My normally sweet but shy girl decided she wasn’t playing today. She crawled up above the hide i made and in between the tub lid. She just ate yesterday so im sure she wants peace but i don’t want her up there away from the heat. She needs the warmth to digest food. Should i just say eff it and let her do what she wants? I suppose if she got up there she can get down.
My boy snow just ate another med mouse and he is not nippy he just chills and hangs out on the warm side.
Am i over thinking her again? I dont want her to get sick.
Thanks being a new snake mom has been way more stress than i thought. I just love all my animals so much i second guess myself. I hope it gets easier, not that i ever want to get complacent and assume everything is ok and slack on care.
It’s hard when you want to do what you think is best for the animal (I’ve done similar things before), but pretty much every time, it’s best just to let the animal do their own thing, they know what they need to do.
Definitely leave her alone after feeding. They’re the experts about what they need, and as long as they have access to proper temps while feeling secure, they’re going to go where they need to be. The best thing you can do for 48 hours after feeding is try and forget that they exist. They may not stay where you think they should, but it’s important to leave them alone. Even your efforts to help might trigger a regurge in a sensitive snake. Just leave them alone.
I know you want to be a hands-on keeper, and that’s terrific. While your snakes are getting adjusted to their new homes, it’s important to be patient and more hands-off than you’d prefer. You’ll reap the rewards of this patience for years.
Here’s one tip to help with their need for post-feeding solitude, once you’ve gotten through the initial adjustment period. Stagger feeding the snakes so that somebody’s available for handling. I find that doing this is really nice, since I enjoy interacting with my snakes.
That is a good advice once they get in their rutine that i see they are eating properly and eliminating waste i will then get that rhythm and work on bonding. Ive really tried to be hands off and if they gave me an exploratory tongue i let them decide what. I do open my tubs daily to take temperature and check but i try to be in and out. I know in the long run it will pay off. It is hard being a new parent, we could read all the internet articles, watch every video and read forums but its different when its live and your baby depends on you fir literally everything, it can be stressful ( not necessarily a bad unhealthy stress but it’s pressure ya gotta live up to.
84° i put paper towels down and then she usually digs under that i often find her hiding under paper towels. I use my laser thermometer to check multiple spots daily as i dont assume my UTH is working or accurate.
I just took temperature readings and it was too high at 89° so i lowered the temp and will check again later. That was a good tip about maybe she is too warm.
Yeah, as others have said, just leave em alone after they’ve eaten, ideally for a couple days. They’ll seek out the temperatures they need and want. I’ve noticed that while my snakes usually seek out their hot spot after eating, they don’t always do that. I always double-check their hot spots whenever I see them on the cool end after eating (or even if I just notice they tend to be on the cool end more than usual), and usually the hot spot is fine, they just don’t want to be there for whatever reason (though it’s still always good to check, there have been a couple times where it was too warm and I had to adjust the thermostat).
Snakes, even if they’re of the same species, can have very different personalities, and often have different things that set them off. Some want to be left alone to digest, others don’t seem bothered by interaction. Some are shy, while others are bold and curious, and everything in between. It seems like your girl would rather be left alone after eating, while your boy remains friendly as ever (though as a rule, it’s still good to leave them both alone for a couple days after eating to avoid any regurgitation). It will take some time to really get to know their individual personalities and quirks. It’s just one more fascinating aspect of keeping these awesome animals!
Yes they are night and day personality wise. She is shy and elusive ( fine by me ) and the boy is very friendly and actually comes to greet me ( maybe he thinks i have food ) nah he is just really sweet and isn’t afraid.
As they are still in quarantine i am trying to limit any interactions and i let them decide how.
She needs a smaller hide that isn’t see-through. She is probably sandwiching herself between the hide and the lid because it makes her feel slightly safer. Try using some coconut hides, or something similar. Just a small dark place she can squeeze into.
Good way to get easy hides that are properly opaque: Order dinner from Noodles N Company, if they’re in your area. Their takeout bowls are black. A lot of other places will use similar black plastic containers- they make great transport delis or hides.
Yeah, those black plastic takeout containers have hundreds of uses! I rarely order takeout, but I always ask my roommate to save them for me when she gets them. Mostly I just reuse them for holding leftovers (cheaper than buying Tupperware), but they also work great as hides, temporary holding containers or bathtubs for small reptiles, and containers for defrosting/warming up feeders.
being a new snake mom has been way more stress than i thought. I just love all my animals so much i second guess myself. I hope it gets easier, not that i ever want to get complacent and assume everything is ok and slack on care.
nah he is just really sweet and isn’t afraid.