Mutation Creation FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions)
These are some frequently asked questions about how we provide care for our animals. For information regarding shipping and payment terms, or information about caring for individual species, please see our Shipping & Terms page and our Care Sheets.
How do you house your animals?
We house all of our snakes in Reptile Systems from ARS Caging and Freedom Breeder.
Here are model numbers for the tubs we use and the tub dimensions:
Ball Pythons
BREEDER FEMALES:
Large Adults: Freedom Breeder FB70 tubs (33.5 x 17.5 x 5.3 inches high)
Small Adults: Freedom Breeder FB40 tubs (33.5 x 13 x 5.3 inches high)
BREEDER MALES:
Large Adults: Freedom Breeder FB20 tubs (21.5 x 15.5 x 5 inches high)
Small Adults: Freedom Breeder FB10 tubs (21.5 x 9.25 x 3.5 inches high)
HOLDBACK ANIMALS
Hatchlings & Juveniles: ARS 10-Series tubs (21.25 x 9.063 x 3.5 inches high)
Each tub also contains a cup holder where we use appropriate sized deli cups to hold water.
How/what do you feed your animals?
Most of our animals are fed live rats on a bi-weekly basis. We always ensure that the prey item is appropriately-sized, meaning that the rat is no bigger than the girth of the snake or just slightly larger.
At what temperature and humidity do you keep your enclosures, and what temperature is the overall room?
All of our tubs have belly heat, and we set our Herpstat SpyderWeb 2 controllers to create a hot spot of about 90-92°F at the rear of the tub. At the front of the tub, we maintain a temperature of approximately 80°to 82°F.
We provide our snakes with this temperature gradient (one cooler end, one warmer end) so that our snakes digest their food properly. Even when lowering temperatures during breeding season, this temperature gradient is key and allowing the female to be able to seek heat or seek a cooler spot.
We recommend not letting the ambient temperature of a snake or reptile room drop below 78°F. Our ambient room temperature is set at 81°F and our room humidity is between 40 and 60%.
Within the tubs, we try and keep the recommended humidity of 50 to 60%. During breeding season some of our temperatures are lowered.
What type of lighting do you use?
We do not use lighting in our racks because snakes are nocturnal, and constant overhead lighting can stress them out as well as dry out the air.
We do have daylight fluorescent bulbs within the room that provides the snakes with 12 hours on and 12 hours of off lighting, and this changes to 10 hours on and 14 hours off during the breeding season.
What type of substrate do you use?
Our hatchlings and holdbacks are placed on premium coconut husk with sizes between 8-16 mm. Our adults are kept on premium coconut husk with sizes between 14-22 mm. We find that it has no odour, is easy to clean, is readily available and is easy to pass if accidentally ingested by the snake. We have used many brands over the years and find Go4Coco the absolute best.
Why is buying from a breeder a better choice?
While some pet stores are very reputable and provide adequate care for their animals, it’s a reality that the animals are only in their care for a short period of time. At pet stores, reptiles are often cared for improperly and are not met with the patience or experience that is required. Believe it or not, animals caught in the wild and shipped overseas are cheaper for pet stores to purchase. In turn, they contribute to the declining populations and these snakes may come with serious health issues, parasites and other problems.
We give our snakes as much attention as they need to grow and thrive, and will only release them from our care if they are in perfect health and are eating properly. When you buy from a breeder, you are buying an animal bred and born in captivity, not taken from the wild.