1st snake is a rescue...Montinegro Reginald Python (aka Monty)

I got this guy(?) from a college chick on Craigslist who had him for the past year. He is 1224 grams and ~4feet (Underweight IMO as there's a bit of spine showing, though no ribs) she was only giving him a medium mouse every 14 days. She also had a heat rock in there with him (thank God no burns) and had been kept in ambient humidity (AZ..15-20ish%) for the last year. She thought he was done growing because he hadn't grown in the last year...I know it was because of his feeding size/sched. She said he was super sketchy and nippy, but he's been nothing but a lover to me thus far, super mellow and LOVES to be held.He thinks the dog is interesting, and the dog thinks he's pretty cool too. The cats are terrified, but curious.
I don't want to change too much at once for him, so rather than going to the appropriate sized rat immediately (this sat is 10 days from his last feed, moving him to every 7 after that if he'll take it) I'll stick with the medium mice for this feed, but plan to see if he will take 2 of them. If so, the next feed will be an attempt to switch to rats. If he takes those for a few feeds, I plan to swap him to either fresh killed (If I can find live rats local cheap enough) or Frozen/Thawed.
He is in a 40 gallon tall aquarium with a screen lid, which is what he came in. I have a UTH, but am waiting on my thermostat to show up tomorrow or Sat to install it. Current heat is a CHE and a space heater a few feet away from the tank on the hot side. It took some experimentation, but it's floating from 88-90 degrees on the hot side and 80-82 on the cool side, so I think this should work until my thermo gets here.
Did I mention, the previous owner said he had hard sheds the entire time she had him. He was halfway through one when I got him and had at least 2 layers of eye caps on when I picked him up, maybe more. As soon as I got him home, I got out a tub and let him soak for an hour while I dismantled, cleaned, and rebuilt the nightmare of an enclosure he came in. When I got him out of the tub (BTW, she said he was terrified of baths, but he went in on his own..)I let him slither through a wet washcloth a few times and his shed finished perfectly, eyecaps included. I let him explore the couch and my lap for a bit before putting him in his newly remodeled (temporary) home. He explored a bit, basked on the hot side for a little, then settled in to his cool side hide. He's not head shy at all, so that's a bonus as well.
I said temporary about his home, because I plan on ordering a T8 mid month next month to replace this glass with. I've only had it a few days and am already tired of fighting the lack of humidity.
That's pretty much it for the moment. Am I on the right track, or have I missed something vitally important?
Thanks
Steve

I think you are on the right track Its the love and quality care that make the best Ball Babies and family pets, keep us updated on all the New stuff your python is going to teach you.lol

Sent from my SGH-T999

I'll bet he is happy to see again!

Just checking to see if you need more information. I think your doing great please don't hesitate if you need help...........

Sent from my SGH-T999

I'm getting by for now. Headed to buy 2 mice for tomorrow in a few hours. I was planning to let em munch on veggies and fresh water overnight before feeding tomorrow, but if he shows interest tonight, I might just feed him early.

Great Idea I like gut loading the mice or rats with good food you know what they say you are what you eat. I also like the kaytee brand of dry food for rodents..

Sent from my SGH-T999

"She Who Must Be Obeyed" has a rodent allergy, so, unfortunately, unless mice are cool with being bred in the up to 120 degree heat of an az summer backyard, breeding isn't an option for me, so the small amount of veggies/fruit I'll go through keeping mice/rats alive for a few days isn't gonna put me out. I plan to switch him to F/T as soon as possible after he switches from mice to rats, so any of the live feeders I get that he doesn't eat can be euthanized and frozen for later.

Your correct on the raising of mice Bummer on the allergies and F/T Is the way to go I order from The Big Cheese and there is all so Rodent Pro.

