and another thing!!

[malcontent]

i was told to take my snake out of his cage when i feed him (he used to have difficulty keeping it down. personally i think i was giving it to him too cold. i feed him dead frozen fuzzies!) but im beginning to think this is stupid. i mean hes a damned desert snake!!! wouldnt they swallow sand in the wild anyway. im sure he was built to deal with it.

AAAAAANNNNNND. (sorry!)
how long will he poo when i take him out for? ive had him since december and he still does it. maybe its because i have a cat and he can remember that and hes extra scared???? i want to be able to pick him up with a sock on my hand!! hah. thanks!!


im sure ill be bugging you people a LOT more than just this :D:D:D

[tHeGiNo]

First of all, ensure the feeder rodent is fully thawed before offering it to your snake. A cold feeder item could be a shock to the system.

Second, the desert as we often times set up in our enclosures, is not anything like that to a particular animal’s native habitat. We have the preconception that desert is equal to sand, and nothing but sand, which could not be further from the truth. I am not sure which species you are referring to, but often times 'desert' species are native to areas covered in rocky, not sandy, terrain in addition to roughage and plantations. This in no way is replicated in our captive husbandry measures, and to compare this to their natural habitat would be incorrect.

To be safe, I would either remove the substrate all together and replace it with something such as newspaper, place a mat into the enclosure over the substrate, or completely remove the snake for feeding, to avoid a possible impaction.

As far as him pooing on you goes, some snakes adjust to handling where others may not, it is more or less an individual to individual basis. Frequent gentle handling will likely result in a more acclimated snake. Hope this helped!

[thunder]

in answer to your cat question, yes, the smell of your cat on your hands will definitly scare your snake. wash your hands before handling your ck.

[malcontent]

thanks thegino! i guess i should have mentioned. i always let the thing thaw fully. but i used to promptly take it from the fridge to his mouth. now i blowdry the lil sucker before i feed him. thanks i like the mat idea. i dont think he likes the box i shove him in. would moss be ok? i dont like the way paper towel and newspaper looks.

thanks thunder! i was more or less wondering if he could smell her generally in the house. ive been washing my hands though.

[mcfreshdeli]

I like the repti-bark. I have never had a single problem with it.

[malcontent]

repti-bark? never heard of/seen it before. im sure my local "pet store!!" (sorry everyone i didnt know i wasnt supposed to mention...you know!!) would have it?? thanks!

[peterm15]

ok i sent you a message.. but even maybe repti-carpet... 0 chance of impaction.. and buy 2.. once a week take switch one out for the other and wash it..

[malcontent]

repti-carpet...is this the grey soft stuff ive seen in some other peoples cages? it looks like ripped up cotton kind of?@?? to wash it i would just run water over it then let it dry? and is that ok to feed him on it?

[tHeGiNo]

I would not necessarily change the substrate, just take the necessary precautions. Again, you can simply throw him in a small container to eat, then throw him back in immediately after swallowing. If not, shelf liner, repticarpet (I personally wouldn't waste my money on this) or anything else of the sort is suitable.

[peterm15]

ya shelf liner was the other thing i was thinking.. but what about tile.. natural looking and spreads heat pretty well...

[malcontent]

just a little piece of tile/something solid in the bottom?ok thanks ill do that! he gets really p-ed off getting shoved in a box. he shakes his tail like hes a friggin rattle snake. does anyone elses king do this?!?

THANKS A TON FOR ALL YOUR HELP EVERYONE!! :D ITS MUCH APPRECIATED!!

[peterm15]

well i do know that some coulbrids do that.. they say its for mimicking or to distract from the head