@logar Thank you are answering for me but I am perfectly capable of answering for myself.
I stated in a previous post that I was an accidental BOA breeder but no worries that you missed it. However breeding, no matter what animals you are breeding, is the same except you will either get eggs or live babies. I currently have 13 ball pythons (I am surprised @logar didn’t supply you with that number……) .
I also have a blood python, a Borneo STP, and a Sumatran STP. (Take note for future reference Logan ). In addition I have a handful of various colubrids.
Now to answer your original question to me about your big aggressive girl. I do so agree with @armiyana Christina, your girl is stressed to the max for whatever reason. It sounds like she is just downright scared so she’s lashing out at everything because that’s all she knows to do. There is such a thing as an aggressive snake after all.
That being said, @armiyana is right about putting her in a large tub with a lid on top of course and if it were me I would put it somewhere away from noise, somewhere quiet. She needs to feel cozy and secure. You might even place a towel over part of the tub to increase the secure feeling for her.
As far as I am concerned, this girl is not ready to breed in the condition she is in. I would not put another snake with her at this point in time. @armiyana may disagree though.
In addition I would let up on the aggressive feeding and get back to a more stable schedule. She sounds like she is close to obese maybe?
I feel sorry for her (though not your fault of course!), but I am glad you are concerned. Definitely try the tub and give her a few weeks. She may end up wanting to be a “tub” girl!
I know, I just wanted them to know as your activity over here has been a bit sporadic so I didn’t want them waiting and then finding out you aren’t a breeder. Though in all honesty, I know plenty of plain old keepers (you included @caron) who do it better than most breeders in my opinion.
I did move back to her normal feeding schedule a while ago. I can assure she is not obese happily. She is almost 3000 grams but she is very very long, hew length to diameter is in the normal range. However I do agree that I should not breed her especially after hearing about the tub. She’s a solitary animal so the last thing I want to do is put her with a male to stress her even more and risk the health of that male in the process. As much as I want a clutch this summer and my other female’s RI will probably put her out until next year as I feel she’s been through enough, the babies aren’t worth it. So if the tub works then I will breed her, if not I guess she will continue as a pet only snake.
I would not want to hear about your rescues because it makes me sick to think about the fact that there are millions of suffering animals in this world at th hands of so called “human” beings. Sickening.
The sad fact is for every animal you rescue, there are thousands still left behind……
But I have to thank you Nathan, for starting this thread. This has been quite enjoyable.
It’s been enjoyable for me as well even though it started off on the wrong foot, and if it helps at all I always like to think of it as every rescue I come across gets a better life and I just try and ignore the rest that are out there. I only focus on the ones that find their way to me and enjoy the fact that they have much better lives now regardless of their past.
I worked for an exotics vet years ago and I was able to learn a little bit about a lot of things concerning reptiles, just enough to be dangerous actually. This thing going on with your girl could be neurological. Animals are not so different as humans when it comes to developing certain illnesses including brain disorders. I have a little corn snake with a seemingly neurological disorder. She is extremely defensive and has a bit of trouble controlling her head. She will strike at me as soon as she sees me and she has bitten me a few times. Now that behavior is extremely unusual for a corn snake. And of course she is in a tub.
It’s good you have her feeding under control as well!
Thank you for the info. If the tub situation works and I am able to spot clean and change her water without having to distract her with a second hand then I will definitely try and breed her. The possibility of a super pastave banana would be amazing.
The info you got about using a tub for your aggressive one is a great idea. You can use anything you have for bedding, i would use some sort of coco husk/chips. I would not put much in it other then water. I would use a smaller tub to help keep her confined and feel more secure. Use a semi clear tub but most cover it or place it in a low trafic area. Dont worry about lighting during this time. She need to relax and unstress. This would not be a permanent home. You only need a heat mat on some type of controler. I would feed every one week l, but skip a feeding or two. She need to unstress and feeding can interfere with that. I would not keep checking on her. Let her be for several days. Again, this is only to let her unstress. To help with all of this, i would feed live. This cuts out the human interference. I would do this a several months. After about 2 months try hanging her, but ver limited.
Thank you, I am definitely going to try this. Im getting an ARS rack system so she will be able to have one of those tubs as a permanent home if she needs.
Sorrry, had to take the kids to school.
I just wanted to add a few more things.
Heat and humidity, i would set surface temp to 86⁰ and humidity to 50%. This is enough for digestion amd you can kick humidity up to 70 during shedding.
The smaller tub should be more like a large hide. Enough to move around and stretch out but still feel secure.
When handing, go from behind. If you cant, try blocking her from seeing you so you can reach in. I would just sit with her on my lap and hand. Don’t move her around but let her move if she want to. This will let her feel safe and not restricted.
Just to add, some snakes do better in a smaller darker housing. She may be one of them. So if she does better then goes back to her old ways when moved, you might have to go back to a simulator setup for her permanent home. If you do get a rack, i would get a few extra tubs that are gray. This will allow you to use a darker one for many situations.
For the rack I was planning on getting the gray tubs with windows (I’ll cover up the window on the one she goes in) to let in at least a little natural light. Would higher humidity be possible? Her current enclosure is around 60% and even then she still sheds in tiny pieces everywhere and takes a long time to shed. I’m worried if she ends up with stuck eye caps etc she will just continue to be defensive as she’s in a bad mood and I can’t remove stuck eye caps from her as she won’t let me near her without a fight.
I was just suggesting settings to see if it helps. If the current is 60, then you could leave it as is. Sometimes changing everything so they believe they are in a different place, may help.
Next shed, when the eyes are covered, i would up the humidity to at least 70 and try to keep it there until shedding is finished. From there, you can adjust as needed, both humidity and when to increase it.
Nathan the tub should help with shedding as opposed to being in a tank. Plastic tubs with lids just hold humidity better. But I would respectfully differ with the substrate suggestion. I would use cypress mulch. I use this for some of my stubborn shedders and it works beautifully. If you see she is in shed just give the tub a good misting and the shed will melt off. I promise.
Also I respectfully differ on her feeders. I would continue with frozen thawed. Imo a brief interaction to feed is not going to hurt. You don’t need to cut off all ties with her. Also if she is used to eating ft imo she will do a lot better to continue with that method of feeding. In addition, you don’t want to inadvertently switch her to live permanently. Frozen thawed is much safer not to mention humane.
@d_y_python Duane I am not trying to undermine your suggestions so please don’t think as such! I am just going by my experience.
.
). In addition I have a handful of various colubrids.