Sent from my SGH-T999

So I brought the mice home and Monty completely lost his mind as soon as I walked in the door with them! STRONG feeding response. I think this guy was more hungry than I thought. I went ahead and offered him one a day earlier than I had planned and he nailed it instantly, though it's taking him a bit to swallow since he started from the back end.... How long before I can offer him the other? I was thinking I should wait until tomorrow, so that he can get the first one started on digestion, but if you guys think I should just give him a few (minutes? Hours?) I'm certainly game to try. The plan is to let him get these 2 mice down and try a rat next Saturday. If he takes the rat, I'll begin to switch him to F/T for his safety.
BTW, although he's never even hinted at nipping, I'm glad I had tongs..he was so excited I think I'd have pulled back only 4 fingers....

As you were..disreguard my last post. I found a few "multiplefeeder threads and they all said "as soon as he gets the first one down" so I offered it to him, and BOOM! 2 mice down. Now to figure out how to train him to eat them head first... His response is so amazing, I'm beginning to think he'll take F/T without a problem as long as I heat it up properly, which is a relief since he keeps hitting these from the wrong end, I was worried an appropriate sized live rat would injure him. I think I'll place an order for medium rats on Tues (pay day for us disabled vets..) and practice my "zombie rat marionette" skillz....:snake:

Also, I think I'll change bedding to newsprint or paper towels. I'm uncomfortable with the amount of aspen chips he just took with that mouse....

He spit the second one out twice trying to get a better angle on it, so I conducted an experiment and grabbed the tail when he let go with the tongs. he didn't want to give it up, but I got it. Once I began "the dance" he grabbed the head and re squished the mouse (it must have been alive still since it got away...right?) he got it down much easier this time, and proved to me that he would take zombie critters from the tongs! F/T rats it is!!! I saved the paper towel the mice were on in the tub so I could scent the rats if needed, but I get the vibe that he'll eat whatever I give him as long as he's hungry.

Monty's thermostat came in today, so that and the UTH were installed, along with a pair of matching dog dish crocks from walmart with half circle openings cut out to make them into hides. He was using the bottoms of a pair of cardboard 12 packs as his hides since I got him (he had a WAY too small half log before). He really liked the cardboard hides, but the dog bowls will be much easier for me to clean. He's exploring the new environment now...hopefully he settles down soon and likes his new hides.

Great to hear that he's eating and has his home all sorted out! It's reassuring to see how resilient these beasts are.

I have a rescue as my first snake (an underweight female BP) - it's really rewarding to watch them grow.

Well, he took his first rat last night without too much issue. He likes to strike the rear end to wrap up and isn't a very efficient killer, so I ended up having to use the tongs to keep the rat's mouth away from his body, as he was trying to get a bite in there. Next week will be his first F/T. He did well with the zombie dance on a mouse last week, so I think he'll transition well, and I'll be less stressed about him getting bit. Plus, my daughter won't get attached to his food that way!!

Pictures???

I'll poke around and find what I have of him and get em up in a few

There's some pics in my gallery of him now. Haven't quite figured out the picture system on this forum yet...


http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/brow...mageuser=60094

You are Monty's guardian angel! What a wonderful job you've done with him [emoji1303]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Congrats Steve, sounds like the both of you are batting 1000. He's been underfed and that is probably why the feeding response is so strong. Don't worry too much about the aspen swallowing, these guys are feeding machines that have adapted through evolution and can handle that. Lol.

UPDATE!! Monty has been sucessfully switched to FT Rats of an appropriate size. He took them right off without a single issue! He has doubled in size visually (need to weigh him today before feeding time. He's very friendly with everyone he meets, and when you go near his enclosure, he pops out of his hide (prefers the cold side for some reason) and heads for the lid, dancing around hoping to be taken out to explore and be handled (never met a snake that enjoyed being handled so much). He had his first shed since I've had him on Monday, and it was a perfect shed! If you recall, previous owner had mentioned that every shed was partial and difficult. A bit of damp sphagnum moss in his hides is what I believe did the trick, along with proper temps and a constantly clean tank. very difficult to type this, as he likes the touch pad and keyboard of my laptop...