View Full Version : Baby Royal advice please
Zincubus
01-19-11, 06:28 PM
Moderator note - I consolidated the conversations to prevent people from answering twice.
Hey , just had my new baby Royal Python delivered tonight , only about 3 months old and about 15 " long . Anyways , after a quick 2 minute "hold" I put her in her new home with the idea of simply leaving her to settle for a week . The thing is she has been checking every nook and corner of the 12" cube viv for nearly 3 hours now , just wondering if she's just "ultra" inquisitive or could she be hungry ?
She is actually due her weekly feed as it happens but I was going to miss it and let her settle for 7 days.
Shall I risk trying a feed tomorrow ?
Is it normal " new home" settling in do you think ?
I thought she'd immediatley go under a hide and dissappear for a few days as Ive read that they are no so active as my Corn snakes.
Any thoughts ?
Congrats! I'd let her settle in, she's likely just checking out her new surroundings. Most of my snakes did this when I got them. I'm assuming she was overnighted to you, which if you think about it, has to be extremely taxing on the snake.
Regardless of her perceived behavior, she may actually be really stressed; BPs are shy snakes and can get stressed relatively easily. On top of that, BPs are notorious for being finicky eaters.
My humble suggestion--despite how difficult it will be--is to give her a week of isolation. Check temps and humidity, clean any droppings, and provide fresh water. After the 7 days is up, try to feed her and make sure she eats prior to you handling her. Beyond one or two meals, she should be settled in enough for you to start handling her regularly.
Good luck and keep us updated (pics too please)!
Zincubus
01-19-11, 08:03 PM
In the correct section now. !
New baby Royal - very inquisitive - normal ??
Hey , just had my new baby Royal Python delivered tonight , only about 3 months old and about 15 " long . Anyways , after a quick 2 minute "hold" I put her in her new home with the idea of simply leaving her to settle for a week . The thing is she has been checking every nook and corner of the 12" cube viv for nearly 3 hours now , just wondering if she's just "ultra" inquisitive or could she be hungry ?
She is actually due her weekly feed as it happens but I was going to miss it and let her settle for 7 days.
Shall I risk trying a feed tomorrow ?
Is it normal " new home" settling in do you think ?
I thought she'd immediatley go under a hide and dissappear for a few days as Ive read that they are no so active as my Corn snakes.
Any thoughts ?
Aaron_S
01-19-11, 08:25 PM
It's a new place to her. She'll explore it then go hide. You can wait the week for her to settle in before feeding her. Also remember hands off!
NennaMeerkat
01-19-11, 09:49 PM
Wait a week...trust me!
As I said before you relocated the thread:
Congrats! I'd let her settle in, she's likely just checking out her new surroundings. Most of my snakes did this when I got them. I'm assuming she was overnighted to you, which if you think about it, has to be extremely taxing on the snake.
Regardless of her perceived behavior, she may actually be really stressed; BPs are shy snakes and can get stressed relatively easily. On top of that, BPs are notorious for being finicky eaters.
My humble suggestion--despite how difficult it will be--is to give her a week of isolation. Check temps and humidity, clean any droppings, and provide fresh water. After the 7 days is up, try to feed her and make sure she eats prior to you handling her. Beyond one or two meals, she should be settled in enough for you to start handling her regularly.
Good luck and keep us updated (pics too please)!
Reptile_Reptile
01-20-11, 12:34 AM
^^^ what they said. its like appraising your new house when you set the first box down. picking out rooms and deciding where your tail goes ^_^
Moderator note - I consolidated the conversations to prevent people from answering twice.
Hey , just had my new baby Royal Python delivered tonight , only about 3 months old and about 15 " long . Anyways , after a quick 2 minute "hold" I put her in her new home with the idea of simply leaving her to settle for a week . The thing is she has been checking every nook and corner of the 12" cube viv for nearly 3 hours now , just wondering if she's just "ultra" inquisitive or could she be hungry ?
She is actually due her weekly feed as it happens but I was going to miss it and let her settle for 7 days.
Shall I risk trying a feed tomorrow ?
Is it normal " new home" settling in do you think ?
I thought she'd immediatley go under a hide and dissappear for a few days as Ive read that they are no so active as my Corn snakes.
Any thoughts ?
It's completely normal behavior for a ball python to spend hours, or even days exploring. This isn't a sign of hunger, as other people have said, it's merely them exploring their new home. It'll wear off. Ball pythons are very lazy snakes (second only to blood pythons imo).
I would not try feeding for at least 7 days. Given the age, two weeks is probably more appropriate.
Keep her in a dark, warm, untraveled, quiet room while she adjusts, and don't handle her until she's eating regularly.
Zincubus
01-21-11, 09:48 AM
Well 2 days later snd she seems to gave settled in nicely . Despite two lovely hides provided , one warm and one cool , she has chosen the back corner to male basecamp :)
I've blacked out the sides and back of the viv but everytime have a peek at her she's got her head out having a look around . I thought shed just curl up and sleep all day , nicely surprised .
Reptile_Reptile
01-21-11, 11:56 AM
check her at night she will probably be moving around and doing stuff, from my experience my royal is always out and about at night.
Zincubus
01-21-11, 12:08 PM
Yes at night I've seen her sniffing every nook and cornet :)
During the day , though , she just seems on guard not sleeping as I thought she would .
I'm going to share with you my experiences on this topic:
Here we go.
Buckle up.
After years of bringing new acquisitions into my collection, I've noticed one thing (a whole bunch of things really, but this one pertians directly to your question).
I have found that after a long drive, or plane flight, sitting in a snake bag or cooler, in unfamilar surroundings with different husbandry then they are used to in their own environment, the LAST thing you want to do is further stress the animal by refusing it food.
Oh my god, did I say feed your new ball right after getting it?
Yes, I did!
I have found that a good meal in their belly calms them down and gives their metablolism something to do while they settle it. I usually try feeding my new animals a day after setting it up in it's new environment. No handling, JUST FEEDING.
Did it yesterday as a matter of fact: picked up a beautiful breeder male lemon blast to back up my breeder male super blast whom, I fear, is homosexual.
Set him up last night around 7 p.m. and tried offering him a meal today around noon.
BAM!!!!!
He ate.
Now he's hanging out on his heat, digesting his meal and taking in his new surroundings in a virtually stress-free manner.
Yoooou're welcome!
presspirate
01-29-11, 04:08 PM
I have to agree with Mykee here. All of my snakes I have gotten on or around their scheduled feeding time. I have attempted feeding within a day or three of acquiring them and without fail every one of them has accepted food. It is a huge weight off your shoulders when they eat right away. Of course there is no guarantee that your new snake will eat right away, but either way it well help you to keep your hands off while they are settling in. because either....A you know they are digesting, or B you want them to be stress free for the first meal.
Reptile_Reptile
01-29-11, 04:14 PM
i agree too. i dont mess with them i just pop a meal in them and wait for the first poop then i feel they are ready to handle
Set snake up in a warm, dark, quiet room. No tv, no windows, no cats, etc. Closets work great for this. Don't worry about too much darkness, they're nocturnal, they won't mind.
Make sure your husbandry is spot on, correct temps and gradient, adequate humidity, hot and cold hides (the smaller the better), and a water dish large enough for the snake to immerse in.
Shut the door, and leave the snake be for 2 weeks, do not handle the snake, do not tap on the glass, or otherwise harass the snake. Just give him two weeks to figure out that his new home is safe.
After two weeks, offer the exact form of food it was previously eating. If it was eating live mice, give it a live mouse. If it was eating f/t rats, give it a f/t rat. They are imprint feeders, it's easiest to get them to take what they're used to taking, switching to a more convenient prey can wait until the snake is eating regularly.
Will0W783
01-29-11, 08:15 PM
Set snake up in a warm, dark, quiet room. No tv, no windows, no cats, etc. Closets work great for this. Don't worry about too much darkness, they're nocturnal, they won't mind.
Actually, Nafun, I have to disagree with you on this. A light/dark cycle is very important for stress-free snake living, as they have a circadian rhythm just like we do. Just because humans are diurnal doesn't mean you would want to live in a brightly lit place 24/7. Keeping snakes in a perpetual night will likely lead to stress and lack of feeding, not to mention confused animals. And God help you if you ever want to breed and you keep your snakes in darkness....how would you alter the cycle to simulate change of seasons?
For your new royal, a 12 hour light/ 12 hour dark cycle is appropriate. Make sure it is in a low traffic, quiet place in your house and do your best to not disturb it other than to feed. Like Mykee, I've gotten animals that eat a day or two after arrival. It really depends on when their next scheduled feeding was. If they come on an off week, they don't get fed for a week. If they're due the next day, they get offered a meal the day after arrival.
"no windows, no cats, etc. Closets work great for this. Don't worry about too much darkness, they're nocturnal, they won't mind."
Huh?!
Of course they need light, they're not mushrooms!
Just because they are nocturnal does not mean that they, like every other animal and vegetable on this planet, need light.
EDIT: Dammit Kimberly, you beat me by 30 seconds.
I'm glad someone else caught this verbal diarrhea and didnt allow it to pass as educated information.
Aaron_S
01-29-11, 10:50 PM
I usually wait to feed but I may try it out with the next purchase I make.
Mykee, make me something I just have to have. :D
Yes, a proper diurnal cycle is important, but so is peace and quiet. A closet is a legitimate choice for people who do not have a room to isolate a snake in. Most closets I've had have had lights, and there are clamp lamps for the ones that don't.
To call my advice "verbal diarrhea" because you disagree with one point is immature.
marvelfreak
01-30-11, 03:38 AM
All of my snake with the exception of my Bredli ate the same day or day after getting them. My Borneo ate 3 mice fuzzies in 15 minute. After putting him in is cage.
Lankyrob
01-30-11, 05:21 AM
Probably showing ignorance but here ismy two pence worth.
The idea is to get a snake to settle into its new environment, if you put it somewhere totally isolated to settle, then move it again to its long term home arent yoy stressing the snake out twice?
All my guys have come into the house and straight into the area that they will stay long term, that way during the settling in process they are getting used to what will be "normal" for the next twenty years.
Zincubus
01-30-11, 09:01 AM
Update
She took her first feed on Wednesday , a small mouse , just a week after I got her . She struck fed after about 3 seconds LOL
I handled her yesterday for the first time and she was lovely and calm . I was slightly anxious as she's first non Corn snake .:)
She's also been kept kept in a RUB and has not been handled much at all by the breeders.
...and to purposely mislead the public with misinformation Nafun, is irresponsible.
You know better.
Zincubus
02-03-11, 03:47 PM
Update
I been handling her for 5 minutes each night , she starts climbing the front of the viv , not sure she's indicating she wants to come out or if she's hungry.
Second feed tonight, I got her out as usual and put her straight in a plastic container , then waved the mouse in front of her , again she struck after bout two seconds !!
Only hitch was she held it across the mouse's middle and took about ten minutes to work her jaws down to one end before swallowing.
TeaNinja
02-03-11, 03:52 PM
Update
I been handling her for 5 minutes each night , she starts climbing the front of the viv , not sure she's indicating she wants to come out or if she's hungry.
Second feed tonight, I got her out as usual and put her straight in a plastic container , then waved the mouse in front of her , again she struck after bout two seconds !!
Only hitch was she held it across the mouse's middle and took about ten minutes to work her jaws down to one end before swallowing.
sometime's they get confused lol. i watched my dum in an extra violent feeding just CHEW on the rat for about a minute after he constricted it lol.
Zincubus
02-03-11, 04:33 PM
She never seems to sleep , every time I have a peep she's there looking straight back at me.:)
Who said Royal are boring. LOL
TeaNinja
02-03-11, 04:36 PM
lolol, my royal cruises around but spends at LEAST half the time hiding. (if not more then half) but with my slow holding regiment he's gotten SOOO much better. he used to panic and breathe super hard when i would take him out, but now not only does he never breathe hard anymore, but he's WAY more active and inquisitive when i'm holding him. he wants to cruise everywhere.
