Quote Originally Posted by dr del View Post
Hi,

I'm going to possibly sound a little mean when I say this but I promise you that is not the place I'm coming from I just can't think of a better way of expressing myself.

Most people haven't had a snake die of unknown causes in their setup.

Now you seem pretty certain your friends snakes are healthy and that yours was healthy when you got it. For the record I am not so certain given the early regurge.

But.

The upshot of this is you need to take a few precautions when you get a new snake that other people don't really need to.

Keep the enclosure as simple and clinical as you can until your new guy has settled in and seems to be doing all right.

This means paper towels or newspaper as a substrate - something that is easy to clean and gets completely changed when the animal poops or pees. They also let you inspect said poop and easily bag it if you want to have it checked at a vets.

Papertowels also make it easier to spot mites etc.

Half log hides are never ideal but, since they were used by a snake with an unknown sickness I would hold off on using it again - a simple easier to clean hide would be a couple of those plastic drip tray saucers that go under plant pots. They are cheap as chips, easy to cut a door in, and very easily to sterilize if needed. BP's also tend to love them.

Now these aren't permanent restrictions - they are just sensible precautions until you know things are working out ok with the new guy.

Once that has been established you can think about moving more towards the type of setup you want long term.

One silly question I can't remember the answer to - what kind of bark is it and where did you get it?

It's almost certainly fine but I thought I'd ask.


dr del
Oh no you havent come off wrong. Well said actually, but I use Repti-Bark which is Fir bark. I got it from Petco. So do you think I should just throw all of the bark away that I treated with diluted bleach water, and then baked for over 2 1/2 hours in the oven at 350 degrees? My family friend that gave it to me said that it may have been his fault in that he didnt realize that his girl bp had eggs. He noticed she was in he hide an awful lot and opened it up and saw the eggs. He said that eggs are supposed to be kept at a higher temp than he had the snakes in (88 degrees) for best results in the clutch. Could this have been a factor? Also if the mouse I gave him was treated chemically for mites/lice or if it was just carrying a disease- how long would it take to kill the snake? because it died within i would say 12 hours of feeding it.