u/poopcocky

i have a brooks king at least a few years old (got her from someone rehoming) and have had her since november or december? she’s in a 4x2x2, few inches of reptisoil/bark mixture, multiple hides, climbing stuff etc. gets misted here and there. trying to get a more accurate reading on temps but the temp gun just died ofc! but i think her basking spot is around 87, cool side is like somewhere around 70 and warm side is around 80.

ANYWAY. she just had a meal last night (she gets 1 small rat), bf just took out her bowl to clean bc she shit in it the other day i guess, and when he went to put it back in with just a few drops of water she started drinking like crazy. he refilled the bowl, and she kept drinking probably for a good 10 min? but in that period she like regurged the water twice? could she be drinking too much too fast? is it that she was laying at a weird angle ? it was so worrying, i’ve never seen that before. otherwise she’s a very active and friendly snake. i don’t think she’s had any health issues as far as i’m aware (she was severely neglected in her first home, not the person i got her from).

i know the temps are a little low we’ve been struggling with keeping such a large tank warm enough so any tips are appreciated!! using a 100w arcadia halogen AND a ceramic heat emitter at the same time. (unrelated to heat but she also has a 24in t5 10.0 UVB).

all day today my LR4 has been saying position fault and i keep having to reset it to get it to cycle. i don’t know what’s going on and im so scared i broke it somehow moving it today 😭 all i did was push it a little out of the way while i was cleaning and i think its been doing this since that? (or since refilling it with more litter in the globe and hopper).

what can i do to fix this???

so i work at petsmart 😬 and while i always try to keep bonded pairs together (i.e. rats, guinea pigs, gerbils, and mice if a female store) sometimes coworkers who aren’t….as educated…. will separate them and sell a single one to a customer. this happened recently with a gerbil, which might i add literally never happens with them so i was so sad. we carry males at my store and from my experience, introducing, or even REintroducing males has proven to be extremely difficult and i know like, once blood has shed, you’re kind of shit out of luck. he was super depressed at first after his brother was sold and i took it upon myself to socialize with him, give him extra lovins, toys, treats, etc. i’m thinking about adopting him as i have an extra bucatstate, 12in wheel, lots of cute hides, etc . i’m just wondering, should i adopt another for him, or even a pair for him eventually (since it’s hard to find a single and i’m not gonna be the one to separate a pair lol) or can he live on his own? he’s doing really well with me socializing and stuff. he’s very sweet. but i just wanna do what’s best and safest for him!

also! i’m more experienced with hamsters and all about their diet, can someone help me with what would be the best diet mixture for gerbils? it would be super appreciated :)

edit to add: just wanna say i would not mind taking on another, or two more if that’s what would be best for him! but if there is hope of introductions it might even make it a little easier to find a good home for him through a customer with other gerbils already.