Contradictory advice / new owner dilemmas

[WarpQ]

I'm a happy first-time new co-owner of a beutiful Vanilla male. I purchased tank, the necessary accessories and the snake at a reptile expo four days ago. Always had a soft spot for our slithering little friends, so when my daughter of 9 fell in love with this little guy, I couldn't refuse her.
Since then I've spent a lot of time reading all the advice I could on this and other fora, to enable me (and her) to give our new family member the best care. So I'm aware of some of the mistakes I've already made (especially: not leaving him alone on the first day, attempting to feed him on the second day - which he incidentally refused), but would like to avoid doing more.
On the evening of the second day, he went into his hide, and he has stayed there for 2-3 days now, which obviously is what he needs at the moment.


So, to the point ... I have read some pieces of advice that put me into a few dilemmas, and any help prioritizing will be much appreciated:

1. "Don't handle your snake until it has eaten 2-3 times" vs. "always feed your snake in a separate feeding box" ???

2. "Allow your snake to settle in for 1-2 weeks without disturbance" vs. "Make sure temperatures and humidity is correct". The latter will require me to install a hygrometer and more thermometers than the one I already have inside the cage - especially one closer to his currently preferred hiding place, which of course will disturb him. Which is the more important: ensuring correct climate or no disturbance for 1-2 weeks?

3. "Your snake must have at least two hides in either side of the tank. They should make a snug fit so the snake touches the walls and the top" vs. (same as above: don't disturb him) ... the hide I bought him is fairly big (~20cm=8inch diameter) and while he is completely hidden in it, it does not fit the ideal description. It is placed half-way over the heating mat, so I suppose it has a warmer and a cooler side, but ideally he should have two smaller hides, I realize. So again, which is the more important: ideal hides or leaving him alone for now?


Thanks in advance.

[Coluber42]

You should be able to put a digital thermometer/hygrometer in the cage with a minimum of disturbance, and same for a second hide in addition to the one he has now. Don't take away the one he has though, leave it where it is. It's harder to settle in when the environment keeps changing.
You can also make a too-big hide feel cozier by stuffing a paper towel in it take up some space.

The one thing though is that you need to have a thermostat on the heat mat. If you don't have one, unplug the heater until you do. They can overheat and cause burns if they aren't regulated. It's worth disturbing your snake for that.

[Neal]

Okay, I'll answer your questions with numbers.

1.) You may be able to handle right away with no consequences, or you may not. Every single BP is different. At least 2-3 meals gives you more leeway if your BP gets stressed out and decides to not eat for a month or however long it may randomly go off feed as many things can trigger this. This is why most people recommend it, to be safe.

1 con'td.) The whole feeding in a separate box is purely preference. If you have a lot of snakes, this isn't practical as it would take hours upon hours to do this. Also some snakes may not like to be handled on feeding day. This is something you'll just have to learn with your new snake. Would I feed my BP in a separate enclosure? No. Now my Rufous Beaked Snakes that I keep communal? Yes. I do this so there isn't a mishap. Also the reason I like to move them to different enclosures and feed is because this gives me time to do any maintenance that I need to do. I've never had a snake bite me because it was used to being fed in the enclosure and I've never had a snake bite me while handling because it was used to being taken out of the enclosure for feeding time. So this is 100% purely preference.

2.) I generally recommend that people get their habitat set up prior to getting the snake for a few simple reasons. You can't just plug in everything and expect it to be spot on. You're going to have to make adjustments and some will take time, UTH's for instance take time to heat up, also you need to be able to control the temp as most will get hot enough to cause harm to your snake. If you have everything ready to go before you get your snake then once you get your snake and place him in the enclosure you can let him be

2 cont'd.) . I would say when you get a new snake in, let him settle in for at least a week, that's what I do with new snakes. This gives them time to acclimate to the new surroundings, new smells and what not. If you start messing with him when you first get him, you're likely going to get bit and the snake is going to be stressed out.

3.) I say yes two hides one on each side is best because this gives them the option to pick what side of the tank they want to be on, as depending how you heat the tank the two sides will vary in temperature. Identical hides is best, do you need this? No. I look at it from a stand point if I were in the snake shoes, I would hope somebody would do as much as they could to keep me happy. The snug fit and stuff is more or less a good rule of thumb, there's things you can do to make it fit him better, by putting stuff in it.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

1 is a myth you should feed in the enclosure.

2 Both are highly important for new owner especiallu, BP are not forgiven they need time to adjust and be left alone for a week before offering food, but their husbandry should be met to a T as well.

3 Ideal hides are tight touching all side of your BP's body, and preferably identical so it does not chose security over thermo regualtion.

Security is very important for those animal and they like cramp environment, if the hide is not tight enough it will not provide adequate security.

So fix the husbandry and leave the animal alone, fixing your husbandry won't take but a few minutes.

Food for the thoughs research and having an enclosure ready should always be done before acquiring an animal.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[WarpQ]

Thanks a lot for your advice!
I put in an additional probed thermometer yesterday, and the temperature and humidity were spot on, so no worries there.
As for your reprimanding comments on rushing into it - I can only agree! I was just too thrilled when realizing that my daughter shared my fascination for snakes, to take it slow. But besides from that, I take my responsibility for that little animal very seriously.
My greatest appreciation for your help