First time owner, please advise *long post*

[PrincessBunny]

Thank you both ☺️ We are getting along just fine 💕 today was feeding day and he accepted his second meal from me with no issues, I was concerned the stress of the vet visit would make him refuse but he seems to be a very strong boy 🥰🥰🥰

I hope he does too! 💕 But even if he doesn’t I will love him all the same.

Honestly everything may work out for the best, far from a football player I am more in the Oompa Loompa realm so a small snake will make handling easier 🤭

[PrincessBunny]

Oh right! Vet called and he is parasite free, the tests came out all fine so yay!

[Bogertophis]

Oh right! Vet called and he is parasite free, the tests came out all fine so yay!

That's great news!

[Bogertophis]

Thank you both ☺️ We are getting along just fine 💕 today was feeding day and he accepted his second meal from me with no issues, I was concerned the stress of the vet visit would make him refuse but he seems to be a very strong boy 🥰🥰🥰

I hope he does too! 💕 But even if he doesn’t I will love him all the same.

Honestly everything may work out for the best, far from a football player I am more in the Oompa Loompa realm so a small snake will make handling easier 🤭

That can happen that a vet visit will put a snake off eating, but it sounds like this guy is feeling pretty good about living with you-

I've had larger snakes (including a mature BCI in the past, a 5' BP, & some pretty lengthy rat snakes, some of which I still have that are 7') & honestly, I prefer smaller snakes myself- for purely practical reasons: it's easier to handle them, sure, but it's also easier to provide the best habitat for them when it doesn't have to be so large, & then there's the biggest reason- the "clean up".

I have to admit, I'm now trying to picture an Oompa Loompa with a snake... Hahaha!

[dakski]

Great news on the negative tests and another meal down the hatch!

Keep us posted, but you are on your way now!

[PrincessBunny]

Great news on the negative tests and another meal down the hatch!

Keep us posted, but you are on your way now!

Thankuuuu, im so happy I dont feel like I can relax yet but I definitely feel much better going forward.

The following days after feeding I feel so on edge


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[dakski]

Thankuuuu, im so happy I dont feel like I can relax yet but I definitely feel much better going forward.

The following days after feeding I feel so on edge


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As long as you are feeding an appropriate sized meals, temps are good, and you leave your BP alone for 2 days after a feeding, everything should be okay!

What worries you after feedings?

It's okay, we've all been there RE being anxious/having trouble relaxing.

Just remember, it takes a long time for snakes to get healthy, grow, get sick, get better, etc. Slow metabolism (usually) means nothing changes too fast. Snakes don't eat often (compared to humans or mammals), don't waste often, etc. It takes time for them to adjust to new environments, people, etc. It's the way they are.

No frontal lobe = very instinctual animals. Takes time for them to get conditioned that we aren't going to hurt them and are here to help, etc.

Cold blooded means they don't spend 90% of their caloric intake on keeping their body temps up, but in exchange, have a slow metabolism, and that means everything happens slowly with their bodies. That's bad because it takes time to heal and grow and get healthy, etc. However, it's good because most mistakes you can make (outside of dramatic temperatures - too hot or too cold) take time to hurt them. This means you can relax a little bit knowing that things aren't going to change overnight and that you do not have to be Johnny on the Spot. Checking in with your tank 1-2X a day (barring any sudden changes in the environment around your tank - like summer AC going on, winter heat which can mean drying the air our, etc), keeping things clean, and letting your snake adjust, are probably the best things you can do.

My carpet python, Yafe, got lost in shipment to us when he was 1 year old and 100g. He ended up having a full blown Respiratory Infection (RI) within 24 hours of getting him. 2 months of treatment including injections and nebulizer treatments before we knew if he was going to be okay. Comparatively, my wife, Katie, got walking pneumonia last week. 4 days on antibiotics and she's feeling fine. BIG DIFFERENCE. Yafe is doing fantastic now and is over 1.5kg and about 6ft long. He's eating like a champ and is a total sweetie.

My point is two fold. Again, it takes a long time to see dramatic changes in reptiles. Two, they aren't as fragile as many think. I've kept Yafe's temps and humidity spot on, in general, for years now (like I do with all my reptiles). However, I've paid extra care to his humidity because I don't want a repeat. Sometimes he pulls himself up on me and lets out some air and I spend about two minutes with his head next to my ear, but hey, we all worry sometimes . In any event, you know what? I have health issues too, so does Katie, and we aren't perfect keepers. There have been days when humidity dropped or raised, or temps fluctuated slightly, or one of the reptiles wasted and it wasn't cleaned that day. Again, not common, but very few people are perfect keepers and more so, trying to be perfect usually means too many changes in too short a period of time. Try not to be a helicopter snarent.

Remember, perfect is the enemy of good. Plus, obsessing or worrying all the time will just burn you out. Take a deep breathe. Take things in stride. Those of us with many reptiles have to or else we would burn out very quickly.

Bottom line: You've got this.

And

If you have any other questions or concerns, just ask!

Again, keep us posted and keep up the good work.

[Bogertophis]

...they aren't as fragile as many think. I've kept Yafe's temps and humidity spot on, in general, for years now (like I do with all my reptiles). However, I've paid extra care to his humidity because I don't want a repeat. Sometimes he pulls himself up on me and lets out some air and I spend about two minutes with his head next to my ear, but hey, we all worry sometimes . In any event, you know what? I have health issues too, so does Katie, and we aren't perfect keepers. There have been days when humidity dropped or raised, or temps fluctuated slightly, or one of the reptiles wasted and it wasn't cleaned that day. Again, not common, but very few people are perfect keepers and more so, trying to be perfect usually means too many changes in too short a period of time. Try not to be a helicopter snarent....

Totally agree ^ ^ ^ & not only that, snakes evolved OUTSIDE- which is far from perfect MOST of the time. And some have suggested that fluctuations may actually help their immune systems, but either way, it's what nature does. I'm not saying you should let things go way off track, but just don't sweat the small stuff either.

[PrincessBunny]

As long as you are feeding an appropriate sized meals, temps are good, and you leave your BP alone for 2 days after a feeding, everything should be okay!

What worries you after feedings?

It's okay, we've all been there RE being anxious/having trouble relaxing.

Just remember, it takes a long time for snakes to get healthy, grow, get sick, get better, etc. Slow metabolism (usually) means nothing changes too fast. Snakes don't eat often (compared to humans or mammals), don't waste often, etc. It takes time for them to adjust to new environments, people, etc. It's the way they are.

No frontal lobe = very instinctual animals. Takes time for them to get conditioned that we aren't going to hurt them and are here to help, etc.

Cold blooded means they don't spend 90% of their caloric intake on keeping their body temps up, but in exchange, have a slow metabolism, and that means everything happens slowly with their bodies. That's bad because it takes time to heal and grow and get healthy, etc. However, it's good because most mistakes you can make (outside of dramatic temperatures - too hot or too cold) take time to hurt them. This means you can relax a little bit knowing that things aren't going to change overnight and that you do not have to be Johnny on the Spot. Checking in with your tank 1-2X a day (barring any sudden changes in the environment around your tank - like summer AC going on, winter heat which can mean drying the air our, etc), keeping things clean, and letting your snake adjust, are probably the best things you can do.

My carpet python, Yafe, got lost in shipment to us when he was 1 year old and 100g. He ended up having a full blown Respiratory Infection (RI) within 24 hours of getting him. 2 months of treatment including injections and nebulizer treatments before we knew if he was going to be okay. Comparatively, my wife, Katie, got walking pneumonia last week. 4 days on antibiotics and she's feeling fine. BIG DIFFERENCE. Yafe is doing fantastic now and is over 1.5kg and about 6ft long. He's eating like a champ and is a total sweetie.

My point is two fold. Again, it takes a long time to see dramatic changes in reptiles. Two, they aren't as fragile as many think. I've kept Yafe's temps and humidity spot on, in general, for years now (like I do with all my reptiles). However, I've paid extra care to his humidity because I don't want a repeat. Sometimes he pulls himself up on me and lets out some air and I spend about two minutes with his head next to my ear, but hey, we all worry sometimes . In any event, you know what? I have health issues too, so does Katie, and we aren't perfect keepers. There have been days when humidity dropped or raised, or temps fluctuated slightly, or one of the reptiles wasted and it wasn't cleaned that day. Again, not common, but very few people are perfect keepers and more so, trying to be perfect usually means too many changes in too short a period of time. Try not to be a helicopter snarent.

Remember, perfect is the enemy of good. Plus, obsessing or worrying all the time will just burn you out. Take a deep breathe. Take things in stride. Those of us with many reptiles have to or else we would burn out very quickly.

Bottom line: You've got this.

And

If you have any other questions or concerns, just ask!

Again, keep us posted and keep up the good work.

Thank you so so much, I feel like I am grieving for his past life, as time goes by the more unpleasant information comes up and the worse I feel. Apparently he would go without food for 3 months and his cage without cleaning for up to 5 months sometimes.
I guess I mostly worry that I don’t know him, I don’t think he has ever seen a human this much so while I try my best not to helicopter him, I still change his water and mist his enclosure, I also check on the temps and humidity like 3 times a day.
I live in the NJ-NY area and the weather has been changing a lot so I try to make sure I make the appropriate adjustments so his temperature doesn’t drop or up too much.
Because he has always been alone, I worry that me doing all of that will scare him and the last thing I want is for him to regurgitate.
So far he just seems curious, but sometimes he does come out to get close to my hand while I’m changing the bowl. I do not yet know how to react to his curiosity so I am always in fear of scaring him.
My move so far is just keeping still and continue to talk while waiting for him to slowly go back into his hide.
The first time I just continued changing the bowl and he went back into his hide super fast, it almost seemed like a cartoon with the *fwooosh* sound, so I am trying to avoid that happening again.

He is the absolute cutest thing


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[PrincessBunny]

Totally agree ^ ^ ^ & not only that, snakes evolved OUTSIDE- which is far from perfect MOST of the time. And some have suggested that fluctuations may actually help their immune systems, but either way, it's what nature does. I'm not saying you should let things go way off track, but just don't sweat the small stuff either.

That is a relief, temperatures always drop at night and it is always when I worry the most.
After today I will feel much better, seems like he excretes on the 3rd or 4th day after eating


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