So i'm new and have some ?

Hahah yeah. I figured that usually, but it was just weird behavior i guess for him, i hadn't misted in the cage that day and he was just out and about when i went to pick him up and he snapped. He never does this, he's always very gentle and curious, that's what i was just thinking it was stress.

The mice i feed him are usually full grown mice, pretty big. They're just you're normal hairy mouse i guess? i don't know. I like the idea about the tubawear, i notice people do this with their gekos and what not, didn't know if it worked with snakes.

the humidity is at 10 on my gauge. I also noticed tonight that his eyes were a bluish color, i knwo this is a sign of shedding. Could this be why he got angry? What's the best thing to do for them when they're shedding.

Hey,


What is the scale of the gauge? % or just a 1-10 scale? If its one of the small round stick on ones they are widely regarded as inaccurate at best and a bloody nuisance at worst.

They apparently do some good cheap digital temp/hydro gauges with in/out probes in wallmart if you are based over there (acurite I think).One of the others should be able to give you more info on those if you need it.

Yes the blue eyes are a definate sign of shedding and they can become "crotchety" at this time - it may be related to the fact the blueing means they cannot see as well as normal so might be nervous and easily surprised.

You probably already know this but the recomended humidity is %50- %60 normally but you want to up it a little when they are actually in shed (to about %70 if memory serves). ONce the eyes clear you normally have between 3-5 days before they actually shed ( don't take that as gospel because it changes as they age and most of mine are older).

I use humid hides for all my snakes and have found it can definately help with problem shedders - especially if you have trouble with humidity. Make sure you use good clean moss or peat though (sphagnum moss is the one recomended ans shoudl be for sale in most pet stores that carry exotics) and it will need cleaning and replacing fairly often to prevent any nasties growing in the nice warm moist environment.

Have a look at the care sheet if you havn't already and I think there was a really good article on shedding linked to from the forum a while back. It may have been called ecydysis (noooo idea how you spell that - sorry :oops: ) but google might also be able to help.

One feeding a week is pretty much what everyone seems to recomend so that's fine - the prey item should be about the same thickness as the snakes thickest section as a rough guide, though apparently they eat more reliably with slightly smaller meals than this as they age. Some don't eat when they are in a shed cycle and some don't seem to care. I swear they do it just to wind us up some days. :mad: :P


dr del

ok for starters... it might sound weird, but i over obesessed about EVERYTHING when i got my first ball in high school. dont worry so much. balls are one of if not the easiest snake to care for.. sometimes worrying about every little thing, even though its ok, can make owning the snake stressfull.

yes the bluish tint to his eyes means he will shed. they will be blue for a day or maybe two or three. then they will return to normal. usually within a day or two after that he will shed. dont handle him while hes in this process. let him do his own thing. just make sure you mist the tank, which it sounds like your already doing, and leave him alone.

one way to keep the humidity up in the tank, especially if you have a screen top, is to cover the top as much as you can with something. i use books. just dont put paper or anything where the heat light can set it on fire, which it prob wont anyways, but i dont want you to blame me if it does. but use whatever you like to cover as much area of the screen top as you can, and it will keep in the moisture.

with heat in the mid nineties in a 20 gal, it prob dries up pretty quick. i would set it up like this... hide box on each far side (warm and cool sides) and water bowl in the middle. the water bowl under the heat light will add to the humidity level as well.i would use the biggest/deepest water bowl that will fit your cage. more water = more humidity. dont expect him to swim in it or soak all the time. some snakes never do. i had a boa once that would poop in his water bowl all the time lol. especially right after i filled it up.

i dont know what kind of hideboxes you have,, (half log, cardboard box, whatever) but make sure he has something he can rub against to get the skin off in a few days. usually a wood half log will work fine.

but yeah as far as the snapping... snakes have two modes... eat, and shelter. once they smell prey, wether its on your hands, or because they just ate, they go into eat mode. this is the best time to get bit. i made the mistake of handling rats i was thawing out and then reaching into a 11ft burmese pythons tank to remove him for his dinner time. i got bit. it wasnt horrible but it did suck. make sure you wash your hands! my first ball used to hate it if i misted the tank. he would go nuts and snap at the air. so i stopped misting. one other problem with misting is that moisture like that can grow mold and stuff. i would just mist from when his eyes blue up till he sheds. otherwise if he needs it he will soak on his own.

anyways the biggest thing is just to not worry so much and relax. if hes eating, and looks healthy, he probably is healthy.

.

forgot to add, do you have an undertank heater on one side? this usually helps alot... and also what kind of thermometer are you using and where are you putting it in the cage..

good advice...you even gave me some ideas

Quote:

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Originally Posted by speepdaedeesi

one way to keep the humidity up in the tank, especially if you have a screen top, is to cover the top as much as you can with something. .

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Good catch,

You can also use cooking foil and the plumbers aluminium tape stuff - have a look in the caging forum and there should be some threads with nice pictures of how others have done it.


dr del

you should duct tape alluminum to the TOP of the screen with 1/3 of it open for your light and air flow. Also when you get a chance or right now ,go to the local walmart, to the home improvement section and pick up an accurite thermometer/hygrometer. this will tell you what your real temps/humidity are. This is pretty important especially during shed... I would start thinking about getting a tub, some heat tape, solder wand, and some newspaper, because with a tub setup it would be a load of your shoulders, as far as daily maintenance and tweeking temps and stuff. Just trying to help..... judd

Thank you guys so much, i can't even tell you how much you've helped me, but i'm sure you all know this :D

cheers!