Tips for Newbies thread!

[danricho]

Hi again, I have had my female juvenile coastal in her enclosure now for almost a week and have not handled or fed her as per the instructions I was given upon picking her up. I have lots of questions and would love some advice.

Question 1 - Should I feed her before handling her?
Question 2 - Should I feed her in her enclosure or in a different enclsoure?
Question 3 - How many food items should I offer her? (the dealer told me she eats fuzzies)
Question 4 - How long after eating should I wait before handling her?
Question 5 - How long should I handle her for?
Question 6 - Is there any special way I should pick her up?
Question 7 - How many days should I leave between feeds?
Question 8 - Should I mainly handle her in the room she is kept in?
Question 9 (Yes 9!!!) - Should I handle her during her active times or when she is hiding or curled up?

Sorry for the barrage of questions but I don't want to stuff things up or stress her out, she is a beautiful creature.

Any help would be very much appreciated.
Regards,
Daniel.

 

[ramzee86]

Hi again, I have had my female juvenile coastal in her enclosure now for almost a week and have not handled or fed her as per the instructions I was given upon picking her up. I have lots of questions and would love some advice.

Question 1 - Should I feed her before handling her?
Question 2 - Should I feed her in her enclosure or in a different enclsoure?
Question 3 - How many food items should I offer her? (the dealer told me she eats fuzzies)
Question 4 - How long after eating should I wait before handling her?
Question 5 - How long should I handle her for?
Question 6 - Is there any special way I should pick her up?
Question 7 - How many days should I leave between feeds?
Question 8 - Should I mainly handle her in the room she is kept in?
Question 9 (Yes 9!!!) - Should I handle her during her active times or when she is hiding or curled up?

Sorry for the barrage of questions but I don't want to stuff things up or stress her out, she is a beautiful creature.

Any help would be very much appreciated.
Regards,
Daniel.

Question 1: Definately try feeding her before handling her, as it is more important and you may stress the animal out.
Question 2: Thats up to you, it will probably be more comfortable in its current enclosure.
Question 3: 1 a week
Question 4: At least 2 days
Question 5: Try keep it short its first time, but its totally up to you.
Question 6: Make sure you don't pull her off of anything, just do it gently.
Question 7: 5-7 days for a juvi
Question 8: Handle her wherever you want, but it may defecate, so not on white carpet!
Question 9: Better during active times, but whenever you prefer.

Good Luck!

 

[danricho]

Thanks very much for the advice, it is very much appreciated, it's great to be able to ask questions and not get shot down.

Cheers.

 

[Darijo]

I've had my 8 year old childrens python for a month and have only been tagged once , I was changing his water before feeding him, I knew that I would get bitten sometime and it happened. I'm just glad that it didn't hurt that much, little bit more than a paper cut.But atleast I know what to expect if I ever get bitten again

P.s this is Daniel, Darijo's son

 

[Titanic_Boa]

Is it alright to put living plants in the enclosure i want to get a bonsai tree to put in the enclosure (when i get a decent enclosure)

 

[Wookie]

How about "any animal can, and will, bite in certain circumstances" ! !

Get rid of the "and will" and you're spot on. There is always the possibility but it is never certain. For example I am confident that in no circumstance would one of my snakes bite (shes a jungle too - kinda ironic :lol. And IMO I think with the correct method, and patience, all pythons can be tamed.

Three main steps:
Research
Implementing what you've learned: feeding, holding, heating, cleaning
ENJOY! What do you have them for if you don't enjoy them!?

Lets face it, pythons are very low maintenance and hardy pets (except finicky GTPS ). If you do your research and look after your pythons they will live a long happy life .

 

[danricho]

Hello again, I'm planning on cleaning out my glass enclosure weekly, it has one hide rock, another rock, two branches and a deer antler in it. What is the most effective and efficient way to clean it out? Also should I bag my coastal when cleaning it or put her into a tub?

