| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| n/a |
Posted - 28/03/2010 : 15:38:48
Hi everyone,.,,I have a couple questions in hope someone can help me!
1. my snake has been spending alot of her time in the cooler end of the tank. she has a hiding place down there. it is definitely not too hot at the other end, if anything not warm enough. she eats and all so nothing else seems unusual... is this normal?
2. she has a new viv from about two months now,,, MUCH bigger than what she had which was a little plastic tank. all I have in it is a piece of driftwood and some hiding caves and water. will they climb at all? should I add plants? I'd like to see her out more but shes shy. the tank could be overwhelming??? the driftwood isnt very smoooth. is that a problem?
3. do you ever bathe your snake? my sis will put theirs in the sink and he likes to drink the water from the tap and crawl around...
4. mine is less than a year old, prob about 8mos or so...
would love any new snake advice...
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| 6 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| mikerichards |
Posted - 29/03/2010 : 10:44:53
As above really, need to know how big the snake is and how big the viv is, as the snake is only 8 months old I would hazard a guess at about 20 - 30 inches, in which case a 2x1 would be slightly too big, but with plenty of hides would be suitable, anything bigger wouldn't be recomended. Chances are that snakey is active late evening and early morning, that's their hunting timing. Need to know temps too, exactly, not just that they are ok. Ta |
| Kellog |
Posted - 29/03/2010 : 03:19:20
I think I have covered some of this in your other thread regarding your snake not pooing - at least I have asked a lot of questions, none of which are really answered here.
I agree with what Lilpunk has said when she asked you about your temps. Could your warm end be too hot? I am certainly surprised that she doesnt go there after feeding....they need the warmth to help them digest their food properly. What is the temp in the cool end as well as the warm end? How are you heating the viv and do you have a digital thermometer monitoring the temps?
It is right that she could be out and about during the night that you are not aware of, but the fact that she is always in the one hide is curious. Could it be that she prefers one hide to another? Have tried swapping the hides around and seeing if she remains in the cool end? What do you use as hides?
You say that she is as long as your arm....as you could be 5'6 or 6'5, which would make rather a difference to your arm length  . Any way of getting a more accurate length, do you have an old shed of hers - if you do then measure it and subtract 10%. If not then try and run her through your hand....holding a piece of string stretching from her head and working it down her body as she goes (not easy I know cos they wriggle so much  !). Could definitely do with a better idea of her length and the size of the viv she has been moved into.
Lilpunk also makes a very good point about the driftwood, it is not the best sort of wood to use because of the amount of oils etc it could have absorbed while in the sea. Any wood you put into a viv that has been found rather than bought from a petshop must be treated and then baked in an oven to ensure that any 'nasties' and their eggs have been killed.
Whatever size viv she is in, any snake would feel safer having foliage around to hide under, behind etc. They like to feel secure and if all she has is the driftwood and her caves then it may be that she finds her viv a bit daunting. Even if her viv is wood you can attach plants to it, using hooks and I find that the suckers on the plants even stay stuck with mine. Or, as Rich suggested, you can buy some vines and drape the plants over them (or over your wood), or you could lay it on the substrate.
Snakes certainly wouldnt chose to go in the water in the wild unless they had to, so I dont tend to bath mine unless there is a problem - like retained shed or mites. Some snakes do bathe in their water bowls, but they choose to do that rather than being made to go into the water.
She seems to be a happy little snake (or not so little ) if she is peeking her head out of your sleeve while you type  .
xxx |
| n/a |
Posted - 28/03/2010 : 22:03:50
she is as long as my arm and getting thicker...thats a good measurement huh!!!!
she has been in the cool end all week and yes after feeding...
the most important question I meant to ask today is that she is not "pooing" . she has pooed once maybe twice in the last couple months, certainly not after the last three or four feeds... any ideas???? she has an appetitie but I am not finding anyting in the tank!!!!!! she's curled p in my sleeve right now poking her head out,,,too cute! |
| RichyP1987 |
Posted - 28/03/2010 : 16:27:23
I moved my snake from a RUB to a 2'x 1' viv when she was 8 months old and growing rapidly. She doesn't do much in the day but at night when it is dark it looks like she is hunting; climbing branches, fake plants and generally roaming around. It's fascinating to watch. You can't watch them all the time, possibly yours prefers to move to the warm end at night when the temperature drops naturally.
I have a melamine viv which the fake plants don't stick to, so I've just wrapped them around branches or laid down on any open floor space. It definitely makes my snake more secure and she likes to explore more since I got them. Plus it looks awesome as well!
I only ever bath my snake when she has a bad shed. Then I let her soak in warm water in my spare faun no deeper than half her body height, that way she can rest on the bottom if she gets tired. I then use a wet towel to help her get the rest of her shed off. |
| Lilpunk |
Posted - 28/03/2010 : 16:15:21
Well, first I'm going to answer with a few questions of my own x)
1) Does she go to the cold end after being fed as well? Temperatures?
2)Corn snakes aren't as adept to climbing as some species of snake, but they do like a wander once in a while, plus! Foliage looks great What is her length, and how big is the viv in " or '? I have a piece of mopani wood in my viv, but if your piece of drift wood has some really horrible edges, you could always sand it? Did you buy the drift wood or was it collected by you? And if it was, did you clean/disinfect it properly?
3)We don't put them in the bath for fun, only when they are having a problem with shedding or have accumulated mites etc. Spending too much time in water can cause things like skin-rot and respiratory diseases. |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 28/03/2010 : 16:09:05
1. Yes that's normal
2. How big is she and how big is the tank? Plants are optional, it just makes the environment look more natural. I would love some plastic plants but they don't stick onto wood and you have to be very careful about real plants.
3. Depends. Is the water bowl big enough for the snake to submerge itself in? If it is, no it won't need a bath. If the snake is too big for the bowl the baths would be good at shedding time. I am going to give one of mine a bath later in fact as he had a bad shed which is unlike him and I need to get a but that is stuck on his tail. If you do bath your snake, a rub with air holes and a lid is good you also need to keep an eye on them. |
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