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 ?

Ch^4 · 01-19-11, 07:07 PM

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!

Ch^4 · 01-19-11, 11:22 PM

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 ^_^

Nafun · 01-20-11, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zincubus

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 .

mykee · 01-29-11, 03:20 PM

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

Nafun · 01-29-11, 07:01 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.

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.