A dream made real, Mira the Vietnamese blue beauty rat snake

It's been one thing after another this past week and a half. :sigh2:

So, shortly after the last post she went into shed. And me not wanting another repeat of her last shed that went horribly I was extra vigilant with the humidity. The shed went perfectly and I went to check on her, and after holding her for a few minutes she started to drool, a lot. Globs of saliva even. After extensive discussion with other circles over a very obvious RI scare, it was suggested she might have just had a big drink. When I got her out it was less than an hour after she shed and judging on where the shed was and her position at the time, she passed by the water bowl and most likely drank a lot of water so such a suggestion was plausible. Of course I kept a very close eye on her but even after more checkups in the coming days she never did it again, was acting her normal alert, cranky self and ate as always.
https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...507&height=676

Skip to now and I had noticed she was in one of her ground bamboo stalks that she likes to hide in sometimes. Except she had been in there for almost a week which was unlike her since she tends to move around more frequently than that. She wasn't quite stuck and I was able to coax her out with some careful prodding of the handle end of a snake hook, but it was obvious she was packed tightly in there and would inevitably get stuck as she grew. Took both it and the other ground stalk out until I can seal them off like I did for the standing ones.
https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...507&height=676

Hopefully there's no more shenanigans for a while because, ugh... I already am extra paranoid with her just because of her young age and her being my most wanted species, so she isn't doing me any favors. :disbelief

That's how it goes, sometimes. I've had snakes drool on me too after just taking a drink of water- definitely startling until you figure them out, & the longer the snake, the longer the drool. :D

I'm not sure that she'd actually get stuck in that tube, but it's not very convenient if you cannot get them out when you want & need to- probably best to install a permanent cork in it- :cool:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

That's how it goes, sometimes. I've had snakes drool on me too after just taking a drink of water- definitely startling until you figure them out, & the longer the snake, the longer the drool. :D

I'm not sure that she'd actually get stuck in that tube, but it's not very convenient if you cannot get them out when you want & need to- probably best to install a permanent cork in it- :cool:

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Probably not now, but considering she's not even halfway done growing I can see it as a very real possibility later down the road. Don't want to chance it. :colbert:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I'm not sure that she'd actually get stuck in that tube, but it's not very convenient if you cannot get them out when you want & need to- probably best to install a permanent cork in it- :cool:

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You could try to cut the tube lengthwise and connect the two sides with hinges. Your snake could feel secure, but you'd also be able to remove him if you needed to.

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Originally Posted by Homebody

You could try to cut the tube lengthwise and connect the two sides with hinges. Your snake could feel secure, but you'd also be able to remove him if you needed to.

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What a creative idea! See, this is why we need a forum with multiple opinions & experience-:cool: I sure never would have thought of that-:D

She's getting long.
https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...507&height=676
https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...507&height=676
https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...507&height=676
https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...507&height=676
ngl she had me sweatin'. She was chilly from lying in a cool spot but it didn't take long for her to reach her normal sassy attitude. Genuinely wondering if I should just let her bite me on purpose (not provoke her to do it mind you but kind of just let it happen if that makes sense) so I get used to it while she's still growing and not full size. I don't have the greatest pain tolerance in the world so I do everything I can to prevent bites (keeping her head away unless she's calm enough to slide across my hands/arms), but if it would be better to build up a "tolerance" of sorts then it'd probably be for the best?

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Originally Posted by Snagrio

She's getting long.
ngl she had me sweatin'. She was chilly from lying in a cool spot but it didn't take long for her to reach her normal sassy attitude. Genuinely wondering if I should just let her bite me on purpose (not provoke her to do it mind you but kind of just let it happen if that makes sense) so I get used to it while she's still growing and not full size. I don't have the greatest pain tolerance in the world so I do everything I can to prevent bites (keeping her head away unless she's calm enough to slide across my hands/arms), but if it would be better to build up a "tolerance" of sorts then it'd probably be for the best?

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Speaking from the perspective of someone who has had a spicy snake or three - most snakes have to reach a pretty high level of stress before they decide that biting is their best option. Personally I'd rather implement some behavioral strategies to eventually reduce fear and habituate the snake rather than just deciding to learn to accept bites.

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Originally Posted by Caitlin

Speaking from the perspective of someone who has had a spicy snake or three - most snakes have to reach a pretty high level of stress before they decide that biting is their best option. Personally I'd rather implement some behavioral strategies to eventually reduce fear and habituate the snake rather than just deciding to learn to accept bites.

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^^^ This exactly. Besides, what if she finds out that you taste good? :rofl:I prefer to avoid snake bites & I much prefer that my snakes don't feel like they need to defend themselves, so it's a win-win.

A big ol' image dump of the young queen, still as moody as ever. :P
https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...895&height=671
https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...503&height=671
https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...503&height=671
https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...503&height=671
https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...503&height=671

Hard to get pics where she isn't hanging halfway in the air with how she never stops moving and hates my phone for some reason, but to her credit, despite not being able to handle her for an extended period of time, she didn't bite me during this handling session. Ran all around of the enclosure and musked on me beforehand, but I count my blessings where I can. ;)
https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...503&height=671
https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...503&height=671

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Originally Posted by Snagrio

........

https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...503&height=671



.....to her credit, despite not being able to handle her for an extended period of time, she didn't bite me during this handling session. Ran all around of the enclosure and musked on me beforehand, but I count my blessings where I can. ;)

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And people wonder why we're so fascinated with watching our snakes- that's a really cool shot! (And for some odd reason it made me think of Wavy Gravy? :D)

As for the lack of bites this trip, I'm thinking she decided to reward you for leaving her alone for so long? :rofl: