Substrate, Stress, Onboarding (This one is a bit complex sorry) HELP

[beefontheboard]

Welcome to the forum. Now, if it was me, the noodle would go into a tub or box while I removed the substrate. Then I'd use newspaper, it's cheap an just roll up the dirty layer. If you keep the substrate an feed F/T put paper or a plate in the area your going to offer prey. Your guy hasn't figured out the bedding yet. He doesn't need a mouthful while your trying to feed him.

Another way to help remove substrate is a soak, same thing for mites an stuck sheds. Use a tub (locked lid) an enough water to cover 2/3 of the snake. Temperate water is a must. If it feels warm to you it's too hot. With posable mites add two drops of Dawn soap. In a tub (locked lid) it's 15-30 minutes. In a bathtub it's you watching 100% of the time an letting the noodle slither on an threw a wash cloth or large wet towel (depending on size of snake). If you use a bathtub an answer your phone or read a book you'll turn around an be looking for your snake. Snakes act like they like the tub till they climb out.

I'm sure your new guy will be fine. It just takes time.


Good luck!

Thanks for this I'll be sure to keep it in mind going forward. It looks like he got most of it out on his own so I'll put off any soakage for a little while to let homeboy decompress.

[Bogertophis]

Thanks for this I'll be sure to keep it in mind going forward. It looks like he got most of it out on his own so I'll put off any soakage for a little while to let homeboy decompress.

Rather than a full-body soak (I hesitated to suggest it because from your description, he was already quite stressed & snakes usually hate "soaks" because of the loss of traction) you mostly just needed to lower his face into water, as horizontally as possible. Even holding him so his face was passed under a slow running faucet may have worked, to get him drinking & rinsing his mouth. So, for "next time"...

[beefontheboard]

Rather than a full-body soak (I hesitated to suggest it because from your description, he was already quite stressed & snakes usually hate "soaks" because of the loss of traction) you mostly just needed to lower his face into water, as horizontally as possible. Even holding him so his face was passed under a slow running faucet may have worked, to get him drinking & rinsing his mouth. So, for "next time"...

Totally - I tried that a day prior to the Q-tip endeavor; he didn't like the face dip very much either. That being said, its good to know going forward that it is semi-effective. I also had heard that snakes don't love the bath so I didn't want to put him through that during his first few weeks.