Biggest Husbandry Mistake?

Sure, it may be embarrassing, but mistakes are an opportunity to learn, grow, and improve. Everyone makes them.

Yesterday, I made mine, and it inspired this post.

I accidentally left my emerald tree boa enclosure unlocked all night and all day, and I realized when I got home from work. So I decided to put a bamboo skewer through the door hinges to easily remember to keep it shut.

So, what is your biggest husbandry mistake?

Actually, I remember another example. One time my cat jumped onto the screen top of a ball python I used to own, and she fell through the screen.

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Originally Posted by wnateg

Sure, it may be embarrassing, but mistakes are an opportunity to learn, grow, and improve. Everyone makes them.

Yesterday, I made mine, and it inspired this post.

I accidentally left my emerald tree boa enclosure unlocked all night and all day, and I realized when I got home from work. So I decided to put a bamboo skewer through the door hinges to easily remember to keep it shut.

So, what is your biggest husbandry mistake?

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Good thread topic.

Back when I first started out we weren't lucky enough to have forums like this.
My first snakes were set up with Astro turf substrate, an unregulated heat lamp and those horrible heat rocks that I can't believe are still available on the market.
Looking back I'm really lucky I never ended up with a burnt or cooked snake.

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Originally Posted by wnateg

Actually, I remember another example. One time my cat jumped onto the screen top of a ball python I used to own, and she fell through the screen.

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A perfect example of why cats don't belong near the snakes or their enclosures.

So here is one. While I was working in a pet shop we got in a 4 foot Boa. Without thinking about it. I just reached in the bag and pulled her out. Needless to say she was a bit annoyed and decided to latch down on my hand.

I was not aware of the issue with Calci Sand at the time, but I had a KSB about 25 years ago, and I kept him on Calci-Sand.

We had a 16 Foot Retic at my old school. We tried making a small pool for the snake to soak. When we put it in her cage we were not thinking all that well. So we put it in her cage, and right away she spilled it. Little did I know that the corners of the enclosure were not sealed properly. After about 24 hours sitting in water everything swelled. We had to build a completely new enclosure.

This isnt about snakes, but its still husbandry.

So I bought a scorpion. They put it in a box with Air holes. On the way home my girlfriend was holding the box. I don't know how, but the scorpion managed to sting my GF through an air hole. Well come to find out she was allergic to the venom, and I had to go to the hospital ASAP.

I will see what else I can remember, but this is it for now.

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Originally Posted by sur3fir3

So here is one. While I was working in a pet shop we got in a 4 foot Boa. Without thinking about it. I just reached in the bag and pulled her out. Needless to say she was a bit annoyed and decided to latch down on my hand.

I was not aware of the issue with Calci Sand at the time, but I had a KSB about 25 years ago, and I kept him on Calci-Sand.

We had a 16 Foot Retic at my old school. We tried making a small pool for the snake to soak. When we put it in her cage we were not thinking all that well. So we put it in her cage, and right away she spilled it. Little did I know that the corners of the enclosure were not sealed properly. After about 24 hours sitting in water everything swelled. We had to build a completely new enclosure.

This isnt about snakes, but its still husbandry.

So I bought a scorpion. They put it in a box with Air holes. On the way home my girlfriend was holding the box. I don't know how, but the scorpion managed to sting my GF through an air hole. Well come to find out she was allergic to the venom, and I had to go to the hospital ASAP.

I will see what else I can remember, but this is it for now.

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Great stories. I do wonder if there's ever been someone caught by a hot fang through an air hole.

Like Craig, I've been around snakes for longer than there were snake forums, and here's my most memorable blooper that took place "way back when" the
footprints of the dinosaurs had only just cooled off. ;)

A good-sized (3'+) wild-caught native snake was turned over to me & was very restless in the temporary tank I fixed up for him until I could return him to the wild.
I couldn't blame him...he'd never been in a house, much less a cage with glass walls...he spent all night pushing the substrate around trying to leave, & spilling his
water bowl in the process...what a mess! So I cleaned up his cage all over again, this time using some old masking tape to hold the layered paper towels (substrate)
in place, folding them & attaching them to the glass about 3" up on all sides & feeling very clever. :rolleyes: He wouldn't be uncovering the UTH again THIS night...

Much! By the next morning he managed to (1) slide against the sides, causing the semi-sticky masking tape to let go of the paper towels in favor of his own neck,
(2) then he managed to lay over the UTH just long enough to "hot-glue" the tape to his scales, and (3) while not choking, was VERY indignant for being stuck in a
"neck-tie" he couldn't remove. :snake: Oops! :oops: Come to think of it, I don't much care for formal attire either.

So the one thing I haven't yet mentioned is that this was a rattlesnake, making the tape removal SO much more complicated, even with my long non-locking hemo-
stats. But I did finally get the tape off his neck, apologized profusely for being such a silly human (he didn't hear a word of it anyway), & got him fed, watered & re-
located within a week. And this is why we keep saying "NO tape or sticky stuff in snake cages! Ever!" :D It's amazing what snakes can do with the stuff, they're
so very creative. :snake:

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Originally Posted by wnateg

Great stories. I do wonder if there's ever been someone caught by a hot fang through an air hole.

