Wiggles, the Children's Python

First time I've seen him out of a hide since he got squished. So far, so good.

https://i.imgur.com/n1pymwn.jpeg

Still haven't seen him moving around though. So, stay tuned.

Hopefully just digesting and being chill. Not uncommon a few days after eating, I imagine.

I am hopeful that by tomorrow he will be moving around.

Keep us posted, but I am guessing he's going to be just fine.

He came out for a stroll this evening.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...m/8LDJwL2.jpeg

It was the first time since the squishing. He looked good and moved well. I didn't see any signs of an injury. So, it looks like this was just another close call.

I'm so glad he seems to be just fine.

Wiggles lookin' down right athletic, like nothin' ever happened.

https://i.imgur.com/RAGHsPf.jpeg

I'm just so relieved.

Me too! :gj:

The sides of my plywood enclosure started to warp.

https://i.imgur.com/jVIdKGP.jpeg

I've been putting off making the repairs because I was concerned that I would only make it worse. I like planning projects, but I'm not great at executing them. Today, I decided that I couldn't put it off any longer. It would only get worse.

https://i.imgur.com/FrxH10p.jpeg

Surprise of all surprises, it went off without a hitch.

That's probably from Wiggles doing push-ups against the sides. :D

Wiggles did a funny thing last night. When I opened his enclosure, he was sitting on his ledge. While I was remounting his sky hide, he extended himself to investigate; equally cute and annoying. As I was bolting the hide in place, I dropped the bolt into Wiggle's water bowl. Quick as a flash, Wiggles struck. At the bolt, the splash, I'm not sure, but he looked up at me afterward, water dripping from his face, with what I could only imagine to be embarrassment. He looked so funny. I'm sorry I couldn't capture that image on camera to share with you, but, I captured it in my mind's eye and I know it'll keep me chuckling to myself all day.

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Originally Posted by Homebody

Wiggles did a funny thing last night. When I opened his enclosure, he was sitting on his ledge. While I was remounting his sky hide, he extended himself to investigate; equally cute and annoying. As I was bolting the hide in place, I dropped the bolt into Wiggle's water bowl. Quick as a flash, Wiggles struck. At the bolt, the splash, I'm not sure, but he looked up at me afterward, water dripping from his face, with what I could only imagine to be embarrassment. He looked so funny. I'm sorry I couldn't capture that image on camera to share with you, but, I captured it in my mind's eye and I know it'll keep me chuckling to myself all day.

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Great description! I can totally picture your embarrassed Wiggles. :D I'm also glad he didn't catch it- eek!

Wiggles weighed 308g last night. That's a slight decrease from October, but no cause for concern. As an adult, his weight is supposed to plateau. To lure him out onto the scale, I've started using feeder mice. Reptilinks just aren't enticing enough. My last weigh-in in December failed because I accidently dropped the mouse as I was trying to lure him onto the scale. He quickly snatched it up and retreated to his hide. No harm done. I don't really need to weigh him. I, mostly, just do it out of curiosity.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...m/UHnsOad.jpeg

I don't have a new length measurement to share. I need to find a new snake measuring tool. My beloved Serpwidgets bit the dust.

For my latest trick, I subdivided Wiggles's tub with a cardboard sheet.

https://i.imgur.com/DBrR6CF.jpeg

Under the cardboard, he has a hide and some cardboard tubes with newspaper for substrate. Above the cardboard, he has a large water tray, another hide and a temp/humidity gauge with repticarpet for substrate.

https://i.imgur.com/W2Zmck3.jpeg

Besides just giving Wiggles another level to explore, I theorize that the cardboard will help trap the heat from the heat mat raising the ambient heat on the lowest level and the water vapor from the tub raising the humidity on the higher level. I, also, think it looks nicer than when it was just full of junk. Time will tell if Wiggles is as pleased with it as I am.

I think snakes LOVE multi-level dwellings, at least in my experience -when I've done similar effects. That's quite a change for Wiggles though...all that open space? And they still appreciate things to grab onto, though the carpet helps a lot for traction.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I think snakes LOVE multi-level dwellings, at least in my experience -when I've done similar effects. That's quite a change for Wiggles though...all that open space? And they still appreciate things to grab onto, though the carpet helps a lot for traction.

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Good point. I'll throw some insulated paper under the cardboard for added traction.

For my latest project, I decided to make a cover for Wiggles's enclosure. The room that Wiggles's enclosure sits in is lit for up to 18 hours a day. Children's pythons are from northern Australia where the day/night split is around 12/12 year round. So, I decided to create a cover for Wiggles's cage in order to get his day/night cycle closer to that 12/12 split. I haven't noticed any ill effects from the excessive "daylight", but snakes hide their weaknesses well and long term effects can be hard to see.