 

[saximus]

It depends on your substrate. Some people just use newspaper which means it's a 30 second thing to change. Others use kitty litter which can be a bit more difficult depending what you do with it. I have a friend who just scoops out the part of the litter with poo and replaces it. Some people may suggest replacing it all in which case I'd suggest a cheap vacuum cleaner.
It doesn't really matter what you put him in while doing it. Just so long as he can't escape

 

[danricho]

I have newspaper in the bottom and have replaced a couple of times already (is this all I need to do weekly?), or do I need to get all of the branches and rocks out and clean them weekly too?

 

[saximus]

Nah they don't really need cleaning unless they have poo on them or something

 

[danricho]

Thanks mate, a bloke told me I had to take everything out and clean it every week, that sounds a lot easier. Really appreciate your prompt replies, Cheers. Daniel.

 

[BenjaminH]

Hey guys,

I'm new to this whole thing so this whole thread was great for me to read! One book I got a couple of years ago when the idea first popped into my head was "Care of Australian Reptiles in Captivity" by John Weigel, I found it again yesterday and I'm having a great time flicking through it, reading about enclosures and what not. If you're in Western Sydney and would like to borrow it when I'm done get in touch

 

[danricho]

Just handled my coastal for the first time, she didn't bite at all, was an awesome experience.

 

[10hcaro]

Hi,

I'm preparing/researching for my first snake and have started shopping around for a decent heat mat. I'll probably get a very young Antaresia, in which case I'll need a plastic click clack. I went to a pet shop that stocks Reptile One heat mats and I found the one I was looking for (5 watts). But the sticker on the box said "For glass enclosures only" and the guy who owns the place said I shouldn't use it on plastic. I am planning on purchasing an on/off thermostat and I'm leaning towards a 10L storage container. Question: are heat mats safe for click clacks? It seems like everyone is using them. The guy who owns the shop is pretty experienced in handraising birds, but I don't think he has much experience in reptiles.

Any help would be great!

 

[aus_jason]

One tip i would like to add is that experience is gold . A book can get you started , but no book can compare to hands on experience . By this i mean start out with common kept species and then once your ready move on to more hard to keep species .

 

[danricho]

Just after a bit of advice, love my snake to bits, however I don't think she has been handled much and is extremely flighty. Has bitten once. I am not bothered by the biting, and have perservered with handling. Just need some tips on helping her to settle a bit. She seems more scared than aggressive and will often race off to her hide when touched.

 

[saximus]

There are a heap of threads about this if you want to search. You will get a lot more info that way. Basically you're right it's just scared because it hasn't experienced it before. So just keep up with the handling on a regular basis and she should calm down pretty quickly. Just remember if you just got her you should leave her for a couple of weeks to settle into her new home. Also don't try to handle her for 2-3 days after a feed.

 

[greenelephants]

Louise-H
Hi,

I'm preparing/researching for my first snake and have started shopping around for a decent heat mat. I'll probably get a very young Antaresia, in which case I'll need a plastic click clack. I went to a pet shop that stocks Reptile One heat mats and I found the one I was looking for (5 watts). But the sticker on the box said "For glass enclosures only" and the guy who owns the place said I shouldn't use it on plastic. I am planning on purchasing an on/off thermostat and I'm leaning towards a 10L storage container. Question: are heat mats safe for click clacks? It seems like everyone is using them. The guy who owns the shop is pretty experienced in handraising birds, but I don't think he has much experience in reptiles.

Any help would be great!

I would suggest reading this guide just as a strarting point i did and its working out great looking forward to actually getting the snake.
http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/diy-zone-5392/guide-build-click-clack-dial-93266/

 

[danricho]

My coastal is shedding right now, her eye looked a little cloudy last week (is that a sign?). I handled her yesterday and she was fine. How long should I leave her for now before I get her out again. Any advice on shedding would be appreciated.

 

[J-A-X]

If you know they're in shed, leave them alone, their skin is fragile and they feel vulnerable and they're more likely to bite. You could cause damage to her skin and create a problem for her. Provide a nice size soaking dish and leave her alone. They will shed within a week of their eyes clearing up.