Lookin for some learnin. - Page 3

toddnbecka · 05-29-16, 01:46 AM

Wow, $800? I know where I'll be selling my babies after they're born and established, wonder how long it takes to get the export/import paperwork done? Or maybe I could smuggle them across the border, LOL.
Carpet pythons were on my "short list" before I ran across the DRMB's, and when I found the first one for such a good price at a reptile show I just couldn't pass it up.
Here's the wee bugger when I brought him/her (never did sort out the sex) home, on a 29 gallon fish tank, just a little critter about 18" long:

I had a tough time getting it to start eating. Tried live fuzzy mice, finally got it to take a live hopper, then much later it occured to me it had probably been started on rat pinks...

The yellow got much brighter with size and age, here's a pic from last summer:

Here's the mouse muncher raiding a tub of breeders a couple weeks ago. Took down 6 adults, mostly pregnant females, had the 7th (male) in coils. I'm not sure how that one was supposed to fit in the belly too, so it went to the Dumeril's boa. How many snakes could you easily take a freshly killed prey item from w/out any trouble?:

So full the head and neck were hanging out of the ceramic cave after I returned the bugger to the tank (40 breeder, the lid has been secured better since then.):

That size ceramic cave comfortably holds 2 of the larger male DRMB's, or the currently pregnant female who's much larger around and about 6' long now. You can see the cypress mulch in the last pic. There's a large ceramic tile with a heat mat under it below the hides and the water bowl, keeps the water warm, for comfy soaking before sheds. Just did shed last night, all in one piece, not even rolled up. There's also an 80w RHP mounted to the pegboard lid on the other side of the tank, that's where this one spends most of the time basking. Will be moving into a 75 or 90 gallon tank soon, and eventually into a 4x2x2 enclosure. The smaller IJ carpet now occupies the 29, it has a 150w CHE over one end of the screen top for a basking spot. She also shed last night, couple rips but all one piece, not rolled up either. That, along with their good health and generally content behavior/disposition, tells me the setups are suitable. Though it seems that the larger one might think I need to bump up the prey size...

albertagirl · 05-29-16, 01:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kovacs01

What about pine snakes?

There was a breeder at the show I went to today who directed me to another breeder I was unfamiliar with to answer a question I had. When I looked this other breeder up, he just happened to have black pines, leucistic and some kind of ghost looking southern pines (... I'd have to check but I think it said southern), and he said he's breeding pied pines. I had no idea pines came in pied! I asked him about it and he said all pits are restricted in Alberta except pines. So it looks like pines might be a go after all.

I need to do a little more research on their temperament, but I think their care is really similar to other pits. Any info on their personalities, care, or average size is appreciated!

albertagirl · 05-29-16, 01:59 AM

Toddnbecka - I'm confused by that last picture. Is this snake a giant? He can only get his head and neck into a hide which holds 2 DRMB and can eat SIX mice? Wow! One thing I am discovering is that I am terrible at judging the true size of a snake from pictures and statistics. I feel like they are always smaller than they look in pictures... yet yours sounds like he went on a rampage like king kong. Haha.

One question I always wonder with carpets is whether it's better/desireable to have them in taller cages, or longer cages? Do yours spend a lot of time off the ground?

toddnbecka · 05-30-16, 01:49 AM

Not a giant, but after eating 6 mice the head and neck were hanging out of the hide. The rest was curled up inside, and usually there's still room in there for the head and neck too. The opening is about the same diameter as a drinking glass. The recent shed was just about 6', same length as the larger DRMB's, but after downing all those mice this one was a bit bulkier than the pregnant female. I normally feed 2 good size adult mice, hoping to switch over to rats soon. I guess he felt he was being underfed, and wanted to pig out at the rodent buffet for a change. I skipped the next weekly feeding after that, he was in shed. Normally eats in shed, but he didn't need it this time.
My carpets never hang out on the substrate. Like the smaller DRMB's they have small shelves in the tanks to climb/lounge on. This one has a chunk of eggcrate packing foam on top of the shelf to widen and cushion the surface, and it's directly under the RHP for basking. That's where he spends most of his time during the day, coiled up and comfy, lol. Also has several large branches in the tank to climb on. I've found that semi-arboreal snakes like the carpets, DRMB's, and even my Everglades and Japanese rat snakes spend more time up off the floor if given the option. The female Jap rat is the exception, she seems to prefer an inverted plastic flower pot most of the time, while the male hangs out under a piece of eggcrate foam on the shelf. The cage doesn't need to be especially tall, just provide something suitable to climb and rest on and they're pretty satisfied IME. The Everglades rat has several large branches running the width of her tank, and while she does spend some time in the cave by day she typically lays up on the branches at night.
The DRMB's that are housed in 33 long aquariums have a bit of extra vertical space. I cut out holes in the pegboard top on one side of each tank and set a 10 gallon tank upside down over that. They have a pvc hide up in the "loft" and a couple of silk plants stuck in the holes of the pegboard for additional cover.

**Andy_G** · 05-30-16, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by albertagirl

There was a breeder at the show I went to today who directed me to another breeder I was unfamiliar with to answer a question I had. When I looked this other breeder up, he just happened to have black pines, leucistic and some kind of ghost looking southern pines (... I'd have to check but I think it said southern), and he said he's breeding pied pines. I had no idea pines came in pied! I asked him about it and he said all pits are restricted in Alberta except pines. So it looks like pines might be a go after all.

I need to do a little more research on their temperament, but I think their care is really similar to other pits. Any info on their personalities, care, or average size is appreciated!

That'd be Len Mastaler of Stampede Reptiles i'm guessing. I believe it's his first year propducing pituophis but he is a great guy with a very nice collection.

All pits have very similar temperment, size and behaviour. Pine snakes would be a great choice!

albertagirl · 05-30-16, 09:32 AM

Thank you! This is the information that's tough to find in care sheets. I've read a whole bunch of them, but still feel like I hardly know anything about these guys. This fills in some of the gaps.
And now I understand what you were saying about your carpet not fitting all the way into that hide. No wonder with thanksgiving dinner for 2 stuffed in his belly! Haha. I would have been freaking out, eating like that probably would have killed a corn snake!