Meet Curious George... My NEW Parents Need Some Help, Tips, & Advice

[curiousgeorge]

Well HELLO there! I’m George, and I’m curious AF!! I was rescued this past Wednesday (Oct 9th, 2024) aka. like 2 days ago!

My new parents are WAAAAY better than that last guy, but they are BRAND NEW to snake keeping… so please be gentle with them. The last guy didn’t feed me for the entire 6-8 months he had me! Before that I was just a little baby hatchling, so we think I’m about 1 year old. Since I arrived here, I have settled into my new home nicely, unfortunately with old substrate, BUT fresh water, a warm and cool side, 2 new hides, some enrichment objects, AND I HAVE A FULL BELLY FINALLY!!! I took one Large f/t arctic mouse? Or is that the brand… anyways, I struggled at first as my parents were watching me eagerly… I got shy, and after a few failed attempts at lining up my bite, I pulled that yummy treat into my hide, and musta gobbled it down cuz its gone, and there’s a big lump about 1/3 down the length of me as far as they can tell without handling me yet.

How long till I poop? Is snake poop… obviously poop? Or does it take careful inspection of the substrate? What do urates ( is that the right word?) look like?

This is how I arrived at my new home…

I’m pretty underweight looking, right? My parents are going to take me to the vet asap, and weigh me, but just looking at me, I look skinny… I want to be plump and curvy, not wrinkly and skin and bones… at least I’m pretty sure! But my parents are going to get me on a regular feeding schedule of somewhere in the 7-10 day range.

Quick Info & Stats w/ Questions:
(Please feel free to comment on any of the following, with tips, advice, or just encouragement would be appreciated! Haha!!)

• EXPERIENCE: So… My parents have never had a snake before, and they found out about me the day they decided they were saving me from that horrible place. They set me up as best they could for now, with the budget that they have at the moment.
• SUPPLIES: My set up is currently an old fish tank they had and cleaned, and all they had for substrate was the coconut husk chips that I came with… I know this needs to be changed asap, and today is Payday, so we are able to get a few necessary things, I will keep listing my set-up, but any advice as to brands or missing listed needed items, would be GREATLY appreciated! My parents would LOVE to set me up a living ecosystem with isopods and living plants, but are going to take it slow, so any tips for starting out, would be great!
• SETUP: In the cleaned fish tank with me are two identical plastic hides my parents cut openings in for me on one side and protected me from the edges with some duct tape for now. These I am SURE will be updated, but I feel they will do for now, as I seem quite content, and all my basic survival needs are met. One hide is on the “warm” side currently sitting at an approximate 80degrees… My parents have a new proper reptile temp controlled heat mat for me on the list! Any suggestions for brands, or features to make sure to look for, would be helpful! On the other hide is on the “cool” side… I haven’t been over there yet, as I’m not really getting the correct temperatures in my tank just yet, but a thermo-gun is on the list as well!
• • • The inside of the tank on top of the substrate is reading 78degrees, and under the tank but on top of the mat it reads at about 115degrees… So, my parents are guessing I’m sitting at a somewhat comfortable temperature of around 80ish degrees, though I know I’d love something more in the range of 90… right?
• WATER: In between the two hides is a dish of filtered water deep enough to soak my self about half way in… does this need to be deeper? This has been changed already once since wednesday… but my new parents are trying to leave me alone as best as they can for 1 week.

• • • I shed sometime before I arrived here as there were pieces around me and I still have a few pieces stuck to me… but my parents are keeping the humidity up as best they can with just a spray bottle for now once a day misting the warm side of my tank. I know that BP’s have sensitive respiratory systems… is this misting a concern? Should I have moist substrate instead of misting from above? I am curious about the water droplets and poke my head out of my hide to check it out every time. I don’t have a … humidity… meter…(?) yet, but this is also on the list is getting a new thermometer for my tank with a humidity… reader thingy…!! Haha

• ENRICHMENT: As far as enrichment in my place, I’ve been given a couple sticks mom found on a walk… should these go? Or are they okay for me? I also have some fake leaves mom had, and a thick hemp rope… I’m thinking different textures, sizes, smells, and shapes are… more interesting for enrichment… is this correct? Also, these should be rotated with new objects how often?
• WEIGHT: I have NO idea how much I weigh yet, because as mentioned, my parent are trying to leave me alone for the first little bit… other than feeding me and setting me up in my new crib.
• HEALTH CONCERNS: Looking at my picture and knowing I didn’t shed well my last shed, thats a piece of shed skin on my eye right? Am I expected to take care of this my self? Or will my humans need to put me in some water for a good soak? Do i need a good soak regardless? Should my parents handle me so that I can receive veterinary care?? because…

• MITES?!?!?!: I’m also concerned I have mites… there are black specs on me, they LOOK almost as if maybe they are tucked underneath of a scale, and there are a few on its body different sizes… what do we do??? Help! Are these because of the bad shed? Or do I have MITES??? Is a vet visit how I get rid of them? And tips and advice for looking for a good vet for reptiles specifically other than/additionally to googling in my area?

Okay, well… thats all I can think of for now… I don’t even know if anyone is even going to read all this… but… I thought I’d give it a try, get involved with the community, and be a better keeper!

Also… if anyone knows what type of morph I am, my parents know nothing about that!

Thanks everyone,
Kindest Regards!

George and the Fam!

[armiyana]

@curiousgeorge

with some duct tape for now.

Any type of tape needs to go. ASAP. You do not want to risk any snake, let alone a malnourished snake with possibly fragile skin to get stuck.

Also, if you don’t already, make sure to have clamps to keep the lid on the tank. Snakes are escape artists. They will find a way out when left to their own devices.

Overall, this little guy could be in a much worse shape from the history you gave. I’m hoping once he gets back on track with eating he’ll fill out more and be less of a wrinkly boy, but don’t let him fool you into thinking fat rolls are cute. I keep my boys lean.

Edit: Do keep an eye out for moving black spots. But your boy has the banana or coral glow gene. It’s just freckles from what I see. They will get more freckles as they get older. It’s pretty cute really.

[jawramik]

George is super cute!!

The duct tape has already been addressed, that’s the main thing that needs to go in my opinion.

You can use paper towels as substrate for now. This will have the added benefit of making any mites easy to spot. The little spots on him are most likely just his banana freckles, but if you see any little moving dark spots on the paper towels, then you’ll know you have mites. Some people use paper towels all the time, but I at least like to use them for the first couple weeks after bringing a new snake home.

You can use sticks from outside as decor, but you should ideally scrub them really thoroughly and then bake them on low heat for an hour or so, just to be sure they’re clean and sanitary.

[cmsreptiles]

Hello and welcome to keeping a BP!

For starters (this may sound a bit harsh but it needs to be said), next time make sure you have a bit more experience under your belt with keeping snakes before you decide to rescue. This is for the betterment of the snake that needs help, I’d recommend reaching out to a veterinarian that deals with exotics or animal rehab centers to see if they know any rescues or are willing to take the snake in because you could always run the risk of rescuing a snake that cannot be helped by conventional means inside your home. However I believe you are off to a good start

2. I’d recommend switching from mice to rats as soon as possible, rats have a much higher fat content and are closer to what BPs eat in the wild. Also as the BP grows larger the rats will be more of an adequate size. A general guideline for feeding is 10% of the snake’s body weight and a little thicker than the widest part of the snake’s body once a week(this is just for BPs, not all snakes) so its a good idea to get ahold of a scale that can weigh in grams as soon as you can. An example would be feeding a 900 gram BP a 90 gram rat (medium rat) once a week.

3. It can take a while for BPs to deficate… anywhere from a week to 3 weeks (any longer may be reasonable for concern). To spare the details I would simply look up what a normal BP poop looks like vs an unhealthy BP poop, expect some fur and urates, maybe even bone. It may be a little wet or dry but it should never be runny liquid. But since you are scheduling a vet appt. I’d ask the vet as well.

4. The cage will definitely beed to be upgraded, it is too small and theres hardly any space for the BP to move around with how big the hides are. Ball Pythons like all snakes like snug dark crevices to hide in and do not like being out in the open (they spend a majority of their day in the wild hiding in termite mounds). So I’d reccomend hides that are much shorter/lower to the ground but wide enough to fit the whole snake.

5. The “warm” side of the enclosure is too cold, I’d bump it up to 84-86°F, 90°F and higher is too hot. The cool side should be reading mid to high 70s.

6. The water dish is fine, however to bump up the humidity (should be 60-80%) it will help to keep it on the warm end, you’ll just have to refill it more often because of evaporation. An automated misting system is not necessary unless you are making a bioactive enclosure, just put some damp sphagnum moss in the hide thats on the warm end of the enclosure and that will be enough.

7. If you got those sticks from outside without heat treating them you need to take them out ASAP, never put anything in your BPs enclosure from the wild without some form of heat treating to kill parasites/pests. Otherwise enrichment is an absolute yes, rotating, reorganizing, adding new stuff is good as long as you only do it on occasion. Too much of that and you’ll stress the BP.

8. Its too hard to tell if your snake has a stuck eye cap from the photo. But a good indicator is the snake’s eyes beginning to dent in, dont be alarmed as this is reversible with proper humidity but I’d definitely make sure an experienced keeper/veterinarian does the cap removal so you dont risk permanently injuring and blinding your snake.

9. The black dots are most likely speckling because your BP has Banana in its list of morphs, this is completely normal for Banana BPs especially as they get older. However if you are unsure you can ask your veterinarian for their opinion. If it is unfortunately the case that your snake has mites you will need to do an entire enclosure sterilization, throw away any rope, bark, and substrate thats inside the enclosure and get non-porous replacements until you know your snake is mite free. Soak the hides and water bowl in cold bleach water (½ cap of bleach to a gallon of water) for 15 minutes minimum, and use the same bleach/water ratio to spray and wipe down the enclosure. Again letting the spray sit for a minimum of 15 minutes before wiping it down, there are alternatives for mite eradication in enclosures if you dont want to use bleach but I can’t list them off the top of my head. The veterinarian will guide you in the right direction for treatment of the mites physically on the snake.

Hope this helps and I wish you luck with the process of adjusting to you BP!

[cmsreptiles]

Oh man I completely missed the Duct Tape part, good on you for catching that!

[armiyana]

I was peeking in between errands so I’m glad you got the big rundown though! I just definitely wanted to get the tape and escape parts said. Hahah.

[athleticshoelace]

Off to a good start by asking questions!!

I like to point people at Green Room Pythons on youtube. Bob’s a great educator on all things Ball Python, and he’s funny too. He has care guide videos but all his stuff is related to BP husbandry.

I would be sure to locate a good Reptile/Exotics vet near you. You want to know where you will go in an emergency before there’s ever an emergency, yanno? Just a precaution, but a regular Vet will not be able to help a snake. They have to be specialist trained in reptiles.

[curiousgeorge]

Hey @armiyana, Thank you so much for commenting!

Okay, duct tape is officially going TODAY ASAP! I also googled some mite treatment options and saw one with iodine and… polyoden?? Something like that… I’ll obviously google and confirm again before proceeding with this. If George does NOT have mites, will there be any negative effects to giving him a soak in this solution?

Thank you for the positive encouragement. He really is suuuuuper cute, and so sweet and curious. I KNOW not to anthropomorphize his behaviour, and I know he’s most likely searching for another meal possibly when I show up, but he usually pokes his head out of the hide to give me a couple curious tongue flicks, then settles his head down to watch me for a while as I kinda curiously peek back while I’m working occasionally!

I am very lucky I think, and actually feel very inspired to learn as MUCH as I can about BP’s and possibly make it a thing for me, to rescue BP’s in need. There is another a couple cities over that I was contacted about, a female… I don’t want to take too much on, but at the same time… if there is an animal in need… I want to help. Thoughts on taking on TWO snakes as a beginner?? I am a very quick learner, and have a second tank I can set up in the case that I do take on this second rescue.

Banana or Coral Glow! Sounds beautiful, and so is he so its perfect! Thanks!

Lastly, in regard to clamps… currently I just have a bunch of heavy stuff on the corners of the tank and he seems content. The first night he was very active and climbing up the corners, but this was before he was fed and most likely him searching for food and exploring his new digs!

Thanks again so much for your helpful encouragement and information! Its very very appreciated! Duct tape, gone!

[curiousgeorge]

Hey @jawramik !!

Awesome, thank you soooo much! I am trying not to handle him for the first week, which is up in a couple more days… Which is more important? Having him on a paper towel quarantine style substrate, but having to disturb him and handle him to move him around? Or leaving him be? He also semi-recently had a meal, but that was over 48hrs ago, and so I don’t know if he’s okay to be disturbed yet. Thoughts?

Thank you SOOO much for the tips about bringing sticks in from the outdoors. As I mentioned, I’d love to build him a better enclosure and living habitat. I’ve heard I can isopods and things to balance the ecosystem… but this is a project for another day, today is just getting him well and up to weight.
– If I bring in things like leaves, which I have heard are nice for adding to the substrate, etc… do you recommend I bake these things to?.. I read something about substrates coming from PetSmart and other major pet stores coming WITH mites… Is this a real concern, or just internet fear mongering? Do I need to maybe pasteurize the substrates before adding them to the habitat?

Okay… I think that was everything! Thanks again very much for your comment and support! He is pretty cute isn’t he???

[curiousgeorge]

Hi @cmsreptiles , thanks so much for your extremely helpful and detailed/organized response! Hehehe, I loved the numbered list! So thorough!

Duct tape gone, sticks gone, substrate will go, and vet visit is next week! Rats, check. damp Sphagnum moss and water on the warm side, got it!!! Thanks!

Basically, the most important thing I am hearing from your advice is the importance of the coming vet visit!

I am going to building with my fiance a new snake enclosure for George! This was just the only thing we had for the time being, but I hear you that George will be less stressed and much more comfortable with shorter wider hides, a bigger enclosure, better humidity, and heat treated enrichment additives!

Opinions on this diluted bleach mix vs. I think it was F10… or F50 or something like that… its a Veterinary grade disinfectant I heard about from a youtuber that I have found very helpful and informative. I’m watching and reading lots and lots though, and I am super glad I came to this resource to engage with the community, and to get expert advice from those more experienced than I.

I think… I think I covered everything? Hehehe, thanks again so much for your response! It was so nice to log in today and find all the replies! Made me feel very welcome to the community! Thanks for engaging!

Hope you have a great weekend!

[curiousgeorge]

Gawt it!! Duct tape is gone!! Thanks guys!

[curiousgeorge]

Haha! Well thanks for helping even when you’re busy running around!

My fiance is only so-so … sorry… WAS… WAS only so-so about snakes before George came home, so we made sure escaping is virtually impossible! I have also snake proofed some of the major concerns around the snake area.

[curiousgeorge]

THE GREEN ROOM PYTHONS! I literally just commented on someone else’s comment that I was watching this one guy on Youtube, and THATS WHO IT WAS! I forgot what his channel was called, but thank you! He’s great, isn’t he? I’ve been watching other creators/keepers as well, but I just find him to be the most enjoyable and therefor more helpful to watch! If that makes sense…!

Perfect, thanks for responding about the vet info as I was curious! He’ll be seeing the vet this coming week! I will definitely post updates!

And hey… thanks for the kudos! I know I am not experienced, but I am experienced with rescuing animals of all sizes. Every animal I have ever had, has been a rescue. This is something that is very dear to my heart. So thank you. I WILL learn. I am passionate and driven to help this little guy not only survive, but thrive!

Thanks again!

[jawramik]

It’s fine to move him to change the substrate. And if the substrate he has currently is gross, then I’d swap that out for paper towels sooner rather than later. 48 hours after eating is just fine for moving/handling him. When you see recommendations to “minimize handling” or “only handle when necessary,” that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t handle under any circumstances. If you need to remove the snake from the enclosure to clean, change substrate, soak the snake, etc., it’s fine to do that.

I’m going to tag @lumpy for the questions on how to prepare leaf litter collected from outside, because I think he sells leaf litter from some of his trees (or at least he used to), so he would know the best process for that. I’m lazy and just buy leaf litter, I’ve never collected and prepared my own.

I have heard scattered stories about people getting mites from substrate they purchase. I think there are likely several possibilities with those stories. I think sometimes people find mites in their collection, don’t know where they came from, and just assign blame to the substrate without any real evidence just because “mites in the substrate” seems like the best way to explain the appearance of mites. No real way to know if the substrate is actually to blame. Other times, there may be some other small bugs people find in the substrate that aren’t snake mites, but people just see bugs, panic, and assume they’re snake mites. And then there may very well have been cases where there really were snake mites in a bag of substrate somewhere. Hard to know how often that really happens.

You can always freeze a bag of substrate for several days. That will kill anything that might be living in it. You can also put it on a baking tray and bake it on low heat.

[lumpy]

@jawramik

I’m going to tag @lumpy for the questions on how to prepare leaf litter collected from outside, because I think he sells leaf litter from some of his trees (or at least he used to), so he would know the best process for that. I’m lazy and just buy leaf litter, I’ve never collected and prepared my own

I still actively sell my magnolia leaves for a leaf litter on MorphMarket. I also saw different types of leaves and botanicals. But yes, to the question, you’re going to rinse them all down in hot water. And then you’re going to put them in a pot and boil them for a minimum of 10 minutes. If you’re trying to sterilize things like sticks and stuff, you’re gonna bake them in the oven at 250° for an hour or so

[curiousgeorge]

@jawramik

I’m going to tag @lumpy for the questions on how to prepare leaf litter collected from outside

Thank you for doing this! I’m very interested to hear what they have to say on the subject!

I like the freezer idea as I have a large deep freeze, and baking seems to be a good possible extra step to be extra safe! Maybe overkill, but it sounds like that is the route to take for anything added to his enclosure from the outdoors.

As for handling him, thank you. I understand better now that its a “unless necessary” sort of suggestion to not disturb them!

How soon is it okay to try offering him another meal? Do I wait for him to poop? I have been told it can take upto 3 weeks? And that is (obviously) longer than my understanding of 7-10 days for feedings.

[curiousgeorge]

I will take a look at your shop, I am located in Canada and so if you are not, this might make it difficult to send? Possibly? I don’t know, you have much more experience with that I am sure!

Thank you for the information! I really appreciate you sharing your tips. Does… the boiling of the leave turn it into a mush of sorts? or do they maintain their form kinda? Could I just throw those in the oven with the sticks? Or is the boiling part necessary? If it is, just for curiosities sake… why is it necessary?

Thanks again!

[caron]

The magnolia leaves that Lumpy sells are primo! Worth every penny! That reminds me I need more myself……

[cmsreptiles]

Glad I could help
Good luck on your vet appointment and I hope everything is ok with George

[lumpy]

@curiousgeorge

I am located in Canada and so if you are not, this might make it difficult to send? Possibly? I don’t know, you have much more experience with that I am sure!

I don’t think that i need a permit to send them to you…I can always issue a refund if the stop me at the post office or otherwise.

@curiousgeorge

Does… the boiling of the leave turn it into a mush of sorts? or do they maintain their form kinda? Could I just throw those in the oven with the sticks? Or is the boiling part necessary?

So…the boiling will turn some types of leaves to mush. Magnolia leaves are a stiffer type of leaf so they stand up to it. I also back my Magnolia leaves after they boil to get rid of the moisture.

You technically can throw some leaves in the oven but I wouldn’t suggest it because it can be a fire hazard.

The boiling is just another line of defense against possible things that you wouldn’t want in your enclosures with your animals.