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  1. #11
    BPnet Senior Member jmcrook's Avatar
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    Meet Maxine (Max for short-Stranger Things)

    Did Nick say she was eating F/T or live? What size prey item?

    You’ve posted handling pics and the animal has not yet eaten for you? There should be minimal/no interaction for a week before offering food for the first time. No handling until the animal is reliably and consistently eating for you/taken three consecutive meals. Wait a week between offering food items after refusals.

    I’d get in touch with Nick. He’s a very helpful and responsive guy.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Last edited by jmcrook; 03-16-2020 at 11:08 AM.

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  3. #12
    BPnet Lifer EL-Ziggy's Avatar
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    Re: Meet Maxine (Max for short-Stranger Things)

    I agree with only offering food weekly and no handling until she's eating consistently. Asking Nick what she was eating before you got her is a good idea too. If she was eating mice then I understand why she might initially refuse rats. Your temps are in range so hopefully it's just a matter of time before her appetite kicks in. I wouldn't worry about her weight. My coastal was a 100g yearling when I got him from Nick back in 2015. He's close to 7ft now.
    Last edited by EL-Ziggy; 03-16-2020 at 02:17 PM.
    3.0 Carpet Pythons, 1.1 Bullsnakes
    1.0 Olive Python 1.0 Scrub Python,
    1.0 BI, 0.1 BCO

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  5. #13
    BPnet Lifer dakski's Avatar
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    Re: Meet Maxine (Max for short-Stranger Things)

    Quote Originally Posted by rayman99 View Post
    Does anyone have any recommendation on getting Maxine to eat. She’s 8 months old and only weighs 78 grams; she has not been a good eater since hatched. About 5 days ago I took her out of the 35 Liter tub and placed her in a 9 liter tub with sufficient clutter and hides. The temps on warm side is 91 degrees and cool side is 76-80. I do understand during the cooler months some of our snakes won’t eat as much, but she really hasn’t eaten much, ever! I’ve tried feeding her 2x last week (small eat fuzzies) with no luck. Today is feeding day I may try a rat pinkie tonight.

    On the flip side my ball python is the same age and is already almost 400 grams.

    Any help is greatly appreciated


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    How are defrosting the prey and offering the prey?

    Very important to defrost properly - don't cook the prey - and then heat up at the end to excite a carpet python's heat pits.

    I'll put below proper defrosting technique.

    Also, was she eating mice or rats prior? You should be giving her what she was eating.

    Finally, don't offer constantly, it will just stress her out. 1X a week. Same with handling. NO HANDLING UNTIL SHE'S EATING REGULARLY.





    This is my step by step list on defrosting F/T rodents.

    Others may do it differently and that's fine. This how I do it and it works for me.


    STEPS FOR DEFROSTING F/T RODENTS/PREY

    1. Put prey item(s) into appropriate size plastic bag (1 for each). I use Quart size ziplock bags up to a medium rat. NOTE: Bags are optional. Some people just throw the prey in the water. I like the bags, but you have to squeeze the air out of them.

    2. Fill the container/storage box 3/4 of the way with room temp to slightly warm water. If you have a temp gun (which you should, so if you don't, get one), make sure the water is not hotter than 85-90F, or there about.

    3. Put F/T prey item(s) in water. Cover (optional) and leave for an hour +/-. Less if smaller prey and longer if bigger prey (however longer does not hurt smaller prey).

    4. After an hour, rotate/flip prey. If in plastic bags, they often will stay on whatever side you put them in on. So if mouse is on left side, turn to right side, etc.

    5. Leave for another hour +/- for a TOTAL of about 2 hours (up to medium sized rat - longer if bigger prey - Large rats, for example).

    6. Check that prey is defrosted totally through. Squeeze at different sections of the preys body. Should be cool/room temp to touch, but be soft with no cold spots. If hard (except for bone), in abdomen, for example, or cold, put back in water until room temp and soft.

    7. Take prey out of the container/storage box and put aside. THEN FOLLOW STEPS 8-11 OR STEP 12

    8. Fill container with hot water from tap. If using temp gun, water temp should be 110-130F, not more.

    9. Drop prey item into water for 30 seconds +/-. If multiple prey items, do one at a time. You want each item hot when you offer.

    10. Remove (if hot water, with tongs).

    11. Dry as best as you can, and is quickly as you can, with paper towels. I dry with paper towels while I am walking from the bathroom where I defrost to the snake tanks. I kind of wrap the prey item up in them. It's ten feet, so by the time I get to the tanks, the prey is drier, but still warm.

    12. If not using hot water, use a hairdryer to heat rat so it entices snake

    13. Open tank and offer ASAP on tongs. Wiggle gently to make it appear alive.

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  7. #14
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    Meet Maxine (Max for short-Stranger Things)

    Quote Originally Posted by jmcrook View Post
    Did Nick say she was eating F/T or live? What size prey item?

    You’ve posted handling pics and the animal has not yet eaten for you? There should be minimal/no interaction for a week before offering food for the first time. No handling until the animal is reliably and consistently eating for you/taken three consecutive meals. Wait a week between offering food items after refusals.

    I’d get in touch with Nick. He’s a very helpful and responsive guy.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Yes Immediately after I posted here this morning I emailed Nick and he responded very quickly. His response was of what he fed (F/T Mouse Fuzzy), his routine (feed one hour after lights out at night) with room lights out and using a small light (headlamp) to see, Then rub the mouse on the snout, if she doesn't eat within 30 seconds, leave in tank overnight.

    Quote Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy View Post
    I wouldn't worry about her weight. My coastal was a 100g yearling when I got him from Nick back in 2015. He's close to 7ft now.
    I'm not gonna lie, I was watching some youtube videos and I saw a Coastal from a nonbreeder that was 8 months and looked to be 3-4x the thickness on Max, and I was a little envious of her size.

    Quote Originally Posted by dakski View Post
    How are defrosting the prey and offering the prey?
    My defrost method is good, thanks for the layout, Very informative for all!!

    Heres the good news.......
    I fed her 2x mouse fuzzies, 5 Grams each (10 grams total), using the method Nick responded with and she devoured them. She ate them so quick I almost offered her a third one. In hind site, With all the responses i think her not feeding was due to 2 reasons, (#1) most likely me handling too much and (#2) offering her rat fuzzies instead of Mouse fuzzies (too large possibly). I really do appreciate all the help and tips a all offered!!!!
    Last edited by rayman99; 03-17-2020 at 01:30 AM.

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  9. #15
    BPnet Senior Member jmcrook's Avatar
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    Meet Maxine (Max for short-Stranger Things)

    Congrats dude! Nick certainly won’t steer you wrong. As I’m sure you know, he literally co-wrote the book on carpet pythons.

    Also your pictures of Max(ine) have me itching like a fiend for more Morelia! She’s a good looking critter


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    Last edited by jmcrook; 03-17-2020 at 01:45 AM.

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  11. #16
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    Re: Meet Maxine (Max for short-Stranger Things)

    Quote Originally Posted by jmcrook View Post
    Congrats dude! Nick certainly won’t steer you wrong. As I’m sure you know, he literally co-wrote the book on carpet pythons.

    Also your pictures of Max(ine) have me itching like a fiend for more Morelia! She’s a good looking critter


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    No Nicks been good since my first inquiry on Max, Absolutely no complaints there!
    Thanks, I absolutely love her look and colors, Cant wait until she comes into her adult colors and vibrance!
    Last edited by rayman99; 03-17-2020 at 02:20 AM.

  12. #17
    BPnet Royalty Gio's Avatar
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    Re: Meet Maxine (Max for short-Stranger Things)

    Quote Originally Posted by rayman99 View Post
    Does anyone have any recommendation on getting Maxine to eat. She’s 8 months old and only weighs 78 grams; she has not been a good eater since hatched. About 5 days ago I took her out of the 35 Liter tub and placed her in a 9 liter tub with sufficient clutter and hides. The temps on warm side is 91 degrees and cool side is 76-80. I do understand during the cooler months some of our snakes won’t eat as much, but she really hasn’t eaten much, ever! I’ve tried feeding her 2x last week (small eat fuzzies) with no luck. Today is feeding day I may try a rat pinkie tonight.

    On the flip side my ball python is the same age and is already almost 400 grams.

    Any help is greatly appreciated


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Hi,

    I missed the "eating" part as I was admiring the pretty animal. I have a coasty myself and she was a very slow starter with food. She's still bizarre in certain ways. She was so strange at the beginning with feeding that she would only eat if I held her in one and and put the snout of the prey up to her nose. She'd gently open her mouth and take it.

    I've used live rats, F/T rats, F/T chicks and quail and F/T rabbits.

    Sometimes she'll only coil and not bite. Other times she'll bite and coil and then not eat.

    BUT, when she's on she's on. She started small but she's full sized now.

    Keep at it and go with Nicks advice.

    My girl when she was young back in 2014 when I got her. She's a mutt. Coastal and likely jungle and or something else, nobody knows.


    This is summer 2019 at over 7 feet.


    They grow at their own pace. You'll end up with something 6 feet at minimum and possibly 9 if she's genetically predisposed to size.

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  14. #18
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    Re: Meet Maxine (Max for short-Stranger Things)

    Quote Originally Posted by Gio View Post
    Hi,

    I missed the "eating" part as I was admiring the pretty animal. I have a coasty myself and she was a very slow starter with food. She's still bizarre in certain ways. She was so strange at the beginning with feeding that she would only eat if I held her in one and and put the snout of the prey up to her nose. She'd gently open her mouth and take it.

    I've used live rats, F/T rats, F/T chicks and quail and F/T rabbits.

    Sometimes she'll only coil and not bite. Other times she'll bite and coil and then not eat.

    BUT, when she's on she's on. She started small but she's full sized now.

    Keep at it and go with Nicks advice.

    My girl when she was young back in 2014 when I got her. She's a mutt. Coastal and likely jungle and or something else, nobody knows.


    This is summer 2019 at over 7 feet.


    They grow at their own pace. You'll end up with something 6 feet at minimum and possibly 9 if she's genetically predisposed to size.
    Seems to be a learning curve with all animals. I had a dog once that would starve herself if fed dry dog food, but will eat wet dog food all day. My Ball Python will only eat live rats, I have wasted 2-3x 50 gram rats cause she wont eat them.

    Your Coastal x Jungle looks great! I want to get a Jungle eventually.

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  16. #19
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    Meet Maxine (Max for short-Stranger Things)

    Maxine progression

    It’s been a couple weeks since I’ve given an update but Maxine is doing well and eating well. When I first got her she went 3 weeks without eating which had me worried, but since then she’s eaten 6 weeks in a row. Only problem is she won’t eat rats, she’s stuck on those mice.

    On another good note, she is definitely starting to calm down, I didn’t touch her for a couple weeks just to give her time to adjust and recently started touching her about a week ago and she is definitely not as snappy as she was previously. When I first got her she would bite me multiple times and anytime I was around she was on hilar ready to defend herself. Now, she still a bit defensive in the very beginning but she quickly calms down after about one minute. Definitely showing signs of familiarity; She showing more curiosity and I love it.

    And lastly she shed, all came out in one nice piece, I had no clue she was in shed, since I only saw her when she was feeding.


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    Last edited by rayman99; 04-30-2020 at 11:08 PM.

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  18. #20
    BPnet Senior Member jmcrook's Avatar
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    Re: Meet Maxine (Max for short-Stranger Things)

    Looking good man! She’s beautiful.

    Have you tried thawing a rat with a mouse to scent it?


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