My first Retic!

[Great Mormon]

Hi guys, I'm new to this forum, although i have been lurking for quite a while already.

I am a new proud owner of a super dwarf retic. I got him from a local dealer. According to him, this fella is a captive bred from one of his friends. I have been seeing this snake at his shop for quite a while, and decided to add him to my growing family :)

Anyways, I have done some research about this species prior to making the purchase.

The temps are around 26-30c in my room (i keep him next to my bed). And humidity is about 60-80% as i live in the tropics.

Here are some pics of his new home. Don't worry about the missing water dish. He tipped his water dish last night and decided to bite my hand when i tried to dust the bedding off him (move stress? hopefully). I'll probably get a more sturdy water dish by the next day after work.


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[metalcopper]

Beautiful looking Retic!

[drumcrush]

Hey, welcome! Gorgeous retic!

[MDT]

Cool lookin' little guy. You're gonna need a bigger enclosure :)

[Lankyrob]

Cool lookin' little guy. You're gonna need a bigger enclosure :)

This, much much much bigger enclosure!

[Tracy33]

He is one great looking rectic !! I agree wih the other guys though , about him needing a much much bigger tank .

[Great Mormon]

Hi guts, thanks for the warm welcome. I don't think he is going to grow anymore as the seller told me that this is about the maximum size he'll grow. Still need a bigger enclosure?

I'll probably have to wait till next month to get a new enclosure due to cash flow issues... I actually put this guy on credit.

What will be the recommended size for this boy? I thought the big guppy tank would be fine initially

[sharthun]

Hey and welcome! Cool snake!

[Teal]

Gorgeous snake! But I agree as well... He needs a bigger enclosure, and also hides.

[Sublimeballs]

Ok first off, you should never buy an animal without a proper setup. Yes you still need a bigger enclosure even if he's full grown(which I highly doubt he is from the looks of things) You dont Even have room for hides or proper thermoregulation. We're you given a name of what locale he is? He appears to be a madu or a kalatoa, but could be a kayuadi. Where are you located? How big is he? Depending on what he actually is I recommend a very minimum of 4x2x2. Retics are very active snakes, and the dwarf variants love to climb so you should get some branches for him. Do you have a heat source?

[athms]

Ok first off, you should never buy an animal without a proper setup. Yes you still need a bigger enclosure even if he's full grown(which I highly doubt he is from the looks of things) You dont Even have room for hides or proper thermoregulation. We're you given a name of what locale he is? He appears to be a madu or a kalatoa, but could be a kayuadi. Where are you located? How big is he? Depending on what he actually is I recommend a very minimum of 4x2x2. Retics are very active snakes, and the dwarf variants love to climb so you should get some branches for him. Do you have a heat source?

Dude thats a kritter keeper you are a 100% right their is no way he is going to stay that small he looks to be 18-22"

[swolek]

Hi guts, thanks for the warm welcome. I don't think he is going to grow anymore as the seller told me that this is about the maximum size he'll grow. Still need a bigger enclosure?

I'll probably have to wait till next month to get a new enclosure due to cash flow issues... I actually put this guy on credit.

What will be the recommended size for this boy? I thought the big guppy tank would be fine initially

If it's truly a "super dwarf" it's still going to be 6+ feet...

[Great Mormon]

Thanks for the heads up, I'll look around for a bigger enclosure for him. He has an infrared night light which I turn on before I sleep. I have no idea which locality he is from, all I know that the seller said that it was a cb specimen from one of his friends

[dave himself]

Nice little retic mate welcome to the club and the forum. As said you do need a bigger enclosure :)

[Great Mormon]

Oh I forgot to mention, I live in malaysia. We do have retic s living in the jungles, but I always support the cb market

[MCB]

Congrats :) nice looking retic.

As above with the larger enclosure (but you already know that by now). Just keep coming back and asking questions, these guys are very helpful and full of knowledge, helped me enormously :)

[Great Mormon]

Heres a hide and new watering dish i bought for him...
The coin is about 1/8th of an inch.

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Any recommendations for the enclosure size? Suppose i want to have the hide/water dish as well as roaming/hunting space for him.

[Tsubaki]

Welcome! and nice retic.. :)
For an enclosure size, in a proper size enclosure he should be able to stretch out fully.

[Lankyrob]

I had my SD in a 4x2x2foot viv and he utilised every inch, in the future i would get anorher SD i would want a 6x3x3

[Great Mormon]

Thanks guys, i think the maximum space i have is about 3.2 feet. Would the smaller space still be still ok if i gave it some logs or branches to crawl on?

[MDT]

*If* it's a pure SD male, you're looking at a fairly rapidly growing snake that in all likelihood can approach (and possibly exceed) 10 ft. I think 3.2 ft gonna be a little small.

[Great Mormon]

Thanks MDT, i'll try to do some furniture arrangement to see if i can indeed fit a larger enclosure in my room. Unfortunately, this is the only place i can keep my pets, the rest of the house is out of bounce.

[Sublimeballs]

No, a 3 foot enclosure isn't going to be large enough(maybe temporarily, but you haven't told us how big he is). I'd also suggest you switch from a light to another heat source. With how small his cage looks I'm sure it's not making any options other then hot. With the hide and water bowl in there is there any room for him to move?

[Great Mormon]

Heres a pic of him and a ruler for reference.

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The current setup is too small to even put the hide in. I'm currently contacting some aquariums and the seller of the snake to see if they can get me a suitable sized enclosure. But I dont want to make any mistakes as cash flow is an issue at the moment :( And sorry in advanced if i ask too many silly questions

[Sublimeballs]

Yeah, he's not near full grown. I hope you can get a bigger cage soon. I'm still confused how you thought that cage was big enough. You need atleast 2 hides in the cage. One for the hot side and one for the cold side. You really rushed into getting this animal without being prepared. I really hope you sort it out.

[MDT]

Dude...your questions are not silly. You are at least asking and are willing to learn. That's a huge step in caring for a healthy animal. There are several really knowledgable retic owners on this board and I'm sure they will be willing to help answer your questions.

Can you possible build an enclosure? That may be preferable to an aquarium in the long run. Best of luck to you, keep us updated on your little guy!!

I have a 50% SD that is growing fairly slowly, but not a great eater. I have two 50% Jampeas that are not huge (5-ish ft), but def growing and will easily hit the 10ft mark.

[Great Mormon]

I'll definitely get the enclosure thing sorted out. The main problem I have with the large enclosures is mainly space and transportation. I live on the 10th floor of an apartment and the elevator may not be big enough to fit a large tank. I dont think i am capable of carrying it up 10 floors, even with help as the staircase are kind of narrow. Transporting a large tank would also mean that I'll need to find one that actually fits the taxi since I do not drive. Hope you guys can understand my constraints.

I have never tried to build an enclosure before. I have tried to build a simple one for my tarantulas many years back and it fell apart after housing it. I have never tried to build something again after that incident.

Good news is that this SD is a pure 100% SD. The seller have confirmed with me. And i was also advised to not feed it too often due to my space constraints.

Yes, I was too excited in getting him after months of contemplation. I was probably too engrossed in thinking how to acquire him rather than planning out the housing etc. A terrible mistake on my part.

[Tsubaki]

i'm going to be the boogeyman here, but since your budget is so limited.. What if he needs a vet? Do you have a significant amount of money set aside for that? And not feeding to often b/c of size restrictions is animal cruelty. I hope you dont take that advice seriously.

[LadyWraith]

Even a large sized Rubbermaid tub would be an upgrade. Those are not heavy and require little effort to transport, even up 10 flights of stairs if need be. And I agree with Tsubaki... restricting feed purposefully to accomodate the keepers needs is just wrong on every level.

[Lankyrob]

Do not restrict food, that is just cruel.

Whilst i agree your questions arent silly, it is a shame that you didnt ask them before getting the snake.

If you can only offer a three foot viv then you need to rehome this snake and get something much smaller.

[Sublimeballs]

Do not restrict food, that is just cruel.

Whilst i agree your questions arent silly, it is a shame that you didnt ask them before getting the snake.

If you can only offer a three foot viv then you need to rehome this snake and get something much smaller.

^^^^this exactly.

[Great Mormon]

Sorry, if I sounded a bit cruel about restricting food. I suppose what the seller meant was to feed the snake enough for it to be healthy, but not power feeding it or anything close to power feeding.

