Sight Blockers

phenyx · 05-27-18, 04:33 PM

Decided to drastically increase the amount of climbing branches and sight blockers in Jerkface’s viv. That’s 6 feet of silk pothos vine in a 20” tank. I also replaced his hides with the tiniest ones I could find - they’re way in the back behind the greenery. Now I can’t find my snake. Hopefully though he can’t see my cats as well either.

1202 · 05-27-18, 11:20 PM

Should have lots of hiding spots to feel safe in.

phenyx · 05-28-18, 07:53 PM

I've seen a difference in his behavior already; he's been out exploring a lot more since I added the sight blockers. I'm hopeful that having more cover and thus, feeling safer will help his regurg issues as well and he'll start gaining some weight.

**EL Ziggy** · 05-29-18, 08:03 AM

The enclosure looks great phenyx. I really hope he gets over those regurge issues. What do you think the underlying cause is?

phenyx · 05-29-18, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EL Ziggy

The enclosure looks great phenyx. I really hope he gets over those regurge issues. What do you think the underlying cause is?

Being so new to this, I'm not sure what to think. On the one hand, I have 4 sketchy cats who can be pretty nosy around the viv so I'm sure they're stressing him out from time to time. Hopefully, the extra cover and tinier hides will eliminate that stress. That would explain the intermittent nature of the regurges but perhaps not necessarily his lack of weight gain and general mopiness.

On the other hand, I worry that he could have parasites or coccidiosis, but he's had a lot more successful feeds than regurges - only 2. I would think that, if he were infected, he'd have had more regurges than that. Several years ago I nursed a kitten through coccidiosis and she got really bad, really fast. Jerkface has been getting more active since I redid his viv.

At the moment, I'm in wait-and-watch mode before I can take him to the vet anyway. It's only been 9 days since the regurg, and he only poops every second feed, so it'll be a fair few weeks before I have a fecal sample to have tested. I've been keeping an eye on his weight - he's gained and lost up to 5 grams, but he's never dropped below the weight he was when I got him.

The learning curve has been rough on this one.

TeamSlitherin · 05-30-18, 05:26 AM

The enclosure looks awesome! I think he'll start to improve now that he has plenty of cover to sneak around in. It definitely makes it more challenging to hunt them down, though!

craigafrechette · 05-30-18, 06:51 AM

The enclosure looks great!!!
Fingers crossed for you!!

ClockwerkBonnet · 05-31-18, 03:15 AM

That sure is a lot of foliage.

phenyx · 06-13-18, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClockwerkBonnet

That sure is a lot of foliage.

Never underestimate the power of foliage. In just the few weeks since I added the 6 foot pothos vine, Jerkface has become a different snake. Where he used to do nothing but sulk in his too-big hides all the time and we never saw him, now he's out cruising his viv several times a day, climbing on his branches, moving in and out of his foliage, and sometimes just sitting motionless just giving us his velociraptor side-eye.

He's taken his last 2 meals (since the second regurg) just fine and, while he still doesn't strike his prey, he gets down to the business of swallowing it much more quickly than before.

I am cautiously optimistic...

**EL Ziggy** · 06-13-18, 02:54 PM

Sounds like he's settling in well phenxy. You must be doing something right.