Getting a Hypo (50%)/66% het Genetic Stripe Bredli! + Q's

[Gio]

Thank you for all the pictures and suggestions! I really appreciate them. I just ordered some shims, and hopefully they'll get here around the same time everything else does.

I'll look into PVC perches for now. Since this wont be his forever home, I dont want to make anything too elaborate, since I will likely repurpose it after he has outgrown it. As far as natural wood, I'd have to go hunting, but thank you for the idea! I'll keep it in mind.

Mr. Mutton mentioned he is eating either adult mice or frozen rat pups of a similar size right now- Should I continue with the adult mice for a little while after he gets here, or should I try and transition him to rat pups as soon as I can?

Bredli pythons tend to be very good eaters. If you can use size equivalent rats, I'd go that route. I am a big advocate of quail. If you can mix quail and rats for variety you'll be in good shape.

I have introduced rabbits to the diet as well.

I agree with the above post regarding floor heat. Nick and Justin mention in the books they prefer RHP's. After a certain point in the evening, I never see the snakes on the floor. I do see them in a floor hide during the day however.

A good RHP will create a VERY hot spot on a perch or shelf below it. I prefer perches because they don't completely keep the heat off of the floor directly below. You still have a floor hot spot that is cooler than the perch hot spot and then the floor opposite of the panel sits at the ambient temp you want. Perches that span the cage will offer various climate gradients.

The advice above is geared more toward your adult/final setup.

Go looking for your branches now, then you will have a lot of time to treat them if you need to. Let them sit out in the winter next year if you are not planning the final caging for a while. Cut or find large branches so you can re-cut and size them to fit the final cage.

Get a picture thread going when you get the snake and have it comfortable.

JMCrook has some great starter cage ideas if you have time to check out some of the threads he posts.

[OatBoii]

Thank you for all the answers to my questions! I am on my computer, so I will try to make quotes work this time.

I wouldn't even bother with warming the floor of the enclosure. I'd be pretty surprised if he spends much (or any) time on the ground and he may not even use hides. I'd create a warm spot by running heat tape up the side or rear panel of the enclosure on one side so that you can create a temperature gradient from warmer to cooler and so he can access a warmer spot, if he chooses, while on an elevated perch or shelf. Unless you keep your snake room really chilly it is very possible that the DHP will be all he needs.

My perching choices may not interest you as I tend to add items that I think the snakes will enjoy based on their behavior and am usually not very concerned with aesthetics so again, feel free to ignore this. The Morelia pythons in general like elevated areas that they can sprawl across, so I'd add a little kitchen shelf, for example. I also like the PVC elevated perches/water dish holders made by https://reptileperch.com/

I agree with the above post regarding floor heat. Nick and Justin mention in the books they prefer RHP's. After a certain point in the evening, I never see the snakes on the floor. I do see them in a floor hide during the day however.

As this will be my only snake, and because our space is small, he will be on an elevated dresser in our bedroom (that will also hopefully be too high for my cat to jump up on). However, my insulation is not very good, and it can get into negative temperatures during the winter here. Supposedly our bedroom is 72F, but I would highly doubt that it is. I wear blankets constantly, and slippers, and even then I am sometimes cold. I would love it if during the summer perhaps the DHP is all that is needed, but I would honestly be a little surprised if it could get the job done all on its own right now. If I test it and find out that the DHP is more than enough however, I would not be adverse to moving the heat tape to run along the back wall of the enclosure to create a gradient from front to back. For his adult enclosure I am already planning to use a RHP, but that is a bit far off at the moment. An RHP would not work for what I have at the moment as it stands- The top is screen, but the rest is PVC. I have some plastic sheets (coroplast) from an old guinea pig enclosure that I will use if I think too much heat is escaping out of the top, but the consensus from here and from Mr. Mutton is that I do not need to worry about humidity escaping.

I will definitely look into that website for elevated perches though! I would like the enclosure to be somewhat display quality, which is why I was curious about avian perches. I think they would be a good way to incorporate more vertical space for Ziggy, and if I could drill a hole in the PVC and screw/silicone them in, I think they would be very secure.

None of my Australian pythons (Antaresia or Morelia) have ever been picky eaters. You should be fine starting him with whichever food he has been accustomed to. There is no need to push him toward rats if he prefers mice - they are nutritionally pretty much equivalent. I have an adult Jungle Carpet python who is a 'mouser' and while it means I feed him a couple of big mice rather than one rat, other than that minor hassle it is not an issue. He also loves chicks and quail, and I'd anticipate that your Bredl's will eventually appreciate these too.

Bredli pythons tend to be very good eaters. If you can use size equivalent rats, I'd go that route. I am a big advocate of quail. If you can mix quail and rats for variety you'll be in good shape.

I have introduced rabbits to the diet as well.

I will try rats first, I think, and then if he does not accept it, I will use mice until he has hopefully settled in and might be more comfortable exploring. Where do you both get quails from though? And what size of quail/age of snake can they eat those?

Please keep us updated about your new addition! My Bredl's is close to yours in age (June '22) so it'll be nice to have someone to swap photos and stories with.

Go looking for your branches now, then you will have a lot of time to treat them if you need to. Let them sit out in the winter next year if you are not planning the final caging for a while. Cut or find large branches so you can re-cut and size them to fit the final cage.

Get a picture thread going when you get the snake and have it comfortable.

JMCrook has some great starter cage ideas if you have time to check out some of the threads he posts.

I am very excited to start a thread and compare snake pictures! I will also start looking for branches, because it will definitely be at least one more winter until I will be ready to upgrade him (assuming he is ready to be upgraded at that point). I will also be sure to check out JMCrook's posts! I am also expecting that the terrarium will likely evolve over time, as I learn more about him and what he likes. There is also an expo happening about a month from now, and I am thinking atm that it would be a great place to find some deals on more wood/perches I could use. I would like the enclosure to be "display naturalistic", or as natural as a bunch of easily sanitizable plastic can be xD We will see where it goes. It is one thing to order something online- it is another to see it in person.

For an adult enclosure though... I already have some decor plans involving a few enclosures I've seen around here that incorporate Universal Rocks. Dreams for the future!

[Gio]

I get my quail and really, all of my feeders from Layne Labs.

Not the least expensive, but the quality is good and almost all of the animals here are adults so 1 purchase lasts a long time.

Bredli will usually take what you offer.

Layne has some really small rabbits also for when your animal gets a bit older.

[Caitlin]

I get my quail and really, all of my feeders from Layne Labs.

Not the least expensive, but the quality is good and almost all of the animals here are adults so 1 purchase lasts a long time.

Bredli will usually take what you offer.

Layne has some really small rabbits also for when your animal gets a bit older.

Over the years I have ordered at least a couple of times from the big F/T suppliers and nobody has come close to the quality of feeders from Layne Labs. They're definitely my go-to, though I know some folks may need to consider less expensive options. Their feeder prices are comparable to other suppliers, but shipping from California may not be an option for some. Still, if at all possible I would always recommend them over anyone else.

This may or may not be important to all, but I also did phone interviews with most of the big suppliers about how they treat their feeders. Layne really impressed me with their dedication to ethical and humane care standards, seemed to take the conversation very seriously, treated the questions respectfully, and didn't just toss canned or casual responses at me. Friends who have visited their facilities have reported being very impressed - they also run a big Sulcata tortoise rescue facility on their property. They just seem to 'walk their talk' in terms of animal welfare, and that means a lot to me.

[Wanik4]

Over the years I have ordered at least a couple of times from the big F/T suppliers and nobody has come close to the quality of feeders from Layne Labs. They're definitely my go-to, though I know some folks may need to consider less expensive options. Their feeder prices are comparable to other suppliers, but shipping from California may not be an option for some. Still, if at all possible I would always recommend them over anyone else.

This may or may not be important to all, but I also did phone interviews with most of the big suppliers about how they treat their feeders. Layne really impressed me with their dedication to ethical and humane care standards, seemed to take the conversation very seriously, treated the questions respectfully, and didn't just toss canned or casual responses at me. Friends who have visited their facilities have reported being very impressed - they also run a big Sulcata tortoise rescue facility on their property. They just seem to 'walk their talk' in terms of animal welfare, and that means a lot to me.

Thanks for sharing. I've never gone this far but do care about this. Have you spoken with Reptilinks?

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[Caitlin]

Thanks for sharing. I've never gone this far but do care about this. Have you spoken with Reptilinks?

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Oh, good question. I'd love to know how they respond. I've only used Reptilinks in a limited way, so have placed only a few orders with them. I used the quail links as a primary food for a young Dumeril's who was a real problem feeder for two freaking years - I wanted the caloric density of the links - and as an occasional treat for any of my other snakes who would take them (most of my snakes like them).

But I've honestly stepped back from using them. I think they are a fine food source, but many of my snakes strike the links so hard that they sort of blow them apart. And after that they either eat only part of it or seem to lose interest in the mess. I don't like wasting food or feeling like the feeder animals died for no reason, so I doubt I will re-order since the Dumeril's is now happily eating chicks (thank GOD).

[Wanik4]

Oh, good question. I'd love to know how they respond. I've only used Reptilinks in a limited way, so have placed only a few orders with them. I used the quail links as a primary food for a young Dumeril's who was a real problem feeder for two freaking years - I wanted the caloric density of the links - and as an occasional treat for any of my other snakes who would take them (most of my snakes like them).

But I've honestly stepped back from using them. I think they are a fine food source, but many of my snakes strike the links so hard that they sort of blow them apart. And after that they either eat only part of it or seem to lose interest in the mess. I don't like wasting food or feeling like the feeder animals died for no reason, so I doubt I will re-order since the Dumeril's is now happily eating chicks (thank GOD).

Yeah I just placed an order to try them with my HD burm. I too like the mix of proteins and caloric value, and had considered the possibility of it breaking. Since I only place food in my enclosure and don't allow striking it'll be interesting to see how it goes. He does coil it still but if it doesn't work I'll get a refund. They said to send a pic of the uneaten food so I'll just take that photo earlier rather than later. I may reach out to them to see their thoughts on feeder care.

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[Caitlin]

I bet you will be fine with drop feeding. I had to drop feed the Dum and while he hits like a little truck he never 'exploded' a link. My issue is that I target train almost all of my snakes, so I tong-feed, and that is where I have the exploding link problem, lol. Reptilink is a very nice company to deal with in terms of issuing refunds or replacements, so here's hoping everything is smooth sailing for you and your Burm.

[Gio]

Over the years I have ordered at least a couple of times from the big F/T suppliers and nobody has come close to the quality of feeders from Layne Labs. They're definitely my go-to, though I know some folks may need to consider less expensive options. Their feeder prices are comparable to other suppliers, but shipping from California may not be an option for some. Still, if at all possible I would always recommend them over anyone else.

This may or may not be important to all, but I also did phone interviews with most of the big suppliers about how they treat their feeders. Layne really impressed me with their dedication to ethical and humane care standards, seemed to take the conversation very seriously, treated the questions respectfully, and didn't just toss canned or casual responses at me. Friends who have visited their facilities have reported being very impressed - they also run a big Sulcata tortoise rescue facility on their property. They just seem to 'walk their talk' in terms of animal welfare, and that means a lot to me.

Nice write-up and good info on the treatment of the feeders.

I'll add, I've never had a stinky or urine stained rat or rabbit. I remember there were rumblings a bit ago about headless quail. All I can say is the necks on quail are very fragile and once they are packed and frozen together, the heads sometimes fall off when separating them.

I have never seen a better packing job from any supplier to date. The coolers are lined with reflective insulation. The quail is in a zipped bag within a zip locked outer bag.

The bags are vacuum packed and because I'm a child at heart, I take the dry ice out of the cooler and put it in a hot water bucket.

The only negative is the shipping cost.

[OatBoii]

Layne Labs does look very nice, but the shipping from California is definitely... expensive. I think I would not be as opposed to ordering from them once my guy was a little older and had been on a specific feeder for a while, but for now at least, I will make do with what's local. I feel like at that point, the bulk value price and feeder variety would make the shipping worth it. Thank you for the information though! I bookmarked their website so that I can return back to it when he's older, and less likely to be changing feeders as frequently.

I have heard of reptilinks, but I have never personally looked into them. Do they offer something unique or better in terms of feeding, beyond the frog links for hognoses and other such links for picky eaters?

Speaking of, though, is there a general guideline for % weight for CPs like there is for BPs? "Adult mouse" and "rat pup" encompass a pretty decent range of gram weights, so I am wondering if there is a "formula percentage" I could use to figure out roughly how much he should be eating based on how much he weighs when he arrives? I have a gram scale that I can use to accurately weigh him, and monitor his progress.