As for the money set aside for the vet, yes I do have enough for it in any case. I'm just trying to spend within my limit as to not chalk up more credit card bills.

I'll be going around some aquarium shops today to check if I can get any suitable housing for my snake. Thanks a lot for the tips! Worse come to worse, i'll find a big rubbermaid tub as LadyWraith suggested.

[Great Mormon]

I managed to get a extra large storage tub today.

Here are some pics.

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I intend to drill some ventilation holes tomorrow or the day after. But for now, he'll have to put up with me opening up his tub every now and then for fresh air.

[Tsubaki]

This size is a lot better for now, i would still add a (small) heat-source so he can thermo-regulate. I understand you live in a tropical country, and that the temperatures all round are nice. However snakes are coldblooded, they need a gradient. Just like he would have outside... They can choose to remain in the shade or in a burrow, or go out and bask in the sun. This way he can't even bask.

[kwhitlock]

This size is a lot better for now, i would still add a (small) heat-source so he can thermo-regulate. I understand you live in a tropical country, and that the temperatures all round are nice. However snakes are coldblooded, they need a gradient. Just like he would have outside... They can choose to remain in the shade or in a burrow, or go out and bask in the sun. This way he can't even bask.

Which needs to be regulated with an appropriate thermostat :)

[Sublimeballs]

That hide is to big, it needs to touch him on all sides so he'll feel secure. As I said before, and others have, you need a heat source. He'll be fine at night without heat due to where you live. But during the day he needs to be able to choose his temps. You also need a second hide on a side not exposed to a heat source(when you get one). And you need a thermostat on said heat source. And put the ventalation holes in today don't wait. You bought this animal and need to give him proper houseing he didn't have a say in this. I know you want this animal but if I were you I'd rehome him until I had the ability to provide proper care for him.

[MDT]

GM...you can use something as simple as an old cereal box for his hide. No need to get $$$.
As far as a heat source...You're in Malaysia, right? Average high temp there year-round is roughly 90 degrees fahrenheit, right? Just make sure you have adequate ventilation for it. I think the heat source is accounted for (unless you keep the A/C on your apartment)...

There is no need to bust this guy's balls. He appears to be trying, and he keeps coming back for assistance. That is a lot more than many of the slip-knots that have come here to argue about their piss-poor husbandry. Let's help this guy out. He doesn't need to rehome this snake...If he lived in Alaska it may be a different story.....

GM...throw another hide in there that may fit him a little better. I'd probably pick up a thermometer that records highs and lows, so at least you'll know that you're in the right ball park. If you drop out of range, then an external heat source with a thermostat would be needed. Best of luck...let us know how you and the retic get along.

[Great Mormon]

Hi guys, thanks for the advice. I'll get the holes done asap.

Its very very hot and humid at this time of the year, the temps in the day are easily 34deg Celsius (93f) and about 25deg (77f) at night. I keep my air conditioning on when I sleep, which is also 25deg(77f), I have used a heat gun to check this. My room gets quite warm without the AC on especially when the evening sun shines through the windows.

I am planning on giving back his infra red heat lamp after I'm done with the ventilation holes since the light is able to melt the plastic if i place it directly on top. But however, due to the high day temps, i'll keep it on during the night when i keep my A/C on.

This year we had a record drought, about 20+ rainless day in my area. This is usually not the case as we normally have over 200mm of rainfall a day. But it rained once only this month. The past few months have been equally bad as well :(

Having said all these, should I still provide the heat lamp?

[Great Mormon]

With regards to the hide, I can understand what you guys are saying. He has decided to sleep under the water bowl instead. I'll get a cereal box for him for now.

Thanks a lot for the advice guys and gals! I think i am making a lot of good progress here!

[Great Mormon]

Hi guys,

Ive gave it a new make shift home and drilled some ventilation holes into his new home.

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[Tsubaki]

GM...you can use something as simple as an old cereal box for his hide. No need to get $$$.
As far as a heat source...You're in Malaysia, right? Average high temp there year-round is roughly 90 degrees fahrenheit, right? Just make sure you have adequate ventilation for it. I think the heat source is accounted for (unless you keep the A/C on your apartment)...

There is no need to bust this guy's balls. He appears to be trying, and he keeps coming back for assistance. That is a lot more than many of the slip-knots that have come here to argue about their piss-poor husbandry. Let's help this guy out. He doesn't need to rehome this snake...If he lived in Alaska it may be a different story.....

GM...throw another hide in there that may fit him a little better. I'd probably pick up a thermometer that records highs and lows, so at least you'll know that you're in the right ball park. If you drop out of range, then an external heat source with a thermostat would be needed. Best of luck...let us know how you and the retic get along.


I have seen no ball-busting? Only honest comments. If he will be only able to offer a 3 foot home, a Retic is not the animal for him in the long run. Does not seem like an rude comment to me, just plain truth. However! Nobody can see into the future, he might be able to offer a larger home later. So who would i be to bust balls? For the moment being his tub looks good! lots of ventilation holes, more hides :)

The Op is doing his best for this animal, and that is appreciated! He is taking the advice, and that is why people keep giving advice. Like a forum Should work right?

Btw snakes need to be able to thermo regulate for the sake of their health, they not only need a spot to heat up but also one to cool down. In the wild snakes who just ate might find a cool/hot spot to digest.. whichever they prefer. This snake right now has no choice but to stay in the 90's? Being in high temps all the time is not exactly healthy, thats why humans turn on ac's, and snakes crawl into caves and burrows. The snake will live in these conditions, without being able to regulate.. But the question is, will it be healthy/comfortable?

[Great Mormon]

I think he is settling in alright for the time being. I need to get more of those cardboard boxes for hides. He does seem to like to hide below the water bowl a lot and sometimes spill some of the water. I suppose this could be solved by adding more hides around.

I dont feel like theres any ball busting going on, only good advice. So no worries :)

[Tsubaki]

you should laser temp the hides, perhaps hiding under the water-bowl is slightly cooler and he is looking for a way to cool off a bit? Good to hear he is settling in!

[Great Mormon]

just checked again, hes in the box...

the water bowl is sitting at 25deg celsius. His hide is 29.1 deg celsius. The average temperature in the tub is 28deg celsius.

This is the temps taken at night about 915pm. I'll have to take the temps again in the morning.

According to the previous owner, feeding time should be just around the corner! The last time he was fed was last week. And monday is feeding day. Should I feed him or let him settle in a little longer before giving him food again?

[MCB]

According to the previous owner, feeding time should be just around the corner! The last time he was fed was last week. And monday is feeding day. Should I feed him or let him settle in a little longer before giving him food again?

I would offer food as normal, if he doesn't take it leave it for another week.

[Great Mormon]

Alright great, I'll see if he accepts the food item tomorrow then. This is all very exciting and I cant wait for him to take his first meal in his new home.

[Tsubaki]

just checked again, hes in the box...

the water bowl is sitting at 25deg celsius. His hide is 29.1 deg celsius. The average temperature in the tub is 28deg celsius.

This is the temps taken at night about 915pm. I'll have to take the temps again in the morning.

According to the previous owner, feeding time should be just around the corner! The last time he was fed was last week. And monday is feeding day. Should I feed him or let him settle in a little longer before giving him food again?


I think that he can benefit from a small heat-mat on the other side of the enclosure, just so he has a hot spot around 35C ( 28 is a little low for that ) I would do that before feeding, several retics prefer a hot-spot for digesting their food. If the temperature does not drop below 20/22 at night i wouldn't heat anything at night. If you use a mat you wont influence the ambient temperature too much, so the cool side won't heat up too much.

[Great Mormon]

I would be very lucky should the temps even hit 20. The temps are usually at a min of 25 due to the air conditioning. I'll try the heat mat.

[Tsubaki]

I'm so happy i don't live there haha, i can't even sleep here when the night temp is 16ish degrees at night during the summer. :D but then it's very easy, you don't have to offer any heat source at night ! With a heat mat creating a hotspot during the day, i think everything will be right. Have fun with him, retics are the best in my book :D

[Great Mormon]

Mmmm, he killed 2 prey items, but doesnt eat it. Does this mean that I should give him a week off before feeding again?

He did bite and coil around the prey to kill it, but after 5 mins, he just let the prey go and went about his usual business.


