Husbandry Problems

[lars5277]

Every one knows I just got Scar and baby the other day. I think I am going to have husbandry issues with Scar. He wont take to a hide. He has not been in a hide since I got him. I have him in the 55 Gallon he came in. I pulled out all the rocks, sticks, and astroturf that was in his cage and replaced it all with paper and plastic. He was caged with Baby when I got him. I took baby out and housed her alone. I know there are a few things wrong with his husbandry.

He is in a glass tank with a screen lid, and a heat lamp. Partially covered with a sheet.
He wont go into a hide.
He refused his meal today (I know that can be a little early I got him Friday).
He was on the loose in his previous house for 3 months.

I made him 2 humid hides and he refuses them both. His previous set up didn't have hides. They were both coiled up under the rocks. I am going to try to get a second peice of flexwatt from matt as soon as I can put him in a Rubbermaid tub. He is in a shed right now and He has already had so many bad ones.

I am thinking of covering the top with damp towels until I can get the flexwatt and tub. Does anyone have any other suggestions.

[lars5277]

ZooMed 500R Thermostat

Is this thermostat decent? I am trying to do up a quick temp fix for his cage.

[JLC_in_Tucson]

I would say that so long as he has the OPTION of choosing a hide, you shouldn't worry if he decides not to use one. Once you get his home all set up, and you know that the temperature gradient is correct, the humidity is in the right range and consistent, and he has some hides to choose from.....the rest is up to him.

Look at it from his point of view...everything he knew in his world has been ripped out and replaced with something alien. Even his girlfriend is gone. (Being a little facetious there...because I know they don't have "girlfriends" nor is it proper to house them together except for breeding, but if they've been living together up til now, she is another element of his environment that he was accustomed to having around and now it's gone.)

My suggestion is that once you get whatever container you intend to house him in permanently....set it up withOUT the snake in it...make sure the environment is just right and how you want it...and only then move the snake into it. (He may need a good soak before hand to help with that totally stressed out shed.) Once he's in his permanent home, just leave him totally alone for at least a week...probably two would be best. It won't hurt him to skip a meal and he most likely wouldn't eat it anyhow. He may not eat for several weeks, even, if he's as stressed as it sounds.

Anyhow, I've been away from the herp scene for some time and don't remember a lot, but I hope I've helped some, and anyone here will surely correct me if I've said something wrong.

Judy

[Adam_Wysocki]

In my experience, if a ball python isn't using a hide it either because it likes the temps better in a spot that doesn't have a hide, or it just doesn't like the hide.

If your temps are good to go, try different hides ... the smaller the better ... they like to cram themsevles into small tight places where they are being "touched" on all sides .... makes them feel safe ... when you find one that works, get a second one for the "other side" of the cage and you'll be set.

-adam

[gmmuscle91]

ZooMed 500R Thermostat

Is this thermostat decent? I am trying to do up a quick temp fix for his cage.

i would say it is ok. but if you spend another $30 matt can get you a johnson or ranco. in fact i think they are on sale right now for $50 instead of $70

[lars5277]

Thats the thing, he has been curled up in a ball next to the hide. Practically on top of it.

I am going to try a few other things.


On a side note Salina and Baby both fed today. Baby even ate her first F/T. Shannon checked on her yesterday and said the Rubbermaid is working perfect for her and her skin is as smooth as silk.

I am not so worried about Scar not feeding. He has been on live his whole life, and he is used to rats. I offered him a mouse becuase he seems a little too fat. I will offer him again when I feed next week. I am waiting for the pet shop to get me some frozen rats up here.

[Adam_Wysocki]

Thats the thing, he has been curled up in a ball next to the hide. Practically on top of it.

Could be too hot "inside" ... probably just not secure enough for him in there .... the inside volume of the hide should be close to the same physical volume of the snake ... very snug!

-adam

[lars5277]

I am getting a better thermostat once I order my rack. I just need something for a quick fix right now. I should have my rack with in a month and when I do I am moving all my snakes into racks.

Temps are 91 and 83.

[frankykeno]

Just from my own experiences with Brannagh, Orlah and Saoirse I'd say of course to make sure his husbandry is bang on (check the actual temp inside that warm hide...they can really trap heat and be a bit warmer than you realize). With our females, their stress levels were very high or they had very bad retained sheds or were just in poor physical condition when we got them all. Bran, for some reason, refused to use a hide till we added in tons of newspaper balls.

It seems like these more mature snakes really need a lot of time to settle in, get their various issues dealt with and a lot of very quiet time (we keep them in our bedroom in near darkness for quite a while till we are sure they are adjusting to all the changes).

Just stick with it Lars. I know there were times with Brannagh I really wondered if we'd ever see progress and then suddenly one day she started changing for the better little by little. Saoirse and Orlah were horrid messes as far as retained shed. Orlah was retained basically tip to tail, Saoirse had around 5 stuck eyecaps on one eye. Just work through the problems step by step, knowing you are maybe facing a bit of a rough road but there are some real rewards to getting a snake back on the right path.



~~Jo~~

[buckdawg]

Mine completely ignores his hides and burrows underneath the newspaper substrate. I figure whatever works for him, he knows what he likes.


i guess he's just an....'odd'-ball!

lol, i've been waiting to use that one for some time now. glad i got it out of my system. I can move forward with my life now.