Meet Demeter, my rescue honduran Milk snake

Starbuck · 04-24-13, 06:05 PM

So i just brought home Demeter today, an adult female honduran milk snake. I found her on craigslist; apparently she escaped early this winter (late 2012) and turned up OUTSIDE (!) in february 2013, and the original owner ( a young girl, 14 yrs) said she couldnt keep her anymore. According to the owner, the snake has not eaten or shed since she was found....
However, she was being kept with NO supplemental heat, and a relatively small water bowl that i dont think she could soak in all the way... also with a single tank clip :P

I have her set up in quarantine, in her original 75+ gallon tank, with only paper towel substrate, her original water bowl, a new waterbowl with hiding space underneath it, a large humid hide made out of a folgers coffee tub, a stick that came with her tank, several tank clips, a light for heat, and am working out the kinks on an UTH.

She is also (to my eye) pretty freakin' fat, so i think that combined with the cold temps she was in, plus some latent brumation may be whats causing her to not eat. I will try her this saturday with a F/T mouse (original owner says she ate FT).

Below are some pictures of her skin scrapes and scabs, i presume from when she was out. It also looks like she may have had some fristbite or something on her tail, or stuck shed. Hopefully being warm and humid will get the ball rolling and she will be back in shape in no time.

Quarantine is being enforced.

Starbuck · 04-24-13, 06:08 PM

Also, she seems massive! Im guessing over 4 feet long, and 2-3 pounds. Her head though is very very tiny :P

On my wall behind her tank is a phylogeny of all the animals in the house made with colored electrical tape :P now i need to add her in...

valid · 04-24-13, 06:53 PM

Congrats- what a pretty girl. I love milk snakes.
When I get the space and ability to do so, I'd love to get a ghost or tri-colour Honduran to breed to my hypo tangerine.

Craigslist is dangerous. I found a really nice looking king and iguana for dirt cheap last night.i know that it is not possible for me to take either right now, but man I want them.

Starbuck · 04-25-13, 03:31 AM

She peed last night! No fecal matter, just some urates and some light yellow staining on the paper towel. It appears normal so far. From what i can tell she spent most of the night in the humid hide, and i'm getting some sphagnum tonight for her- right now its just damp paper towel.

Concept9 · 04-25-13, 05:34 AM

Good job, I also rescued my Kingsnake.

Starbuck · 04-26-13, 06:39 PM

Got her set up with a proper humid hide today with some sphagnum moss, , and its big enough that she isnt crammed in like a vienna sausage :P
I had to take ehr out of the crummy small humid hide (with just paper towels) and her skin already looks much shinier, not as dry etc. The scaly/injured portions along her back look the same, but that doesnt surprise me.
I also have her set up with a CHE which keeps her humid hide/warm side at about 90 degrees, and the cool side is about 72. 5 foot viv, so plenty of room to thermoregulate, but she hasnt left the humid hide that i have seen during the day/evening.
When i had her out while switching hides she was SO much more active, felt warm to the touch, was ver curious about everything, overall looked like a much happier snake. WIll keep you all posted after i try feeding her later this weekend.