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She's looking great! Too bad you need a glove though...some rat snakes can be like that, especially the Oriental ones. The only "insane" rat snake I have is my Korean,
but he only gets handled briefly when I clean his cage, & we have a "routine"...he goes right into a pillowcase for me while I work. He really makes it clear that he hates
being held & will nip if held too long...he acts like a racer, and is way bigger than your "noodle", lol. He's about 6' long & quite a solid body, so a bite would get my attention.
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Re: Lan Fan the Japanese Rat Snake
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
She's looking great! Too bad you need a glove though...some rat snakes can be like that, especially the Oriental ones. The only "insane" rat snake I have is my Korean,
but he only gets handled briefly when I clean his cage, & we have a "routine"...he goes right into a pillowcase for me while I work. He really makes it clear that he hates
being held & will nip if held too long...he acts like a racer, and is way bigger than your "noodle", lol. He's about 6' long & quite a solid body, so a bite would hurt.
Yeah, if I don't use the glove she bites like crazy. I think the heat from my fingers sets her off. She's getting there size-wise, and since she's only 1 and already 3.5 feet I have little doubt she'll hit 6 feet someday. She's definitely a display snake.
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Re: Lan Fan the Japanese Rat Snake
Been a while since I updated this thread, looks like. Since last update, Lan Fan went into brumation for the winter, from late October to early February, and has since been introduced her new enclosure, a 36x18x36 Carolina Cages glass enclosure. I'm really liking it, and I'm hopeful she does too.
She likes sitting on this bird toy I bought for her, and since February she has gone into her first shed of the year and eaten several meals. My roommate moved in with her two dogs, and as Lan Fan is already an incredibly nervous snake, she reacted by hiding for about a month as she got used to all the vibrations. Today she came out and had a really good explore and had a nice quail as a reward, and then spent the next hour trying to intimidate me into seconds, which was very cute.
I have plans to black out the sides of her enclosure with black paper, and then add some carved styrofoam backgrounds to two of them for her to climb on and feel a bit more secure, just haven't gotten to the execution part of it yet. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...34ffafdea6.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...31cd3ef8f6.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...792c28196c.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...b0e5927ca8.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...eddb0364ed.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...b7c20601c3.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...e49af3a96f.jpg
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I love what you did with her "playground"! :gj: She's really growing up, too.
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Re: Lan Fan the Japanese Rat Snake
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
I love what you did with her "playground"! :gj: She's really growing up, too.
Thank you! It doesn't feel complete yet, so I'm going to keep adding things until it does lol.
She came out after I sprayed her enclosure yesterday. So curious and yet so sneaky.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...5268de63a3.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...c226291878.jpg
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Hey, I see leaf litter; is your enclosure bioactive? My fiance got a Japanese rat snake earlier this month, and we were going to start setting up the bioactive enclosure soon. We got a Carolina Custom Cage too (the 36 x 18 x 24 one), which is supposed to arrive this weekend.
Are you planning to put a background on the three sides of the glass? Maybe she would feel less nervous if it were covered? Even in our snake's quarantine, covering up two of the sides seemed to help and he comes out to explore more (but maybe he's just more used to us now).
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Re: Lan Fan the Japanese Rat Snake
Quote:
Originally Posted by TofuTofuTofu
Hey, I see leaf litter; is your enclosure bioactive? My fiance got a Japanese rat snake earlier this month, and we were going to start setting up the bioactive enclosure soon. We got a Carolina Custom Cage too (the 36 x 18 x 24 one), which is supposed to arrive this weekend.
Are you planning to put a background on the three sides of the glass? Maybe she would feel less nervous if it were covered? Even in our snake's quarantine, covering up two of the sides seemed to help and he comes out to explore more (but maybe he's just more used to us now).
It is bioactive; she's been in a bioactive enclosure since she was 3 months old. I really like my 36x18x36, though if it arrives with a cracked base they will have to send you a whole new one. That happened the first time they sent me one, so just be aware of the possibility lol.
I have plans for that, though only on two sides, and I have blacked out the sides I'm planning on putting a background on. With the dogs moving in, I think all the new vibrations spooked her, and it took her a month to adjust.
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Lan Fan's activity level has increased recently, so I do believe it was the dogs bounding around the house that scared her. She seems to have adjusted, and regularly basks during the day when they're thumping about.
