Quote Originally Posted by JLC View Post
I don't think this is a "horrible keeper" issue at all. I've no doubt that you care a great deal about the well being of your snakes and do your best by them. I think it's more of a "communication" issue. Your first post makes it sound very much like you tried breeding him for the first time last night and threw a bunch of different snakes in there with him with obviously no success. Only after being questioned about it did you say you'd been trying for a month. You say your "only other option" is to throw the six month girl in there with him AS IF that is an option at all. Which obviously it is not. But your post made it sound like you thought it was. That's all.

All I can suggest is to try not to be so stressed about it. I DO understand it can be frustrating when they don't behave as we expect them to, but we have to understand that such things are going to happen. Have you tried contacting the snake's original owner and discussing your concerns with him/her? Maybe they can go over their exact routine that the snake is used to? But even if you get exact instructions...your house smells different...sounds different...feels different. Maybe this is just a very sensitive snake that you'll have to have a lot of patience with to learn what he needs to feel comfortable. It may take longer than the "norm."
Oh, good lord, no!

My little Iggy was never in any peril of being put in with him ever.

The only reason I know precisely how horrible it would be for her is because hubby accidentally put a juvenile Fire male into her home on cleaning day, having mistaken him for her when she was already done and back in her house.

She was mortified, stressed and angry!

To get her to even settle down and go into her hides, I had to re-clean everything in her house to rid it of residual "boy stink'.

To make it worse, she didn't eat for 2 weeks after that incident and she's an absolute pig about food.

[hubby is no longer allowed to "help" with the snakes at all]

The breeder is rather busy and hard to get hold of but I will try.

Hubby just wanted to 'get my money back' but the snake is, IMO, anyway, quite beautiful and as usual, I've come to love the little jerk, warts and all so that's not even an option.

I'm sure everything smells/sounds/feels different to the snake.
He came from a large, famous breeding facility where everybody lives in racks to a home where he lives with hides, trees, people living their every day lives, etc.
The live mice he insists upon eating were even an issue, at first.
These mice are not the mice he was used to since they came from a different breeder/genetic strain of mice/other mouse food/bedding type/infinite variables, possibly.

He is extremely sensitive and not 'human socialized' at all.

This spring we intend to turn a spare room upstairs into a "snake room" where they'll all be sequestered from the 'sensory pollution' of an active household.