Stimsoni advice?

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April451

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I have recently bought a 7 month old Stimsoni. She's about 7 months old and around 33cm. She came from a reptile shop, who have been getting their snakes from the same breeder for ages. She's a very good feeder and very placid! The guy said one pinkie once a week is fine, which is what shed been getting. I changed her feeding day to Sunday, rather than Tuesday, so she rather than a week she had her food after 5 days. And she took the food fine. So now my Mum is telling me to feed her every five days because "shes a baby and shes growing." But i dont want to overfeed her, since Ive also heard young snakes can be piggy. This is my first snake so Im just wondering if i could get some advice from people who actually know what theyre talking about :p. My mum had a bearded dragon.... but they sure are nothing alike!

Also, Ive got a thermostat situated in the centre of the cage at the back, the way i was instructed to set it up, and its set to 26 degrees. The heat source is a ceramic heat lamp at one side of the tank..which is about 80cm long btw! With plenty of little hidey places and things to climb on. I just want to check that's all good simply because i did heaps of research before buying my little bubby but never seemed to get a straight answer -_-. Im sure what the guy tells me is probably right, since theyve got plenty of snakes, but i just wanna make sure im giving my precious little one the very best :p

Any other advice about Stimsons would also be appreciated!
Thankyou kindly xD
 
Hi April and congrats on your first of many.26 C is low for a stimmi,you need to have a temp gradient with the hot end at 31-32,low end around 26,24/7.Feeding 5 to 7 days,I feed my juvies every 7,so depends on your snake with digestion.
 
I cant help you with pythons, I commend you with the information you have given.lots of people don't put in vital information which is really annoying to people trying to help... so good job :)
 
Hey April!
33cm stimmi at 7 months is quite small I think. Are you able to bump the food size up a grade, say to fuzzy mice?
Young babies can be fed every 5 days, and 7 month old ones should be fed once a week. The best way to advise on how often to feed is; if she is still on pinkies, feed every 5 days. If she can handle a fuzzy, feed every 7 days.

Do you know what temperatures the enclosure is doing? I have found young snakes do well in even 29-30 degree enclosures. When she gets bigger, you can try to establish a wider heat gradient.
The enclosure seems a little big for her, if you start to notice that she is gets a little bit snappy, or goes off her food, I would recommend that you move her to a smaller enclosure so that she feels more secure.
 
Thanks guys :)
How big should she be at her age? I will try her on fuzzies and see how she goes and up the temperature a bit. I tested the sections of her cage and found that when set to 26 degrees, the warm side, under the heat lamp where she can lay and bask, can get to around 28 degrees. The cool end gets to about 25ish.
I have tried to keep her feeling safe by using lots of cage decorations. She is in a glass enclosure but the side and back have been covered with background to make it seem more enclosed rather than open.
 
Theres no set size at 7 months, she could be from small parents, or it could depend on her locality and I wouldn't panic, she is still probably a healthy size. I believe that she should already be on fuzzy mice though at the very least. A good way to know when to upgrade a size is, when the snake has just eaten, if you cant see a bulge in the belly, or if you can only just see it, upgrade to a bigger size.
Definately up the temps a bit, 28 should be your cool end.

She may be ok in the enclosure you have her in, just watch for signs of stress, like biting or refusal to feed, as those signs can show that she doesn't feel secure enough. It will help to have furnishings in to cover her over a bit though.
 
It is a little weird that she is 7 months old? That means she would have hatched in may?

I fed my hatchies every 2 - 4 days, they grew fine and are not fat. Now at 12 months old they are fed approx every 5 - 7 days
 
It is a little weird that she is 7 months old? That means she would have hatched in may?

I didn't catch that, good point. Although I have had two mates that have had snakes lay in late december, so possibly a late clutch, with the date mixed up a month or two lol :?
 
haha ok...maybe I should go and make him double check with the breeder... confused now... :p
 
Its not a huge issue though
The main thing is that your baby is healthy and happy :)

PS, welcome to the stimmi club - they are the bestest ever! lol
 
April451, A stimmi of that age should be able to take weaner mice, pinky mice are ok to start a hatchie feeding but they do better growth wise when they are shifted to furred prey items.
The other point is you heat is not good enough for a Stimmi, It needs a hot end/spot of 32-33dg.
 
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Thanks so much everyone !
Ive upped the temp and will try her on fuzzies. Thanks Aura ! :p They are so cool! I totally understand the snake 'addiction' now! I already feel like id like more! Hopefully will extend my collection in the future! They are such beautiful and fascinating things! :)

I have another question now..
I ended turning up the heat and now have a gradient of about 25 to 31 degrees.
When I looked at her today I noticed tiny little white spots that look like they might be skin flakes. Id take a photo but they are really too tiny to show up. Im just wondering whether its to do with the temperature change or maybe shes about to shed or something else.... I havnt had her long enough to see the shedding process so i really dont know. Any ideas? Or am i being paranoid lol...

Oh and also, she does not have milky eyes and her skin looks pretty normal!
 
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