I've been to Sweden once for a holiday, I guess thats the nearest i'll ever get to the Netherlands. It was late summer and im already freezing my butt off during the day :p

[MCB]

Mmmm, he killed 2 prey items, but doesnt eat it. Does this mean that I should give him a week off before feeding again?

He did bite and coil around the prey to kill it, but after 5 mins, he just let the prey go and went about his usual business.


I've been to Sweden once for a holiday, I guess thats the nearest i'll ever get to the Netherlands. It was late summer and im already freezing my butt off during the day :p

Has he always been fed live food? Sometimes my retic smashes his feed, goes through all the action of killing and just ups and leaves for 5/10 minutes, comes back and eats. Guess thats a natural instinct of making sure the prey is dead?

Did you remove the prey to quickly......?

[Great Mormon]

Yes, he has always been offered live rats or mice.

On my first attempt, I removed the dead prey after about 15mins of him not consuming it, my gtp is rather delighted with the free lunch.
On the second attempt, he killed the prey again, and left it alone. Its still in the hide box, lying next to him.

I'll give him a night to decide if he still wants to eat it, if not my BP can have a second serving.

I have never experienced this before. Even with my GTP... if she doesnt want food, she'll just completely ignore it. And as for my BP, shes always hungry.

With regards to stress, could this be an issue with move stress? And he is just killing the prey since its intruding into his private space? Should i leave him isolated for the next 1 week and see how it goes again?

[Great Mormon]

Oh i forgot to mention, it gets kinda hot in the day with the temps. It can easily hit 32 deg celsius without any heating. And the temps fall to 25deg min at night with my AC on.

[MCB]

With regards to stress, could this be an issue with move stress? And he is just killing the prey since its intruding into his private space? Should i leave him isolated for the next 1 week and see how it goes again?

Could be stress related, just leave it a week and offer again, just don't get 'hung up' on it, good luck and I'm sure he'll eat in a week or so.

[Great Mormon]

Thanks mcb, I'll let him settle in more. I just ordered a heat mat. Let's hope that will make him more cooperative

[dave himself]

Mate first of all I want to say I have the greatest respect for you, you've took everything on board that everyone has suggested and are doing your best for this little retic. Many people would have just ran a mile and never came back. And I must say paying for the snake when it's possible to get one for free from the wild is something I think most of us on here if we were honest is not something we would do. I wish you all the best of luck :)

[athms]

Mate first of all I want to say I have the greatest respect for you, you've took everything on board that everyone has suggested and are doing your best for this little retic. Many people would have just ran a mile and never came back. And I must say paying for the snake when it's possible to get one for free from the wild is something I think most of us on here if we were honest is not something we would do. I wish you all the best of luck :)

Damn right no better way of saying it he has my full respect to

[Great Mormon]

You guys sure have a very flattering tongue :P

I have lost a GTP before due to respiratory infection. I'm sure some of you guys experienced a loss before. I must say i got pretty upset and sad over the loss and wouldnt want another repeat of the incident again.

Although snakes, exotic pets or not, may not be as interactive as a dog, i personally feel that they should be treated with no less care than how one does to mans best friend.

[MDT]

Mmmm, he killed 2 prey items, but doesnt eat it. Does this mean that I should give him a week off before feeding again?

He did bite and coil around the prey to kill it, but after 5 mins, he just let the prey go and went about his usual business.


My SD is somewhat similar, great feeding response in that he will strike and constrict, but will often just ignore it afterward. About 1 in 5 times. Very frustrating, but he is growing, so maybe that's just him...

Keep up the good work GM...

[dave himself]

Yes, he has always been offered live rats or mice.

On my first attempt, I removed the dead prey after about 15mins of him not consuming it, my gtp is rather delighted with the free lunch.
On the second attempt, he killed the prey again, and left it alone. Its still in the hide box, lying next to him.

I'll give him a night to decide if he still wants to eat it, if not my BP can have a second serving.

I have never experienced this before. Even with my GTP... if she doesnt want food, she'll just completely ignore it. And as for my BP, shes always hungry.

With regards to stress, could this be an issue with move stress? And he is just killing the prey since its intruding into his private space? Should i leave him isolated for the next 1 week and see how it goes again?

Mate my little retic will constrict and then let go of the prey item if there's any movement out side the viv, I've learnt to feed her last so she has no distractions. The next time you feed him try putting a towel over his tub as this has worked in the past for me :)

[dave himself]

On a side note I would wait until hes killed the prey until you cover him just to be on the safe side :) good luck mate

[Teal]

Yes, he has always been offered live rats or mice.

On my first attempt, I removed the dead prey after about 15mins of him not consuming it, my gtp is rather delighted with the free lunch.
On the second attempt, he killed the prey again, and left it alone. Its still in the hide box, lying next to him.

I'll give him a night to decide if he still wants to eat it, if not my BP can have a second serving.

I have never experienced this before. Even with my GTP... if she doesnt want food, she'll just completely ignore it. And as for my BP, shes always hungry.

With regards to stress, could this be an issue with move stress? And he is just killing the prey since its intruding into his private space? Should i leave him isolated for the next 1 week and see how it goes again?

Did you try feeding mice, or rats? Maybe he has a preference, and what you gave wasn't it?

My retic was on guinea pigs with his previous owner... when I gave him a rat, he killed it but wouldn't eat it.

Either way, it won't hurt to let him be for another week to settle into his new enclosure before you try feeding again.

[Great Mormon]

He had a rat. And has always been feeding on rats or mice. I'll give him some time to settle in I suppose before I try Dave 's method

[Great Mormon]

heres an update... he ate today.... I decided to leave the prey inside the tub, closed it and tried to peek tru the airholes and pretended that i wasnt around. Within 10minutes, he detected the prey and went for it. I left him alone for the next 30mins to make sure he swallowed the prey before going anywhere near the tub. He seems rather happy after a meal... You can see the small bulge in his tummy.

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[MCB]

Congrats, glad he ate. Seems to be settling in fine.

[dave himself]

Good to see he's feeding for you mate :)

[Tsubaki]

good to hear he's been eating! :D

[Great Mormon]

Thanks guys! Right now, I feel like a proud father whose son spoke his first word!

[EL Ziggy]

Congrats on the successful feed! Keep up the good work.

[Tracy33]

Nice one , glad it is going well . ;)

[Great Mormon]

Thanks guys n gals. Im going to save up a bit so i can get a proper enclosure for him. I like setting up naturalistic enclosures. I'm looking at the exo terra large/wide terrarium for him. I'm still sourcing out for a supplier and a friend who is willing to drive and carry that thing into my apartment.

I shouldnt have a problem with the live plants and tank accessories as there are plenty of aquariums and nurseries around. Do you guys have any preferences for your retics bedding? I'm planning on using cocopeat for the planting medium and then add another layer of forest bark for easy cleaning.

I might even try to add a waterfall in the tank of space permits. I like the sound of flowing water, and it improves the fengsui in my room too :)

[MCB]

Thanks guys n gals. Im going to save up a bit so i can get a proper enclosure for him. I like setting up naturalistic enclosures. I'm looking at the exo terra large/wide terrarium for him. I'm still sourcing out for a supplier and a friend who is willing to drive and carry that thing into my apartment.

I shouldnt have a problem with the live plants and tank accessories as there are plenty of aquariums and nurseries around. Do you guys have any preferences for your retics bedding? I'm planning on using cocopeat for the planting medium and then add another layer of forest bark for easy cleaning.

I might even try to add a waterfall in the tank of space permits. I like the sound of flowing water, and it improves the fengsui in my room too :)

Just don't go over board, if he's anything like my guy they don't have much respect for viv displays. I ended up putting in a couple of thick pieces of Java wood (fixed to the viv) and some fake plants which he turned into a hide :D as for bedding I've gone down the paper route, not good to look at but sure makes it easier for cleaning etc. Added a large water bowl and we are both now very happy :)

Good luck whatever you do, don't forget to take some pics of your build!

[MDT]

I'll second what MCB said...I finally went to a minimalist set up w paper substrate. I don't know why retics have such a vendetta against things in their viv, but they will uproot, poo on, knock over anything you put in there.

