u/KatVanWall

I'm so excited but also so, so nervous! I hardly slept last night because I was obsessively checking the temperatures! I haven't had a pet since gerbils when I was a child, and I'm now 46 LOL. My 9-year-old will also be helping me look after our new addition, a one-year-old male pastel royal python (not disclosing his name here for privacy).

We are in the UK, so temps are in C! The cool side is touch on the cool side (no pun intended) for my liking, but the shop I got everything from are lovely and super helpful. I've already registered him with a vet too, located just round the corner from the reptile store. He ate his usual small rat on Monday :-) Substrate is a mix of coconut coir, orchid bark and a bit of moss, with hides packed with moss and/or substrate too so he feel safe.

I've read up on all the guides here and feel well informed but I am still bricking it as it's such a big responsibility! I have the Microclimate Evo Connect thermostat for heating and lighting control with a Govee thermo-hygrometer to keep an eye on the cool side. I could move the water bowl more onto the cooler side as well. I went all out to get the very best viv and equipment for him because I want him to have a long and happy life with us!

I also plan to enquire about ways to make sure the sliding glass doors stay shut and we don't get an escapee! (They are quite hard even for me to open, but belt and braces!) The thermostat probe is very securely zip tied (all edges filed smooth).

My boy came home with me today!

Picking up my first ever snake tomorrow!