TerralogNEWS101
17
Got it! A captive-bred juvenile Bamboo
Ratsnake with its first self-caught baby
mouse.
Lecikon
BambooRatsnake
Oreocryptophis:Greekmeaning
“secret-livingmountain snake”.
porphyraceus:LatinizedGreek
meaning“resemblingporphyry”,a
typeof red stone.
laticinctus:Latinmeaning“with
broadbands”.
hisJBLmetalhalide lampconstitutesa
new generation of lighting that
actually replaces threepiecesof equipment.
Its full sunlight-likespectrum includesahigh
component of UV-A and -B as well as heat
radiation.
Unlikededicatedheat lamps, itprovides the
visible light associated with sunbathing in
thewild and hencewill be actively sought
outby the livestock.
The new JBL L-U-W lamp comes in two
models: the JBL ReptilJungle L-U-W, whose
rating of 4000°K is designed for rainforest
animals with a somewhat lower UV
requirement,andtheJBLReptilDesertL-U-W,
whose ratingof 6000°K is intended for sun-
hungry desert-dwellers. Both models are
availableat35and70watts.
T
The new L-U-W lamp from JBL provides the terrarium enthusiast with
threeproducts inone: light,UV,andheat!
LUWvon JBL:
Thenew sun for the terrarium
by JBL
Technik
Theentireproduct range for thenewL-U-W lamp from JBL.
Special ballast units, cables, and high-
temperature fittingsarenecessary formetal-
halide lamps, as they work with extremely
high initial voltage as well as high
temperatures.There arenewproducts from
JBL here as well: the JBL TempSet L-U-W is
available in 35- and 70-watt models. As an
interesting aside: the fittings of the JBL
TempSet L-U-W are actually manufactured
frommaterial used in the American Space
Shuttle and proven to tolerate high
temperatures!
Themiddleegg is just hatching.
take mice. If several specimens are kept
together–which is feasible,as theyarenot
cannibalistic– it is agood idea to separate
them at feeding time; on the one hand so
that several snakes don’t fall upon the
samemouse,andon theotherbecause it is
generally beneficial if they regard their
terrarium as mating and living habitat
rather than feeding territory. Moreover
their owner canbe farmore relaxedabout
handling thesegreedy snakes if theydon’t
all immediately leap into actionwhen the
cover is opened. Unfortunately these
gorgeously colored snakes are very prone
tohide, so their home shouldbe arranged
toallow them todo so,whileensuring that
the hiding-places canbe easilymonitored
at any time.
Bamboo Ratsnakes produce eggs once a
year in summer, after a cool phase (at
around 15 – 20 °C) in winter. The eggs
hatch after around 60 days at 26 °C. The
newly-hatched young are around 25 cm
long and in my experience will feed on
babymicewithoutproblem right from the
start, so rearing them presents no
difficulties.
