby that is coming. I haven't tried it yet...as soon as I try it I will let you know if it works. They have it in different sizes. The size I bought was $25...but if you get a job and you still need a better lid...it's an option anyway.

[acovert]

Even if I did get a girlfriend for him, they wouldn't be together until I was ready for them to breed. They'd be in separate tanks until I knew more about what I was doing. But I have the energy to put the work into it, and I've been learning.
Eventually I'll be maintaining two rather large tanks in my room, for two snakes. It's my room so mom can't say no to me anymore
But I understand breeding is difficult and demanding. That's why I've been learning. By the time I can afford what I need, I'll have learned a lot.

I've only seen a couple moths here and there, and i killed them when I saw them. They seem to completely ignore the tank so far. I figure they're just occasionally getting in through some kind of gap in the screen on my window.

Poor Cuddles' tank got too warm last night. Someone turned our heat up too high and it was ridiculously warm in the house. I ended up taking him out of the tank while it cooled down a bit for him. Even with his lamp off, it was over 80 degrees throughout the whole tank. Then, today, I came home from church to find that they had blocked my room off with my new mattress. There had been strangers in my room moving the old mattress out and the new one in. I think it upset Cuddles because he totally freaked out when I lifted the main hide to check on him. I was angry that they had moved things into the room so that I couldn't even access it to check on it when I got home. I was worried they may have hit the tank with the mattresses. Now he's out and about and seems happy. He's been spending a lot of time on the warm side of the tank lately.

[EasternGirl]

Garters are pretty tough...as long as he doesn't have to stay in temps like that for an extended period of time...or as long as it's not like 95 in the tank...he should be okay. See if you can talk to your family about not moving stuff around in your room..or try to tell them it's important to stay away from his tank and not mess with it. My family knows not to go anywhere near my snake tanks or face my wrath. I'm glad he's okay. My snakes go through periods where they want to spend lots of time on the warm side or lots of time on the cool side. If he is spending all of his time on the warm side though, it may be a sign that it is not warm enough for him in the tank. If I see my snakes spending all of their time on the warm side...I increase temps. If I see them spending all of their time on the cool side or hanging out in the water dish a lot, I lower temps.

[acovert]

The temp was getting up towards ninety degrees. Our heating system is slightly difficult. If you turn it up an extra notch or two then it gets extremely hot throughout the house. I think the heating system is old. This house was built in the '50s or '60s, so some things are a bit outdated. Right now he's been spending 75% of his time in the warm side of the tank, but the temperature hasn't been down much lately. The gauge has had the same general temperature reading for a month now. It only deviates at night. He was in the cool side this morning when I was finally able to get back to my room. That's where the main hide is.

My family knows not to touch the tank, and typically they're not even allowed in the room without explicit permission. Today, though, my stepfather stayed home from church because the new mattresses were coming. Someone had to be here to show the people bringing them where to put them. I couldn't tell him not to go into the room because they were supposed to lay the new mattress down on my bed frame. Instead, they just blocked my doorway with them.

[ConcinusMan]

90 seems a bit excessive for a northwestern. Be careful. Not much warmer can be fatal. They really only need 78-82 on the warm side to thrive.

[acovert]

I never let it get much above 80 degrees. That's why I brought him out that night - I didn't want him getting too warm. Usually our heat doesn't get turned up that high, but I think my stepfather may have turned it up because he's been sick. Right now the temperature on the warm side is a stable 80 degrees. I keep an eye on it all day.

[katach]

Breeding NWs can be a very long process. Also the babies are very tricky to raise. Be sure you are very ready.

[kibakiba]

Kat and I know the troubles of breeding these little suckers... They are such a pain, with their pickiness and unwillingness to cooperate!
(off topic sort of, but Kat, Snakey ate... so no need to rush into coming here.. He's taking pinkies like they're going out of fashion )

[katach]

That's good. I'll call you soon to figure out when.