first snake behaviour

[shad0w_faerie]

hi there

im a newbie and just got my first snake (a childrens python) yesterday. She is about 30cm and has a perfect feeding history but like a concerned Mum i just wanted to ask your opinions on a few things
obviously its her first night so she is a little cautious, curious but cautious. i have a 2" tank and the breeder told me she would be fine to go straight in there. She is very snappy and at the moment seems to be desparately finding a way to escape (she keeps moving her head towards the glass as if trying to get out), she spent the night curled into the small space between the mesh top of the tank and the tank itself (very hard to coax her down and not get burnt!!!)
.... im just wondering if this is perfectly normal exploring behaviour?
or is the tank perhaps to big an environment for her right now (stretched out she is about half the length of the tank, but still quite thin and worm-like!! my partner just said she has been sitting on the ledge near the sliding doors and looks like she could wriggle out)
she last shed on the 12/1 (4 days ago) could her agitation be part of that?

reading back this seems so silly but thought id ask the opinion of people who have done it before.

also, any tips on handling a very fiesty little snake would be great!! she lunges in for a nip the frist chance she gets!!!!!

thanks!

[junglist*]

She Will Not Ever Be Able To Really Hurt You So Let Her Do It And Get The Fear And Shock Factors Out Of The Way.

[pavlova]

How many hides do you have in the enclosure, some ppl will say that it is too big for a little snake others will tell you that you just need plenty of hides.
we put our new spotted a while ago into a 2ft enclosure with plenty of hides and he's perfectly fine, most hatchies are snappy just regular handling will calm them down but make sure that you leave it alone for a couple of weeks to settle in.
hope this helps
Pav

[shad0w_faerie]

she has a branch type thing below the heat lamp which she loves, and a semi circular hide in the cooler area of her tank, we are intending to put a rock in there for her too... she hasnt seemed interested in her hide whatsoever so perhaps another one in the heated area??

thanks!

[serpenttongue]

I think she's probably feeling very insecure in a tank. I would put her into a small container and place that either in the tank or on a heat mat (half the container on the heat mat). Many snakes can be put straight into larger enclosures but you'll find they settle down quicker when kept in containers.

Also be aware that such a small snake can squeeze itself through very tiny gaps to escape and also make sure any globes or fluro tubes are covered by wire cages to avoid burns or possibly death.

Over time she will become less aggressive as she settles in, but for now i would hook her out with a small hook (wire coathanger style) and place her onto your hand, allowing her to move around your fingers freely. Dont reach in and pinch at her body to try and lift her out as they're quite delicate as babies.

[Matty01]

simple put it in a click clack, they can stay there till yearlings, you say you cant get her to move because you will burn yourself? then how is the snake staying there if its that hot? woudnt the snake get burnt also? make sure you have very snug fitting light covers, to many people have there snakes squeeze in there cant get out then get cooked. for the sake of $30, your snake and your happiness, get it out of there asap, and put it in a click clack.
cheers Matt

[shad0w_faerie]

oh no no sorry i didnt mean I would get burnt, the temps are fine - we have sorted that. And yes we just took her out and put back in her box that our breeder gave her to us in, we are going to buy her another heat mat appropriate to the size of the click clack and work from there....for now she is in the box which is inside the tank until we get her set up.

*phew* poor little thing

[Matty01]

you only place your click clack half on the heat pad, leave the other half of the heat pad to create a cool end, that way you have a heat gradiant and your beast can move to the cool end when warmed up, use paper towel in your click clack as substrate and a toilet roll cut leght wise to produce to flat u shaped hides for it, some people will squeel and carry on like pork chops over click clacks, good luck to them, like i say any Antaresia sp, can live very happily in a click clack for a minimum of 12 months, juvi snakes prefer smaller enclosures to larger ones and will become very scared/intimidated if placed in a huge tank. dont hesitate to PM for info if you need it.
cheers Matt

[rodentrancher]

Yes definately get one of those very small click clack tubs, sit half on heat mat, and plenty of toilet rolls for hides. You can still put a tiny branch in that will serve as a climbing limb. Our hatchling MD's survived in little click clacks for approx 6 mths - We put the click clack sitting on 1/2 a heatmat, in a small aquarium. Just be careful that the snake cannot get out around the lid. We glued thin foam pieces around the gaps inside the lids. But there are other click clacks that don't have the gaps. Just have a look around the cheap shops and supermarkets. Cheers Cheryl

[shad0w_faerie]

thanks very much guys!!! im off to sort it all out now and will let you know how she goes.
i really appreciate all your help!

[brucey]

childrens pythons dont hurt when they bite so just let her bite u, just dont pull away or shell think shes in charge, if u just let it bight u it will realise that its not doing anything.

with the enclosure i have never put my new snakes in a click clack, i put them straight in the big enclosure and never had a problem with it, i dont know what all that fuss is about them getting stressed

[Matty01]

dont skimp out by buying a cheap plastic container from a $2 shop, it will end in tears when your snake finds a gap a escapes, get a CLICK CLACK cost $27.50 from ultimate reptiles or animal attraction these are escape proof just drill some small neat holes in the lid, get a $2 container to save money then spend another $150/$200 for a new snake to replace your escaped one doesnt add up does it? get a click click then your set and can rest assured that your beast will be there next time you go to check on it.
cheers Matt

[croc_hunter_penny]

I don't understand why they would be intimidated in a large tank... snakes manage to survive in the wild don't they?

[Matty01]

yes they do survive in the wild, but only a very small percentage make it though dont they, how many times have you seen a newborn snake "in the wild"? newborn/juvie snakes find a small secure plce in the wild and remain well concealed for there safety, they dont go roaming around over large areas, besides ask any "breeder" of reptiles what to keep a juvie in and i gaurantee they will all say the same thing GET A CLICK CLACK.
cheers Matt

[Chris1]

i put Loki straight in his 4x1.5x2 foot enclosure when i got his @ 2 months old (hes a bredls)

i filled it with thick slate, stacking it to make heaps of caves and stuff, a hollow log and put a fat stick along the back on those wooded curtain rod holders, and vines fro him to hide in and he was snappy, hard to locate, but didnt get stressed and have feeding issues.

be careful u make sure the doors are FULLY closed though, i accidentally left his open a tiny crack the first night and he escaped, i was lucky to find him the next night as he was making his way down the back of my tallboy thing. (thats after taking the day off work to tear my place apart in the hope of putting my hand in the wrong place and getting bitten,...!!)