New python daddy.

Introducing Hermes!
sorry crappy pic, i use a camera phone.
http://randomcafe.net/boards/index.p...pe=post&id=666
soooooooooooooooooo cute!

First question :D
Hermes seems kinda angry, he strikes at the glass whenever i get near. is this just because he's scared from the fedex trip? i havent gotten bitten yet, but i dont want to live in fear of him lol. so after the week of getting used to his cage will he be more docile??? or do i just have a grumpy snake?

A lot of the time, that's just a defense mechanism. Something a few members here have suggested is this.

Place some form of clothing, preferably a shirt, without deodorant that smells like you, into his enclosure. Make sure he's got enough places to hide, and roll up news paper balls and stick them in there. He's probably overwhelmed by the environment change.

It took me about two months before Ody stopped striking at me, but this method works well. Your new kid's getting acclimated to his environment. You're quite a lot bigger than he is, and until he's "comfortable" in his own surroundings, he's going to be defensive. Just be patient.

I highly doubt he'll turn into a bad-tempered scalekid.

awesome thanks for the reassurance.

another Q.
is yawning normal?? i've seen my little guy do it like twice now.

this snake is awesome, i expected him to hide out for a few days, but he only went into his hide for a few hours and has been exploring most of the day :D it's so fun to watch him.

A WEEK WITHOUT HANDLING??? ... man thats going to take some restraint :P

It is hard to go that first week without handling - but it's really for the benefit of your new little guy.


I actually try not to handle until after their first successful meal with me, so with some of the kids, that can mean no handling for two or three weeks.

Knock on wood, the five new kids I got on Friday all ate last night for me (Tuesday is my feeding day). Now they have at least 48 hours to digest before handling as well.

Yawning on occasion is normal, but if he's doing it a lot, keep an eye on that, it can be a sign of a respiratory infection if he does it frequently - and he'll need to be seen and treated by a vet.

As for the striking, I imagine that he's very stressed. He's probably a baby (hard to tell from your picture) and they are most vulnerable as babies - and you are a predator. He's doing the only thing he knows how to do to stay alive - which is to frighten the predator away.

Let him get settled in, enjoy the exploring he's doing now, once he's good and settled for you, he'll be in his hides most of the time and only coming out to cruise late at night.

Welcome to the site!

Feeding day was last night for my herps, so hermes got a mouse a little sooner than the recomended week, it was the most amazing thing i've ever seen, and he ate like a champ, that poor mouse didnt have a chance :D he has also stopped striking at me. hes gotta be the most entertaining pet i have. yay for BPs.

Congrats on the first successful feeding! Remember to leave Hermes for a good 24-48 hours undisturbed so he can happily digest his yummy dinner.

Yeah, tonight at around 11 will be his 48 hours digestion mark.

today i woke up to find he shed perfectly last night. so far so good.

Awh, what a cute little snake! A belated :welcome: to the forum from me too!