Leviathan Progress Thread

Handling is going well, he’s really calmed down. I’m learning to read him a bit better, and today I let him go beyond my forearms to explore my shoulders a bit.

Anyone have a clue about this tongue flick? It’s as far as I see him stick it out.




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Beautiful noodle!!

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Very nice retic!


Tap training is very easy to train in snakes: it has little to do with training, and more to do with breaking their feeding response. It's easy for snakes (aside from especially stubborn ones) to pick up on tap "training" because it's unusual for prey items to just come up in their business and start messing with them. If you tap them differently than you feed, it's as simple as your actions just being unexpected. Makes them stop and think, and from there it's easy to get them to realize you aren't food.


At times, you may need to take longer with the hook to get them to break their feeding response, and as he gets bigger imo it becomes ever more important to ensure you've broken their feeding response. A 4' baby biting you is one thing, a 10'+ retic is another thing, and a full grown retic bite could be fatal.


I also agree: feed every 7 days. There is not a single (healthy) rodent-eating snake I can think of that I'd feed more often than that.

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Originally Posted by JTC

Good call, his next meal will be a weaned rat! :)

General retic question for anyone- since I've had him, his tongue flicks are short, as in just sticking out the forked portion of his tongue. They aren't quick or fast, he just doesn't stick his tongue out all the way. Is this an individual behavior that's somewhat normal, or is it a stress indicator? When he's doing it, there aren't any other signs of anxiety or stress.

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It's normal, just picking up scent particles. I personally assume it's either because they don't feel a real pressing need to be aware of their situation. I see this a lot in my boa constrictors when they're just laying there asleep and I come up to them. Slow, steady movements get the tongue tips, bigger/quicker movements get full on tongue flicks.

Has he ever stuck out his tongue more at all? Could also be a deformity if he physically can't extend his tongue.

Tap training is coming along well, it’s clear when that response is gone. You’re right- sometimes it takes longer. :)

I’ve gone to giving him a weaned rat once a week, and that seems to be working well!

As far as the tongue, I’ve never seen him do anything else, so you could be right. He isn’t dehydrated or stressed, and seems completely normal besides that!


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Something interesting happened last night-

Most of the enclosures I’ve ordered are from Animal Plastics, with Pro Products RHPs. However, I currently have Leviathan in a PVC enclosure made by Recoil Reptiles. It came with an RHP from VE. The VE has a plug for the cord in the RHP itself- the cord is removable. Leviathan, being the explorer he is, somehow unplugged his RHP last night after I went to bed, and when I checked on him this morning, his cage was 74 degrees. Not the end of the world by any means, but still concerning, especially given that I sometimes leave town for the weekend.

I just thought I’d share this- the ProHeat RHPs can’t be unplugged from inside the enclosure... and I’ll be ordering another soon to replace this VE panel.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by JTC

Something interesting happened last night-

Most of the enclosures I’ve ordered are from Animal Plastics, with Pro Products RHPs. However, I currently have Leviathan in a PVC enclosure made by Recoil Reptiles. It came with an RHP from VE. The VE has a plug for the cord in the RHP itself- the cord is removable. Leviathan, being the explorer he is, somehow unplugged his RHP last night after I went to bed, and when I checked on him this morning, his cage was 74 degrees. Not the end of the world by any means, but still concerning, especially given that I sometimes leave town for the weekend.

I just thought I’d share this- the ProHeat RHPs can’t be unplugged from inside the enclosure... and I’ll be ordering another soon to replace this VE panel.


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How was it able to be unplugged? :O

I have the cords to my RHPs threaded up through the top right at the base of the wire, so there is no excess wire for the snakes to get into. My RBI panels don't have removable wires, either. The plugs at the end can be taken apart, but you can't get the wire out of the panel itself. Is that a new design or something?

I’m honestly at a loss at how he got it unplugged- it came installed in the enclosure, and there didn’t appear to be enough slack for this to happen. I plugged it back in and took up the slack at the supports. It’s a VE panel, and the cord can be unplugged from the panel itself, inside the enclosure.

One way or another, I’m replacing this one with a hard wired panel ASAP.


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I don’t hold Leviathan, he holds me!

Things are going well- consistent feeding (1 weaned rat/week), gentle interactions, and his weird short tongue flick is gone- he flicks it normally now for the most part. He’s easily 4’ at this point.

He sometimes gets in his strike pose in his enclosure and makes aggressive movements up towards his RHP, it’s odd but rare.

I’m really coming to love this guy more every day!!

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by JTC

I’m honestly at a loss at how he got it unplugged- it came installed in the enclosure, and there didn’t appear to be enough slack for this to happen. I plugged it back in and took up the slack at the supports. It’s a VE panel, and the cord can be unplugged from the panel itself, inside the enclosure.

One way or another, I’m replacing this one with a hard wired panel ASAP.


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Hmm. That is indeed strange! Could he have somehow pulled the wire out of the panel? (As in: the wire isn't supposed to be removed at the panel, but with enough force he could have pulled it out?)

He's growing very well, and continues to be gorgeous. ^.^