Hello again! I’d like to preface this post by apologizing for the length it’s going to be, figured a long post would be better than multiple all at once. (Sorry if I’m wrong about that, these are pretty diverse topics but I think they are all connected to my scale & snout concerns so I chose to make it one post).
So, non-issues first. My bullsnake, Moonshine, has been with me for just under a month now and has been doing fantastic! This section is just more of just: What are the best ways to handle/take out bullsnakes without severely stressing them out.
How I’ve been taking him out:
- Observing where he is in his enclosure (I have been cautious to not pull him out of his faux wood hide as it would need to be lifted off of him in order for me to have access to him & to me that’s just unnecessary stress/startling and would cause him to associate that hide with stress).
- If he’s under a plants or in an open spot I slowly reach in, leave my hand still for a few moments as he tongue flicks, and then gently scoop him from his underside instead of coming at him like a bird (CAW CAW). - Side note he does not usually strike and rarely hisses during this, he prefers to rattle his tail and constantly tongue flick to see what I’m doing.
- I’ve handled him in 3 different locations. My bed, our guest bed with a heated blanket, and just in my hands / on me as I sit down in a chair.
- I’ve had no issues with my bed or holding him in my hands so I will just move onto the heated blanket. Now I know “heated blanket” may be raising some alarm bells so let me explain. In an attempt to give him a sense of positive interaction/security during handling I have sat next to him as he explores/sits on the heated blanket. THE BLANKET IS NOT HOT AT ALL. I can barely feel it myself and all cords in the blanket have been positioned on the outskirts of the blanket so his body is NOT touching any electric cords during this (I only let him use a small portion of the blanket, it is massive so I am able to safely spread it out for him).
- He is handled for 15-20 minutes at a time before being brought back to his enclosure to be left alone.
- He is handled about 3 times a week (I’m trying not to overdue it since he’s still new to this environment + he seems to get stressed if its back to back days of handling)
Handling Observations:
- He’s very curious and chill, no issues when he’s out of the enclosure.
- I’ve noticed if he is taken out one day he does great, but if I were to handle him the next day he’s a bit more agitated when I go to scoop him (He does not care when he’s out of the enclosure). Same thing if I poke around his enclosure the same day I handled him.
Handling Conclusions:
He’s still new so I’m sure some of it is just “what the heck are you doing?” but I would like input on how other people go to handle their snakes. EX: sometimes he is a little agitated and will strike once or twice and I would rather he not learn that striking = no handling, but if I were to grab him when he’s clearly attempting to figure out what’s going on that would be a negative interaction and cause stress (Imho).
Please feel free to add your two cents and correct me on stuff if needed!
Okay, onto setup.
He is in a 20 gallon right now with two hides, two faux plants, leaf litter, and a water dish. Heating mat is on the left side. I’m just going to insert a the pictures here.
Left side:
Right side:
Attempted shot of the whole enclosure:
I apologize as the photos are absolutely atrocious but they get the point across.
I would like to state that Moonshine is very fond of his plants and likes coiling around the stems and sitting under them. This is the case for both corners. He spends most of his time on the warm side either in his faux wood hide or under the plant that’s behind it (He’s there as I’m typing this lol). I recently added a clear (glass?) bowl to the right side (apologies, I don’t think its even visible in the photos but it’s on the right side and I hung the plant over it). I had him out about an hour and a half ago and since it’s almost been a month I changed his sani-chips and put an even bigger pile behind the glass bowl so that 1. he does not feel exposed when in the bowl and 2. incase he wants to burrow in it.
At first he was curious as to what the glass hide was but has since been enjoying it. I also put a layer of sani-chips inside the bowl so he’s not “dropping” into it and he has the option to dig under it if he chooses (I’ve seen him burrow in his bowl-hide once).
Sorry, forgot to mention he had a stick in there but he didn’t seem to care about it or use it so I chose to take it out tonight in favor of more slithering/burrowing room.
