Category: Blog

The substrate is the material that places on the cage floor as a bedding of your ball python. There are a lot of factors that made the best substrate for a ball python.

But not any substrates are safe for python, choosing the wrong can lead the risk of health problems for your ball python, make them constipation, or contain the chemistry that harmful to your snakes. There are some connections between the materials of substrate and ball python health. Due to this, choosing the best substrate for ball python is always a preference matter.

Why do you need a good substrate?

The substrates are bedding in your ball pythons cage. Since your ball pythons are reptile, what appears on their cage floor is very important for them. A substrate will decide the comfortable levels of your pet.

These ball pythons are very docile pets, but they easy to get stressed and upset. Especially if they have health problem when arrived form their natural habitat to the enclosure environment.

To mimic what they have in natural surroundings, which seems to be relatively open and comparatively arid, you should add these things below for them: burrows, mound, hollow logs and branch for climbing.

There are so many options of substrates are available to choosing, but not any substrate is always the best for your pall pythons. Each of them has its own pros and cons. Due to your pall python preference, you will need to try a few times to find out what will be better.

What made the best substrate for your ball python?

It is sure that you will need to clean the cage for your ball pythons. So choosing the substrate that easy to clean and maintain. You have to clean urine or feces that your pet left in the substrate, the material allows you to easily remove the dirty or wet parts will be the good ideals.

Whatever you choose to be a substrate, make sure that they make your ball pythons feel comfortable. The substrates do not abrasive or cause irritation to your python’s skin and eyes.

Maintaining the proper water temperature in your aquarium can be a decisive factor for the success of the tank. Any sudden change of temperature can cause catastrophic consequences for the fish and the plant life inside. This is why you should get the best fish tank thermometer to help manage and monitor the temperature.

In order to help you purchase on the right and accurate thermometer, this post will introduce the two best aquarium thermometers: RISEPRO Digital Water Thermometer vs JW Pet Company Smarttemp Thermometer. 

#1 Easy to use and install

The only job of the thermometer is to measure water temperature; therefore you will not want any complicated setup. It is better to get something that just needs to be placed into the tank, set the safe temperature zone and working smoothly.

JW Pet SmartTemp is an in-tank thermometer but it is extremely easy to install. Unlike the other thermometer that uses a suction cup to attach on the tank, this thermometer of JW Pet offers a magnet to stick to the walls of the tank.

The smart temp thermometer is placed inside the tank, and the magnet goes on outside.  Due to this, you can easily change the placement of this thermometer. Besides, it does not use the suction cup that means it is easy to clean the tank.

Risepro aquarium thermometer is the digital thermometer that includes two parts: a display and a sensor probe. It is very easy to set up and mount in minutes. You just need to simply mount the main display outside the tank. Then place the sensor probe inside underwater. These two parts use the suction cups for mounting.

#2 Temperature range and accuracy

The temperature shown on the thermometer is important. Generally, most fish will live well in the temperature range from 50 degrees F (10 degrees C) to 104 degrees F (40 degrees C), but there are also some special fish that require temperature range out of this zone.

The temperature range of SmartTemp lies between 0-40 degrees C (30-100 degrees F). This is the common range for fish but a few tropical fish will require higher temperature levels.

Risepro thermometer can measure the larger temperature range form -58.0 to 158.0 degrees Fahrenheit (-50.0 to 70.0 degrees Celsius).

Digital aquarium thermometers with LCD display tend to have more accurate reading results than other types of thermometer. There is maybe a difference in temperature (about +/- 2-3 degrees F) from SmartTemp temperature. Means while Rispero temperature will bring the accuracy of +/- 1 degree C.

Whether it is the first time you hatching eggs or you’ve been doing it for years, there are many things you have to pay attention to such as temperature, turning eggs, ventilation, etc.

It is where the best incubator for chicken eggs comes to handle. The automatic incubator is a device that will provide the proper environment to ensure the health of chicken eggs that are yet to be hatched. Moreover, an incubator will shorten much the hatching time compared to manual incubation methods.

In this post, we help you to choose the most suitable incubator for your needs by introducing you to two common incubators: Brinsea Products Mini II Advance automatic vs Best Choice Products 96 Digital Incubator.

#1 Capacity

The first thing you have to do before choosing an incubator is to determine how many eggs that you plant to hatch at once time. It is will decide the incubator with suitable capacity.

This will help you avoid choosing a larger device than your needs and wasting your money since the capacity of incubators can range from a few eggs to thousands of eggs.

Brinsea Mini II is an ideal incubator for small space. It can be able to hold 7 chicken eggs that will suitable for home use. However, since it can handle only 7 eggs at once time, so if you want to incubate more eggs, you will have to wait for the next time.

The best choice product incubator can hold for an impressive number of eggs. It comes with 12 trays that each holds 8 eggs. It can handle up to 96 chicken eggs. It is ideal for who want to hatch more eggs than just chicken eggs for the farm. This product even can hatch larger eggs of turkey, duck and goose.

#2 Adjustable temperature

Temperature is the most important aspect that will directly determine successful hatching. You will have many works to do if you choose an incubator that does not allow you to adjust the temperature.

Brinsea Mini II includes a fully digital control panel that allows users easy to adjust the proper temperature for hatching incubators. The display of this model show and count down to the day that the chicks plant to hatch.

The best choice product incubator offers the LED display, which shows the current temperature as well as humidity. It will also let you know the tentative hatch day.

However, the drawback is that these two incubators do not feature the alert system, which will warn if the temperature exceeds the allowed level.

#3 Egg turner

In the hatching process, eggs require to be turned for at least 3 times per day. If the incubator does not come with the egg turner, you will have o manually turn the eggs and this work can be a bit inconvenient.

Luckily, these two incubators include the automatic egg turner. You can rest your mind that your eggs are going to be in optimum health when they hatch.

Although rabbits are surprisingly well adapted to cold temperatures, but if the temperatures down to below 20 degrees F, you will need to take some precautions to keep your rabbit warm and stay healthy in their hutch at these temperatures.

At first, you have to get the best outdoor rabbit hutch, and then follow this post to know some tips to make sure your rabbits are kept warm over winter.

#1 Choosing outdoor rabbit hutch

It is netter to get the outdoor insulated hutch. The rabbit hutch must be waterproof and should have a solid roof with a slight overhang to keep rain and snow out of the hutch.

If your hutch has the wire mesh windows, it is better to choose the one that comes with the removable panel to cover the wire mesh windows, which help reduce drafts and keep the hutch dry. Or you will need to construct the windbreaks. Avoid sealing up the hutch entirely; it can lead to the lack of ventilation

#2 Using a heat pad

You should provide a heated pad for your rabbit and place inside the sleeping area in their hutch, which may increase the ambient temperature in the hutch as well. However, make sure your rabbit has plenty of space to get off the pad easily if the heat pad becomes too hot.

Your rabbits might chew their heat pad, so make sure that it is made of hard plastic. The pads comes with a fleece cover, offer the comfortable platform for your pets.

#3 Using bedding

Do not skip this work. A think layer of newspaper will help retain the heat. Straw is warmer than hay, so you can place a layer of dry straw above newspaper. Or you can mix straw with hay to use as bedding and litter for rabbit then your rabbits will have hay to eat at all times. Using bedding also allow rabbits can dig in and burry themselves.

#4 Cover up

During the winter, you should keep your pets far away from cold wind, rain & snow by using the tarpaulin and cardboard to cover up the hutch. Place tarpaulin cover the top of the hutch will make it water proof. And then use cardboard to cover the wall inside the hutch to against draft. You can stuff the bubble wrap in any small holes in your hutch will also help to keep draft out.