The front of Wiggles's enclosure is a simple piece of 1/8" plate glass. For the night cover, I had another piece cut that I will cover with blackout film. I plan to complete the project this weekend. I'll post a follow up once it's complete.

The shipment arrived early. Cover turned out as well as I hoped. Go figure.

https://i.imgur.com/pta6F3m.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/54ujxf2.jpeg

From Wiggles's perspective with the flash:

https://i.imgur.com/UhOQwxd.jpeg

With the flash off:

https://i.imgur.com/brHq7UV.jpeg

I've been pondering this project for a long while. I'm pleased with the way it turned out. Hopefully, Wiggles will appreciate it too. Maybe, it'll, even, add years to Wiggles's life.

I wonder what he can see with the cover in place. Are children’s pythons crepuscular?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ROSIEonFIRE

I wonder what he can see with the cover in place. Are children’s pythons crepuscular?

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Children's pythons are nocturnal, so he can see a lot better than you are I could. Also, as you can see from the last pic (without the flash), a small amount of light leaks in around the edges of the cover. So, he has enough light for him to navigate his enclosure.

Wiggles basking after a meal:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...m/ilOVSBT.jpeg

Wiggles prefers to partially bask from inside his warm side hide. It's rare to see him basking on the slate that I provided for that purpose. Curiously, he does not regularly bask after meals, at least not immediately after meals. The reason that he is today may be that he had a larger meal than normal last night (17g vs. 10g). Perhaps, he's able to digest a regular sized meal at ambient temps, but needs his basking spot to digest larger meals. Hopefully, time and continued observation will tell.

Wiggles proving me wrong, again.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...m/HwBTJum.jpeg

I've learned the secret of getting your snake to do what you want. All you have to do is publicly state that he never does it.

When I checked on Wiggles this morning, I saw feces in his terrarium and I was, curiously, pleased. Wiggles has been hiding in his tub for a week or more. Preparing to shed I guessed. The feces in his terrarium indicated to me that he’s done shedding and he's active again. This was confirmed when I found his shed while cleaning up the feces. I’m so glad he’s back in action. I miss him when he’s in shed.

I had another reason to be pleased. I found the shed draped over his water bowl. The water bowl sits in the middle of his enclosure in full view of my video camera. So, without further ado, Wiggles Shedding (1:42):

https://youtu.be/kkCxEblh4J8.

I'd never seen him shed before, so I thought it was cool.

He sure knows what to do with his water bowl. :D I can't believe this is the first time you've seen him shed. As you can imagine, I've seen a great many snakes shedding over the years- even though many like to shed at night when I wasn't looking. It's interesting to see their various techniques- like the way some leave them tightly rolled up into what looks like a ski hat, while others leave them like a decorative streamer, & others leave them in pieces. And some are very tidy- they defecate in the shed, so it stays wrapped up. Others rely on our room service & leave it right in their water bowl...yuck.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

He sure knows what to do with his water bowl. :D I can't believe this is the first time you've seen him shed. As you can imagine, I've seen a great many snakes shedding over the years- even though many like to shed at night when I wasn't looking. It's interesting to see their various techniques- like the way some leave them tightly rolled up into what looks like a ski hat, while others leave them like a decorative streamer, & others leave them in pieces. And some are very tidy- they defecate in the shed, so it stays wrapped up. Others rely on our room service & leave it right in their water bowl...yuck.

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I've also never seen him soak. I've seen him take a dip, but I've never seen him soak. I also liked seeing that he used the rough stone in the center of the water bowl exactly as I intended. It's uplifting when I correctly anticipate and provide for his needs.

I look forward to learning more about Wiggle's shedding technique. At about 4:15 AM, he deposits a small piece of skin on the part of his ledge that hangs down next to his water bowl. Since snakes start shedding at the head I guess that is what that is. He, then, frantically moves about his cool side hides. I think he's searching for something to rub up against. He finds what he's looking for in his water bowl. After a brief soak, he's able to remove the rest of his skin by rubbing up against the rough stone. His shed complete, he eliminates his solid waste and heads up to his sky hide to rest. The whole process takes him about a hour. Since this is the first time I found the shed in the water bowl, I suppose this was him trying out a new technique. Hopefully, I'll be able to catch future sheds on video to compare and contrast with.

Question: how long should I wait to feed him after a shed? I would normally have fed him six days ago, but didn't because I was anticipating the shed. I don't think I've given it a thought in the past, but I imagine shedding must be taxing to him. I planned to feed him last night. That would have been 15 hours after he shed, but I reconsidered and decided wait a day to let him recover a bit. Is a day enough? Too long?

I'll often feed snakes basically immediately after they shed, especially (a) if they happened to shed between when I checked to see if they're ready for food and when I get around to offering the food, or (b) if I've been holding off on food for those species that spend a long time in blue and I have real reason to get food into them (growing hatchlings, trying to get digestion underway in time to ship a snake or take it to an expo, female in pre-breeding conditioning, etc). If there's a higher rate of refusal immediately after shedding I haven't noticed enough that it is obvious, and I've never seen any apparent side effects of offering food right after shed.

That all said, if in doubt about feeding a snake, best to just wait of course. A little fasting would do most of us some good, and the nice thing about snakes is that doesn't seem to bother them a bit. :)

I wouldn't worry about your snake needing to rest after a shed (maybe when he's a senior citizen?). Most snakes are ready to eat pretty quick afterwards- I usually take a cue from the snake's behavior, & most of the time, they'll be chasing your wiggling fingers (thru the glass) so take the hint. :rofl:

I fed him a hopper (8g). Weighed him, as well. 315g. A 7g increase from March 21st.

https://i.imgur.com/4gELIQr.jpeg

His next scheduled weigh in is at the end of August.

I tried frog juice last night. I was hoping Wiggles would like his Reptilinks a little more with some seasoning. He ate it, but still wasn't too enthusiastic about it. Maybe, I'll try the gecko juice next.

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Originally Posted by Homebody

I tried frog juice last night. I was hoping Wiggles would like his Reptilinks a little more with some seasoning. He ate it, but still wasn't too enthusiastic about it. Maybe, I'll try the gecko juice next.

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Silly me. I just realized that I warmed the link. Maybe, that confused him. Whoever heard of a warm blooded frog?

I think the frogs in Australia are pretty warm. Probably venomous, too, and have curse words that American frogs have never heard of. :P

I don't handle him much but he still seems pretty comfortable with me.

https://i.imgur.com/6ZHQoKN.jpeg

I measured Wiggles's length tonight at 35.3 inches. Almost an inch and a half shorter than the last time I measured him. I blame my new snake measurer. The Serpwidgets site that I had been using went down, so I used a tool I found online and downloaded. It seems to work the same as Serpwidgets, but it doesn't score the same. I figure, as long as I keep using the same tool to measure him, I'll be able to track the changes in his growth. His exact length isn't that important.

https://i.imgur.com/NGvOpvW.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/3pIDjdq.jpeg

Coincidently, or maybe not, his last weight measurement was also down. He hasn't been eating regular all summer. I looked back at my feeding charts and this seems to be a pattern with him. If the pattern hold true, he'll start eating regular again soon.

https://i.imgur.com/XtI5TK6.jpeg

Yeah, I don't think he "shrunk" any, just a different measuring tool. Odd that he goes off food in summer though...could it be your A/C that's influencing his home temps? -Along with some hesitation with the "sausages" not being his favorite food?

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Yeah, I don't think he "shrunk" any, just a different measuring tool. Odd that he goes off food in summer though...could it be your A/C that's influencing his home temps? -Along with some hesitation with the "sausages" not being his favorite food?

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It's not the A/C. I don't have any in the room. Could be the reptilinks. That was my first thought. Then, I checked my feeding records and saw that he refused to feed last summer at the same time. At that time, I blamed the larger reptilinks I was feeding him. So. I switched to smaller links. I, now, think it's just a seasonal thing. Weird that it's in the summer though. I don't have records from 2023, but my records from 2022 showed that he refused during the summer even when I was still feeding him mice.

The good news is that he started eating the reptilinks regularly again at the end of September last year. So, I'll try to feed him tonight. If he doesn't start feeding again soon, I'll consider abandoning reptilinks and switching to mice as his regular feeders.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Homebody

The good news is that he started eating the reptilinks regularly again at the end of September last year. So, I'll try to feed him tonight. If he doesn't start feeding again soon, I'll consider abandoning reptilinks and switching to mice as his regular feeders.

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Wiggles ate the reptilink. So, hopefully, this summer fast is over. I won't be satisfied though until he's taken a few in a row.

Here's my latest creation.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...m/QihAnZi.jpeg

It's a vertical wedge hide and ledge. The wedge shape allow Wiggles to determine how much back pressure he needs to feel secure. The vertical orientation means that he'll have gravity helping him out. It also allowed me to create a ledge for him on top.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...m/91ZRwuD.jpeg

Inside, there are sticks for him to hold onto. The face is held on by thumb bolts so that I can easily remove it for cleaning. I just have to add a few coats of poly. Hopefully, it'll be ready for Wiggles to try out next weekend.

