1. Snake Hooks
Snake hooks are my number one must have. I have hooks in every room where I keep snakes. I have a pretty significant carpet python collection, and having them all hook trained has made a huge difference in keeping everyone calm and collected when I need to access cages for cleaning, water changes, etc. In addition to making handling easier, my hooks double as great bin pullers for snakes in rack systems. When I open a bin with a hook, I don’t have to worry about a food-motivated snake flying out and wrapping my arm. Hooks might not be necessary if you are only keeping smaller colubrids or ball pythons, but for keepers of arboreal and semi-arboreal snakes and larger species pythons/boas, they are a must.
2. UPS back-up
I don’t live in an area that is prone to a lot of big storms that would knock out power for days, but we do have occasional power outages, like most people. To protect my incubator from short term temperature fluctuations due to power loss, I use a UPS back-up. In addition to providing a couple of hours of battery power supply, it has an alarm that goes off the second there is a power loss to the room, so that we can quickly investigate the cause of the outage. It’s proven itself useful several times already in the year or so that I’ve been using it.
3. 18 inch Hemostats
Call me crazy, but I’m not a fan of taking feeding bites. I love using long hemostats when feeding, because they offer much better control than tweezer style tongs and keep my hands far away from the prey.
4. Paper Towels
Paper towels are one of the workhorse items in my snake room. I go through several rolls a week cleaning out snake enclosures and messes in the snake room. I also use paper towels as a substrate for my hatchlings and for animals in quarantine, so I can keep a close eye on them. Empty paper towel rolls are great to toss in with my juvenile carpets and I keep a few along the walls of my snake room to provide an attractive hideout in case of an escape. After the supply issues from this past spring, I keep cases of paper towels on hand to ensure a steady supply.
5. SensorPush Sensors & Gateway
My sensor push system allows for incredibly easy monitoring of temperature and humidity conditions throughout my collection in one handy spot on my phone. The sensors are small, you can easily monitor overall room conditions or individual enclosures, depending on your needs. I also like that you can set alarms for each sensor so that you are immediately notified if conditions deviate from your ideal range. The gateway gives you access to this data when you are out of bluetooth range. When I am out of town for a show weekend, it gives me so much peace-of-mind to be able to remotely monitor my animals from afar thanks to this system.