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Probably so, but when I kept rattlesnakes (for 20 years safely), I too thought about that & modified the Neodesha cages that I used for giving programs with them so that
no one could accidentally put their hand on an air vent & get "nailed". I added "fang guards", little cages made of perforated metal about 1" deep so there was NO chance
that any fangs could go all the way thru the covered vents. For those unfamiliar with Neodesha cages, they had sloping plate-glass sliders on the front that I could easily
lock in place, making the travel & programs I did with them quite safe. You have to think of EVERYTHING when you keep hots, and especially when you share them for
education.

<< Used heat rocks for my BPs in the old days. Started out with an unregulated heat mat and fed my kingsnakes outside their enclosures for the first few months after I began keeping snakes again about 7 years ago. Thankfully, I've learned a lot over these past few years.

Both of these events were only early 2018, so I don't have the excuse of it being "back in the day", but...

I tried the whole "feeding in a separate enclosure" the very first time I fed my first snake since I had read that you were supposed to - that was also the day I got my first bite, trying to put her back in her cage. Thankfully I don't get spooked by things like that (sorry, Saturn, if an upset 1000lb horse doesn't scare me then your little 600g self can't no matter what you try) and saw how stressed she was, so I decided not to do that to her again. Then I belatedly discovered this forum, started lurking, and realized that what I had initially read about feeding in enclosures was wrong anyway.

I also had a minor tape incident, but luckily that was with the extremely patient ball python so getting it off her was easy enough. No tape goes ANYWHERE near snakes now.

Almost losing my new snake.

I didn't buy clamps for my snake's tank, and thought a book would be sufficient. It was a sliding screen top with a broken lock. I didn't think a hatchling could be strong enough. Was very mistaken.

Anyway, I couldn't sleep one night and decided to do one last midnight check on my critters (they're kept in their own small room) and found Dante perched just outside his tank in full surveillance mode (neck and head upright) --having a staring contest with my geriatric cat. They were at eye-level.


I was unbelievably lucky, and I realized this. I bought tank clamps immediately the next day.

I still kick myself for it. But I guarantee it won't ever happen again. :weirdface

I left the tub lid a little bit open. Don't remember why I did that. Of course, the bp goes missing when I check on him a few hours later. He was found nearby so I was lucky.

On the same topic about tubs, I learned active snakes are more likely to get out of tubs (Not sure about racks) no matter how many binder clips and such you use (With the exception of my king, who stayed in a tub for a few weeks without issues). Best to go for one of those tanks that come with locks.

Don't stick your hand into the bag to get your new snake.

There were a lot of 'noob' moments that I can't remember. I got lucky and learned quickly thanks to others' advice and help.

I was letting one of our BP's slither around on my desk while working on the computer. She found the hole in my partner's brand new speaker that he had put on the edge of my desk and went right in faster than I've ever seen her move before. And she would not come out for anything, nor was there a way for me to take it apart and get her out. Partner was out of town so I didn't want to upset him. Finally I just put the speaker in a large plastic tote and went to bed. I set my alarm for midnight and woke up to find the snake out of the speaker! I quickly grabbed her and put her away. My partner didn't ever need to know what happened-- his speaker still worked fine. ;)

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Originally Posted by FollowTheSun

I was letting one of our BP's slither around on my desk while working on the computer. She found the hole in my partner's brand new speaker that he had put on the edge of my desk and went right in faster than I've ever seen her move before. And she would not come out for anything, nor was there a way for me to take it apart and get her out. Partner was out of town so I didn't want to upset him. Finally I just put the speaker in a large plastic tote and went to bed. I set my alarm for midnight and woke up to find the snake out of the speaker! I quickly grabbed her and put her away. My partner didn't ever need to know what happened-- his speaker still worked fine. ;)

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I think that's one of those funny in hindsight stories.

It also reminds me of another story of my own. This was when I was about 8 or so (25 now), so you can't hold it against me. I had my ball python out while I was watching TV. I took my eye off of it, and then looked down and it was gone. My father and I looked everywhere and finally we moved the TV stand and it had slithered underneath. Even though I remember there being only the smallest sliver of room.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wnateg

I think that's one of those funny in hindsight stories.

It also reminds me of another story of my own. This was when I was about 8 or so (25 now), so you can't hold it against me. I had my ball python out while I was watching TV. I took my eye off of it, and then looked down and it was gone. My father and I looked everywhere and finally we moved the TV stand and it had slithered underneath. Even though I remember there being only the smallest sliver of room.

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I did something similar but I wasn't 8, lol...I was tired from my job, & about 10 pm sat down in my recliner chair to watch the late news with a snake on my lap. I dozed
off for about 5 minutes or less (I could tell because I didn't miss much news) but it was long enough for the snake I was holding to slither off my lap & hide under my chair.
I found him right away of course, but I have to wonder how snakes always seem to know the moment your attention strays? And obviously, it's not only me. :D (I was
quite relieved that my snake was ok, & it occurred to me that he could have been injured in the chair mechanism.)

When i was about 16 One of my Corns got out. My Mom found it in the laundry basket. To this day my family still thinks I put the snake in the laundry basket on purpose, and this was 20+ years ago.

I also had my bout with feeding my snake outside of its enclosure. When I got my new snake I started feeding her old school. but after about 4 or 5 months I was able to convert my snake into eating in the enclosure.

When I first got a BP ( back in nineteen-canteen ) I thought gravel might make a good substrate because it would be easy to clean. :rolleyes:

First pee corrected that assumption. :oops: