Rikka is here! 😁

[ghoulishcresties]

Little Rikka is here 🥲 It has been so long waiting for my Bamboo! I wanted one years ago and never found a female so gave up looking, and now I finally have her with me… Hillside Exotics has been amazing. A HUGE thanks to Simon who kept me updated the whole time and sent me pictures when I asked (It was a lot) Sorry! Haha.
Oh I’m so smitten!! She’s beautiful… Born July 27th!

[foxreptile]

So pretty hope she settles in well

[ghoulishcresties]

Thankyou!
Now we wait… Not tried killing me yet, appears to be going into shed so going to leave her alone for the next few days even though it pains me… A lot…

[chesterhf]

Congratulations on the new arrival, she’s adorable!

@ghoulishcresties

so going to leave her alone for the next few days even though it pains me… A lot…

It’s better to give them a few weeks to settle in without handling anyway, even though it’s rough

[erie-herps]

I agree one week minimum to wait but the longer the better. Personally I would wait one week before feeding and after a successful feed handle after a couple days. The longer you wait and the more comfortable she is the better she’ll eat and the more you can handle later. This is always tricky when getting a new reptile (luckily my last couple geckos were young and hard to handle so I wouldn’t have handled anyways).

[ghoulishcresties]

Oh it is rough haha.
I was handing Blaze from day 1 I have done with all my Reptiles though, Royals included. Hideyoshi was out with me walking about all the time in my pocket

But since she’s bluing on her head I think she’s going to shed. So feeding will start from next week with her, and going to leave her to shed in peace!

She’s been out and about being nosey though!
I turned around a minute ago and her head was out her hide just staring at me. Quite creepy…

[lumpy]

Congratulations! She is beautiful. I am a huge fan of bamboo combos. Can’t wait to see what you do with her!

[ghoulishcresties]

Thankyou!
I cannot wait I must say, her and Blaze should work well together.

[lumpy]

You definitely will be seeing some beautiful babies.

[becksterlynn]

Oh, how beautiful!

I agree, her and Blaze will be wonderful together!

[ghoulishcresties]

Thankyou!
She’s always out and about too, even with being in an exo! I thought i would have too black out the sides, but I was sorting the water out yesterday and she was out to say hello and all. Keeps popping her head out the hide just resting it on there too (it’s like a rock one)

Blaze right now is staring waiting for his food so I shall not say hello right now

[ashleyraeanne]

@ghoulishcresties

She’s always out and about too, even with being in an exo

Keep in mind wandering with a new snake (especially BPs) is often a stress response, so if she is wandering a lot she is likely stressed. Definitely wouldn’t make a habit of handling BPs right when you get them. They need to settle in for a week or sometimes two to have the best chance at thriving.

[ghoulishcresties]

She’s usually out to have a drink, then stare at me or just rests her head outside her rock
Kept BPs for years and always handled from day one, but that’s just me, I’ve actually left her to it though until she climbed out the viv yesterday and I had to put her back.
Hideyoshi is usually an Active boy too, though he’s always been that way, recently though he’s enjoyed chilling in his hide a lot, as is Blaze active, or messing up his pretty enclosure (moves things about, turns out didn’t want the hide, he likes the skull​:woman_facepalming:t2:) and even Seal is usually out chilling on her log (is now) though probably knows food time is soon though
Rats aren’t warmed up yet though so it’s a late meal for them. Probably all angry with me

[ghoulishcresties]

Well she’s just taken a small weaner!
I think she’s quite a happy girly here, I am so happy! For a slow fussy ‘sassy’ starter who decided she’d attack food and not eat for over a month (only started eating September 15th) before she realised she had to actually eat it, I say that’s Amazing!

[ghoulishcresties]

Full and chilling.

[erie-herps]

We’re serious when we say not to feed or handle for at least a week. The first acclimation period is important and even though she might seem like she’s settled in fine she’s not (she’s roaming, trying to escape, etc.). It’s difficult for everyone not to handle but it’s still an important part for the animal. The animal comes before your happiness (I often tell myself this when considering changes in husbandry).

[ghoulishcresties]

Blaze also ate a few days after coming here as has every royal I’ve owned but 2 fussy eater yearlings when I had them (knew were fussy). And when posting that nothing was said
As said I’ve owned Royals for years now and never had an issue at all with handling from the day they got here, I know a lot of people (friends) and breeders who handle from day 1 also with no issues. One of which I actually got a few off of years ago.
Thankyou for your concern though, I do appreciate your comment, but I know what I’m doing as I’ve had them quite a while now, I’m not new to them at all. Even had a big ol 3kg female that was handled from day one too, she was a hissy girl so we put in the work to chill her more. Stayed hissy but that was ok.
I haven’t handled Rikka anyway, but I offered food as my other female was eating and she was out. She took it and is now chilling.
I handle every reptile from day one myself, always have and I probably always will if I can. I handle Crestie hatchlings from day one for instance, a lot don’t agree with that but I’ve never once had an issue there either, a lot don’t even agree with putting them straight into bio set ups either (again never an issue) but we all do our things our own way, and that’s fine. We’ve even been told when we get our Kimberleys to handle a lot as they aren’t the best at taming otherwise! Which again I’m sure people won’t like the sound of haha.
Anyway, I have left her alone since getting her as I knew she was a fussy eater at the start and didn’t want that happening here, as hard as that is for me but I decided on that because of her past fussiness, but she was out looking so I offered and she snapped it right up.
I won’t be handling her yet (my choice). I’d rather she took a couple meals here with me first, but touch wood will be fine taking them it seems.

(Also when I said she’s out a lot, I mean at night when they’re usually active, and or when she’s having a drink) All my Royals are usually out and about at night, especially on food night when they smell the rats

[garciademueller]

Congratulations! You’ve got a beautiful snake there! I also love bamboo! Are you thinking of breeding her in the future, or is she just a pet only?

[ghoulishcresties]

Thanking you!
They’re my fav morph after Banana I must say!
When she’s up and ready she will be going to Blaze

[erie-herps]

I think handling from day 1 makes it trickier but it likely works for you. We each have our own preferences.