Hungry?

I've heard some people say that they feed their snake when it looks hungry.
What are some signs of a hungry snake?

I was planning on feeding my BRB tomorrow because thats when the breeder told me to. I'm going to feed it a live pinky rat... also because thats what the breeder told me to do. I am planning on eventually weening it off of live and going to strictly P/K food.
Any suggestions to do something else?
-Brant

most of it is, if the snake is cruising around the cage more than usual and its been a fairly good amount of time since the last feeding. there are also some more subtle signs to look for, at least i do, that are a little bit harder to explain via typing rather than visually

Its better to feed your snake on a set schedule instead of when it "looks hungry"

I'm not sure about BRB's but I offer food to my BP's every 7 days.

Yeah, the breeder said the schedule was every wednesday. I'm definitely sticking to it for awhile... I know that they eat less once they get bigger. I was really asking for future reference.

I fed it a small mouse. I couldnt find any pinky rats. Looked everywhere. It struck right away and had no trouble eating it.

Another question though... it seems to be burying itself it the substrate alot (like all day) is this a sign of anything or is it just in the personality?
-Brant

Considering it's only been two days since you asked this question in a fairly slow part of this forum, I don't really think you should have created a new thread with no hint at what sort of snake you were keeping.

I just happened to be curious enough to search your posts...

Please give a detailed explanation of your BRB set up. Temps, hides, humidity, substrate, size of enclosure, how you measure temps, lighting if any.... a picture would help a lot too.

My Balls give the "I'm hungry" feeling when they have their head out of their hides and when they get more alert when I open the cage.

My carpet gives me the "I'm hungry" feeling when he starts cruising around his cage and when he comes out of his cage when I open it.

Or when he strikes at my hand when the door is open!

sorry i didnt even think about this, ill get some pictures up as soon as i can...
-Brazilian Rainbow Boa (~24")
-20 gallon long aquarium (covered back)
-I have 2 hides
-the temp is around 80-85... im not sure of my hot/cold zones because i only have one therm. at the moment
-humidity is at 70%
-cypress substrate
-one 50watt daylight bulb on one end (~12 hours) and one 25 watt (taking it back for a 50 watt) blue night bulb on the other (~12 hours)

ill repost this on the other thread too to avoid confusion.

wrong name...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BRBrant

sorry i didnt even think about this, ill get some pictures up as soon as i can...
-Brazilian Rainbow Boa (~24")
-20 gallon long aquarium (covered back)
-I have 2 hides
-the temp is around 80-85... im not sure of my hot/cold zones because i only have one therm. at the moment
-humidity is at 70%
-cypress substrate
-one 50watt daylight bulb on one end (~12 hours) and one 25 watt (taking it back for a 50 watt) blue night bulb on the other (~12 hours)

ill repost this on the other thread too to avoid confusion.

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Lets keep this here for now.


How snug and tight fitting are your hides? If the animal doesnt feel safe, with the hide touching him on all sides, he will seek out other means to feel secure (i.e. burying) You can fill up the tank with silk plants or other decorations to make it not feel so open to him. That will help as well.

You did not answer how you are measuring heat and humidity or exactly how you provide it, so I assume you must have something.

If you go to walmart and buy an accurite thermometer/hygrometer for $12. It will show you all three readings in one unit. The probe goes to the hot spot, the unit itself goes to the cool end, where it reads both the ambient cool air and humidity.

You really must know what temps you're working with. What if it's too dry in the enclosure and the animal is seeking humidity by burying? What if it's too hot, and he is seeking to get away from it by burying himself?

I'm not asking these questions to waste time, but it's instrumental to know in case there are any glaring problems.

If you are providing heat with a light bulb, I ask you to reconsider and think about an under tank heater and thermostat.

The light can be intense, and they are notorious for sucking out all of the humidity, which BRB's really need. BRB's are a little bit more work because they need cooler temps with higher humidity.

I would keep the cypress mulch, as long as it is not soaking wet. It should be slightly damp if you mist. Keeping it wet will allow for growth of bacteria and fungus, which would lead to skin problems for the boa. We want to make the enclosure suitable to keep humidity in, not putting a band aid over the problem by soaking the substrate. (Not saying you do, just sayin)

I would ditch the lights if possible except for viewing purposes, which a coil fluorescent would do without adding extra heat and sucking humidity.

I would also cover the three sides with something, cork board, paper, anything. Cork board can help insulate the glass from heat loss.

Next, think about your cover. You are using lights, so I am just assuming the screen top is not covered. A simple solution is to tape several layers of foil over the screen (shiny side down) except to leave an inch or half an inch gap on either side to promote air flow for ventilation. This will bump your humidity by keeping it in the tank, and also retain heat better.

If you decide to continue to use a lamp, I would suggest a ceramic heat emitter. This way you wont have so much light going into the tank itself, and it can be used in conjunction with a thermostat. You would just need to cut an area around the foil for the dome to sit on. (If it isn't a huge dome).

I hope you find this helpful, tanks can be worked, but take more time and care to get them dialed in just right. :gj:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BRBrant

sorry i didnt even think about this, ill get some pictures up as soon as i can...
-Brazilian Rainbow Boa (~24")
-20 gallon long aquarium (covered back)
-I have 2 hides
-the temp is around 80-85... im not sure of my hot/cold zones because i only have one therm. at the moment
-humidity is at 70%
-cypress substrate
-one 50watt daylight bulb on one end (~12 hours) and one 25 watt (taking it back for a 50 watt) blue night bulb on the other (~12 hours)

ill repost this on the other thread too to avoid confusion.

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I didnt notice this before, but you should try to keep your humidity a little closer to 100% . Neonates need more humidity than adults. If you're having difficulty keeping humidity in the tank, I suggest moving your snake into a plastic tub until it's older and requires less humidity.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JayBP

I didnt notice this before, but you should try to keep your humidity a little closer to 100% . Neonates need more humidity than adults. If you're having difficulty keeping humidity in the tank, I suggest moving your snake into a plastic tub until it's older and requires less humidity.

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100%? I don't believe he has a neonate. That's just asking for a respiratory infection.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

100%? I don't believe he has a neonate. That's just asking for a respiratory infection.

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That information is from a care sheet I received from Dave Colling when I purchased my BRB. I've kept him at that or at least close since I've had him and I haven't had any problems. Perfect sheds, no scale rot, and he eats every week.

"Neonates require a much higher humidity level than adults and can be housed successfully on paper towels. With such high humidity comes mold, therefor attention must be kept to maintaining very clean cages. They should have free access to a large bowl of fresh water at all times(large enough to soak in). As adults they will usually drink large amounts of water and will not reuqire nearly as high relative humidity in their cages. . ."

"Adult BRBs require a minumin humidity level of 75%+. Should humidity drop into the 60s or 50s for a extended period of time the results can be respiratory infections, regurgitation, and death by dehydration. . ."

"Neonates should be kept at or near 95%+ humidity. I accomplish this with a fairly tight fitting shoebox rack. There's always condensation at the front. Temps for babies should be right around 77 degrees"

As for whether it's a baby or not, It looked like one to me in his other thread and he says it's 24 inches.

right, it is about 24 inches or so... You can see some pictures of it in my thread "Getting a BRB this weekend"(click the small link to see more than just the one pic) to get a better idea of its real length/girth.

the humidity is 70% at its lowest... i usually keep it at 75-80.

heat: I am using a light bulb for the heat... i will go buy a heat lamp tomorrow. Should this be used in accordance to the day and night routine? 12 hours on 12 off?

With the undertank heater: Would it get the glass hot enough for it to burn the snake? i didnt initially go that route because it was burying itself and was often directly on the glass.

cover: i am using a screen cover with Plexiglas JB welded to the screen (covering approximately 80% of the top). However, I am thinking about making a new hood that can incorporate lighting, heating, tubing for an aerator, and easy access hinging for cleaning and handling.

Substrate: i was going to start mixing the cypress with a tropical soil substrate and having a portion of the tank and one of the hides covered with sphagnum moss...

Measuring Heat/humidity: i have one stick-on hygrometer and one stick-on thermometer strip-- both are placed in the center of the tank on the back wall. I am planning on getting the digital thermometer with the probe.

Hides: There are two hides. One is pretty big and the snake does not touch on all sides-- it still goes in there occasionally and also climbs on top of it at night when it is more active. The other is a pretty intricate fake log that has two different chambers in it. It is much smaller and the snake seems to like that one alot more. I see it in there from time to time when it isnt buried under the substrate. It also climbs on this one at night.

Sorry for the confusion by posting this in another thread... i wasnt sure if it would be seen because it seemed like the "hungry?" topic was solved and people might just overlook this thread.

Opinions?

-Brant

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JayBP

That information is from a care sheet I received from Dave Colling when I purchased my BRB. I've kept him at that or at least close since I've had him and I haven't had any problems. Perfect sheds, no scale rot, and he eats every week.

"Neonates should be kept at or near 95%+ humidity. I accomplish this with a fairly tight fitting shoebox rack. There's always condensation at the front. Temps for babies should be right around 77 degrees"

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To each his own if it works right? I have read that caresheet too (I believe I link to it on my website), but I read other caresheets as well, and I never did find any others with this same high humidity reference, I just prefer to have more than one opinion when dealing with what I consider an extreme.

I am of the belief that BRB's do well with high humidity, but that over doing it will often lead to more harm than good. I read it works well for you, so keep on. :gj:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BRBrant

heat: I am using a light bulb for the heat... i will go buy a heat lamp tomorrow. Should this be used in accordance to the day and night routine? 12 hours on 12 off?

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If you want to keep him on a light schedule that is fine, but generally ambient light from a window works well enough.

Quote:

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With the undertank heater: Would it get the glass hot enough for it to burn the snake? i didnt initially go that route because it was burying itself and was often directly on the glass.

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ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS use a thermostat to control any heating element! Only this way can you be safe in knowing your temps will not burn your snake.

They are the most important tool you will buy for your snakes welfare. Check out Reptilebasics.com. I have a the Johnson, Ranco and helix. All work wonderfully!

Quote:

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cover: i am using a screen cover with Plexiglas JB welded to the screen (covering approximately 80% of the top). However, I am thinking about making a new hood that can incorporate lighting, heating, tubing for an aerator, and easy access hinging for cleaning and handling.

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Sounds like the top is good.

Quote:

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Substrate: i was going to start mixing the cypress with a tropical soil substrate and having a portion of the tank and one of the hides covered with sphagnum moss...

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Moss is good to use for shedding purposes, but it can harbor bacteria and fungi if not changed often enough. I would stick with a mix of cypress, or another fiber that won't mold easily. I have no experience with soil substrate.

Quote:

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Measuring Heat/humidity: i have one stick-on hygrometer and one stick-on thermometer strip-- both are placed in the center of the tank on the back wall. I am planning on getting the digital thermometer with the probe.

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Yes, a digital thermometer is good to own. Temp guns are also good to have on hand.

Quote:

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Hides: There are two hides. One is pretty big and the snake does not touch on all sides-- it still goes in there occasionally and also climbs on top of it at night when it is more active. The other is a pretty intricate fake log that has two different chambers in it. It is much smaller and the snake seems to like that one alot more. I see it in there from time to time when it isnt buried under the substrate. It also climbs on this one at night.

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You can swap the larger hide for the water basin that goes under a flower pot. It's easy to knock out a hole if made of clay, plastic ones can be burn or cut out.


If it is any consolation, my BRB's like to bury too when not given a hide. I think this may curb his burying, and you would know why. :gj: