New owner and site member, BP Dehydrated from store.

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Originally Posted by Reed12321

you may want to try covering even more of the top with aluminum foil. It may not seem like it'll make a huge difference, but the heat from the lamp is going straight down to the water and moist hide. This means that the water is evaporating straight back up, so it'll tough to retain those water molecules. try leaving only a few small holes of uncovered aluminum around the lamp and check your humidity after that sits for a while.

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i'll try that but as it is, the only place there isn't foil is pretty much directly around the lamp, i don't want the foil touching the lamp, If I weren't planning on getting a better enclosure soon i'd just try doing some wood or plastic cutting. Just odd how I'm seeing the same setups getting >60% but i'm not even tapping 40%.

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Originally Posted by Karokash

i'll try that but as it is, the only place there isn't foil is pretty much directly around the lamp, i don't want the foil touching the lamp, If I weren't planning on getting a better enclosure soon i'd just try doing some wood or plastic cutting. Just odd how I'm seeing the same setups getting >60% but i'm not even tapping 40%.

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It's okay if the lamp touches it. Aluminum is an insulator so if you heat up, it won't get super hot anywhere other than where the lamp is


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Can't wait to get internet back at the house so I can upload pictures of his setup. I will be getting the fogger for Christmas and I am going to Home Depot to get a piece of wood cut to lay over the aluminum foil with a hole cut for the lamp. But eventually I'd like to just save for one of the AP T8's. I think they look amazing and the PVC seems to have no issue at all with humidity control.

You can also put a wet washcloth or towel under the foil - that helps a lot. I also have a few Dixie cups with sphagnum moss lying around her enclosure.

Alright so just went for it and got the fogger. For $50 it's worth the fix until I can save up for the T8. I have it on an intermittent 30 minute at a time auto-timer, and within an hour his humidity is now resting in the high 50's-low 60's. I am ecstatic. It did drop his temps a bit so I added another small lamp until I can pick up a slightly higher powered ceramic bulb. But i'm so happy to see those humidity numbers. Now hopefully he can get his sheds in control and start feeling better.

That's great to hear! :)

If you didn't notice, by the way, your signature still says Kaa is unsexed yet you're referring to Kaa as a male. Has Kaa been sexed since and you haven't updated your signature yet? Or are you just assuming Kaa is male?

I have yet to get him sexed as I haven't had time to just run to the vet for it. I am referring to him as male just because I am hoping he is. If he turns out to be a she, I'm not going to change the name. So here's to hoping.

Also, here's the video of one of his feeds for those who I said I'd upload it for. He prefers to strike them out of the air for some reason, He won't strike them at all if I keep them on the ground, haha. He likes to be dramatic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1p5rQT2_IE

Says the video is private. We can't see it.

Thanks, fixing that now

i'm new to the whole posting videos thing, so it may take me a few tries. Apologies in advance, but it should be good to go.

I tried two times to trim some of the downtime out of the video...but I can't figure out youtube's editing interface.

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Originally Posted by Karokash

Thanks, fixing that now

i'm new to the whole posting videos thing, so it may take me a few tries. Apologies in advance, but it should be good to go.

I tried two times to trim some of the downtime out of the video...but I can't figure out youtube's editing interface.

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The video works. You may want to upgrade to feeding him something a bit bigger. If that is an adult mouse, he may do better with weanling rats (Unless you're feeding multiple mice at a time)

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Originally Posted by Karokash

Thanks, fixing that now

i'm new to the whole posting videos thing, so it may take me a few tries. Apologies in advance, but it should be good to go.

I tried two times to trim some of the downtime out of the video...but I can't figure out youtube's editing interface.

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I could be crazy, but at the 19:50 mark, as he is turning back around, it appears that he is struggling with some substrate that is caught in his mouth/jaw (I think you can see a piece of it sticking out of one side). He appears to be rubbing against the hide in an attempt to dislodge it. I wonder he wouldn't benefit from a larger substrate...like cypress mulch. I use cypress in my tank, and I have never noticed a problem with it sticking to the prey item and/or getting caught in my snakes mouth. Just a thought, based on my observation of the video.

Aaron

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Originally Posted by Reed12321

The video works. You may want to upgrade to feeding him something a bit bigger. If that is an adult mouse, he may do better with weanling rats (Unless you're feeding multiple mice at a time)

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Those are 7.5g "small mice." and he gets two to three of them depending on their size variance. Too small?

Yellowbelly: he has had a couple random pieces stuck like that but rarely. However I do plan to change him to something else once I use up the bedding I already bought. Its a mix of aspen and coco. Might just go straight coco but i'm worried about too small causing an impaction with ingestion, or choking if its too big. Once I get the T8 I want I'll probably do away with substrate completely and just go the paper towel route since the humidity won't be such a problem.

