My coastals behaviour.

[Rob8290]

Just wanted to know if anyone else's snakes act like this. I recently got a coastal carpet about two weeks ago. She is 3 years old and approx 3-4 ft. I was told she would be fine to handle and that after the first couple handles she would calm down but she hasn't calmed down the slightest. She is very flighty. Any chance she gets she will run away but she isn't very aggressive (only bit me once and constricted like hell) I try to move her from he enclosure to a tub to feed her but she isn't having a bar of it,as soon as she is out off she goes and it takes some time to get her back in her enclosure because i don't want to be rough and just grab her Incase it hurts her. She also spends ALL her time in her hide. She only ever comes out for about an hour either at 3 am-4am or 5.30am-7am. I understand they are nocturnal but she refuses to stay out of her hide. The temps are set to 33c hot end and 28 cold end. She is feeding well though. I was just wondering I this is normal and if anyone else's carpets act like this. It's a Pitty that she is impossible to handle.

 

[Skelhorn]

Give her more space. leave her be for a solid 2 weeks without touching her and keep the feeds up. Wouldn't hurt to slightly lower the temperature at the cool end also. Worth a try. Since it has been hot all my pythons have been on the move. Good luck tho...remember time is key

 

[Rob8290]

Alright. I'll leave her alone for two weeks solid and see how that goes. As for lowering her cool end temp, I'll give it ago but it's just slightly difficult with the weather here. Although right now the cool end is down to 26 because the weather has cooled. Cheers.

 

[Deyendran]

shs not a particularly young snake which makes her adaption to a new environment a little more difficult as opposed to your yearlings and hatchlings, so like skelhorn has mentioned above, time is key. just leave her be for a while an allow her to adapt at her own pace to her surroundings.

 

[Rob8290]

Sorry for the triple post. My phone Went crazy and kept pressing the post button

- - - Updated - - -

Do yous think handling will be possible in time and she won't be so flighty when i do get her out? She also hisses whenever I even walk past the enclosure. She doesn't seem to like me haha.

 

[Viking_Python]

My Coastal and Diamond took a couple of weeks before they started to settle down. My Diamond went straight for his hide everytime I walked past for about a month.
Your snake is most probably settling into its new home and will come out and explore more in the coming weeks.
I have only had my Coastal 'Queenie' for a few weeks. She is timid but is coming out of her hides to bask more and is getting more used to me and her new surroundings.
I have handled my coastal several times. She is a little flighty when first picking her up but soon settles down when she knows im not out to harm her.
I opened up her enclosure two days ago for her to have some time on the grass and was greeted with a mildly aggressive snake. She was recoiled up and mock stricking at me. I thought it was fairly weird as I had her out the day before without any problems. The following day I checked on her to find her eye scales to be pale blue. She was going into shed and explains why she was a little touchy. It may take another few weeks before your Coastal settles down a bit more and ventures out of its hides with more confidence.
View attachment 278877

 

[Skelhorn]

Mate don't stress, when I first got my bredli (his almost 7 foot!) he would strike massive distances out of the tank to get you, now I reach in to grab him with my hands. He used to hiss and carry on all the time but I handle him frequently now and its all good I've had him for almost a year?? I think. So it takes time and persistance Also I always, always recommend throwing one of your sweaty shirts in her hide or somewhere in her enclosure. She will become very accustomed to your scent that way!

 

[Rob8290]

I was hopeing she would settle down after her shed but If anything she got worse . She shed the day after I fed her. No signs or anything, no pale eyes,no milky skin..just shed out of the blue and it wasn't a good shed. About 6 different big peices and many small. It's the same enclosure she came in so she should be fairly used to it (I understand the new smells and all though) all that is new in there is a new hide,I cleaned it and used newspaper at the bottom instead of the bark that was there that didn't even cove the entire bottom and looks like it wasn't changed for months. Maybe she is just highly stressed still as she never had a hide and was getting fed smaller rats then needed?

- - - Updated - - -

I'll definantly use the old shirt method!

 

[Hamalicious]

Sounds way too small for a 3 year old snake. Definitely keep the food up and just leave her alone for a few weeks

 

[Rob8290]

I think leaving her alone is the most mentioned thing so I will stick with that. Cheers!

 

[Snapped]

In your other thread most people advised to leave her alone completely for a few weeks to settle in. I know how hard it is to do that though, because we want to handle them, create that bond etc...but she is obviously not settled in yet, I'd also knock down the temp a little bit if you can, has she got a nice big water bowl to cool off in?

No need to feed in a tub, just feed in the enclosure.


You just need to give her time, don't attempt to do anything for 2 weeks, relax.

 

[Rob8290]

I haven't really attempt to handle her to get her used to handling it's more for getting he out to feed and clean her enclosure. Yeah she has a big water container but I may invest in a bigger one for her once I complete building her bigger enclosure.

- - - Updated - - -

Also what temp would be best? I previously got told 26 cold end and 33 hot but since then afew people have stated that's slightly hot.

 

[Snapped]

I haven't really attempt to handle her to get her used to handling it's more for getting he out to feed and clean her enclosure. Yeah she has a big water container but I may invest in a bigger one for her once I complete building her bigger enclosure.

- - - Updated - - -

Also what temp would be best? I previously got told 26 cold end and 33 hot but since then afew people have stated that's slightly hot.

Well, I spot clean my enclosure if I've just fed or he's shedding, so maybe try that instead of having to take her out just yet. The less interruption the better while she settles in, same for feeding, just feed in the enclosure.

I think 26 at the cool end is a bit hot, but thats just me and I might be totally wrong. As long as she has a basking site of 33-36 and can move away from the heat (there is a gradient) to the cool end, she should be fine.

A good read (for Maslows Hierarchy of needs) is Doc Rocs article titled Home Sweet Home.... Untitled Documentl

 

[paulatones1]

wow that sounds familiar, we have a 2 yr old coastal we have had him for about 2 months now he is very flighty and nervous. The woman we got him off had him in her bedroom since he was a baby he only saw her at bed time, we have him in the lounge at our house so alot more noise and movement he spent the first 6 weeks in the hide never moving unless we got him out he's getting better now he comes out and basks for a while each day. He was quite hard to handle as well but my husband just kept getting him out and calmly handling him making him feel safe and secure, now he is so much better hes still nervy but you can handle him and he is calm and relaxed. Hope you can get your girl to feel a little happier

- - - Updated - - -

i thought that to my coastal is 2 and hes 5ft

 

[Rob8290]

Yeah I will just leave her alone for as long as she needs. Hopefully she will settle down soon enough. Cheers