New rosy owner - a few questions

sweetdee · 11-20-17, 05:12 PM

Hi everyone! I am a first time snake owner, and purchased an approximately 5 month old rosy at a reptile expo last weekend. My setup is a 10g tank with a screen lid (and lock of course), aspen bedding for substrate (he loves to dig through the substrate), a hide on the cool side and another on the warm side, a water bowl on the cool side, and a fake plant and grapevine stick for decoration.

I am using an UTH for heat, and the warm end is 85-90, with the cool end being room temperature. Humidity is high 50's, is that too high? It is just the ambient humidity of the house I guess. I also have an infrared bulb to help the ambient temperature of the tank.

My problem with my snake is that on Wednesday I found a little black bug on it's back, and the next day when I handled him one of the bugs was on my hand. I have not seen any mites since, but have switched the snake to paper towels and removed all but a hide and water bowl while I sort the problem out and wait for my natural chemistry mite spray to arrive. However, since changing the set up he has been very restless. Moving around the tank non stop, and climbing up onto the lip at the top of the tank and attempting to escape. Also, the last time the snake ate was two weeks ago. Breeder said he was eating live pinkies. I've been trying to switch to f/t pinkies with no luck, snake is not interested in eating at all. Could he be not wanting to eat because of the mites?

Thanks for any input!

**Andy_G** · 11-21-17, 11:18 AM

Yes. Mites bother snakes so everything that you mention makes sense. Once you treat for the mites a few times and your snake no longer has them, it will resume normal activity. I also want to mention that you should only be trying to feed weekly, especially with new arrivals. Any more often than that is bothersome and perstering to the snake.

sweetdee · 11-21-17, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy_G

Yes. Mites bother snakes so everything that you mention makes sense. Once you treat for the mites a few times and your snake no longer has them, it will resume normal activity. I also want to mention that you should only be trying to feed weekly, especially with new arrivals. Any more often than that is bothersome and perstering to the snake.

Thank you for the help! I will be leaving him alone for a while except to clean the tank and snake to get rid of the mites, and hopefully his appetite will be back once he's feeling better.

daisymaisy · 11-23-17, 12:16 AM

You could add several more paper towels, loosely piled, to allow for more burrowing about. He sounds nervous, and probably uncomfortable from the mites. Once those are treated and he has settled he will probably be calmer. Rosies are nice little snakes.