Wiggles, the Children's Python

[Bogertophis]

I added a hammock made from insulating paper. It only took him three weeks to use it....

I'm surprised he hasn't yet found the gaps where the ropes are to hide in?

[Homebody]

I'm surprised he hasn't yet found the gaps where the ropes are to hide in?

He's a snake. It's only a matter of time.

[Homebody]

I added a ledge to Wiggles's enclosure. This ledge replaces a smaller metal one that he didn't take to. I made it from sticks harvested from my local park held together with some twine. It's supported by a couple shelf brackets. It's only been a week since I put it in. He usually takes longer to start using new furniture. I'll take that as a ringing endorsement.

[Bogertophis]

Yes, he's definitely endorsing it. Blending in nicely, too. Snakes like real branches- but metal shelves? yuck!

[Homebody]

Blending in nicely, too.

Better than you might think. The camera's flash makes him much more visible than he really is. Before I took this pic, I replaced the water bowl that you see in the foreground of the picture and I didn't see him.

[Bogertophis]

Better than you might think. The camera's flash makes him much more visible than he really is. Before I took this pic, I replaced the water bowl that you see in the foreground of the picture and I didn't see him.

Sure- it's not only the coloration but the shape too. These smug little snakes sure know how to hide in plain sight & give us "heart attacks" thinking they're gone.

[Homebody]

I decided to go up a size with Wiggles's feeders. When I got him, he was 19 months old and I started him on hoppers. Then, at 27 months, I switched him to hopper sized Reptilinks (10g), and that's what I've been feeding him for the last year. Now, he's 41 months, so, when I ordered for this year, I decided it was time to go up a size (18g), roughly equivalent to an adult mouse. He just ate his first one.



I struggled a bit with the decision to go up a size. That is what the guides I've read recommend, but he was doing well on the hoppers. He's been growing. Looks good. It was a big decision. Whatever I ordered, he'd be eating for the next year.

Ultimately, I decided it was time. Wiggles has more than doubled his weight since I got him (120 to 260g). Over the course of a year, it won't make that big a difference, anyway, because I'll feed him less often. Last year, he ate 40 x 10g links. This year, he'll eat 24 x 18g links. So, 400 vs. 432g. Not as big a difference as it seems when you just compare link sizes. I wonder if the larger feeders will cause a growth spurt. Time will tell.

[Homebody]

This quarter Wiggles weighed-in at 287g, 15g more than he weighed on 10/9/23. That's average growth for him. I've started charting his weight in a Google sheet because...why not?

[Bogertophis]

Gosh, he has quite the appetite. I don't even feed adult size mice to my 4' Spotted python- only hopper size, though sometimes more than one. But it still takes her a while to get them down. It's possible that my home-grown hoppers are more like what some sell as "adult" mice though? And I don't weigh them, ever.

One difference though is that your snake is much younger & still growing. My gal is 15 1/2 years old now. Of course, real mice have legs too that Reptilinks don't, so they're a little harder to swallow.

You've had real success with Reptilinks.

[Homebody]

Gosh, he has quite the appetite. I don't even feed adult size mice to my 4' Spotted python- only hopper size, though sometimes more than one. But it still takes her a while to get them down. It's possible that my home-grown hoppers are more like what some sell as "adult" mice though? And I don't weigh them, ever.

One difference though is that your snake is much younger & still growing. My gal is 15 1/2 years old now. Of course, real mice have legs too that Reptilinks don't, so they're a little harder to swallow.

You've had real success with Reptilinks.

We'll see how it goes. I don't anticipate any problems. I suspect he's as tolerant of feeder sizes as he is of everything else. I have read some articles that say that larger prey sizes spur growth, so I'll be watching for that.

I'm pleased with Reptilinks as feeders. I don't know if he's heathier because of them. I haven't noticed any changes in his behavior or appearance. But, I do know they're more convenient for me. I don't have to hide them to keep from grossing out my wife and kids, and who knows? Maybe, Wiggles will live to be a hundred.