[Great Mormon]

ah, i see. He has decided to hide under a big piece of drift wood i added into the tub already. I'll remind myself of the vendetta snakes have against their terrarium plants and objects when plant it up. Hopefully he'll be a bit less hostile to his leafy friends.

[millertime89]

My SD is somewhat similar, great feeding response in that he will strike and constrict, but will often just ignore it afterward. About 1 in 5 times. Very frustrating, but he is growing, so maybe that's just him...

Keep up the good work GM...

Mate my little retic will constrict and then let go of the prey item if there's any movement out side the viv, I've learnt to feed her last so she has no distractions. The next time you feed him try putting a towel over his tub as this has worked in the past for me :)

I've got a few exactly like this myself.

[Great Mormon]

Got him a new hide. And placed the heat mat below the tub. The temps go up to 40deg Celsius surface temp. I think it maybe a bit too warm, however the air temps dont feel warm at all.

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And here are some pics of the handsome fella

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[MCB]

He's looking great :) Just make sure the heat mat only covers half the floor area and adding a stat would maintain the correct temp levels.

[Great Mormon]

The heat mat is only able to cover a max of 1/3 of the tank. Its placed at an odd angle now because the adapter location. Its really, really, really warm now. I feel more inclined to attach a fan than turn the heat mat on :(
In the afternoons, it can hit 34deg Celsius, and a low of 28 at night. I am just going to leave the heat mat on when i go to bed due to the air conditioning.

Good news, I have found a supplier for the exo terra large/wide tank, and hes gonna give me 20% off for it. Not sure if he is a good sales man, or I am just lucky. But either way, I am happy. I'll purchase it next month when the pay cheque cashes in.

[sharthun]

The heat mat is only able to cover a max of 1/3 of the tank. Its placed at an odd angle now because the adapter location. Its really, really, really warm now. I feel more inclined to attach a fan than turn the heat mat on :(
In the afternoons, it can hit 34deg Celsius, and a low of 28 at night. I am just going to leave the heat mat on when i go to bed due to the air conditioning.

Good news, I have found a supplier for the exo terra large/wide tank, and hes gonna give me 20% off for it. Not sure if he is a good sales man, or I am just lucky. But either way, I am happy. I'll purchase it next month when the pay cheque cashes in.

What are the dimensions on the exo terra large/wide tank? I'm guessing your snake will outgrow that in no time. Just a thought.

[Great Mormon]

Its 90cmx45cmx60cm. Im really hoping that he wont grow too large as the seller mentioned that he is almost his maximum size already.

[Tsubaki]

How old is he? Might of missed it but i can't find how old he is.

[Great Mormon]

Hes about 1 1/2 year old to 2 years.

[sharthun]

Its 90cmx45cmx60cm. Im really hoping that he wont grow too large as the seller mentioned that he is almost his maximum size already.

For size reference, In the pic, the bottom viv is an exo terra large, wide, low. It houses an adult albino prairie king snake . He is about 3 feet long. IMO, I don't think the exo terra will be large enough for your snake.


http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/yy177/midgetzombiekiller/20140329_103816_zpsj3rlr2pw.jpg (http://s789.photobucket.com/user/midgetzombiekiller/media/20140329_103816_zpsj3rlr2pw.jpg.html)

[Lankyrob]

Its 90cmx45cmx60cm. Im really hoping that he wont grow too large as the seller mentioned that he is almost his maximum size already.

Ikept my SD retic in a 120x60x60cm viv and feel that even that was too small for him, they are pretty active snakes and if i manage to get another i am looking at a 180x90x90cm viv for it.

[Great Mormon]

oh well, I'll try to source for a larger enclosure. The exo terra is the largest one i can find available in the market.

[Tsubaki]

Hes about 1 1/2 year old to 2 years.

They grow their entire life but they grow most until they are 6 years old, they gain the majority of their length the first 4 to 5 years. Then they start to gain girth. No way this animal is done growing, he will need a bigger tank. I would say the bare minimum floor space for a Superdwarf is 150*50cm which is about 60*20 inch. But that is still very small for such an active snake. If he grows normal/healthy he will be at-least twice the size he is now.

This is a very normal size for a male Superdwarf, not my picture or animal: ern79's animal.

