Ziggy Ure - 50% Hypo Bredli - Progression Thread

[OatBoii]

Thank you both so much for the info, and thank you Opaque for the compliment! I also think Ziggy is gorgeous

I'll be sure to look for weaned/fuzzy rats. I have I think 1 or 2 more adult mice left in the freezer, so when it comes time, I'll investigate getting some quails and finding something of an appropriate size for him. Thank you for also letting me know about that common behaviour. As always, I appreciate you all the very thorough answers you give c:

[Mistery510]

Show us some updates!!!!

[OatBoii]

A bit late, but I am indeed here to post some updates!

Ziggy has been doing incredibly well for me. He has never once refused a meal for me, and he’s been a dream! I don’t think he’s ever hiss or struck at me except for the very first day he came home.

As of about two months ago, he weighed in about 210g. In the last ~4-5 months he’s been going through a bit of a growth spurt, and he’s beginning to develop the darker lines on his back half! I swear nobody except for me can notice it, but perhaps ya’ll can notice it as well?

Pictures!









He’s a gorgeous snake C: I’m glad to have him. He loves to hang out on top of his branches/inside of the log, and you can see in one of these pictures that he’s directly post-shed (the shed is in the back right, around the dowel I use to elevate his probes). That’s from a few months ago though. Here’s a picture of me handling him briefly for a clean- it’s a fairly rare occurrence, as he’s still quite nervous being handled, but he’s also still quite small. I don’t blame him, he must think I’m very scary. He is very interested in investigating me and coming out to look whenever I open his tank for water changes/spot cleaning though. It’s neat, watching him slither out and up to me. I don’t want to break that trust/interest in me though, so I try to only handle him when necessary for deep cleans.






It is nice to see him in better lighting though. However, just last night, Ziggy had a near perfect shed! I was able to even see the eye caps, and spread it out over our table (don’t mind the mess- this is our hobby table, for Warhammer/D&D).








That table is about four feet long, so Ziggy is just shy of that now! This also means he’s about to outgrow his 36x18 already Luckily for me however, he’s not quite there yet. I’m estimating about six months before he’ll need to be moved up to a larger viv, which is just about perfect. I’ll be graduating in 2 weeks, and looking for a long-term job, and then my Fiance will be graduating at the end of summer, so we’ll be looking to move around roughly August in 3 months. After we move, I’ll have the space to get him a larger viv (I’m hoping for a 6’), and then the goal is to get it perhaps around Christmas time? There’s a shop about an hour away from me that makes custom (PVC and melamine) cages, so that’s the plan. Though I’ve heard melamine isn’t the best material- perhaps it could work in my case since my humidity requirements are so low?

And then the fun part once he’s upgraded- finding a new friend to put in the old cage! Anyways, that’s all I’ve got for today. See you again in… uh… well, whenever!

[Homebody]

Here’s a picture of me handling him briefly for a clean- it’s a fairly rare occurrence, as he’s still quite nervous being handled, but he’s also still quite small. I don’t blame him, he must think I’m very scary. He is very interested in investigating me and coming out to look whenever I open his tank for water changes/spot cleaning though. It’s neat, watching him slither out and up to me. I don’t want to break that trust/interest in me though, so I try to only handle him when necessary for deep cleans.

Awesome! I love it when keepers are respectful of their snakes feelings.

[OatBoii]

Long time no see! Another update post.

We have moved! The move went perfectly well, and Ziggy has really started to take off since. Perhaps it was the switch to small rats? The local pet store uhm... well... the place where I was getting my adult mice from closed town for tax fraud. So we unfortunately had to go back to the normal pet stores, and make a jump. That said though, he really seems to have taken to the rats! Far more than he ever liked the mice. Plus, the new city has an actual herpetologist~ It's always nice to know I don't have to try and drive hours away in case of an emergency.

Picture tax! We just added a new, larger hide today. He was literally beginning to spill out of his old one. This one is much more roomy, but if he doesn't seem to like it, I'll stuff it with some moss until it's back to a size he likes.



That branch is where he spends the majority of his time. One of these days, when a reptile convention rolls through, I'd like to get him a parallel bar. At least for right now though, what with... well... everything going on in the world, potential recessions, and job cuts (I work in a federally adjacent field with grants), we're holding on to our money tight.

Some interesting pictures below though! Pics of Ziggy in his critter keeper March 2023 (around when I got him!) vs Mar. 2024, and now, Mar. 2025! I think he's finally outgrown his critter keeper xD




Yes indeed, I do believe it's time we upgrade the critter keeper.

Ziggy remains a dream c: He eats every 2.5-3 weeks, whenever he's done digesting and gets back into "hunting pose" at night for a few days. Handling continues to be restricted to just cleaning times, but that's alright with me. As long as he's happy and healthy, I don't feel a need to hold him, especially since he doesn't seem to much enjoy the process.

He's still lighter than I expect a Bredli to be, but he is darkening towards the tail! Given the 50% Hypo in him, I'm very curious to see where he ends up. I'm not sure he's going to ever be as bright as a true hypo, but I do feel like he's staying fairly bright. Perhaps I'm biased though xD

I'm thinking sometime within the next 8-12 months we'll have to start looking into upgrading to his adult home. I'm not sure how big he's going to get, as he won't turn 5 years old until end of October, but my estimations put him at about just over 38-40" right now. If he keeps shooting up like he has been with the rats, perhaps he'll get around 60"? On the smaller side for a Bredli, but who knows I suppose! Either way, I feel like a 6'x2'x2' is probably a safe bet, long-term. I'd be shocked if he ended up more than 8'.

I wish the best to all of you in these trying times. See you again in another 8-12 months!

[Bogertophis]

Great update! Sounds like things are going well for you too.

[Homebody]

That branch is where he spends the majority of his time. One of these days, when a reptile convention rolls through, I'd like to get him a parallel bar. At least for right now though, what with... well... everything going on in the world, potential recessions, and job cuts (I work in a federally adjacent field with grants), we're holding on to our money tight.

It's so nice to see Ziggy again. Instead of a parallel bar, consider forked branches. See below from The More Complete Carpet Python.

[OatBoii]

It's so nice to see Ziggy again. Instead of a parallel bar, consider forked branches. See below from The More Complete Carpet Python.

Ah, I've been wanting that book for a while! I've really fallen in love with the CP species. I've interacted with a friend's BCI, Corn, and BP before, and I must say that I (although I'm probably very, very biased!) do believe Ziggy is the nicest, easiest, most beautiful snake out of them all. Not that any of their snakes were bad!! They were all very sweet and pretty, if a bit more zippy (the corn) than I'm used to. I enjoy that Ziggy will reach a nice size without being so heavy/strong I need to worry about handling him alone, he's a great eater who has never refused a meal, and he loves to sit out on his branches where I can see him most days.

In any case, thank you for the suggestion! Now that you mention it, I have noticed similar behaviour in Ziggy, which is fascinating. It's hard to tell in the pictures, but the top of the branch does stick out perpendicular to the rest of it, somewhat like a sort of hook-shape? His "hunting pose" is always right at that hook, curled in a ball on either side of it and dangling down towards the tank floor. It may have to wait until his "adult" enclosure at this point in time, but I definitely will look into a forked branch rather than a parallel bar.

I would also like to note that Ziggy had a lovely shed overnight c: Came off in one long tube. Yay Ziggy!

[Homebody]

Ah, I've been wanting that book for a while!

I highly recommend it. It's not the most readable, but there is no other single source with this much information on carpet pythons. For those that seek a deeper understanding of their carpets, it's a must.