She's currently in shed, and since these were taken, has been in hiding, so I think she'll shed any day now. Maybe tomorrow.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...602_175404.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...603_101758.jpg
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Re: Lan Fan the Japanese Rat Snake
Quote:
Originally Posted by Starscream
I am getting one identical to this tiny guy .. in a few weeks .. its a hatchling male so should hopefully colour up quite nicely
I actually chose it for its cute face and everything I’ve researched about their characteristics
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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Re: Lan Fan the Japanese Rat Snake
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zincubus
I am getting one identical to this tiny guy .. in a few weeks .. its a hatchling male so should hopefully colour up quite nicely
I actually chose it for its cute face and everything I’ve researched about their characteristics
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Oh and I’m thinking of trying it in a bioactive set up I have had up and running for years
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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Re: Lan Fan the Japanese Rat Snake
I hope you enjoy him! Lan Fan colored really beautifully as she's aged. She's very blue along her belly and a nice olive green along her back. Unfortunately photos don't really capture how beautiful she is.
I don't know if this is true for all of them, but I will say she is very timid, though she's slowly started getting braver this year. She'll at least come up to the glass and act like she's "hunting" me, but as soon as the doors are open she runs to hide. I do currently have her on bioactive, and am planning on having her larger enclosure bioactive as well. Bigger's definitely better, she is nearly always active and exploring the bounds of her enclosure. Very glad to be upgrading her to something of a decent size after she comes out of brumation next year. She's currently in a 36x18x36 inch enclosure and it is way too small. At 5 years old she is rapidly approaching 6ft long, so getting her into the new 6'x2'x4' will be very nice.
A few pics for posterity.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...913289d4de0e1&
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...1ee034b75bc24&
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...f1eb7749f8ebe&
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...216_171428.jpg
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Re: Lan Fan the Japanese Rat Snake
The breeder assured me that this one plus it’s siblings AND both parents were extremely placid and docile to the extreme ( all are captive bred )
He did acknowledge that he’s aware that some wild caught ones can be ‘unpredictable’
though
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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Love coming back to my post for a second time and seeing that the images I uploaded with discord are just gone.... so guess I'm not using discord as my hosting site anymore. They haven't been deleted on discord so no idea why that's happened.
Lan Fan's not wild caught, just incredibly skittish and was the from beginning. Here's to hoping yours is not so. She is the snake I actually regret purchasing as she was an impulse buy, but at this point I care too much about her to rehome her, and I can provide for her.
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Re: Lan Fan the Japanese Rat Snake
Remembered to download tapatalk so heres a few pics from this year. Lan Fan just went down for brumation today, so now I'm on borrowed time to get her enclosure set up. She's over 5ft now, and this dinky 3ft enclosure is not cutting it for her activity level.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...c40b01e13e.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...cd2c9d0a91.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...5230196513.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...e532952ba5.jpg
Sent from my SM-A236U using Tapatalk
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She's very cute! And at least she has lots to explore & climb in & on in her current set-up. :gj:
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Re: Lan Fan the Japanese Rat Snake
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Re: Lan Fan the Japanese Rat Snake
Quote:
Originally Posted by Starscream
DIY is risky. A lot of planning and work goes into it, but it's so rewarding when it pays off.
I like the way you secured your sky hide to the ceiling. I imagine it's pretty easy to remove. Mine's secured with thumb bolts, and kind of a pain to remove. I see a redesign in my not to distant future.
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Re: Lan Fan the Japanese Rat Snake
I agree with Homebody on all counts. Great when the hard work pays off and wow, that sky hide is awesome and ingenious.
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I like that sky-hide attachment too- I have some of those food containers & the tops are very secure but also easy to operate. Great idea! :gj: And she's clearly making great use of all the decor-lucky rat snake!
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Re: Lan Fan the Japanese Rat Snake
Quote:
Originally Posted by Homebody
DIY is risky. A lot of planning and work goes into it, but it's so rewarding when it pays off.
I like the way you secured your sky hide to the ceiling. I imagine it's pretty easy to remove. Mine's secured with thumb bolts, and kind of a pain to remove. I see a redesign in my not to distant future.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dakski
I agree with Homebody on all counts. Great when the hard work pays off and wow, that sky hide is awesome and ingenious.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
I like that sky-hide attachment too- I have some of those food containers & the tops are very secure but also easy to operate. Great idea! :gj: And she's clearly making great use of all the decor-lucky rat snake!
Yeah I do love the simplicity of the food container. I use them for my ball python as well. This one's a bit on the big end but is working until I can find something more Lan Fan's size. Going to be real didn't expect the winner from y'all to be a DIY sky hide I made 3 years ago from a cheap food container and some black paint lol.
She seems fairly happy from what I can tell. She's exploring and not being quite as skittish as she was in the glass enclosure. Not being able to see out on all sides I think is helping with that. Slowly cycling her heat elements back up from being in brumation and we will likely attempt a feed near the end of the month.
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Re: Lan Fan the Japanese Rat Snake
Quote:
Originally Posted by Starscream
Yeah I do love the simplicity of the food container. I use them for my ball python as well. This one's a bit on the big end but is working until I can find something more Lan Fan's size. Going to be real didn't expect the winner from y'all to be a DIY sky hide I made 3 years ago from a cheap food container and some black paint lol.
She seems fairly happy from what I can tell. She's exploring and not being quite as skittish as she was in the glass enclosure. Not being able to see out on all sides I think is helping with that. Slowly cycling her heat elements back up from being in brumation and we will likely attempt a feed near the end of the month.
I'd also like to hear more about the thinking behind those sloped ledges.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...b730c950e1.jpg
At first glance, I thought they don't look like they would be comfortable for the snake to rest on. Gravity will try to pull them off. Then, I realized that snakes have a much lower center of gravity than I do, and they have belly scales that can grip that rough surface almost effortlessly. Still, I'd like to hear your thoughts on why you designed them that way when a flat surface would be even more stable.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Homebody
I'd also like to hear more about the thinking behind those sloped ledges.
At first glance, I thought they don't look like they would be comfortable for the snake to rest on. Gravity will try to pull them off. Then, I realized that snakes have a much lower center of gravity than I do, and they have belly scales that can grip that rough surface almost effortlessly. Still, I'd like to hear your thoughts on why you designed them that way when a flat surface would be even more stable.
That is a fair question. I have several thoughts that went into the specific construction of these shelves that contributed to why none of them are a completely horizontal surface.
This is a recreation of something a Japanese rat snake would find in nature and something that specifically Lan Fan would find in her natural range. When I looked at basalt cliffs in Japan specifically, they were not flat, they looked like a challenge to scale. They have been eroded by time and the sea, which makes for an uneven surface to traverse. This also creates challenge, as you noted -- it's not easy to traverse, which gets her thinking and using her brain. These shelves are intended to be enrichment for her, very permanent enrichment that will not be easy to remove should I ever decide to, so I wanted something that would challenge her.
My main focus when making them was the verticality aspect -- I wanted to attempt to emulate how rat snakes climb up tree bark, but with a rocky aesthetic. There are a few opportunities for this, and I have yet to see her actually do it, but I think I ultimately underestimated how large she is in relation to the shelves. Still, she's able to use them to grip and climb up, which makes her use her body in interesting way she might not have on a flat surface.
Also, these are incredibly stable and are locked in place on the enclosure. Even though they aren't horizontal, as you noted, her scales are suited to grip and scale something like this. Their comfort more lies in what heating and lighting elements illuminate them -- they all have varying degrees of UVB access, with shelter form the UVB beneath them. The central shelf and the branches in front of it have access to the heating element, with a few choices from her on how close she wants to get to it while still staying within safe distances.
So challenge was definitely an intentional part of it. Ultimately, if she didn't like them she wouldn't use them. Even so early, only two weeks after introduction, she's using them nearly exactly how I designed them, and as she gets more familiar with how to grip them more to her tastes, I can only imagine her usage will increase. Especially as I increase her heat lamp temperature to get her up to feeding temp.
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Re: Lan Fan the Japanese Rat Snake
Quote:
Originally Posted by Starscream
My main focus when making them was the verticality aspect -- I wanted to attempt to emulate how rat snakes climb up tree bark, but with a rocky aesthetic. There are a few opportunities for this, and I have yet to see her actually do it, but I think I ultimately underestimated how large she is in relation to the shelves. Still, she's able to use them to grip and climb up, which makes her use her body in interesting way she might not have on a flat surface.
You should install a camera. I did and it really helps me assess the effectiveness of my DIY creations. When I first got the camera, it was a real eye-opener for me. I saw him engaging with features I thought that he ignored and in ways that I never would have suspected. The time lapse feature allows you to do a lot of observation in a short amount of time (sample video).
I would love to provide my snake with vertical climbing opportunities. I've got ledges and tubes and vines and a sky hide, but nothing that makes him climb vertically. I've tried putting vertical climbing features in his enclosure but he doesn't use them. He doesn't use them because he doesn't need to. With only 14" of height, he can practically telescope up to his sky hide. He does get some vertical climbing opportunities when I allow him to free roam my living room. Until I get more room and can build a bigger enclosure that will have to be enough.
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Re: Lan Fan the Japanese Rat Snake
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Beautiful snake & she's obviously enjoying all the enhancements. Love the yawn in the fifth picture...or is she learning to yodel? :D
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Re: Lan Fan the Japanese Rat Snake
Quote:
Originally Posted by Starscream
It never ceases to amaze me both that they can cram themselves into such small spaces and that they prefer them.
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