Oh....Emm...Gee....new snakes!.

[Minkness]

Hey guys. So, I know I'm a bad bad person because my mom said no more snakes and I really wanted a boa next anyway. However, Craigslist is an evil place that I will now be banning myself from.

That said....let me tell you a story...

About 2 months ago I noticed someone on CL selling some hognoses. I contactes them, but I couldn't afford them (prices were not in the CL ad). I am a CL stalker of sorts and saw the same post over and over for a month. Then a new one popped up. One for an ivory female BP. While another BP wasn't exactly on my radar, ANY white (or white ish) snake is a DREAM for me. So...I contact them, not realizing it was the same person. I talk to them a bit and like before the snake is out of my price range. But I'm in love and so try a little harder to talk them down. They said they would think about my offer and get back to me. They kept their word, but in the end, the answer was no.

Back to stalking CL I went.

About a week ago I saw the same ivory on CL again. So I contacted the person again explaining that I would pay some $, draw a custom illistration for them, and even sign a contract of 'no resale'. She said she would think about it again, and she did. She agreed!

So, I went out to pick the BP up today and met the lady and her family. The BP is TINY. I asked how long they had her and they said about 6 or 7 months. She is so small I thought she was maybe a month or two old. From what I can tell right away, she's got shed on her face and 'dirt' under her belly scales. The lady mentioned how the snake looooves to soak, and gave me the bowl she liked to soak in to make sure I'd have that for her. I suspected mites at that time vut couldn't confirm at that moment. So took the snake and the dish and handed over the $ and the drawing.

I happened to see she also had a hognose and commented how much I loved mine and asked if they knew it's gender. They said it was a female. I commented at how I wish I had more $ to 'clean them out' (they had a bunch of snakes). I was joking, but the lady asked how much I had. I look in my wallet...I only had 40$. While we were talking, her daughter wanted to show off 2 other male hoggies. An anaconda and a 'brick red'. Now I'm torn. I ask if I could buy one of the males instead. After some more talking, the lady decides to let me have the female AND the brick red for the 40$!

At this point I'm shaking and feel REALLY weird. Good, but as if I'm taking advantage of them. I even said to her that I didn't want to take advantage of them or their generosity. The lady wouldn't hear it and not only gave me the 3 snakes, but a hide, water dish 3 tanks (two 5 gallons and 1 that must be a 3 gallon) and an uth for 140$ total....

I feel oddly sick....I wasn't supposed to get one more snake...let alone 3. However....I have a problem....I'm a reptiholic (and a bleeding heart). I just couldn't leave them there no matter how I felt. The price and the fact I could tell this person cared enough about them to basically give them away, made me agree. So, loaded everyone in the back of the car and headed home, stopping by a store for mute treatment.

Now I have 3 temporary (quarantine) enclosures set up, leaving the actual tanks in my car till next week, soaking the snakes, then going to put them away and just leave them alone for 2 weeks (checking progress on mites, shed, and keeping fresh water) then offer some food to see how well they take it.

My only questionnis this. How long should they be quarantined for?

Also, managed to get the stuck shed and 3 retained eye caps off the BP and there's still 1 left that won't budge.

Below are some photos of the ivory girl who I have named Ivrina before and after the soak and shed removal.

[Minkness]

Sorry, that last pic is upside down for some reason, but that's the same eye that had all the shed.

[SnoopySnake]

Quite the steal... I would quarantine for at LEAST a month, but for me 3 months is preferable. That bp seems tiny for its age...Looks much better in that last pic though!

[Minkness]

Photos of the mites and something weird with her scales. Not sure if that's just dirt or what under her scales. =/

Also....the brick hoggie somehow went missing from his container....uhg....

The saga for the lost little hoggie begins....room...get ready to be torn apart....

[Minkness]

Snoopy, I agree on the looks. She is also completely empty so will get a weight on ger a little later. When I was there I asked what size feeders she had been taking, they said fuzzy mice. I also looked in her tank (a 20 long) and in the corner saw a mummified fuzzy mouse. No telling how long that had been in there. =/

Going to wait two weeks to feed her though, and I have a local place that will force feed her if needed. I wouldn't worry so much if she WAS only 2 months old, but at 7ish months woth 4 retained eye caps, I'm worried.

[Sasha2]

I have rescued before and she will be fine. The worse I ever had was one that size and already over a year old. It had eaten only three times in its life. Only because they were frying it. I put it in a small tub and waited a week and fed it a small live mouse and he never stopped eating after that. I like to wait till they eat at least 4 or 5 meals before switching them to frozen thawed, just to get some weight on them.
My most recent albino male was also a non eater and very tiny. Again put it in a small tub and a live mouse hopper and he hasnt turned down a meal since.I just got him on rat pups and the next will hopefully be frozen thawed.
So far Ive not had any problems switching from live mice to frozen thawed rat pups but there is always a first.

[Minkness]

Until my own mice have babies, I can't get live fuzzies around here. =/

I'll try her on f/t since that's what I have, and as soon as my mice start breeding I'll have live for her.

Also, weighed her, and she's all of 70 grams. =/

Thank you for the info and assurance that it can be done!

[sirtalis]

Haha I'd do the same thing :p. I really like white snakes lol

[trailblazer295]

I'm pretty sure your condition is terminal. Best we can do is ease the pain.

[DDW]

I envy you mink, I'm too chicken to even seriously look at cl for stuff lol and you have gotten a beautiful snake there. I love solid white/black snakes as I've said before. Good luck with your new little hunters:)

[Minkness]

CL is awesome. I have gotten soooo much stuff off there for cheap, and also sold stuff too. I have sold my dubia colony, mouse cages, a mouse, 2 leos and my AFT. ALL of my fish tanks have come from CL, alot of my accessories and other supplies.

I just make sure that if I get anything that will con in contact with my animals, I thoroughly clean it first. =)

As for the black and white snakes,yes, I love those too! That's why I have an MBK and now my ivory BP. =)

[DDW]

CL is awesome. I have gotten soooo much stuff off there for cheap, and also sold stuff too. I have sold my dubia colony, mouse cages, a mouse, 2 leos and my AFT. ALL of my fish tanks have come from CL, alot of my accessories and other supplies.

I just make sure that if I get anything that will con in contact with my animals, I thoroughly clean it first. =)

As for the black and white snakes,yes, I love those too! That's why I have an MBK and now my ivory BP. =)

The think that makes me nervous with cl is you don't know the person and you'd most likely be going to their home which you have no idea about. And then those stories of meeting up with online people ending up really bad:/ (stalkers, murderers, ect) I guess I'm overly paranoidXD

[trailblazer295]

The think that makes me nervous with cl is you don't know the person and you'd most likely be going to their home which you have no idea about. And then those stories of meeting up with online people ending up really bad:/ (stalkers, murderers, ect) I guess I'm overly paranoidXD

You can always meet in public places to swap.

[DDW]

You can always meet in public places to swap.

Good point, like I said, I'm a bit paranoid sometimes lol

[Minkness]

Yeah. I usually meet in public places. This was the first time I went to someone's home to pick up. It was over an hour drive but I also took a friend with me for back up. =)

[DDW]

Yeah. I usually meet in public places. This was the first time I went to someone's home to pick up. It was over an hour drive but I also took a friend with me for back up. =)

I'd bring a friend to eitherXD and maybe a pocket knife... or two":)

[Minkness]

Well yeah, you aren't a near 30 year old lol. Always take someone with you.

I just make sure friends and family know exactly when and where I am meeting someone too and have a system where I text my friend when I get to a meeting, and when I leave. A time or two the people I met were super cool and we all got talking and my friend will text me if it's been more than 30 mins to make sure I'm ok.

[DDW]

Well yeah, you aren't a near 30 year old lol. Always take someone with you.

I just make sure friends and family know exactly when and where I am meeting someone too and have a system where I text my friend when I get to a meeting, and when I leave. A time or two the people I met were super cool and we all got talking and my friend will text me if it's been more than 30 mins to make sure I'm ok.

Nice^.=.^ at some point I plan to get a concealed firearm lisence as well... unless those are outlawed too:/

[Minkness]

Heh. I'm not a fan of guns. But meh, to each his own!

[DDW]

I understand :)

[Minkness]

Oh look, Ivrina ISN'T soaking! She must be feeling better after the mite treatment. =)

[Albert Clark]

I usually quarantine for 30 days. As far as the retained shed and eyecap you can put a couple of drops of mineral oil on a q tip to moisturize the area. You should bump up the humidity as well and that should shed off with her next shed cycle. Don't feed her until you have her well hydrated first. Do the pedialite or Gatorade mixed in the soaking water. A 50 / 50 mix is ok. Don't forget to retreat for the mites after 30 days to kill off the eggs and any remaining mites. Good luck.

[DDW]

She is a cutie:)

[Minkness]

Albert, not sure if you read the whole post, but I got all the shed off except the 1 retained eyecap. I don't think she's dehydrated at all since according to her last owner all she did was soak in a huge water dish. (For her size, that water dish was a swimming pool lol). As for the mites, I am using an animal safe powder that kills all insect and acracnid eggs. So, once all the actual mites fall off or shed off due to the treatment, she should be good. =)

Good to know about the pedialite trick though if I ever do have a snake that is dehidrated.

And thanks DDW! I really love her all ready. Unlike Moko, she isn't shy. She perks out of her hide to watch me, and just now when I checked on her, she was out in the open just chilling.

[DDW]

Albert, not sure if you read the whole post, but I got all the shed off except the 1 retained eyecap. I don't think she's dehydrated at all since according to her last owner all she did was soak in a huge water dish. (For her size, that water dish was a swimming pool lol). As for the mites, I am using an animal safe powder that kills all insect and acracnid eggs. So, once all the actual mites fall off or shed off due to the treatment, she should be good. =)

Good to know about the pedialite trick though if I ever do have a snake that is dehidrated.

And thanks DDW! I really love her all ready. Unlike Moko, she isn't shy. She perks out of her hide to watch me, and just now when I checked on her, she was out in the open just chilling.

Nice! I hope Glitch is like that. When I had to tinker with her enclosure, I'm not surprised she's been hanging around in her hide. But when she is out around sunset, she's not very jumpy and likes to survey outside her enclosure.

[Minkness]

Yeah, it would be cool if she kept this kind of behavior. =)

I think it may have come about when she had to get used to being in the open to soak to soak.

[DDW]

Yeah, it would be cool if she kept this kind of behavior. =)

I think it may have come about when she had to get used to being in the open to soak to soak.

That does make sense

[Obsidian_Dragon]

Sheesh. I quarantine for 6 months. What's this 30 days stuff you guys are talking about? :P

Also maaaan....I wish it was easier to have hoggies over here.

[bigsnakegirl785]

If there's stuck shed, I don't care how much the snake soaks, it's dehydrated. If there was any stuck shed at all, the snake has been dry. I've noticed soaking does little for snakes' hydration. :/

I've also never met a snake that enjoyed soaking for the heck of it (not that I've owned too many, just what I've got currently). So when a snake soaks I look for the cause. In my experience, it's been due to low humidity and stress, but it can also be due to mites.

As far as the scales go, I think those are just damaged scales from having too low of humidity. My bp used to have similar scales when he had bad sheds, which came from a mixture of low humidity and the ReptiBark I kept him on (which chipped his scales and gave him splinters). She's also white, so damaged scales like that will be easier to see.

[Minkness]

Oh, well that's good to know then. I know that soaking is a bad sign, and since I've had her (all of 2 days) she hasn't soaked at all. She has eaten however! 2 mouse fuzzies last night! What a champ!

[lady_bug87]

Don't worry about the eyecap just keep humidity up. It will.come off the next shed.

And i have bps that soak. Usually if they're coming up to a shed or if it's not as humid as usual.

[lady_bug87]

I usually quarantine for 30 days. As far as the retained shed and eyecap you can put a couple of drops of mineral oil on a q tip to moisturize the area. You should bump up the humidity as well and that should shed off with her next shed cycle. Don't feed her until you have her well hydrated first. Do the pedialite or Gatorade mixed in the soaking water. A 50 / 50 mix is ok. Don't forget to retreat for the mites after 30 days to kill off the eggs and any remaining mites. Good luck.

No to all of this.

No mineral oil. No Gatorade. And if you are using an electrolyte it's pedialyte and at most its 3:1 water to electrolyte.

Why not Gatorade? Well because it's full of artificial color, added sugars and other things. Unflavored pedialyte and pedialyte in General has less crap added to it since its suited for babies.

