just an update-and a reminder of how dumb snakes can be

havnt posted in a while, thought i might as well. Dora still hasnt eaten... rats, mice nothin so iguess ima gonna keep trying. For my new guy, peely, hes doing great...or he was... hes about 120 g and very vibrant and i am very happy with him. So i put a divider in my 40 breeder, and being a snake he explores and goes to the other side to dora a lot. And for safety concerns i didnt want him to keep doing that, so i put a weight on that part. there was a little more than centimeter of room there, and once i put the weight there was about half. AAAAAnd he managed to get up in there, stuck. I found him, and freaked out. There was a little gouge near his spine, and bruising and a cut on his belly..hard to explain but it looked bad..its gotten better. I didnt know if there was internal damage but he seems ok. Soaked in betadine and water then put patroleum jelly there. And i put something in the way of the space and hot glued the crap out of it so he wont be doing that again smh. Liking his new yellow look from the betadine lol

(everything that happened with peely was today)
and the thing near spine has already healed up, and his bruising and cut is looking a lot better. BP's are resilient but still idiots :rolleyes:

for dora she wont eat..but with this rat she actually showed some interest for a bit then turned around and kept doing her thing. Im not worried..even tho its been awhile. i'm not tryna buy asf's or scent anything is there sum else i can do to get her going..

As for calling a snake dumb because you didn't provide a proper environment...some serious self-evaluation on yourself and the provided environment is in order.

If you put a living thing in an enclosure, you are 100% responsible for its wellbeing.
Period.

alright sorry? i mean im not saying it isnt my fault, it 100% is im just saying like...cmon dont go up there buddy...

Animals are only as smart as their owners are…


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its not like i told him to go up there
and im saying how dumb they CAN be

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Originally Posted by DatBoiAJ_

its not like i told him to go up there
and im saying how dumb they CAN be

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Animals are inquisitive creatures and certainly not dumb. They are driven by a strong instinct to be free and not captive. It’s just who they are. Snakes have very tiny brains that are programmed for certain behaviors as are all creatures. They are continually surveying their surroundings until they feel comfortable and certainly until the hunger they have is satiated. They hunt at night, become active at night, and surely smell another animal in their surroundings. So, absolutely not dumb but driven. Consider tweaking the enclosure.

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Originally Posted by Albert Clark

Animals are inquisitive creatures and certainly not dumb. They are driven by a strong instinct to be free and not captive. It’s just who they are. Snakes have very tiny brains that are programmed for certain behaviors as are all creatures. They are continually surveying their surroundings until they feel comfortable and certainly until the hunger they have is satiated. They hunt at night, become active at night, and surely smell another animal in their surroundings. So, absolutely not dumb but driven. Consider tweaking the enclosure.

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Well said Albert.

AJ frankly from what you're saying in this post I think your enclosure may be part of the issue with your snake's reluctance to feed. It sounds like a hot mess, and we all know what a poorly planned and executed enclosure can do to the health and feeding habits of a reptile. It may be time to reevaluate your set up.

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Originally Posted by Hugsplox

Well said Albert.

AJ frankly from what you're saying in this post I think your enclosure may be part of the issue with your snake's reluctance to feed. It sounds like a hot mess, and we all know what a poorly planned and executed enclosure can do to the health and feeding habits of a reptile. It may be time to reevaluate your set up.

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Thanks Hugs! The way you put it is quite clear and non-accusatory. Masterful job.

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Originally Posted by DatBoiAJ_

havnt posted in a while, thought i might as well. Dora still hasnt eaten... rats, mice nothin so iguess ima gonna keep trying. For my new guy, peely, hes doing great...or he was... hes about 120 g and very vibrant and i am very happy with him. So i put a divider in my 40 breeder, and being a snake he explores and goes to the other side to dora a lot. And for safety concerns i didnt want him to keep doing that, so i put a weight on that part. there was a little more than centimeter of room there, and once i put the weight there was about half. AAAAAnd he managed to get up in there, stuck. I found him, and freaked out. There was a little gouge near his spine, and bruising and a cut on his belly..hard to explain but it looked bad..its gotten better. I didnt know if there was internal damage but he seems ok. Soaked in betadine and water then put patroleum jelly there. And i put something in the way of the space and hot glued the crap out of it so he wont be doing that again smh. Liking his new yellow look from the betadine lol

(everything that happened with peely was today)
and the thing near spine has already healed up, and his bruising and cut is looking a lot better. BP's are resilient but still idiots :rolleyes:

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A review here would help us to help you, & if you can post pics of your snakes and the enclosure, it would also help. The size & type of hides provided can make a big difference for a tiny young snake to feel secure enough to eat.

Dora- weight? -was hatched when? When did you get her? When, if ever, has she eaten for you? What specifically did she eat, either for you or for the source?
What are the high & low temperatures on the enclosure floor (where the snake can make contact), & what is the humidity?
Are you handling this snake & how much & how often?

Dora's "space" being invaded by another snake ("Peely"?) probably didn't help either, & neither does the need to keep making "home improvements"- it makes it unsettling, & difficult for either snake to settle in.

Peely- 120 g.- is eating well for you? Because of his injuries, you can expect him to live up to his name for quite a while, because shedding is how snakes repair their bodies.

Petroleum jelly is NOT a good thing to apply for his healing- first, because it won't fight infection, & second, even a little "Vaseline" or any ointment made for humans with a petroleum jelly base (such as Neosporin) tends to mess up a snake's sheds for some time to come, & that's best to avoid.

I give you :gj: for using Betadine (which I HOPE was diluted?) & rather than "soaking" you could have just applied it to the wound with a cotton ball- this would have been less stressful for the snake, which should ALWAYS be our goal, as stress negatively affects health & healing.

A better product to use & have on hand would be the Vetericyn (brand) made for snake/reptile use, because it's water based & will fight infection without messing up their skin. It's available online or from some pet stores like Petco. Vetericyn makes many products for various animals- so make sure you only use that which is made for reptile use.

As others already implied- snakes are not dumb- they rely on their instincts to survive, & when we keep them captive, it's up to US to understand & provide ALL their needs, because as captives they have very few options.