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k215/ern79/CIMG1305.jpg

[MCB]

oh well, I'll try to source for a larger enclosure. The exo terra is the largest one i can find available in the market.

Why not have a go at making your own? It would cheaper and you can get everything cut to size (wood, glass etc), all you'll need to do is screw it together and seal it.

[sharthun]

Why not have a go at making your own? It would cheaper and you can get everything cut to size (wood, glass etc), all you'll need to do is screw it together and seal it.

Great idea!

[Great Mormon]

I am very bad with carpentry :( I can even mess up something from Ikea. So you guys get the idea... I'll head down to some of the local carpenters and see if they can do up a tank for me.

[Great Mormon]

By the way, he has refused his food again, did the usual bite, coil, kill, and slither away.... He ate a week ago and have not pooped yet. Anything to be concerned this time round?

[MDT]

By the way, he has refused his food again, did the usual bite, coil, kill, and slither away.... He ate a week ago and have not pooped yet. Anything to be concerned this time round?

Doesn't sound like it. That behavior is exactly like my SD...I have learned to wait and feed when he really starts cruising his cage....really "looking" for food. I have better luck with actually ingesting the prey. And as someone e;lee above noted, feed last with minimal disruption and usually somewhat dark....

[Great Mormon]

Sorry to dig up this old thread again... it seems like a real hit and miss for me.... He was doing fine for a while and has since gone on a hunger strike for the last 3 weeks. Although he did the kill the prey and left it alone.

Funny thing, I dont really get to see him cruising around much. Hes either hiding in his hide, or soaking in the water bowl. Rarely seen him anywhere else other than these 2 places.

I have been trying to calm him down by handling him about 1 minute a day an increasing the duration of the handling ever since. We have some bonding time of max 5 mins a day now.

I'm going to try to cut down my interaction with him for a while and see if hes gonna eat.

[BagnaraSnakes16]

how often is he soaking in his water bowl? this might not be the case but if snakes are doing that too often it can often mean they have mites...if ur not sure just check the bottom of the water bowl for little mites and search his body. Havent had a retic but my boa i use to have went off feed, i found out a week later he had mites. Just trying to make you aware of all possibilities, not saying he does in fact have them.

[millertime89]

What are the temps like?

[Great Mormon]

25 min and 30 odd max depending on the weather in the day. I've checked.. no mites. I usually find him in the bowl after I wake up in the morning.... I'll leave the heat mat off and see if he still soaks

[millertime89]

Temps should be fine then, how about your humidity? Definitely check on the mites as well.

[Great Mormon]

Humidity is 60 - 90. It depends on the weather too

[sharthun]

I agree if the temps aren't too hot, excessive soaking is a sign of mites.

[millertime89]

Probably mites then since temp and humidity are correct.

[BagnaraSnakes16]

mites arent something that are always easy to see. I was checking the water of my snake for a few days before i noticed black speckles. Just double, triple, quadruple check. look closely on his body as well and by his face and nostril. good luck though ! hope he's ok and just a nagger when it comes to eating.

[Great Mormon]

I'll kep checking. And yeah, he's a real bugger when it comes to eating:laugh:

[Great Mormon]

Still no mites or ticks.... but can I assume that all that soaking is attributed to a pre-shed?

His eyes turned cloudy about a week+ ago and have shed last night!
Checked his shed. Came out in two pieces, the head section being rolled up like a condom(?). Checked the shed and eye caps are attached to it!

I had to pick him up and inspect him and he didnt seem too pleased about it. He tried to strike out at me a couple of times :(

I hope he gets hungry at the end of the week and resume his normal activities.

Will update with pics in a while!

[Great Mormon]

28757

28758

28759

[MCB]

Don't worry just sounds like he's in pre shed. One of mine would sit in a large bowl (washing up bowl size) for a week solid if I let him, I don't as I'm scared he'll bring on scale rot. He has two days soaking and one day dry until he's shed then back to his normal drinking bowl.

[MCB]

I've found the quickest way to check for mites is to get a firm hold of the head and with your overhand using your thumb very gently pull down on the skin under his eye, if he's got mites you'll see them there for sure (still check everywhere though to be certain)

[Great Mormon]

He seems clean... and he aint soaking for a couple of days already.

Can't wait for him to take his next meal!