A couple of questions about spotteds

[spotted_GC]

Hi All,

I had a pair carpet python a couple of years back before I moved to a couple of places I could no longer keep reptiles. I have kept my license active over the years and about a 2.5 months back I had a friend of a friend contact me and see if I wanted to take his spotted python off him as he was moving out of the country and couldn't take it with him and he knew I was on the lookout for another python.

I am in a place where I can have reptiles again, so I said yes and took on this spotted. It is 15 months old based off the paperwork and seems rather small to me. It is just on 55cms in length, and on my dodgy kitchen scales weighs in at 40 grams (this could be way out) and quite skinny, although not to a point it seems starving. What general size should a 15-16 month old spotted be? I would have thought bigger than 55cm's myself, but I don't think this python was looked after prior to my care.

I have got it setup in a click clack, with temps at 31 hot and 26 cool, 2 hides and a decent water dish and I have gotten it to eat 8 fuzzy mice and have 2 sheds. This little guy is too small to go up a size in mice, so I will keep going on fuzzies for a while and then go to 2 fuzzies at a time and then look at up-sizing the food.

I am trying to handle it a bit now after 2 months of just feeding and cleaning and get it used to being handled, but this spotted is the spawn of Satan himself.

Constantly biting and striking, always trying to get away if you try and handle it.

I am going for a minute to two minutes every day (leaving 3 or so days after a feed) but after a week and a half of this, there seems to be no improvement on handling response.

I know it is early days, but I am at a bit of a loss. I have never had a snake that is so snappy and hard to handle, my carpets where a dream from when i got them at 9 months old right through until I couldn't keep them any longer

Any hints or tips to get this guy a little more calmer and to be able to be picked up?

 

[ronhalling]

I cannot comment on how long or thick your spottie should be as it would only be conjecture on my part, but being the new "Father" to 2 new baby spotties myself i am always keen to devour any new info on my chosen critters, so i am sure others here would be able to give you a more definitive answer. Fuzzy mice seem to be way 2 small for a 55cm snake of any breed it should be on hoppers at the very least by now (even maybe fuzzy rats) as far as taming it up is concerned you are just going to have to have some patience it has obviously had 15 mths of if not outright neglect then at least not given the attention it needed, my small suggestion would be to hook it out all the time for the next few months and gently slide your hand under the snakes head from below so as not to startle it, most bites are going to be fright oriented (just imagine something 50 times bigger than you coming at you) followed by hunger response, and judging by it's size it could be both. if you hook and gently handle every day along with feeding it up a bit more i think you will find it will settle down quite a bit. My nephew had a Bredli that they purchased as a yearling and the name satan did not begin to describe it's demeaner, my nephew used a welding glove to handle it with as he was sick of leaving a trail of blood from the enclosure to the bench every time he opened the enclosure to do anything, in the end i showed him a post here in the APS forum that described the hook and gentle handling from below method for a narky snake and it only took 4 months to have the Bredli to the point where the welding glove was just a memory. Give it a go all you have to lose is a few more drops of blood and frayed nerves.........................................Ron

 

[Davesgonefishin]

I agree with Ron. I have a spotted that was neglected as well. He is (I'm guessing) about 12 or so months old & was the size of a hatchling in November when I got him. Vey bitey & scared. With a few good feeds & sloughs he is now about 65-70cm long. No I'm not power feeding him but he is only now happy once he's had a pinky rat + a Fuzzy mouse.( cos thats whats in my freezer is why). As long as your temps etc are right then he may just be very hungry. When you do manage to get him out is he feed responding ie wrapping around your fingers & trying to swallow them? At his size a bite is barely going to hurt anyway. What I'm using on my spotted is a thin cotton pouch on my hand that I have put my sweat scent on to gently pick him up. At first he tries to race away from me but after a couple of seconds of bitey time he smells me & is then content & he can't bite through the pouch anyway.

 

[Armo6]

Can't really help with how long a snake 'should' be but my spotty isn't 2 months old yet and she is just about 40cm. She eats every 4-5 days on 1 pinky. I'm not to sure about if they get to a certain age and start to slow down, but it would make sense that a snakes overall growth would depend on its feeding habits as it was young and carried through to adult. If your snake is willing to eat right now then it will become healthy and grow. Even if its not the size it should be. Hope that helps a little.

 

[justin91]

It definitely sounds like it's to small in size. My spotted is 8months, 55cm long and weighs 62grams (unless my scale is off). It seems like you know a bit about snakes so hopefully nobody replies about not doing research. Everything just takes time. My spotted was extremely snappy when I got him as well but 4 months later he doesn't bite anymore

 

[spotted_GC]

Thanks everyone. I figured it was well undersized and I am trying to get it up in size now. It is too small to be taking hoppers so I am feeding a couple fuzzies at a time until it will be able to get a hopper down, and will go up from there.

Bites at the moment are largely fear although the day before I am feeding it is sometimes a feeding bite with a few coils thrown around for good measure.

I will just keep on feeding and persisting with small amounts of handling and give it some time. Good to know I was pretty much on the right track with getting it up in size and handling.