Things have changed

[JimHjr]

Back about 4-5 years ago I got my first hatchling BP. Read husbandry advice til my eyes bled and talked and listened to those in the know til my head exploded and mouth ached. Wanted to know everything I could. The advice I was given then seems to be different now.

Then: 10-15 degree temp drop at night (done this since day 1)
Now: Not needed nor desireable
Then: Feed snake in a separate enclosure (done this since day 1)
Now: Don't feed in separate enclosure
Then: 35-40% humidity and bump to 60% ish when shedding (also followed since day 1)
Now: 50-60 normal and 70+ when shedding

Some other small differences from what I first learned but not significant. Point is my first normal BP is almost 5 years old and just shy of 5', eating a steady diet of 1 large rat every 14-18 days (day old baby chicks every 6 feedings) has never went off food, always one piece sheds, never bitten or even struck, loves to be handled, never been sick or had mites or anything, and totally understands when she in the feed box what is about to happen vs just being taken out to snuggle.

So I guess I am just wondering why the change in advice seems so different. What I was originally taught has seemed to work as Theo (yeah thought it was he when I got her) has turned out to be a very healthy animal. I also have a 5 year old male that I care for the same way with the same results. Behavior is typical BP in both animals. Is it a go with what has worked or should I consider updating my husbandry?

[wowmattsays]

wow. If I am being honest, the incredible differences between the way you have handled your BPs and the way people are recommending handling them these days is STARK at the least. My gut instinct tells me why fix what clearly isn't broken? The next thought is that (I havent gotten a BP yet, but I am in that research phase right now myself) the way you do it clearly seems to work well and is also somewhat easier than the recommendations that are being given today. If I could get such great results by maintaining an easier-to-care-for animal....I don't see why I would. Kudos on your awesome, healthy friends!

[donnadudette2003]

Back about 4-5 years ago I got my first hatchling BP. Read husbandry advice til my eyes bled and talked and listened to those in the know til my head exploded and mouth ached. Wanted to know everything I could. The advice I was given then seems to be different now.

Then: 10-15 degree temp drop at night (done this since day 1)
Now: Not needed nor desireable
Then: Feed snake in a separate enclosure (done this since day 1)
Now: Don't feed in separate enclosure
Then: 35-40% humidity and bump to 60% ish when shedding (also followed since day 1)
Now: 50-60 normal and 70+ when shedding

Some other small differences from what I first learned but not significant. Point is my first normal BP is almost 5 years old and just shy of 5', eating a steady diet of 1 large rat every 14-18 days (day old baby chicks every 6 feedings) has never went off food, always one piece sheds, never bitten or even struck, loves to be handled, never been sick or had mites or anything, and totally understands when she in the feed box what is about to happen vs just being taken out to snuggle.

So I guess I am just wondering why the change in advice seems so different. What I was originally taught has seemed to work as Theo (yeah thought it was he when I got her) has turned out to be a very healthy animal. I also have a 5 year old male that I care for the same way with the same results. Behavior is typical BP in both animals. Is it a go with what has worked or should I consider updating my husbandry?

I suggest sticking with mostly with what works for you and your animals. A lot of people will go 50/50 on these topics, especially tub feeding (I tub feed but I get a lot of people are very against it. I do it for the structure change and routine. I have a blind male who i don't tank feed because he really won't be able to learn what is me. V.s. what is prey. And trust me he knows exactly what that tub is for. Especially since i super scent the feeding tub with his mice and he goes instantly into hunt mode the second he touches it).
5yrs is a long time of routine to change a feeding schedule. You'll get suggestions of switching to feeding every 7 days instead.

In the end, the only thing I would suggest in changing is your humidity levels a bit higher.
Good luck with your journey!

Sent from my SM-G920R4 using Tapatalk

[tttaylorrr]

with our society being more connected than ever, we have the ability to share knowledge and compare our own experiences in the blink of an eye. over time, people in the hobby - whether new or old - were able to narrow down new methods which established these new "rules" which seemed to help a broader spectrum of keepers.

there's a wonderful post somewhere on here titled "Zen and the Art of Snake Keeping" that shares a beautiful story about this very topic.

bottom line: information, technology, and common knowledge are ever-changing in a world where we can communicate instantly. however, something i feel very strongly about, what works for me may not work for you, but neither of us is wrong. there's more than one way to cook a potato. when it comes to new keepers, it's better to have them learn these "strict rules" until they're truly knowledgeable with their husbandry and keeping where they can experiment and decide what works for them, which i always encourage.

just my 2 cents.

[Randall L Turner Jr]

You will find dramatic shifts in opinion (albeit if you don't know it's opinion some would think it was law how some people act) regarding husbandry and routines. I've kept boas, ball pythons and burmese pythons off and on since the early 90s. I've had times of success, times of failure, been given advice, shared advice. The biggest thing most keepers need to keep in mind is not everything works for everyone, and your post is an example of that.

[wolfy-hound]

It hasn't really changed all that much. Ten years ago there were people advocating exactly what we say now, or different things. There's still folks who think it's best to tub feed, or not.

If you have a healthy snake with your care, then it's working well for you.

If you go back far enough, you'd see unregulated heat rocks in glass tanks being the norm. Things change over time. I'm sure there's plenty of people who still keep snakes in tanks with unregulated heat rocks.

Giving a temperature difference seems like a good idea... more "natural" and all. But is it needed? Not really. Same for the rest. I don't think any of it was harmful or even that today's methods are better.

All that matters is that you have a healthy happy pet.

[JodanOrNoDan]

What you are doing works for you, and as far as I am concerned safe. The only thing if anything I would change would be humidity. If you have one animal and you are paying attention you know when to bump up the humidity. I have a lot of animals, and I may miss the beginning of a shed cycle so my humidity is always up.

[JimHjr]

If you have one animal and you are paying attention you know when to bump up the humidity.

I have one other BP, A BCC RTB, California King Snake, and a Sand Boa. Along with white's Australian tree frogs, pac-man frog, Fire belly toads, green tree frogs, Asian forest scorpion, and Chilean rose hair tarantula. Despite the abundance of animals I'm in a daily regimen of condition checking.

I recently got a reptifogger for my BCC and think I will DIY a splitter with a gang valve and flexible hose to humidify the BP's and King. It runs on a cheap mech timer for 1 hour every 4 hours and It has helped keep my big boa comfy so I spose a slight increase wont hurt the BPs.

Thanks for all the responses. I do have a very happy healthy animal.

[RickyNY]

Back about 4-5 years ago I got my first hatchling BP. Read husbandry advice til my eyes bled and talked and listened to those in the know til my head exploded and mouth ached. Wanted to know everything I could. The advice I was given then seems to be different now.

Then: 10-15 degree temp drop at night (done this since day 1)
Now: Not needed nor desireable
Then: Feed snake in a separate enclosure (done this since day 1)
Now: Don't feed in separate enclosure
Then: 35-40% humidity and bump to 60% ish when shedding (also followed since day 1)
Now: 50-60 normal and 70+ when shedding

Some other small differences from what I first learned but not significant. Point is my first normal BP is almost 5 years old and just shy of 5', eating a steady diet of 1 large rat every 14-18 days (day old baby chicks every 6 feedings) has never went off food, always one piece sheds, never bitten or even struck, loves to be handled, never been sick or had mites or anything, and totally understands when she in the feed box what is about to happen vs just being taken out to snuggle.

So I guess I am just wondering why the change in advice seems so different. What I was originally taught has seemed to work as Theo (yeah thought it was he when I got her) has turned out to be a very healthy animal. I also have a 5 year old male that I care for the same way with the same results. Behavior is typical BP in both animals. Is it a go with what has worked or should I consider updating my husbandry?

Evolution

[cron14]

I'm curious as to when you tub feed, do you put your BP in there for a few hours/days? I have a healthy male whose 3 1/2 years old (1186g which is good for a male from what I've read) but he's always been an inconsistent feeder. I'm always open to new ideas even if it may not be the accepted norm.