It only took Wiggles about an hour to try out the new hide.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09jU_43t2QE

As far as I know, he's still in there. So, I guess he likes it.

What a good snake! And a very good sport, to try out everything you give him. :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

What a good snake! And a very good sport, to try out everything you give him. :D

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I think it's funny that he checks it out by laying next to it. I suppose, after an hour, he figures, "Nothing bad has happened yet, so I'll investigate further." I was surprised that he stayed in there. I thought he would just check it out and, maybe, come back later. Nope. Made himself at home right away.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Homebody

I think it's funny that he checks it out by laying next to it. I suppose, after an hour, he figures, "Nothing bad has happened yet, so I'll investigate further." I was surprised that he stayed in there. I thought he would just check it out and, maybe, come back later. Nope. Made himself at home right away.

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Yeah, I think that's exactly what's happening- he's making sure it's not active & somehow dangerous, but once inside...hey, it's a new CAVE! Snakes love some privacy. :snake:

After 55 straight hours in the new hide without a single sign of him, I felt I had to check on him; so, I used my kid's iPod to take a peek.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IrbyVK5DGU

As you can see, he's fine.

Yeah, he loves it. :gj: Is it my imagination or is he going cloudy? That would explain him staying in there for a while, besides just feeling safe.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Yeah, he loves it. :gj: Is it my imagination or is he going cloudy? That would explain him staying in there for a while, besides just feeling safe.

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I've never been good at discerning the signs of an approaching shed, but it would be pretty early for him. It's only been 8 weeks since he last shed. He averages about 12. Long periods of inactivity are usually a sign, but I think it's more likely that he just likes it in there. He's due to feed in a couple days. That should bring him out, if only briefly.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Homebody

I've never been good at discerning the signs of an approaching shed, but it would be pretty early for him. It's only been 8 weeks since he last shed. He averages about 12. Long periods of inactivity are usually a sign, but I think it's more likely that he just likes it in there. He's due to feed in a couple days. That should bring him out, if only briefly.

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The photos were too vague & distant for me to tell, it just crossed my mind, that's all. Mostly if not all it's about is him liking it. :cool: He's such a cool little snake.

108 hours. He finally came out of his new hide after 108 hours. I guess he likes it. Good thing too because I had to remove his favorite hide, his sky hide, to fit it in there.

Wiggles's weight rebounded nicely this quarter. He's back up to 307 g. I wasn't really worried about the dip last quarter, but I didn't want it repeated either.
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...t_12-01-25.jpg
I also have a new theory about Wiggles's feeding issues. I think I've been overfeeding him. I knew Reptilinks have more calories that a comparably sized rodent, but I recently learned that they may have double the calories. That's a big difference.

That said, I know that's not the whole issue. I use rodents to lure Wiggles out for his quarterly weighings because he responds to them better. I don't think Wiggles would leave the comfort of his enclosure for a Reptilink.

:rofl: Neither would I... (yikes, "double the calories" could really mess up the anticipated feeding schedule)

I confess. I made a mistake. I was playing with Wiggles the other day when I decided the check his basking temp. I hadn't checked in a while because it's always between 88-95F. It was 77F. It was the middle of the day, so the RHP should have been on. It wasn't. I feared it had up and died on me. I checked the connections. They were fine. The problem turned out to be the timer.

When daylight savings time ended, I adjusted the time. Unfortunately, I reset it to turn off at 6:30 AM rather than PM. Poor Wiggles has been without basking temps for six weeks. He still had his heat mat which I keep on all the time, but at only 80F.

Curiously, Wiggles didn't miss a meal. I've read that Children's pythons can digest a meal perfectly well at 75F though it takes them longer. So, he seems no worse for it. Lesson learned: check your temps frequently even if you think you know what they are.

I'm really glad he's okay. Nature sure doesn't provide perfect conditions, & tbh, we probably do a disservice to our animals' immune function to keep their conditions so steady.

Like his weight, Wiggles's length also rebounded this quarter from 35.3 to 36.9 inches.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...m/sci6oBS.jpeg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...m/lUoGuuP.jpeg
I'm still getting to know the new measuring tool, so I'm not sure how much faith to put into those numbers. Over time, I feel I'm get a better sense of how accurate it is.

Wiggles weighed in at 296g this quarter; down from last quarter's 307g.

https://i.imgur.com/vb1fOM9.jpeg

The 307g was up from 293g. This small weight loss doesn't concern me. It would take a trend of weight loss or gain to move me to action. For the past couple years, he's been alternating between loses and gains, but staying around 300g. I take that as I sign I'm feeding him right.