The snake will let go of the cap itself.

[Minkness]

Thanknyou Lady B for the corrections. I knew not to use Garoraide for the reasons you mentioned and have used pedialite on 2 baby rescue squirrels in the past with great success, so that did make sense.

I would never force a shed off. I just got lucky that the shed and other eye caps came off after a good while soaking. When the last one wouldn't come off, I left it alone.

Thank you everyone for your support. =)

[lady_bug87]

No problem! If you have any other questions fire away

[Albert Clark]

Albert, not sure if you read the whole post, but I got all the shed off except the 1 retained eyecap. I don't think she's dehydrated at all since according to her last owner all she did was soak in a huge water dish. (For her size, that water dish was a swimming pool lol). As for the mites, I am using an animal safe powder that kills all insect and acracnid eggs. So, once all the actual mites fall off or shed off due to the treatment, she should be good. =)

Good to know about the pedialite trick though if I ever do have a snake that is dehidrated.

And thanks DDW! I really love her all ready. Unlike Moko, she isn't shy. She perks out of her hide to watch me, and just now when I checked on her, she was out in the open just chilling.

I was referring to the remaining one eyecap. She is dehydrated as evidenced by the folds of skin seen on her sides in the picture. In any event good luck with them. The pedialite is not a trick, its a definitive way to replace fluid in a stressed , undernourished animal. :)

[Jrich]

Do you have any pictures of the hoggies? Find that other one yet? Best of luck on that. Hopefully you find it and not someone else....

[Minkness]

This is Emma, the female hoggie. I didn't get a chance to get a photo of the male before he disappeared. But he looked like a red albino I think. He was also super tiny. Like between 5-8 grams. As of now, no sign of the bugger. =/

[Jrich]

Nice! Sounds like you got a steal with those snakes and the equipment!

[Minkness]

I almost felt bad taking everything for what I paid, but I knew more would have to go into them when I got them home. Now if I could just find that little male x.x

I think if I went by market value, I got over 1k of snakes and supplies for measley 140$. So I'm still happy with it all, just wanna find that esscapee so he doesn't get eaten or stepped on. =/

[Albert Clark]

No to all of this.

No mineral oil. No Gatorade. And if you are using an electrolyte it's pedialyte and at most its 3:1 water to electrolyte.

Why not Gatorade? Well because it's full of artificial color, added sugars and other things. Unflavored pedialyte and pedialyte in General has less crap added to it since its suited for babies.

The snake will let go of the cap itself.

Wrong! Gatorade is not FULL of artificial color, it has some. What it does have is electrolytes and that is what is needed to combat cases of dehydration and fluid replacement. If you read the Gatorade label it says "naturally flavored" with other natural flavors. Potassium and Sodium and Carbohydrates are the main ingredients in Gatorade. And sugars , that is what Gatorade has "FULL" of. The artificial color is so miniscule it's not even listed as a percentage or amount. It also has the endorsement of all major sports teams and running clubs and health organizations. So, it is a option in cases of mild to severe dehydration and fluid and electrolyte replacement. :) :) :) mineral oil is a very safe and effective lubricant and laxative if needed. What " CRAP" are you saying about Gatorade?????? There is a G2 version of Gatorade that is a more dilute concentration if that's what someone may want to use. Gatorade is a safe fluid replacement.

[lady_bug87]

Wrong! Gatorade is not FULL of artificial color, it has some. What it does have is electrolytes and that is what is needed to combat cases of dehydration and fluid replacement. If you read the Gatorade label it says "naturally flavored" with other natural flavors. Potassium and Sodium and Carbohydrates are the main ingredients in Gatorade. And sugars , that is what Gatorade has "FULL" of. The artificial color is so miniscule it's not even listed as a percentage or amount. It also has the endorsement of all major sports teams and running clubs and health organizations. So, it is a option in cases of mild to severe dehydration and fluid and electrolyte replacement. :) :) :) mineral oil is a very safe and effective lubricant and laxative if needed. What " CRAP" are you saying about Gatorade?????? There is a G2 version of Gatorade that is a more dilute concentration if that's what someone may want to use. Gatorade is a safe fluid replacement.


Ok. Mineral oil? Yea it won't kill it but why add extra stuff to it? The snake will shed fine without it. As long as she does what is right for husbandry it will resolve itself.

As for the Gatorade. You could soak what ever you want in whatever you want, BUT I disagree that its the best choice.

You're wrong. The.color that they use is on the label. It has to be. I know what I would rather use. It's up to you what you want to use.

The following labels are from Google. The first is the unflavored pedialyte, the second 2 are Gatorade and the last one is a Google search. Even in the flavored pedialyte it's under 2% of the ingredients. That's significantly lower than the Gatorade. Not to mention it lists both sugar and dextrose as the first 2 ingredients which means yes it's added sugar.

I'll say it again. Pedialyte is for babies. They're generally stricter on what goes into it.

[lady_bug87]

Second one not two here's the one I forgot

[Minkness]

Thanks for the sources. I know Aaron is fond of them. =)

In either case, I don't think she needs it. I think she just needs a few meals in her belly and time to grow.

I looked at picking up rat pinks today, and those are too big for now. So, she will be fed 2 fuzzies twice a week for a while.

=)

[Albert Clark]

OK. Cool but when you say Gatorade is full of artificial color , that statement is not true. If you look at what I said I recommended either or as a supplement. I am already privy to the literature, some may not be. It can also be a cost issue for some with pedialyte bc it expires so quickly and is expensive compared to Gatorade. That's all. I was only trying to help the person. I know about Gatorade and the literature, it is not a absolute no to using it in mild to severe dehydration. People have choices and they can choose to or choose not to. I was imparting information that's all. Pedialyte has artificial color as well.

[lady_bug87]

Thanks for the sources. I know Aaron is fond of them. =)

In either case, I don't think she needs it. I think she just needs a few meals in her belly and time to grow.

I looked at picking up rat pinks today, and those are too big for now. So, she will be fed 2 fuzzies twice a week for a while.

=)

Lol Aaron is fond of what? Sources? Yea. He is. I agree she won't need it.

And Albert its Under 2% compared to Gatorade. Which i have no idea what percentage it is. You can make your own electrolyte. The unflavored one has neither flavoring or color. That's the one I have used.

[SnoopySnake]

I think its been made clear in multiple different threads that Albert is always right...:wacky:

[Minkness]

Lol. I was waiting for someone to say that.

[lady_bug87]

Im confused!

[prairiepanda]

Wait...is dextrose a better sugar for snakes than sucrose?

[Minkness]

That's a fair question I don't know the answer to.

[D Grade]

Nkce addition, Mink!

[bigsnakegirl785]

Don't worry about the eyecap just keep humidity up. It will.come off the next shed.

And i have bps that soak. Usually if they're coming up to a shed or if it's not as humid as usual.

I know there are some snakes that do soak, and as I can't say what the reason could be as I don't personally take care of them, I know not to get too worried. But, as none of my snakes have ever soaked just to soak, I will look for a cause first before writing it off as "oh they like to soak." In the case of the boa constrictor and ball python, it was because I provided inadequate humidity as they went into shed. Once humidity was bumped, there was no more soaking. The boa constrictor has also soaked because of a red light disrupting his day/night cycle, and stopped soaking the very night I turned it off. Those are the only times I've seen any of my snakes soak.

I have seen the checkered go for a few quick swims in his dish, though. haha



I also side with ladybug here...there is no reason to tamper with the snake at all if it's getting proper husbandry. Those wrinkles won't go away overnight. All Minkness needs to do is offer sufficient humidity and leave the snake to its devices, and the other eye cap will come off on its own. Nice, high-ish (whatever is proper for the species in question) does absolute wonders for snake hydration, most of their moisture comes from the humidity they breathe in and from the prey they eat.

The fact Gatorade is so absurdly high in sugar is reason enough I'd never let any of my animals, let alone my snakes drink it.

[Minkness]

Now that I thinl about it, as someone whobsuffers from kidney dtones I should have mentioned this sooner. Wirh soda being the #1 culprit to cause kidney stones 'sports drinks' are #2. I read while reasearching kidney stones that kids are more likely to have issues with sports drinks than adults. I will have to dig up the article at some point later today. For now, I am getting ready for work.