Onto my actual concerns about the enclosure:
I feel like he doesn’t have enough room to burrow. His breeder said a 20 gal would be fine (for now) since he’s still small & young (8 months) but with two hides, two plants, and a water dish I feel like it’s very cramped in there but I am hesitant to remove plants and such because he seems to feel secure under them and frequently uses everything in the enclosure. (Another note - I’ve only witnessed him burrow 3 times)
My questions are:
- Would it be better to upgrade his enclosure so he has more room?
- If so, should I upgrade him to a medium / juvenile sized enclosure or just go all out for an adult sized one? (Or would bigger tank = more stress? - Like how BP’s need a bunch of clutter to feel secure in a bigger tank)
2.5. Would a bigger tank need more enrichment (like a rock or somethin) or would we prefer to give Moonshine a more open layout? - Does his water dish need to be big enough for him to soak in? (I’ve seen conflicting opinions on this subject - some people say they will poop in and excessively dirty the water dish if it’s big enough for them to soak in while others think its better for the snake. I change/scrub it everyday so I’m open to whatever’s best for Moonshine).
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Okay the final section: Things I’m very concerned about.
Some background information:
- There has been no sightings of red scales until today (3/13) - The only thing similar is that there’s one scale that noticeably sticks up however it’s been about ~2 weeks since I noticed it and it has never been red before.
- Same with his pink nose, both issues were noticed today
- Adding this point back in after finishing the post - He is sensitive to touch on the lower portions of his body which was worrying me but when being handled today he couldn’t care less where I touched him (I think it’s something to do with him liking to see where I’m going to touch or a startle rather than pain, but I could be wrong, so I’m tacking that observation on here)
Pictures:
Only picture I took yesterday (3/12) a few hours after he was put back into his enclosure. His snout is not red/overly pink here.
First snout/head photo from earlier today (3/13):
Second photo where you can see the redness:
Red scale photos (sorry they’re not the best, my mom had a difficult time capturing his scales):
I don’t know if one pics better than the other so I put both. He’s also got one teeny tiny red scale on his back and that one non-red one about 3-4 inches up from the red tail scales but on the other side of his body.
My hypothesis is because he’s got keeled scales they may have snatched on the blanket yesterday so that’s immediately being discontinued. I don’t believe he snagged them on his wood hide because he’s never really on it/right next to it (except the one time he was slightly on it yesterday). It’s not sharp but more…sturdy??? Like I don’t think he could cut himself or have a high chance of catching his belly scales or side scales on it. However, if other people believe this poses even a smidgen of a threat to him I am 100% open to giving him something else as a hide. (I actually have a black one, similar to Snake Discoveries, I just haven’t used it because it’s enormous and would take up most of the space).
Not sure if it’s important but I am also concerned that he has not shed yet. I do not know when his last shed was so if people believe I should ask I can contact the breeder and I’m sure they’d be more than willing to provide me with his details.
Questions about the issues:
- Is the pink/red nose most likely caused by rubbing on the glass doors / glass surfing? (He has glass surfed twice and both were right after he defecated so I think he was just trying to get away from the smell - both were spot-cleaned shortly after and the glass surfing ceased. The first time he glass surfed though he was sticking his nose up to the mesh which is the top of his enclosure. I have not seen him do it since that first time).
- Would a soak help?
- How concerned should I be about him not shedding? He’s ate twice while with me and will be fed on Sunday this week (he currently eats f/t fuzzies) so all other regular functions have not been a concern. I have not noticed his eyes changing at all, however, I have never seen an albino snake shed so I don’t know exactly what it would look like. Although I am certain the lack of shed in his enclosure is a clear sign he hasn’t shed/gone into blue yet
(Just a refresher: I’ve had him just under a month).
Okayyyy whew, that should be all my questions and concerns at the moment (I think I’ve legitimately been typing for two hours 
)
This is my first snake so sorry if some things are not perfect husbandry wise. On the flip side, PLEASE let me know anything I’m doing wrong so I can fix it ASAP, criticism is more than welcome!! I’d like Moonshine to thrive in his environment as well as not be at risk for injuries in his enclosure so advice on that front would be fantastic.
(He’s staring at me from his bowl-hide 
)
Thank you for reading this insanely long post and TIA for any replies!
. (He needs a little help moving away from where the glass doors are when returned to his enclosure. He’s not the brightest…
