Ziggy Ure - 50% Hypo Bredli - Progression Thread

Hello, and welcome!

He has finally arrived! I picked him up just an hour ago and brought him home.

As for his name... I knew I wanted some word from the indigenous people of Australia who live around the Alice Springs area, the Arrernte. While scouring the known words, I found "Ure", pronounced like "oo-rah" or "or-rah". It means fire, which I thought fitting for the colour that he is, sort of a low, burnt-out flame colour. However, I'm a little attached to Ziggy too, since I've been using it as a placeholder for a while now. So, why not both? "Zigzag Fire" sounds like a good name to me.

Ure arrived looking good! A bit fired down, but he was also a bit chilly, so that's expected. Once again, Nick Mutton was amazing to work with, and I'm so glad to have this little guy from him. He is much smaller than I expected, but then again, I didn't have a concrete idea of how big or little he (or any bredli) is at that age to begin with.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_091957.jpg

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_092021.jpg

He was very alert, even after such a long journey.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_092059.jpg

Quite active and quick as well. I didn't want to stress him out by handling him for too long, and it unfortunately started raining as I was picking him up, so I wanted to get him into his tank ASAP so he could warm up.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_092127.jpg

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_092241.jpg

Here's a good one though! I can't believe how gorgeous he is even now, after a long overnight trip.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_092238.jpg

The first thing he did was to go straight to the top under the leaf clutter. For a while he hung out there, chilling as high up as he could. It's fascinating behaviour to observe. I've never had a semi-arboreal snake before.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_092511.jpg

It let me get some stunning shots of his lower half. I'm guessing he's ~24-28" right now. I want to weigh him after a couple of days, once he's settled in a little bit. He can't possibly be more than a pound.

I can't wait to see him coloured up! Even just the LED light really brings out the oranges and reds.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_092408.jpg

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_092437.jpg

He even has a zig-zag pattern on his tail! I guess Ziggy was just meant to be. When I put it down as the "name" of my pet on my paperwork, I didn't think I'd end up liking it so much. I guess that's what often happens with a "temporary" thing, though. They become permanent.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_092433.jpg

Some pics of him exploring! Checking out his warm hide.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_094006.jpg

In the front right corner by all the leaf clutter.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_094907.jpg

He has settled onto the warm side under all the leaf clutter now. A single large magnolia leaf is practically a hide for him. I ordered small hides, but I think they're still pretty big for him. Time will tell I suppose.

Either way, I am excited to see him become more comfortable and continue to explore his new home!

Here's to the next several decades, my friend :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OatBoii

Hello, and welcome!

He has finally arrived! I picked him up just an hour ago and brought him home.

As for his name... I knew I wanted some word from the indigenous people of Australia who live around the Alice Springs area, the Arrernte. While scouring the known words, I found "Ure", pronounced like "oo-rah" or "or-rah". It means fire, which I thought fitting for the colour that he is, sort of a low, burnt-out flame colour. However, I'm a little attached to Ziggy too, since I've been using it as a placeholder for a while now. So, why not both? "Zigzag Fire" sounds like a good name to me.

Ure arrived looking good! A bit fired down, but he was also a bit chilly, so that's expected. Once again, Nick Mutton was amazing to work with, and I'm so glad to have this little guy from him. He is much smaller than I expected, but then again, I didn't have a concrete idea of how big or little he (or any bredli) is at that age to begin with.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_091957.jpg

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_092021.jpg

He was very alert, even after such a long journey.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_092059.jpg

Quite active and quick as well. I didn't want to stress him out by handling him for too long, and it unfortunately started raining as I was picking him up, so I wanted to get him into his tank ASAP so he could warm up.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_092127.jpg

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_092241.jpg

Here's a good one though! I can't believe how gorgeous he is even now, after a long overnight trip.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_092238.jpg

The first thing he did was to go straight to the top under the leaf clutter. For a while he hung out there, chilling as high up as he could. It's fascinating behaviour to observe. I've never had a semi-arboreal snake before.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_092511.jpg

It let me get some stunning shots of his lower half. I'm guessing he's ~24-28" right now. I want to weigh him after a couple of days, once he's settled in a little bit. He can't possibly be more than a pound.

I can't wait to see him coloured up! Even just the LED light really brings out the oranges and reds.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_092408.jpg

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_092437.jpg

He even has a zig-zag pattern on his tail! I guess Ziggy was just meant to be. When I put it down as the "name" of my pet on my paperwork, I didn't think I'd end up liking it so much. I guess that's what often happens with a "temporary" thing, though. They become permanent.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_092433.jpg

Some pics of him exploring! Checking out his warm hide.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_094006.jpg

In the front right corner by all the leaf clutter.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_094907.jpg

He has settled onto the warm side under all the leaf clutter now. A single large magnolia leaf is practically a hide for him. I ordered small hides, but I think they're still pretty big for him. Time will tell I suppose.

Either way, I am excited to see him become more comfortable and continue to explore his new home!

Here's to the next several decades, my friend :D

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Looking happy, enjoy.

Sent from my SM-G973U1 using Tapatalk

He's a real beauty- & for what it's worth, I think he looks like a Ziggy too, but it's your call. :D He looks like he's enjoying his new digs- a real credit to you. May you have many many enjoyable years with this guy.

He reminds me of a Ziggy too! He'll just have two names- One for friends, and one for Business ;]

I expect he'll stay out of sight for a while, until he adjusts. I do wish I'd remembered to weigh him first- I was so concerned with getting him out of the rain and into his new home I spaced on it. I doubt he'll want to come out now though, if I could even get him! He held onto the little deli lid with everything he had, and it was admittedly more strength than I was willing to tug at. I bet he could hook onto a piece of wood and just say "no" to coming out.

I guess I'll try and snag him if I see him out and moving... somewhere like the branches maybe. That way I can get him into a cup, onto the scale, and right back in without fuss. Then I can go find some food for him for later this week, once I know how much he weighs.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OatBoii

He reminds me of a Ziggy too! He'll just have two names- One for friends, and one for Business ;]

I expect he'll stay out of sight for a while, until he adjusts. I do wish I'd remembered to weigh him first- I was so concerned with getting him out of the rain and into his new home I spaced on it. I doubt he'll want to come out now though, if I could even get him! He held onto the little deli lid with everything he had, and it was admittedly more strength than I was willing to tug at. I bet he could hook onto a piece of wood and just say "no" to coming out.

I guess I'll try and snag him if I see him out and moving... somewhere like the branches maybe. That way I can get him into a cup, onto the scale, and right back in without fuss. Then I can go find some food for him for later this week, once I know how much he weighs.

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I wouldn't feel too bad about not weighing him right off- I virtually ALWAYS forget to do that- my main focus is always the animal's comfort (keeping stress to a minimum) & their sense of security- & quite honestly, your snake's weight isn't going to change noticeably with one or 2 meals anyway. ;) I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OatBoii

Then I can go find some food for him for later this week, once I know how much he weighs.

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You should probably just feed him whatever Nick was feeding him to ease his adjustment into his new home.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Homebody

You should probably just feed him whatever Nick was feeding him to ease his adjustment into his new home.

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I'd love to! However, he has been having an "adult mouse or similarly sized rat pup", and there are... many sizes of adult mouse (at least at my local stores there are). That's why I'd like to weigh him, so I can figure out which size I should buy.

Like Bogertophis said though, my main concern is his comfort and encouraging him to feel safe, so I don't want to have to drag him out. If I see my chance I'll take it, but if he hides for the next 5 days straight, I guess I'll just get a small adult mouse? I'll figure it out.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I wouldn't feel too bad about not weighing him right off- I virtually ALWAYS forget to do that- my main focus is always the animal's comfort (keeping stress to a minimum) & their sense of security- & quite honestly, your snake's weight isn't going to change noticeably with one or 2 meals anyway. ;) I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

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I have always forgotten to do this with my HD burm, and when I remember i realize that I likely don't have a large enough scale each time!

Sent from my SM-G973U1 using Tapatalk

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OatBoii

I'd love to! However, he has been having an "adult mouse or similarly sized rat pup", and there are... many sizes of adult mouse (at least at my local stores there are). That's why I'd like to weigh him, so I can figure out which size I should buy.

Like Bogertophis said though, my main concern is his comfort and encouraging him to feel safe, so I don't want to have to drag him out. If I see my chance I'll take it, but if he hides for the next 5 days straight, I guess I'll just get a small adult mouse? I'll figure it out.

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I'd still assume he'll be fairly stressed & feed him on the light side anyway (maybe a hopper?), so he's less likely to up-chuck it. Snakes in new surroundings may not feel so brave right off.

I guarantee you Nick just fed it a weaned+ size mouse about the thickness of the snake +/-. That guy has never weighed a rodent in his life. About the thickness of the snake and you'll be just fine. In fact some carpets prefer disproportionately large prey over smaller feeders.

Great looking critter, congrats!

Thank you for all the advice! I'll go with something weaned-ish/hopper-ish, just to be safe for his first feeding. Then, I'd like to move him to rats. Good to know I'm not the only one who forgets the little things xD

I went to check in on Ziggy since it's been about 6 hours since he went in, and he moved! Which makes sense, he was on the hot side, so I guess he warmed up enough that he was ready to cool down. I couldn't find him for a couple of minutes (cue the racing heart), but when I did find him, this is what I saw:

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_140408.jpg

He's hanging! To get there, he must have moved all the way across the enclosure from where he was, and up to the top of his cork hide. He pulled his head up pretty soon after (probably because of the light), but he's been chilling there since. I'm amazed at how invisible he is, even among bright green plastic leaves. It took me way longer than I thought it would to find him, tbh, and I think he maybe poked his head out because I was looking around for him? He did it earlier too, when I first was watching him settle in and explore. Perhaps he likes to watch back?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jmcrook

I guarantee you Nick just fed it a weaned+ size mouse about the thickness of the snake +/-. That guy has never weighed a rodent in his life. About the thickness of the snake and you'll be just fine. In fact some carpets prefer disproportionately large prey over smaller feeders.

Great looking critter, congrats!

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Indeed!

You won't have many, if any issues feeding a Bredli. In my experience they take about anything you offer. I started my fella (he was older) on rats, quail and he's had rabbit since then.

Your snake will likely take a meal larger than its widest body part.

Nick feeds very conservatively for a couple of reasons. The first being, breeders don't like to have large males in their care. They eat more, take up more space and sometimes don't breed as well.

The second reason is that long term health can suffer from overfeeding. Normally that is frequency based and not as much because of prey size.

You can certainly give your new animal a good start in the first 2 years. I tend to give them a decent amount of food early in life, then switch to a seasonal program. The adult snakes here take October to March off and resume feeding in the spring.

Your animal looks great and I think you'll really enjoy the species.

Congrats!

Lovely! :D

Glad to hear that the Bredli is such a good eater. That takes some of the worry off- I'd heard they could imprint on certain foods, like BPs and Hogs do, and then become really picky.

Ziggy has moved back to the hot side. I caught him very briefly on his primary basking branch, and once as he was leaving the log area after the lights went out. He seems to be moving from side to side fairly regularly. It's very methodical- He explores a little, gets to the other side, and curls up somewhere dark for another chunk of time before he feels ready to move again. I sort of expected him to sit in one spot most of the day, so it's cool to see him looking around a little.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_220905.jpg

Perhaps about to get a drink? Caught this while just walking by, and I moved on right after so that he didn't feel uncomfortable. I can tell he's smart because he watches me.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...316_181046.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OatBoii

He pulled his head up pretty soon after (probably because of the light), but he's been chilling there since. I'm amazed at how invisible he is, even among bright green plastic leaves. It took me way longer than I thought it would to find him, tbh, and I think he maybe poked his head out because I was looking around for him? He did it earlier too, when I first was watching him settle in and explore. Perhaps he likes to watch back?

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Maybe this is a carpet thing, I've noticed even in the pet store the carpets will be keenly watching everyone in the store as they go by, not in an aggressive way or anything, but they seem very aware.

I'd believe it, he definitely watches me. If I stand too long or look too close, he is aware enough of me that it makes him want to hide. I'm trying to either observe from afar, or look, take a pic, and move on. I did get to watch him last night as he explored for quite a well, once the main light on the tank went out. He is SUPER long, way longer than I thought. I think he is much closer to 28"+ than not. This morning he was in his hot side hide by the time I got up, but I am admittedly a late waker, so it was plenty bright by that time. For being so long, he certainly curls up into a very small size. I ordered all my hides in "small", but they are still clearly big compared to him.

Oh, and he pooped! A tiny thing, but it means he probably ate about a week ago, so he should be plenty hungry when I go to feed him later this coming week.

A pic of him stretching out along the substrate guard, ft. my cat Timotheos.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...317_002603.jpg

And a few more pics (zoomed in because I was sitting pretty far) of him on the front decor.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...317_002106.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...317_002209.jpg

And finally, this pic from closer up that I snagged around 7 AM, when I got up to feed Tim before laying back down again.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...317_063221.jpg

It took until after a lot of pictures, but I noticed finally that he has a nice long stripe along his sides down the majority of his frontal body. Perhaps because I've only ever really seen pictures of Bredli from an above position, I never noticed it. Is that a normal Bredli thing? I can't seem to find pictures of other Bredli from a similar angle so that I can look and see.

I really like the second pic. Reminds me of a certain Bible story.
https://i.imgur.com/IPFFF9b.jpg

I got a weight on him today! Ziggy was hanging out in a nice ball on the hot side, so it was super easy to quickly scoop him up. He did NOT want to sit still for the weigh, nor get in the cup, but he is roughly 130 grams (give or take about 10g for squirmy snake error). I popped him right back in after, checked his probe placements, and checked his temps with the IR temp reader. Everything is still looking good, and he seems to be thermoregulating as needed. For having been disturbed though, he was pretty chill. No hissing, no posturing, no striking, even when I was trying to lightly manuever him into the cup with its lid. Super squirmy however- not very interested in sitting still, sort of like a colubrid.

Caught him right as he was getting ready to go into his warm hide.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...317_211139.jpg

Night two he spent cruising around most of the night again. He is definitely much more adventurous at night, but that's to be expected. Most of the day he stays in a hide, either the warm or cool one, and then once evening hits he'll poke his head out juuuust enough to watch the world around him.

Here he is, super zoomed in, poking out from one of his thus far favourite spots. He sat like this while my partner and I were in the room for a while, until my partner went too close and he retreated again. Oh well... small steps.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...318_000116.jpg

Well, he seems to be settling in quite nicely! I'm thinking about feeding him tomorrow, or maybe Tuesday. Time to brush up on my mouse thawing skills...

Ziggy is getting more comfortable with being out. We've developed a sort of a schedule- I turn the lights on when I get up, but the sunlight has already sent him to bed. Around 7-8pm, he starts to wake up, so I turn off the tank light and turn on overhead light. Once he comes out from his sleeping spot and shows that he's awake, I turn the lights back on until bed. So far, this is working great! I hope he'll feel comfortable enough to come out with the tank light on soon. I'd like to put it on a timer, for his sake and mine.

His activity with the lights is still nothing compared to his night activity. It's a lot of fun to watch him explore at night, when he thinks all the lights are off. He can reach nearly across the entire cage, length and height! I can tell he has a lot of strength, even though he's still so small.

The best part about having him get more comfortable with being out with the lights on is that I get to admire him. He would flinch away from the light and us for the first few days, so it feels like a real turn around that I can now observe him just chilling on a branch for several hours, even up close. To be fair, he is probably asleep, but it still feels like progress.

I may be sending too many pictures, but I really am just in awe all the time that such a beautiful creature is in my home. My partner doesn't share my enthusiasm for snakes (nor does anyone else I know), so I don't have anyone to talk to about how cool he is.

Anyways, why would I talk about it, when I could show it? Picture time!

Ziggy in his admittedly huge hide. It is the smallest size though, so maybe I could pad it with some dry sphagnum moss to make it... cozier? I'm open to ideas. This is where he spends most of the day time, if not all of it.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...319_083830.jpg

The first night I saw him curled up! He stayed like this for a couple of hours.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...318_233948.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...318_234025.jpg

These are from today! He really stretched out some more today, and he spent nearly 6 hours out with the light on, and some moderate activity, without hiding again. Hooray for progress! I'm glad he's settling in and feeling safe.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...320_002111.jpg

Looong
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...320_002117.jpg

A close up. I'm always drawn to those big nostril scales and the under jaw heat pits- they're very interesting and pronounced on the Bredli.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...320_002054.jpg

He moved from the above position after a few hours to this more condensed position. I had hoped he would use this branch when I put it in there like that, but it's a nice surprise that he actually is. I figured he would like the back branches more.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...320_012859.jpg

A slightly more aerial POV. I'm still trying to see if I can find that long stripe on the side of other Bredlis. What a funky position though- He trapped his neck in his own coils.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...320_012913.jpg

That's all for now. I'll update next after I feed him for the first time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OatBoii

I may be sending too many pictures...

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Love 'em! Keep 'em coming.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OatBoii

Well, he seems to be settling in quite nicely! I'm thinking about feeding him tomorrow, or maybe Tuesday. Time to brush up on my mouse thawing skills...

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Those are GREAT pictures :D (don't stop) & he's obviously settling in quickly because of all your hard work setting up his home.:gj: Providing a sense of security makes all the difference for snakes.

As for thawing mice- I recommend using cold (cool) water until the rodent is totally soft (thawed) throughout, & then warm it quickly using the method of your choice (or a combination thereof). Immersion in very warm water (not boiling hot- you don't want to cook it!) for a few minutes works great, & for the extra fussy snake, a blow dryer can put a finishing touch on the external warmth- happy to say none of MY snakes need their rodents blow-dried, but many BPs seem to. I don't imagine this snake's breeder blow-dried his feeders either, but you'll soon find out. I'm betting this snake eats very easily for you.

Even more important than the pics are your descriptions of his behavior. These will be very helpful to those considering getting a Bredli of their own.

I'm happy to report he took his first meal for me! I gave him a hopper mouse, which still looks like a pretty good size for him. There is a noticeable bulge where the mouse is (was?). I warmed it with some hot water for just a moment, and that was enough for him I suppose. Good for me! We don't even own a blow dryer. If it wasn't warm enough, the back up plan with to lift the DHP and warm the mouse with that for a few seconds.

He was SUPER upset when I first opened the door. I added some weather stripping on the left door to block a small gap between the two doors because I was worried he might find a way to squeeze through. I'm pretty sure even if he could wiggle his head in between the panes that he couldn't get much farther than a squished nose, but still. Just to be safe. If he gets out, there's a very big fall, and my very curious, much bigger than him, cat.

Anyways, the weather stripping means I can't slide the door well, so when I unlock it, I just take the whole door off. Which Ziggy found too surprising of a wake up call apparently. His whole body puffed up and then deflated with how big of a hiss he made xD It reminded me a lot of a balloon. I'm sure if I was a scary bird, I'd be warned off.

Either way, once I set the door aside and brought over the hopper, all that attitude disappeared in an instant. He was interested, but it did take him some tongue flicks and a bit of looking before he decided to strike. Once he did he coiled immediately though. Altogether pretty fast, and he definitely didn't need any convincing once he confirmed it was food. I guess maybe that was him looking for its heat signature?

A pic!
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...320_211403.jpg

He lowered the mouse onto the ground from here, so that he could eat it better. No pictures of that though, I just watched through the doorway from another room. Ziggy is now in his warm hide, which I shoved a bunch of extra sphagnum moss in, and he's looking nice and cozy now. Happy digestion little buddy!

Also, thank you both for your responses. It means a lot to me, and I do hope my experiences can help others make informed choices. I also like having the descriptions and pictures to look back on myself, sort of like a snake journal? Ziggy is wonderful, and I'm looking forward to many years with him. Sometimes I still get anxious about him being sick or acting strangely or not thriving, but I know that Ziggy comes from a good place, so that helps assuage a lot of my nerves.

I can tell I'm a bit of a helicopter snake parent though :rofl:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OatBoii

...I can tell I'm a bit of a helicopter snake parent though :rofl:

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Aren't we all? :D That's way better than not caring enough. ;)

He's just beautiful and is doing so well! Please don't slow down with photos and updates.

Given that you have to remove the whole door for feeding time, I wonder if it might reduce the surprise/stress of doing so by signaling in advance that it'll be happening - something like three taps on the door, then waiting a minute, then removing the door, maybe?

I have to say I don't think you are being too cautious at all about the door. If he can shove his nose through the gap, he can shove the rest of himself through. It's really astounding to see how small a space that a determined, curious snake can get through if they put their mind to it. This is why I don't have sliding panels on my enclosures, but I know they can be made secure.

For what it's worth, I've kept snakes for a long time and I think it's fair to say I am still a helicopter parent.

That's a great idea! Thank you Caitlin. Hopefully it won't be a forever problem, but since Ziggy seems a bit nervous, I'll happily implement this for cleanings and feedings for now. Once he gets bigger, I can probably remove the weather stripping. I do love the blockiness of older Bredlis, so I'm excited to see him grow into that characteristic head shape :D

Helicopter snake parents for the win! Snakes are so subtle anyways that I think being overly observant is probably for the best xD

Ziggy has come out of his mini food coma tonight. Hooray! He's been in his hot side hide pretty much since he ate, even at night.

Tomorrow marks one full week since his arrival :D it feels like much longer than that, but also much shorter than that. My partner helps me be patient because he is super impatient- He wishes I had chosen a snake that, and I quote, "Didn't hide so much". Reminding him helps me remind myself that it's only been a week, and that progress takes time. I'm confident that Ziggy will start hanging out on the wood more often when he's ready- he clearly likes it.

A few pics of him hanging out. I might do some rearranging of the back and left side of the enclosure when I clean it for the first time, since I haven't noticed him using any of the back branches. Now that I know him a bit, I think I could rearrange them in a way that is more to his liking. Onto pics though! I'm pretty sure he's so chill with me hovering around the cage front because he's not really awake, but I'll take it.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...322_224133.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...322_224138.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...322_224145.jpg

Hello again! It's been about a week, so it's time for more pics of Ziggy Ure :D

He grows more confident every day that passes. This morning, he was out on his branch when I woke up! It's the first time he hasn't already been in a hide by the time I got out of bed, which is awesome.

I have noticed, however, that he really seems to dislike the tank lighting. I'm not sure if this is because he is nocturnal, or if the light is too bright, or if he simply just doesn't like it? My running theory is that he probably never really had a light until now, being that he was kept in a rack system, so perhaps the light is too much for him? Even if he seems to be relaxed, the second the tank light comes on, he heads for the darkest corner. If the light in the room is on, but not the overhead one, he is much more willing to just come out and relax. I think I'm going to try and experiment with keeping the tank light off, but the room light on, and see if he is more comfortable with that, or if he just doesn't like light at all. Either way, I hope that he will one day feel comfortable enough to stay on his branch during the day. He really, really seems to like it, and I feel a bit bad whenever I find him on it but he runs away from it pretty much as soon as I turn on the light and walk away.

Friday, when I'm a bit more free, I'm going to go in for his first spot cleaning and perhaps rearrange a little. I have been doing my best to try and not enter his space unless absolutely necessary, but he has pooped and even managed to get a urate in the door track, so it's time to get in there for more than a five second water change.

Anyways, pictures! In no particular order.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...329_095928.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...328_075948.jpg

Looking proud after pulling down the thermometer/hygrometer
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...326_011722.jpg

The one time he has expressed some interest in looking out. It lasted all of about a minute, before he withdrew. The door is off in this picture.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...327_190034.jpg

Exploring
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...324_232010.jpg

A beautiful tummy
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...325_191122.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...325_191128.jpg

He really likes riding the substrate guard, I've noticed.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...325_212448.jpg

Just a variety of close ups now! I really like the face of the bredli- I think they have uniquely beautiful facial structures.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...324_235343.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...327_183525.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...325_212519.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...325_212529.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...324_232050.jpg


And, finally, one very blurry Blelele! Most of these pictures aren't super great because I'm just taking them with my phone, and a lot of them are zoomed, but they're something at least. I'd love to see what a real camera could do with this guy, the pictures really don't do him justice.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...324_232005.jpg

He took another meal today! I'm still giving him hoppers for now, perhaps one more, and then I'll see about finding some small adult mice. In all honesty, they seem to be a good size for him as far as I can eyeball it, but I don't think I'm too good at eyeballing xD I've also heard carpets prefer bigger prey, and he was on adult mice before anyways, so once I'm certain he feels comfortable I'll bump him up.

Absolutely no problem striking! He's a great eater.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...331_203647.jpg

What a beautiful & FUN snake!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OatBoii

He took another meal today! I'm still giving him hoppers for now, perhaps one more, and then I'll see about finding some small adult mice. In all honesty, they seem to be a good size for him as far as I can eyeball it, but I don't think I'm too good at eyeballing xD I've also heard carpets prefer bigger prey, and he was on adult mice before anyways, so once I'm certain he feels comfortable I'll bump him up.

Absolutely no problem striking! He's a great eater.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...331_203647.jpg

---

That 50% hypo looks a lot more hypo than my 50-percenter!! Although, I guess maybe I should look back at photos when my guy was a younger lad. He's coming up on 6 years old in September.

Great looking snake for sure.

Bredli get heavy fast. I can't believe how dense my guy is. He's close to boa constrictor density.

This is what you may be looking at around the 5.5 year mark.
https://i.imgur.com/cuXCCyH.jpg

Ziggy is doing so well, which is no surprise. These are great snakes.

You mentioned that he doesn't seem to like his enclosure lighting. I just wanted to chime in and say that almost none of my snakes like full-brightness light. At one point I was super worried about my green tree python (helicopter parent...) because he was actually going down to the ground and crawling under his substrate, which is wildly abnormal for these arboreal snakes. Turns out the LED in his enclosure was too bright. I've found that this particular snake prefers the very lowest level of UVB and doesn't like any LED light at all - his enclosure is in a corner that has exposure to natural light from two windows, so that's been enough of a day/night cycle for him.

I do like having an LED light in my enclosures, but for some years now I have kept them on dimmers, and I don't put them on full brightness with any of my snakes. Most are in fact fairly dim.

I also use UVB but am super careful to set the enclosure up so that there is only a small 'basking' area with full UVB exposure, and the rest of the enclosure provides a light/shade gradient that ranges from dappled light all the way down to deep shadow so that my snakes can choose to what extent (if any) they want to be in UVB or exposed to the LED light.

Gio, what a gorgeous snake! I adore your bredli- I've seen lots of pictures from other threads. I can't wait until my boy starts getting that big blocky head, but I know I'll miss this little stage once it's gone.

As far as lighting goes, this light actually has multiple brightness settings (I stole it from the miniature painting desk), so inturned it down to the lowest one and he seemed much more of a fan of it! The room he's in does have a window, but it gets very little light, so it's not the best. That being said, since he seems to respond well to lower light levels, I might try moving this one back to the desk and seeing how ambient lighting works. Although I've heard UVB can be good for snakes, I don't know if I have the experience to get one set up in the right way. I'd rather not risk hurting Ziggy, since I'm not confident on setting up a UVB correctly.

Pics! He was basking briefly on his branch last evening, but he spends most of his post-meal time curled up inside his hot hide.

This is the light on its lowest setting, and he looks much less hypo under this lighting.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...401_213015.jpg

He reacted to me coming over! It was the first time he seemed to show an interest and not fear to me walking up. Hopefully that doesn't mean he thinks I'm food xD I want to start target training once I'm certain he feels safe in his enclosure. Probably soon!
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...401_211242.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OatBoii

I want to start target training once I'm certain he feels safe in his enclosure. Probably soon!

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There is no need to wait. If you're feeding, you can target train. This video provides a great overview of the individual steps: Train your Snake to Target: Step by Step for Confident Snakes. Watching your snake progress through the steps is very rewarding.

You can follow my steps and missteps training my Children's python in this link here: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/sear...searchid=10096

It's been a bit, so here's another photo dump~

I've been experimenting with various levels and types of lighting this week. Nothing too exciting to report, but Ziggy does seem to be responding (positively) to my presence more! He is much less scared and much more curious. Next time I feed him, within the next day or two, I'm going to try an adult mouse and introduce the target. I'm excited to start the process c:

Various pictures! The first two my partner took- they have a much a much nicer camera than I do.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...B6B0540D4E.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...248B150CA4.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...409_235039.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...409_223433.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...409_000216.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...405_223725.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...405_223737.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...404_212602.jpg

He's SO photogenic! And that head shape- :love:

Apologies for the long gap, but I'm suffering from some health problems as of late. Ziggy is doing great in the mean time though! He took an adult mouse no problem and will be due for another this coming week.

Just a few pics. Hopefully my health will improve again shortly and I can start spending a bit more time taking pictures. I love his arboreal "strike" pose that he likes to rest in. I really enjoy seeing him climb across his branches... I'm not sure he's ever touched the bottom of the viv xD

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...421_225217.jpg

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...411_074539.jpg

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...415_001506.jpg

Sorry to hear you've been unwell- I hope you're done with that or will be very soon. Love the pics you take- that's one very awesome snake, & you've provided a beautiful home for him to match.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OatBoii

Apologies for the long gap, but I'm suffering from some health problems as of late. Ziggy is doing great in the mean time though! He took an adult mouse no problem and will be due for another this coming week.

Just a few pics. Hopefully my health will improve again shortly and I can start spending a bit more time taking pictures. I love his arboreal "strike" pose that he likes to rest in. I really enjoy seeing him climb across his branches... I'm not sure he's ever touched the bottom of the viv xD

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...421_225217.jpg

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...411_074539.jpg

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...415_001506.jpg

---

The best part of Morelia IMO is the semi to highly arboreal nature of the group. They are excellent display animals and you are able to see them in a variety of positions.

I had my Bredli out yesterday watching TV and he was pretty mellow.

I'll get some photos up of him soon. He's about ready for some larger prey. I'm debating on a 2 pound rabbit. He and my boa are capable and that size cuts my feeding to less than monthly.

I'm here with some more pictures of Ziggy! He'll be getting another adult mouse tonight, his second one. Right now I'm feeding him roughly every 12-14 days, since that was about how frequently he got fed before, and I think it works well for him. I have yet to see him poop since the first week he came here, but I'm assuming that simply means he is utilizing as much of his meals as he possibly can.

I held him, very briefly, for the first time this last week :D It was mostly just to give him a look over and move him for cleaning purposes, and I could tell he was a bit nervous, but he was also very curious. He is slowly but surely getting braver and more comfortable. Just this morning in fact, he was on top of his left cork tube, and he has stayed there all day so far! Now that we're getting some spring/summer heat, he tends to be spending much more of his time on the cool side of the viv. I've been monitoring his temps, but if it gets too hot, I'll probably adjust the DHP down a little, or even turn off the UTH. He doesn't spend much of his time on the ground anyways (in fact I never see him on it at all), and it was mostly there to help combat the poor insulation and subzero weather we get where I live. Now that we're starting to warm up- although we've still got another solid 50 degrees upwards to go from here- it might be too much.

I'm working on slowly preparing a branch to put in his enclosure. He really likes to spread himself out across the substrate guard, and I think he would enjoy it a lot.

Onto the pics now. I got a new phone because mine started splintering, so the picture quality really went up!

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...426_220826.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...426_220749.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...426_220756.jpg

He kinda just... splays himself out xD A display snake indeed, once he wakes up in the evenings.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...427_224307.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...427_224328.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...427_224316.jpg

Such a gorgeous little guy... He amazes me every time I see him :)

Great update! Funny how snakes pick some places to hang out- :D

A quick update (No pics, but I do have plenty in storage. I'm on mobile though.)

Ziggy is doing well! With the end of the semester, finals, graduation (for others) to attend, starting a summer job, and as of today vacation, I've been very busy this last month. I meant to post an update from my laptop before we left today, but oh well.

Ziggy went into blue a few days ago. His first shed with me! Unfortunately, it will probably be while I'm gone... I have someone who is coming over every couple of days to check up on my animals though, so I'm sure everything will be OK. He hasn't left his hot hide since entering blue, but from what I understand, that's pretty normal. I'm doing my best not to stress him out, While also making sure he's still moving in there. The shed seems to be right about on schedule, albeit perhaps poorly timed with my vacation xD

Other than his upcoming shed, nothing too exciting has happened. He continues to take adult mice for me every ~2 weeks, and prior to blue, he was very active in moving about in the late evenings. His tank maintains temps wonderfully, I'm glad I invested in it so that I don't have to worry while I'm gone.

I'll try to post those pics when I return!

Here are those pics, as promised! He's gorgeous. I'm a bit sad I didn't get post-shed pics, but he shed beautifully with no problems c:

No particular order, just a lot of photos

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...612_105803.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...612_163903.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...521_211442.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...516_002226.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...516_002239.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...507_203129.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...507_223134.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...507_223733.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...508_232603.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...510_231036.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...512_224650.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...512_224653.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...515_082537.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...515_082543.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...516_002226.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...505_215859.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...505_215813.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...504_215410.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...504_232048.jpg

He's so photogenic, I adore him.

He's all the more photogenic thanks to the wonderful home you created for him- :gj:

Fantastic stuff!

Thank you both!

I do have a question though. I fed Ziggy the same day I posted those pictures last week. However, for a few days now, he already has digested his mouse and is doing what I think is his "hunting" behaviour. Searching around at night, investigating anything that comes close to the glass, super excited tongue flick, sitting in his favourite "hunting" spot. Is it possible he's ready to move up a size of mouse? Right now he's on Sm Adult Mice, which he has been on since he came to me. I'm not sure local stores sell much larger larger mice though, I think they just start jumping straight into rats. How do I/will I know when he's ready to make the switch? He definitely used to take more time before he started acting hungry/moving around again, but maybe he was just more shy?

Obligatory Ziggy pic. A question tax, if you will xD
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...620_221916.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OatBoii

Thank you both!

I do have a question though. I fed Ziggy the same day I posted those pictures last week. However, for a few days now, he already has digested his mouse and is doing what I think is his "hunting" behaviour. Searching around at night, investigating anything that comes close to the glass, super excited tongue flick, sitting in his favourite "hunting" spot. Is it possible he's ready to move up a size of mouse? Right now he's on Sm Adult Mice, which he has been on since he came to me. I'm not sure local stores sell much larger larger mice though, I think they just start jumping straight into rats. How do I/will I know when he's ready to make the switch? He definitely used to take more time before he started acting hungry/moving around again, but maybe he was just more shy?

Obligatory Ziggy pic. A question tax, if you will xD
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...620_221916.jpg

---

The night activities are quite normal, with or without food. Boas and pythons are by nature opportunistic creatures. Instincts drive their behavior whether they are captive or not, they don't know when the next meal will be. They will normally set up in an ambush position a few days after a meal, unless the prior meal was taxing to digest. Breeding behavior, pre-shed and shed behavior may change things.

My Bredli and coastal are perched, looking down almost every night.

With that said, I certainly think you can move into that small rat direction. Quail on the small side or medium chicks may also be suitable.

I would actually suggest getting some type of avian prey if you are switching to rats. Bredli are not typically known to be picky eaters, but sometimes rats don't stimulate a feeding response. If that happens, rubbing the rat with the scent of chicks or quail will help. My Brisbane coastal needed some scent transfer to get her into rats.

I have never had a snake here, other than our royal refuse avian prey. Carpets seem to go crazy for quail.

From the info you've put out, I think you are certainly ready for small rats.

Yeah all of my carpet pythons, and boas for that matter, are out hunting every single night regardless of how recently they've fed. As for prey size increase, I'd only step up about one size at a time. Came from Nick eating adult mice/rat pups? I'd look into rat pups/maybe a weaned rat. Based on the pics you posted of that animal in your hands it's got quite some time before it's ready for small rats in my opinion. Not trying to knock on Gio's suggestion of small rats, I just think they might be close to half of what the snake's weight.
Nick definitely wasn't weighing anything that snake was eating at his facility, but if you look at Perfect Prey's size ranges on their website a small rat can weigh close to 3x what an adult mouse/rat pup does. If you have a place local to you to buy frozen feeders they should be able to let you look and judge size before buying. Hope this is helpful.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jmcrook

Yeah all of my carpet pythons, and boas for that matter, are out hunting every single night regardless of how recently they've fed. As for prey size increase, I'd only step up about one size at a time. Came from Nick eating adult mice/rat pups? I'd look into rat pups/maybe a weaned rat. Based on the pics you posted of that animal in your hands it's got quite some time before it's ready for small rats in my opinion. Not trying to knock on Gio's suggestion of small rats, I just think they might be close to half of what the snake's weight.
Nick definitely wasn't weighing anything that snake was eating at his facility, but if you look at Perfect Prey's size ranges on their website a small rat can weigh close to 3x what an adult mouse/rat pup does. If you have a place local to you to buy frozen feeders they should be able to let you look and judge size before buying. Hope this is helpful.

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NOOOO I agree,

I should have specified FUZZY.

I, unfortunately consider anything under a medium rat a "small" rat but there are smaller rats than "small" rats LOL!

My mistake, but yes, move up to that next step.

I don't have any helpful information - I just wanted to pop in and say that Ziggy is gorgeous.

:bow: