Adelita - 2019 Hypo Sonoran

[WrongPython]

Thanks guys, and thanks for the tip Caitlin!

I was worried that it might be a stress rub at first, back in February. Given that the rubbing now seems to only happen a) in the spring and fall and b) when she's fed, though, I think it might be more of a hunting-based thing. I'm pretty sure I read something in one of Vin's books that said peak Sonoran boa feeding season is in the late summer-fall, so that would explain the seasonality of the pushing. She was also fed a little more frequently in October (back to the 7-10 day schedule), since the mice I had on hand were undersized for her and it looked like she was getting a wee bit skinny. It looks like the above activated her hunting behavior a little too well and created a pushy little monster!

Her natural curiosity seems to be a factor as well. When I leave one of her cage doors open so she can sit on the ledge and look out into the room, she calms down immediately and stops pushing. On top of looking for food, it seems like she just wants to be able to poke her head out of her cage and hang out. Not sure how I'm going to deal with that last part long-term. For now, I may leave her cage door open while I'm in the room at night -- my flat's ambients are right in the cool side/night drop range, so it doesn't hurt to leave her door open a bit.

The "bumpers" didn't end up working out (see below), so I'm treating her nose and trying a little something different tonight. She'll get what will hopefully be her last meal of the season ahead of cool down tomorrow. Hopefully she'll calm down after that!







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[WrongPython]

It looks like someone finally decided to calm down and stop pushing! It looks like shoving one of the rags that was sitting in my old barn bag into the door jam did the trick.

You can see where she rubbed herself pretty clearly, as well as the spots where I had to apply Neosporin the first time she rubbed her snout. Thankfully a gentle cleansing with some betadine seems to be doing enough on its own this time. Hopefully I won't need to apply Neosporin again -- I'd rather not risk messing up her scales a second time.

Since she settled down, I've decided to put off feeding her. Once she does her business I'll start dropping her temps proper. How long she winds up fasting is more or less up to her -- if she looks like she's getting skinny, she'll get a small meal and a couple of warm days to digest it.

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[WrongPython]

Adelita got her last meal of the year last Monday and promptly spent all of Thanksgiving week in a food coma. Getting bumped up a prey item size (or at least, the equivalent of that) will do that to you! The fact that she's now in shed may have contributed to her extended nap on her heat.

She also got a cage cleaning today, so she's now enjoying herself poking around and smelling all the new smells. The next time she starts pushing and begging to be let out, I may just have to try cleaning and/or rearranging her cage. That always seems to occupy her for a couple of days.

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[WrongPython]

"... what, human?"

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[WrongPython]

Somebody's looking and feeling nice after a perfect shed last night. The pictures don't do her justice - her colors are a little washed out here.

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[WrongPython]

Managed to get some nicer pictures of Adelita that better show her off post-shed. She's looking quite lovely right now, and her scales still feel and look fresh and smooth. It was a much nicer shed than her previous one, all in all.

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[WrongPython]

Someone's been extra photogenic the past few days!

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[Kam]

Just beautiful


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[Reptile$ 4 Life]

I love the pattern!!!

[Zincubus]

That’s beautiful !!


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