Nim the Bredli

[Gobuchul]

After this snake arrived I had to take away his pvc scaffold while I acquired some endcaps. I did not want him trying to squeeze inside the pipes. He ended up outside of the bin, and I learned two things:

1. This snake sticks to and hates my palms as much as my ball python
2. He's very fast when motivated

I had trouble picking him up as he took off every time I touched him. I put on some gloves and he calmed down enough to be picked up (snakes really don't like my palms), but I failed to put him in the enclosure and he ended up loose again. I eventually put a hide on a short box in front of him, and moved the whole unit to the enclosure after he hid. It's unfortunate that he had to start with the stress of being chased around the room.

I also blacked out the enclosure sides and gave him a smaller water dish when I put the pvc pipes back in. He was a little disturbed and spent some time looking for a way out of the box. He seemed calmer today. He spent most of the day in his hide and is now sitting on the pipes. I noticed he was sticking partially out of his hide yesterday even though it's the same size as those preferred by my much thicker ball python, but today he seemed to fit.

Ambient temp is 80 and surface temp under one of the hides is 88. He has spent most of his time in the heated hide so far, and I have not observed him use the cool hide. Based on a source I don't completely trust, I'm thinking I should increase the day temp to 83 and let night temp drop to 75. In theory I think I should also increase the UTH daytime temp, but I'm wary of making it unsafe and I don't want to disturb him by constantly taking readings with a temp gun.

I look forward to moving him to a larger enclosure post-quarantine. I considered naming him Idris, but went with Nim because he's fast and I don't think he supports dependent typing.

Coming out of bag:


Poor snake losing his mind outside the enclosure:
Sitting on pvc tonight:
The whole setup now:

[Homebody]

I hope you two enjoy many happy years together.

[Bogertophis]

It's what I charitably call a "period of adjustment" for you both- End-caps (& foresight) for the win! I predict it's gonna get a lot better- very nice choice of snake, btw.

[dakski]

AM
Gobuchul,

Congrats on Nim! Bredli are awesome snakes.

There are some Morelia and specifically CP keepers here. Me included.

Do not be afraid to ask questions. They are a great species and you are the right track but know there are people here to help you.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[Gio]

After this snake arrived I had to take away his pvc scaffold while I acquired some endcaps. I did not want him trying to squeeze inside the pipes. He ended up outside of the bin, and I learned two things:

1. This snake sticks to and hates my palms as much as my ball python
2. He's very fast when motivated

I had trouble picking him up as he took off every time I touched him. I put on some gloves and he calmed down enough to be picked up (snakes really don't like my palms), but I failed to put him in the enclosure and he ended up loose again. I eventually put a hide on a short box in front of him, and moved the whole unit to the enclosure after he hid. It's unfortunate that he had to start with the stress of being chased around the room.

I also blacked out the enclosure sides and gave him a smaller water dish when I put the pvc pipes back in. He was a little disturbed and spent some time looking for a way out of the box. He seemed calmer today. He spent most of the day in his hide and is now sitting on the pipes. I noticed he was sticking partially out of his hide yesterday even though it's the same size as those preferred by my much thicker ball python, but today he seemed to fit.

Ambient temp is 80 and surface temp under one of the hides is 88. He has spent most of his time in the heated hide so far, and I have not observed him use the cool hide. Based on a source I don't completely trust, I'm thinking I should increase the day temp to 83 and let night temp drop to 75. In theory I think I should also increase the UTH daytime temp, but I'm wary of making it unsafe and I don't want to disturb him by constantly taking readings with a temp gun.

I look forward to moving him to a larger enclosure post-quarantine. I considered naming him Idris, but went with Nim because he's fast and I don't think he supports dependent typing.

Coming out of bag:


Poor snake losing his mind outside the enclosure:
Sitting on pvc tonight:
The whole setup now:

Congrats on the Bredli!

This species is extremely forgiving and tolerant of most mistakes. I also use a night drop, I actually do with every animal here. Your quarantine enclosure is obviously not going to allow for a variety of climate zones which is OK since it is younger and smaller than an established adult.

I found, and still do find mine to be extremely arboreal.

A night drop between 73-77 seems decent so I think you are OK there although, you could make it 78F for a younger snake in the event of stress or for an unseen health issue. 73 for a younger snake may be a tad cool. Breeders will cool them a lot prior to putting them together for mating. Getting a younger animal going is different as there are stressors involved we may not see.

Basking spots can be very warm, 98+ but I would stay cooler in a smaller enclosure since the snake won't have a lot of room to self regulate. 83 is not a bad temp and with a night drop to 76-77 your animal won't be in eternally hot conditions.

You can make small adjustments as you go and learn from your animal. I like to see some movement between warm and cool areas after feeding but again, you're limited to an extent with a smaller setup.

Keep us posted and enjoy!