[lady_bug87]

I know there are some snakes that do soak, and as I can't say what the reason could be as I don't personally take care of them, I know not to get too worried. But, as none of my snakes have ever soaked just to soak, I will look for a cause first before writing it off as "oh they like to soak." In the case of the boa constrictor and ball python, it was because I provided inadequate humidity as they went into shed. Once humidity was bumped, there was no more soaking. The boa constrictor has also soaked because of a red light disrupting his day/night cycle, and stopped soaking the very night I turned it off. Those are the only times I've seen any of my snakes soak.

I have seen the checkered go for a few quick swims in his dish, though. haha



I also side with ladybug here...there is no reason to tamper with the snake at all if it's getting proper husbandry. Those wrinkles won't go away overnight. All Minkness needs to do is offer sufficient humidity and leave the snake to its devices, and the other eye cap will come off on its own. Nice, high-ish (whatever is proper for the species in question) does absolute wonders for snake hydration, most of their moisture comes from the humidity they breathe in and from the prey they eat.

The fact Gatorade is so absurdly high in sugar is reason enough I'd never let any of my animals, let alone my snakes drink it.

Yes! You reminded me. I feed wet rats. I don't dry them really i JUST make sure they aren't dripping.

[SnoopySnake]

I also feed wet rats, great way to get in a little extra water.

[Minkness]

Maybe I will try that on wed when I feed her again. =)

[bigsnakegirl785]

Yes! You reminded me. I feed wet rats. I don't dry them really i JUST make sure they aren't dripping.

I used to feed all my rodents dry, now I just like how much quicker they thaw out in water, so I thaw anything smaller than a medium rat in water, everything else gets set out to thaw at room temp. The BCI doesn't seem to be suffering from dehydration despite that. haha

It's definitely a good idea to get some extra water in a dehydrated animal, too!

[Minkness]

I usually put the mice in a baggie then in warm water. Moko won't eat his at room temp anyway.I'll deff thaw hers straight in water to get some extra H2O in her.=)

[lady_bug87]

I used to feed all my rodents dry, now I just like how much quicker they thaw out in water, so I thaw anything smaller than a medium rat in water, everything else gets set out to thaw at room temp. The BCI doesn't seem to be suffering from dehydration despite that. haha

It's definitely a good idea to get some extra water in a dehydrated animal, too!

I take everything out in the morning and thaw at room temperature. Then right before meal time I run them under hot water.

[Mikoh4792]

I take everything out in the morning and thaw at room temperature. Then right before meal time I run them under hot water.

How long does it take them to thaw out? Do you feed them in the morning, or in the evening?

[trailblazer295]

Wrong! Gatorade is not FULL of artificial color, it has some. What it does have is electrolytes and that is what is needed to combat cases of dehydration and fluid replacement. If you read the Gatorade label it says "naturally flavored" with other natural flavors. Potassium and Sodium and Carbohydrates are the main ingredients in Gatorade. And sugars , that is what Gatorade has "FULL" of. The artificial color is so miniscule it's not even listed as a percentage or amount. It also has the endorsement of all major sports teams and running clubs and health organizations. So, it is a option in cases of mild to severe dehydration and fluid and electrolyte replacement. :) :) :) mineral oil is a very safe and effective lubricant and laxative if needed. What " CRAP" are you saying about Gatorade?????? There is a G2 version of Gatorade that is a more dilute concentration if that's what someone may want to use. Gatorade is a safe fluid replacement.

Actually the best electrolyte for humans is coconut water. I don't know about reptiles so I won't guess on anything. But for humans it's the closest thing to our blood plasma actually to the point it's used in blood tranfusions around the world when human blood isn't available. It's also obviously a naturally occurring water without any additives. Sorry but blood transfusion trumps sports sponsorship.

[lady_bug87]

Actually the best electrolyte for humans is coconut water. I don't know about reptiles so I won't guess on anything. But for humans it's the closest thing to our blood plasma actually to the point it's used in blood tranfusions around the world when human blood isn't available. It's also obviously a naturally occurring water without any additives. Sorry but blood transfusion trumps sports sponsorship.

Boom 👊 i knew Gatorade wasn't right

Did not know about the blood transfusion thing though

[reptiledude987]

When I get in a shipment of something wild caught thats dehydrated. I give it a soak in a bit of pedialite ant they chug it back and rehydrate fairly quickly. Never used gatorade id be concerned about the sugar content.