Feeding advice for yellow rat - Page 6

poomwah · 03-06-14, 08:02 PM

thanks infernalis, I've used those on some larger snakes. I hadn't thought about one for this application because I could'nt find one small enough to offer a secure feeling hiding space. I might use one when she gets bigger though.
She doesn't use the hides she has very often, its funny to watch , a lot of times she'll crawl out of the substrate and over one of the hides, then back into the substrate on the other side, looks like a little sea monster

Starbuck · 03-06-14, 08:08 PM

I'm going to post this again on this thread; for small snakes who will grow out of hides quickly, i don't see much use in buying 'nice' hides as they will be useless after a few months. For them you can use cardboard food boxes (i.e. macaroni boxes etc) or egg cartons. While deep substrate is good to make the snake feel covered while he/she is moving around, it doesn't give them a 'secure' space to curl up. They like to feel the edges of something around them, dark and with small openings. Cardboard is nice because if it gets soiled you can just toss it, and it isn't heavy so won't hurt the snake if it shifts or falls in the enclosure. You could also stack slate or logs to creat hiding spaces, but you need to be VERY careful that they can't fall and trap or crush the snake.

It won't look pretty, but cheap disposable hides like that can be very successful for smaller snakes that will quickly outgrow purchased items.

i also like the 3-4ft lengths of artificial vines you can buy from the craft store. You can anchor them to the sides/lid/around branches and they allow the snake to climb and feel secure and hidden, and they look nice and are easy to clean. Just make sure no wires are poking out.

wareagleA5 · 03-06-14, 08:09 PM

Did I miss what you did to finally get the snake to eat?

poomwah · 03-06-14, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terranaut

Omg. Thanks so much for posting your set up.
Yup your right. Your a snake keeping master. Look at all that cover. It sure shows me why the snake won't eat. Also I like the taste of crayons.
Just so this ends....that has no cover. None!!
Go back and read what was written as advice to you. For the sake of your snake follow it and fix that tank up. You don't have to admit you followed our /my advice but for the snakes sake please do something.

Thank you for proving my point, you don't want to help, you just want to criticize and argue, just like I said you would. You couldn't help it could you.
And since you are such an expert on communication you should know that opening with sarcasm is not the most effect means of influencing someone.
I don't need to go back and re-read the advice, I followed the advice and the snake ate. Live with it, you were wrong, it happens, I'm wrong a lot. I'm allowed to be right once in a while.
YOU complain about the tank, I don't see you arguing with Mikoh for saying theres plenty of places to hide.
The snake is as big around as a pencil and had 3 inches of aspen to burrow in, it also has MANY hides that it doesn't use, it spends a lot of time on top of the substrate and hides and this thing could easily go the entire length of the hide and NEVER be seen if it doesn't want to.
For the sake of the snake? if I had listened to you, the snake wouldn't eat . It was suggested I wait another week, then try again. Odds are, even if I did EVERYTHING you said, it wouldn't have eaten then either. And at that point, you would just blame me anyway. But hey, what do I know, right. All I did was get it to eat.

poomwah · 03-06-14, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Starbuck

I'm going to post this again on this thread; for small snakes who will grow out of hides quickly, i don't see much use in buying 'nice' hides as they will be useless after a few months. For them you can use cardboard food boxes (i.e. macaroni boxes etc) or egg cartons. While deep substrate is good to make the snake feel covered while he/she is moving around, it doesn't give them a 'secure' space to curl up. They like to feel the edges of something around them, dark and with small openings. Cardboard is nice because if it gets soiled you can just toss it, and it isn't heavy so won't hurt the snake if it shifts or falls in the enclosure. You could also stack slate or logs to creat hiding spaces, but you need to be VERY careful that they can't fall and trap or crush the snake.

It won't look pretty, but cheap disposable hides like that can be very successful for smaller snakes that will quickly outgrow purchased items.

i also like the 3-4ft lengths of artificial vines you can buy from the craft store. You can anchor them to the sides/lid/around branches and they allow the snake to climb and feel secure and hidden, and they look nice and are easy to clean. Just make sure no wires are poking out.

I've used carboard a LOT in the past and still do on occasion. I had a bunch of bark though, we were sterilizing some wood and the bark fell off of it, so it's just been sitting here. Slate and logs do look great, but like you said, they can be dangerous. The only way I'd stack slate is if it was siliconed together, but then you get a cleaning nightmare.
I was looking at artificial plants but all the ones I find have a strong chemical odor to them. What do you recommend for cleaning them to make them snake safe?
wareagle, I offered her a scented pinkie and she snapped it right up

wareagleA5 · 03-06-14, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poomwah

I've used carboard a LOT in the past and still do on occasion. I had a bunch of bark though, we were sterilizing some wood and the bark fell off of it, so it's just been sitting here. Slate and logs do look great, but like you said, they can be dangerous. The only way I'd stack slate is if it was siliconed together, but then you get a cleaning nightmare.
I was looking at artificial plants but all the ones I find have a strong chemical odor to them. What do you recommend for cleaning them to make them snake safe?
wareagle, I offered her a scented pinkie and she snapped it right up

Cool, did you end up finding an alternative to the anole?

poomwah · 03-06-14, 08:26 PM

yeah, Starbuck gave me the idea :] snake had a pinkie and I had a tuna fish sandwich :]

**Tsubaki** · 03-07-14, 03:09 AM

Glad the snake ate! Do wonder how you overlooked me saying to try tuna scenting before starbuck, but as long as it worked i'm satisfied!

poomwah · 03-07-14, 07:18 AM

oh god, sorry Tsubaki, I thought it was starbuck that mentioned the hoggies. I totally got the posts mixed up. So it turns out you were the one that gave me the idea, THANK YOU for that :]

Skulk01 · 03-07-14, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infernalis

I use a lot of these water bowls, they double as a hide. My corn, milks and a few of my garters chose to hide under there over anywhere else, and I find them at Dollar Tree all the time.

I love this, pardon me while I sneak in this thread and steal this idea...

**Tsubaki** · 03-07-14, 07:49 AM

Oh no problem don't worry haha, i just figured you missed my message and was curious. Not that i had any hard feelings or anything

Sharlynn93 · 03-07-14, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infernalis

I use a lot of these water bowls, they double as a hide. My corn, milks and a few of my garters chose to hide under there over anywhere else, and I find them at Dollar Tree all the time.

I see this bowl and think "disaster" (would also be great for my smaller species) but thinking of my rainbows, etc...I can picture them trying to squeeze in there and flipping them, kinda makes me giggle to think about it!

philbyi-guy · 03-07-14, 08:44 AM

You don't need to disinfect the wood. Just put the snake on something natural (dirt), and FILL the tank with cover. not one or two areas, make it look like a bush in there. This is far too open and I'm sorry but it is not adequate. Yes it ate, but if you want it to be happy please listen. It also needs some more usable hides. I suggest something like this cutt in half. it will allow him to choose how warm he wants to be. 4 X 100' Solid Drain Pipe Just bury it in the dirt. It will be secure enough. Simply put several in of topsoil (organic, no manure) and give him lots of cover. It will be better for the snake, which I'm sure you can appreciate

poomwah · 03-07-14, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sharlynn93

I see this bowl and think "disaster" (would also be great for my smaller species) but thinking of my rainbows, etc...I can picture them trying to squeeze in there and flipping them, kinda makes me giggle to think about it!

that would be a nice mess :P

poomwah · 04-11-14, 03:34 PM

Just figured I'd throw a little update, for about a month now, the snake has been in a different home. A breeder has him in a small tub in a room that is used only for reptiles. So the snake has the set up that some people so adamantly demanded that the snake needed. I talked to the breeder today. The snake STILL won't eat an unscented mouse.