Zincubus
02-03-11, 06:12 PM
lolol, my royal cruises around but spends at LEAST half the time hiding. (if not more then half) but with my slow holding regiment he's gotten SOOO much better. he used to panic and breathe super hard when i would take him out, but now not only does he never breathe hard anymore, but he's WAY more active and inquisitive when i'm holding him. he wants to cruise everywhere.
It's interesting to see her breathing , can't say I've noticed t sane with my Corn snakes .
After reading this thread, and hearing mykee's advice on feeding the day you get the snake, I must say that I agree (despite my original post).
I fed the BP I got on Tuesday and she seems to be much less "nervous" than some of my other additions during the first week of isolation. She's the only snake who's not on an automated system (the quarantine cage doesn't get the fancy gadgets), and she doesn't seem to mind me coming in to check temps and spray. My previous addition was the opposite and I fed her after the isolation. Sorry for the digression.
Will0W783
02-04-11, 09:09 AM
She never seems to sleep , every time I have a peep she's there looking straight back at me.
Snakes have no eyelids so they always appear to be looking at you...and from what I've read I don't think they sleep the same way we do. There is always a basal level of consciousness. They do rest and recoup, but it's not a "dead to the world" zonked out sleep like we humans have. That being said, I have startled snakes in the past when they were resting and still and not looking at me. Never pick up your snake if it hasn't looked at you first....I will open the cage door and if the snake is facing the other way, gently tap a coil, or move something near it so it will turn and acknowledge my presence. I feel it's less traumatic that way.
serpentshideawa
02-04-11, 09:25 AM
Snakes have no eyelids so they always appear to be looking at you...and from what I've read I don't think they sleep the same way we do. There is always a basal level of consciousness. They do rest and recoup, but it's not a "dead to the world" zonked out sleep like we humans have. That being said, I have startled snakes in the past when they were resting and still and not looking at me. Never pick up your snake if it hasn't looked at you first....I will open the cage door and if the snake is facing the other way, gently tap a coil, or move something near it so it will turn and acknowledge my presence. I feel it's less traumatic that way.
I agree with make sure it sees you i look for movement of head or flicker of tongue
Lankyrob
02-04-11, 10:16 AM
My first bite came from a snake that i didnt eralise was "sleeping". I know do the same as willow and touch a coil gently before trying to pick it up.
Zincubus
02-04-11, 02:50 PM
After reading this thread, and hearing mykee's advice on feeding the day you get the snake, I must say that I agree (despite my original post).
I fed the BP I got on Tuesday and she seems to be much less "nervous" than some of my other additions during the first week of isolation. She's the only snake who's not on an automated system (the quarantine cage doesn't get the fancy gadgets), and she doesn't seem to mind me coming in to check temps and spray. My previous addition was the opposite and I fed her after the isolation. Sorry for the digression.
You mentioned spraying , is that something I should be doing ?
I'm in Manchester , UK - not exactly a dry area LOL
More details please
Lankyrob
02-04-11, 03:18 PM
You want to be looking for 55-60% humidity. Living in England also i find thwt sprwying each morning for my vivs raises it to just over 60 and it then drops slowly over the next 24 hours to just over 50 ehen i respray.
^^ What Rob mentioned. I live in Seattle, Washington (US), and outside ambient humidity is currently 83%. However, inside my house is a completely different story. Everything (i.e., walls, carpet, heater, etc.), sucks that humidity right up and the relative humidity in my house is ~30%, despite the high ambient humidity outside.
Lankyrob
02-04-11, 03:49 PM
Prob should have mentioned, the ambient humidity in the house here is around 40-55% dependant on the weather and if we have heati on etc etc etc
Zincubus
02-05-11, 05:54 AM
Well I haven't got a humidity monitor /gauge, so am I better leaving it for the moment , presumably too high humidity can alsobthrow up problems.
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