stimsons pythons question

[chris_brown]

I'm so confused lol

 

[Gruni]

I've only had him since Saturday... He was slithering around the click clack last night

That's a good start... but still leave him alone.

 

[chris_brown]

well today he seems to be a happy camper and is out more often which is a good sigh....when do you guys reckon i shud try n feed it?

 

[Gruni]

Try sometime during the weekend, maybe Sunday. Going longer than usual betweenhis last feed and this one won't do any harm at all. This is your very first snake I take it?

Once he's fed he will curl up for a couple of days to digest and probably won't be all that active so sit back and enjoy watching his habits, you'll soon learn to read his moods and know when it's good to hold him or when he is looking for a feed. At this stage you'll be looking to feed him every 7-10 days, my thoughts are to vary it up and not make it a particular day eg not every Sunday.

 

[chris_brown]

Yup it is my first snake yeh ill give it ago on Sunday night maybe thanks a lot of the advice guys really appreciate it

 

[chris_brown]

okay guys he ate tonight but didnt really constrict it just casualy put his mouth where the head is and just kept swallowing it and it took him quite a while is that normal ?? and when can i start handling him?

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i know i have to give it like 12-24 hours before handling him after he ate..... but after that can i handle him regularly?

 

[Chanzey]

Most people leave them alone for 2-3 days or until the lump is gone.

 

[KaotikJezta]

Leave him alone for 2 days or longer if the lump is still visible. Then handle for small periods of time and maybe not every day. Build it up slowly so he stays as stress free as possible.

 

[Gruni]

Yes that is quite normal, I encouragd mine to constrict by pulling back like a tug-a-war when she grabbed her food. Now she tends to strike at her food harder and really puts effort into 'killing' her food.

As for the handling if you can't resist any longer leave him for a couple of days and then when he is out and active have a short hold. Initially it's a case of trying for 5mins but just watch your snakes reaction, mine used to get really aggitated making it clear she had had enough. Gradually increase the hold time but always take your cues from your snake and personally I wouldn't try to handle it every day. When I get Skittles out now she will cruise around happily for up to an hour and it is usually me who decides it's time to go back.

Good luck and enjoy but remember with snakes slowly slowly is the best appraoch in building new habits for handling etc.

 

[chris_brown]

sorry about the bombarding with all the questions but i took my snake out today for about 5 mins just to clean the enclosure and put water and bedding... and as i tried to put him back to the enclosure and he found out there was water for him to drink and drank for around 30 seconds ( is it me or is this snake a bit koookooo as in didnt he know the water existed in there or he cbf'd coming out and drinking it?? im thinking im gonna get the mesh's for the lights and maybe keep the click clack open so he can go around the big enclosure he seemed to like the thermostat wire and was hanging off that while i was cleaning the click clack. and his been hiding untill i took the click clack out to clean him :S
thanks guys appreciate helping me out

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for the lights i was told i need a mesh but wouldnt the snake rap it self around the mesh and burn itself? im running 75watt infrared lights bdw

 

[bigjoediver]

The light cage should be big enough to allow enough airflow around and through it to be cool enough to touch. If you can touch it without burning your hand your snake will be fine.

 

[Gruni]

As for the water, most snakes will only drink from fresh water. If it's been sitting around for a couple of days they will ignore it. Just replace the water every couple of days or at least give it a good top up if it has evaporated down enough. My water dish is half empty after two full days so I top it up until it's cleaning day.

Make sure the mesh you use is small enough that your snake can't possibly fit through it, a mate had some young carpets that managed to get into the cages and he had a job and a half to get them out and they had a few burns. They were standard herp supply mesh and the snakes looked fat enough to not be an issue but it still happened, go figure.

 

[chris_brown]

alright so i picked up my snake today and his skin is becoming very dull ( pretty sure his gonna shed soon) BUT eyes are not milky its just the skin and the guy keeps hiding no movement at all so what i did was i took the water out and left the snake in the enclosure for a bit while i went did some tidying up in my room he seemed to be loving the MORE ROOM factor so im deffs gonna chuck him in his normal enclosure probs try feeding him on monday or even maybe saturday but i dont wannna try and feed him if his just about to shed cause ive heard snakes dont eat before they shed. going to the pet shop tomorrow to but the mesh for the lights more mice and a couple of hides and plants for the big enclosure

 

[Jacknifejimmy]

eyes only go milky for around 24hrs so its very easy to miss...

 

[Gruni]

I've had my Mac since Febuary and she has shed every 7ish weeks, I only got to see the milky eyes last shed for the first time. Remember a good rule of thumb for settling in is two weeks, where you more or less ignore the snake. Some snakes will eat when they are sloughing some won't, mine always seems to time it that she has a feed and then a couple of days later she gets antisocial and just hides for nearly two weeks or so until her skin sloughs then she is all bright eyed and active again and looking for food. As she has gotten bigger it means she doesn't eat for up to 3 1/2 weeks around her shedding.

 

[treeofgreen]

I've had my Mac since Febuary and she has shed every 7ish weeks, I only got to see the milky eyes last shed for the first time. Remember a good rule of thumb for settling in is two weeks, where you more or less ignore the snake. Some snakes will eat when they are sloughing some won't, mine always seems to time it that she has a feed and then a couple of days later she gets antisocial and just hides for nearly two weeks or so until her skin sloughs then she is all bright eyed and active again and looking for food. As she has gotten bigger it means she doesn't eat for up to 3 1/2 weeks around her shedding.

All of my previous snakes did this, except my new Jungle. He doesnt seem to care or just ignores the fact that he is shedding. Just eats and goes about his day like normal lol.

 

[Gruni]

LOL. When Skittles is ready to shed she just alternates between her hide in the cool end and curling up under the stone arch at the warm end. if you don't go look carefully you literally don't see her for a couple of weeks. The first time she did it I got worried that something was wrong after five days of no noticable movement. Now I'm used to her mood and stuff and know it's all good, so I just make sure she has fresh water if she wants it. The temps and location of her water bowl are such that she always has good humidity levels.

If you are interested Lachie there are pics of Skittles and her enclosure on my profile.