Humid Hide, Handling BP & Introduction

[Bogertophis]

Welcome Dino- I'm glad you finally came out of the shadows, lol. And congratulations for choosing a snake as a quiet companion. I find them to be quite congenial, & relaxing, but you'll have to learn some patience because they do things in 'snake time'. Sounds like your life has been rough lately -so sorry about your losses. Let's hope Roxy is the start of things turning around for you with better things to come.

For us to help you- you need to accurately take the temps in the enclosure where your snake is. If your snake is always in the warmest part, that suggests it might not be warm enough, but don't assume & crank it up- get some readings on the cage floor with substrate pushed away (if using UTH); you want it at or below 90* at the most.

You haven't had her very long, so you need to minimize HER stress, which means you should AVOID taking her out of her hide forcefully or even excessive handling until she's eaten at least 3 times at normal intervals (roughly once a week), unless in shed (when it's normal for them to refuse food). Snakes in shed definitely do NOT want to be handled, so leave her alone as much as possible. I know how frustrating that is when you have only one pet & wish to connect, but that's what you signed on for. Snakes will be snakes. Since she's staying inside the humid hide, I'd just spray into the opening as best you can.

It's not about being a snake's "boss"- we're not & never will be. They're wild animals that listen to their own instincts- the best we can do is show them (thru respectful treatment) that they're safe with us. Snakes feel unsafe (where predators can get them!) when out in the open, so when I hold my snakes, I generally cuddle them close to me, rather than holding them out in the open which I know is scary for them. They also don't really identify us visually- so don't take it personal if your snake snaps at you from the other side of the glass (or plexi, or whatever)- they need more cues (our scent & touch) to recognize us.

"Baby" snakes are more fearful of us because they're small & many things prey on them. Bites are either self-defense (can't blame them, we're GIANTS) or food confusion. Remember that the only thing that picks them up in nature is a predator about to eat THEM, so be patient & don't over-do handling- feeding regularly is "job #1" for a while. Like any baby, they need to grow & gain strength for a while- coming to a new home is confusing for them, so it's also very stressful & stress lowers their immune system, just as it does for us. Just like us, if they're overly stressed they can become sick from whatever they've been exposed to previously- things they might otherwise have fought off if left to rest more. So my advice with any new snake is "easy does it". Do more watching than handling for a while- they grow very slow so "taming" is not a priority.

And don't bother trying to feed her when she's in shed- it's normal for them not to eat at that time- & since both digestion & shedding uses up the water in their bodies to accomplish, some snakes do not do both at the same time very well. Some snakes- if they do accept food while in shed (many won't) will then have a "bad shed" where they need some help to remove the zillions of stuck pieces. So like I said, go with the flow- don't push food when you know she's in shed. If you accidentally feed her sometime & then realize she's clouding up, don't panic- but I just try to avoid doing that, for best results.