Does anyone know how the cypress compares to the aspen for humidity retention? Could I still use 50% coco, or would I not have to because it holds humidity better?

General Update: In case anyone here is still following his progress or would just like to know, He now weighs in at around 138g, his humidity has been rectified with the fogger to fluctuate in the high 50's to mid 60's, but I can turn it up during sheds. His skin turgor has significantly improved as has his overall appearance, he seems more filled out and sturdy. He is eating regularly now and is active. He hasn't had a shed since the humidity fix so I haven't been able to compare yet but I am optimistic, as his flakes and eye caps are gone.

So overall he is noticeably healthier than when I purchased him. I still plan on getting him a nicer home and I won't say everything is perfect yet but I wanted to let everyone who has followed him here know that things are looking up. Thank you all for your help and concern.

Any recent pics? :D

I got a new phone but it's still such a pain to post from it, especially for the quality. and for some reason they always show up huge. I'll try to upload the new ones. I want to set up the cheap little pvc/cloth photo booth i've seen on here to take some nice ones but I need a real camera first.

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Originally Posted by Karokash

Does anyone know how the cypress compares to the aspen for humidity retention? Could I still use 50% coco, or would I not have to because it holds humidity better?

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I use cypress with my fogger and it is perfect, although the top is covered to prevent too much air evaporation and subsequent wet bedding.

Grats with the little guy! I may have missed but has he/she been sexed yet?

Glad all is going well, been following since beginning! :gj:

Also, the image uploader from mobile always says the picture is too big. At the top of the page it states big images will automatically be re-sized but it never does, so I tend to not be able to upload from my phone. Hopefully I can get a camera soon.

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Originally Posted by anicatgirl

I use cypress with my fogger and it is perfect, although the top is covered to prevent too much air evaporation and subsequent wet bedding.

Grats with the little guy! I may have missed but has he/she been sexed yet?

Glad all is going well, been following since beginning! :gj:

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No I haven't had him sexed yet as I haven't been to the vet for him yet. We don't have any reptile specialists in the area. I plan to take him in as soon as I can find one. As for now, I'm just using the universal "He." Also I'd prefer him to be male so i'm just being optimistic.

http://i57.tinypic.com/i263y9.jpg

An updated image. Look how much better he looks!

PS. That little patch of stuck shed on his back came off ablut 10 seconds after this picture. The fogger has helped immensely.

The bp you purchased from Petsmart came with a receipt and a period of time to meet with your satisfaction or not. If you purchased one from them in the past and it died why even purchase another animal from that particular store? Maybe next time try a reputable breeder? I understand the rescue part but why start with a problem when you really don't have to? On another note you can solve the humidity issue by purchasing a "versa top" for your enclosure from Petsmart or Petland. It is a folding glass top that fits the exact measurements of the sized tank you have. Comes with a plastic attachment that slides onto the glass and you can put air holes into that part to facilitate oxygen exchange. Good luck. Stay in peace and not pieces. A.C. :)

Good job! The bp is lucky to have you as his owner! Keep up the good work... :gj:

I'm not about to read through 175 posts, but here's what I would do for a dehydrated snake: feed f/t and dip the head of the f/t into warm water after it's defrosted. Then feed. That way you know the snake is getting liquids.


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Oh wow, he looks WAY better than he did! That is awesome :D What a cute little snake!

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Originally Posted by Citrus

I'm not about to read through 175 posts, but here's what I would do for a dehydrated snake: feed f/t and dip the head of the f/t into warm water after it's defrosted. Then feed. That way you know the snake is getting liquids.


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I appreciate the suggestion, I will keep it in mind for any future issues as that makes a lot of sense. I apologize for the length of the thread; it sort of turned into just a running observation of him as he got better.

I'm glad he's better! :D


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Originally Posted by Karokash

PS. That little patch of stuck shed on his back came off ablut 10 seconds after this picture. The fogger has helped immensely.

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I know you have been busy tweaking Kaa's enclosure and you deserve a commendation for all your success with him. He definitely can take adult mice and or rat pups. I saw while he was eating in the you tube video ,there was quite a bit of substrate that got attached to the mouse and he subsequently swallowed. Just be careful with that for the future. Actually, what you can do is while he is swallowing the prey reach in with the tongs and remove as much of the substrate as possible. Don't move the prey item or touch him with the tongs. Only remove substrate! It's ok if they swallow a little but you can remove a lot during the swallowing process. Good luck and relax and enjoy him. :snake: :gj: