Kalatoa 100% Pure SD Retic Progression (Pic heavy...)

[Sauzo]

Thanks guys! She really is quite the animal to have the privilege of working with. Very spirited critter as well. I think she must be channeling Allie recently haha. Took a shot at the glass last night and took a half hearted shot at the hook when I just went in to clean up some urates. Which of course she left for me immediately after having her out for an hour after having cleaned up a small pee spot. She then proceeded to smash around everything in the cage and is currently staring at me through the doors lol. Only 3 days since she ate last. I think she's just built up some confidence since her tiny reticulated worm days haha. Really doesn't feel or look like an almost 6' snake until she stretches out along something. Still very trim and lean for her length. She's going to be very impressive at 8'+


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Haha yeah Caesar is much more bold too now that he is used to everything. And just as I said Caesar is fine with 7 day feedings, I was wrong. After5 days he was begging at the front of the cage and started pushing his head between the door and brace. He also was just laying in front of the door stretched out haha and kept poking his head up over the litter dam.

And as for channeling Allie, lol. Allie has mellowed out a lot. She seems to even be getting more mellow since I got her on weaned rats. Maybe its a food coma. She does get pissed at soda cans though and takes shots at them and hisses at them lol.

[Sauzo]

Oh yeah Phyllis leaves straight liquid pee more often than urates by a long shot. She pees probably every other day until she finally drops a deuce. And yeah it stinks worse than any other snake I've worked with, though the reptichip does a good job of soaking up odors but makes it tougher to spot the pee in the cage.
I think next time I order substrate I'm going to try Plant!t/Grow!t coconut chips. Pretty sure it's the exact same stuff as reptichip. Same size brick, same package... http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/p...oil-amendments
About half the price and seemingly identical. If I go that route I'll give a review of it compared to reptichip. Deborah posted in a thread about it recently and said she gets 10 blocks shipped for like $120 total. Pretty good deal in my book
Those stacks of APs are going to look way slick side by side with glowing red Herpstats! I've got the redline too just for the simple fact that it looks awesome haha


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Ok good to know Caesar isn't the only one who is a piss machine haha. He's a good boy with pooping in his cool side back corner but his non urate pisses seem to just get dropped wherever he feels like dropping it haha. His really don't smell that bad. I mean its not roses but it pretty smells like the boas piss too.

As for the Plant It/ Grow It stuff. Let us know if its dusty or anything. Price is good though. I just paid $70 for 3 blocks of the ReptiChips which is the equivalent of a big bail of Aspen I used to use. And that was $25 a bail. I figure its probably going to take 1.5 blocks per month or so for everyone so the stuff is going to add up in price

And yeah I like the Redlines too haha. Going to do 3 of the T25s on the stand with 2 of those Redlines again. Then i'll probably just keep the white ProLine cage as a spare cage for when I have to reseal the Ap cages. Can put whoever in it for about a week while waiting for the lexel to dry and set. I'll pick up one of the T25s this spring for Rosey as she needs a bigger cage and then get the last 2 and stand end of summer since Vicky and Caesar are fine in T10s for now.

[Gio]

I'm mostly talking about spot cleaning and trying to find those hidden poops and pisses.

I don't doubt full cleanings are fairly fast.

I'm just saying I do full cage cleanings at least once a month for most of the snakes. The retic is a poop and pee machine so he sometimes gets full cleanings 3 weeks. Also i'm not sure if its just my guy but do either of you guys ever have your retic pee but not leave urates? Caesar sometimes leaves those and I can smell them when I open the door and see the spike in humidity so I have to literally feel around the cage until I find the wet spot haha and then spot clean that area.

Plus I also take my snakes out a lot so I just picture a "full" cage making it harder to get some out.

Also I finally decided to switch substrate. Ordered 3 bricks of ReptiChips to test them out as Jmcrook and some other retic and boa owners I've talked to have said the stuff is awesome. So my boas and retic will be the guinea pigs for it next week. Also finally got my stand put together and set up. So now I got the 3 stack of T10s and later I can put a 3 stack of T25s with stand next to it to make an awesome condo set up haha.


I'll have to sell off my normal Herpstat 2 and 1 and get me 2 more Redlines so it all matches lol.

Same,

I have had pure liquid and still often do. And I've had terrible smells with paper towels during his early time in quarantine.

The coco husk has been great as it absorbs, isolates and minimizes smells. I use repti bark in the carpet cage and use a mix of cypress and coco husk in the boa cage, the royal seems to do best on aspen or coco husk.

I think you'll like repti chips, and YES taking any snake out that is capable of wrapping a tail around something is certainly more difficult.

Depending on what is going on, my boa gets a pass on coming out because he is the king of wrapping and gripping objects in the cage. I wait until he's gone back into terrestrial mode to get him out. I don't mind because I enjoy just watching him when he is climbing. Wallace is perched as I type and has been all day and evening.

Like I've said in the past; people should do what works best for them and their situation.

I just don't want to see folks give up on a satisfying, display setup with the preconceived idea that they are way too much work.

Good conversation here as always.

[Sauzo]

Yeah I think Vicky would do ok in a display set up as she really doesn't seem to care either way coming out or not. Rosey seems to actually like to come out the most. She will be quiet a few days and then start looking around the front all over. I open the door and she is out and climbing up onto my shoulder lol. She is the only one who seems excited to come out and explore. The rest don't mind coming out but they aren't as forward about it as Rosey. Might be because Rosey was my first so I used to take her out almost daily where as the other ones come out probably 2-3 times a week.

And yeah I'm kind of excited about the ReptiChips. I've been using aspen for years so a change seems nice. I still got a bail of aspen left though which i'll probably use for the dumerils as they don't need near the humidity of the boas or retic. Plus she loves to burrow in her aspen and just sit with her little head poking out haha.

[Gio]

Yeah I think Vicky would do ok in a display set up as she really doesn't seem to care either way coming out or not. Rosey seems to actually like to come out the most. She will be quiet a few days and then start looking around the front all over. I open the door and she is out and climbing up onto my shoulder lol. She is the only one who seems excited to come out and explore. The rest don't mind coming out but they aren't as forward about it as Rosey. Might be because Rosey was my first so I used to take her out almost daily where as the other ones come out probably 2-3 times a week.

And yeah I'm kind of excited about the ReptiChips. I've been using aspen for years so a change seems nice. I still got a bail of aspen left though which i'll probably use for the dumerils as they don't need near the humidity of the boas or retic. Plus she loves to burrow in her aspen and just sit with her little head poking out haha.

Ha ha!

I think we all have a big block of aspen.

I still have at least half of the HUGE amount I bought 5 years ago LOL!

It never hurts to switch it up.

JM,,,

I really like Phyllis looking dark like she does in your work area. Her pattern is exceptional and she almost has a coffee/mocha coloration.

Very cool.

[Sauzo]

Alright ladies!! I'm following you 2 and I switched Caesar, Rosey, Vicky and Dottie to Coco Husk. I didn't want to wait the week for the ReptiChips to get here so I bought 9 blocks of the Exo Terra stuff. So far its pretty good and man it skyrockets the humidity lol. Even with only wetting half of it and then blending with the dry stuff, I get 80-90% humidity.

Caesar loves it.

Vicky and Rosey were scared of it at first and gripped onto my arm and wouldn't go into their cage. They just sniffed the stuff haha. I had to pile them in and shut the door. Then they sat at the front like "omg let me out!!" Now they seem to be interested in it.

Dottie is just exploring all over and keeps making pit stops and burying her head in it and then looking around and cruising on haha.

Overall I think its a hit with the gang but haven't tried it with Allie or Luna yet.

My question is how often do you guys dump it all and change it out?

[jmcrook]

I've never actually use the exo terra stuff. I've heard it like totally dusty and dirt like. I change the reptichip every 2ish months for full clean out and spot clean as needed. When it dries out I pile it up and dump some water in it and mix it back up to maintain humidity levels. Definitely holds hella humidity for a good bit. Phyllis digs around in it like crazy when it's a fresh bedding too like it sounds like Dottie is doing lol


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[Sauzo]

Lol yeah, Dottie is going crazy in it haha. It's actually not dusty at all. It does seem different than the Reptichips from the look. Its for the most part chunk stuff. I'll have to wait for the Reptichip stuff to compare but so far it seems decent except it is expensive. Heres what it looks like. It definitely makes whitish snakes pop lol. Would have took one of Caesar but he is behind his cool hide investigating lol.


Lol here's Dottie going crazy in it.

[Sauzo]

Yeah, I'll probably just use a spray bottle and just spray it down with the hides when they humidity drops down.

[jmcrook]

Huh, looks way better than what I've heard from other folks on here. Every one else has seemed to say it turns to mud when it's wet. The reptichip are definitely more mulch like judging by looking at the pictures you posted. Definitely does make light colored animals pop a lot more! Let me know how you feel about it compared to the reptichip when it comes in


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