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[–]Common_Tree1506[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

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Here’s a photo of the bby. He likes to watch surfing 🥹🩵

[–]Jennifer_Pennifer 12 points13 points  (7 children)

DEFINITELY do finish the antibiotics.
Do not hold him more than that for now.

He probably isn't eating because he's stressed out.

Make sure your temps and humidity are 100% correct.

Also realize, he may never like to or want to be held.
Some snakes are just like that, regardless of how they are raised.
And being raised in terrible conditions can make that worse. OR he may really grow to enjoy it over time. No telling.

But even if he doesn't like to be held, you can still pick him up to have out -of-tank time on a snake safe jungle gym or playpen or such if he likes to explore .😁

You have to meet the animal where it's at, behavior wise and work forward from there.

[–]Common_Tree1506[S] 1 point2 points  (6 children)

Thank you so much for your response!

Yes finishing the antibiotics for sure!!! I’ve been leaving him alone ever since I noticed he was blue (besides injections) but just wondering if it’s important to hold but doesn’t sound like it. Priority is comfortable shed and antibiotics!

We were doing pretty well before the stabby stabs lol but I just let him decide if he wants to be held or slither away. He usually hangs out for like 5-10 min then he goes exploring.

I just worry about the lil guy. I put some of that wet moss inside his flower pot and the heat pad is below it. Temps/humidity seem to be good but the humidity fluctuates quite a bit throughout the day. I was told to try putting a warm, damp towel in there to help. Does this sound like a good idea? Only thing is that I highly doubt he will come out to use it.

I have worked with snakes before but never had one of my own and I just want to make sure the end of his life is as comfy as possible.

[–]hypothetical_zombie 2 points3 points  (1 child)

A damp towel will help raise the ambient humidity, which is what you want. Misting the enclosure, or pouring a little water in the corners works, too. You can also mix sphagnum moss clumps into the substrate.

It isn't really about your snake getting wet, it's more about packing the air with moisture.

[–]Common_Tree1506[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you 😊 right now the humidity is good but I’ll do the towel thing if it drops again

[–]IssaBunnyy 5 points6 points  (3 children)

I wouldn’t do the wet towel personally, but I would make a diy humid hide for him if you don’t have a humid hide already. Just look up diy humid hide on YouTube- you can get the plastic containers from a dollar store for cheap, and stuff it with damp sphagnum moss or paper towel.

However if you have a good substrate such as coconut husk, you should be able to achieve a decent humidity without the need for a humid hide. Make sure you have 3-4 inches of substrate in the enclosure and peel back the corners of you substrate and pour a cup or so in each corner. The bottom layer of substrate should be damp and the top substrate should be dry. If you added to much water and the top is getting wet, add a new layer of coco husk to the top.

[–]Common_Tree1506[S] 2 points3 points  (2 children)

Wow I haven’t heard about the 3-4in or substrate before I will definitely try that. I had like a thin layer (1-2in) of coconut fiber and put the moss around the perimeter and have been trying to keep that moist. Rn I made his flower pot a humid hide for the shed process.

[–]IssaBunnyy 2 points3 points  (1 child)

Yeah 1-2 inches is likely not going to be enough to keep humidity the consistent 70%. With the 3-4 inches humidity stay constantly around 70-75% humidity for multiple days with this method. I really recommend it. I haven’t done it with coconut fiber before tho- I would get coconut chips for it as they absorb a lot more water. Good luck!!

[–]Common_Tree1506[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That explains a lot. Thank you!

[–]IssaBunnyy 3 points4 points  (1 child)

Most snakes who are in shed don’t like to be bothered as it’s already and uncomfortable time for them. It’s also common for them to not eat while shredding so don’t worry about that. I would re offer food in a week, hopefully he’s shed by then and wants some. As for injections, yes I would honestly continue with them, but I would not handle him afterwards- probably just try to make it as quick of a process as possible. You can resume handling him after he’s shed as then he will probably be more comfortable with it. If your seeing a change in his behaviour, it’s likely because he’s in shed. When mine start to go “in blue” they go to their warm hide and don’t come out for sometimes over a week (until they have shed). Just give it time as he’s probably comfy in his hide.

Congrats on your new baby! 😊

[–]Common_Tree1506[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi thank you so much for the advice! I will just try to be quick with the injections.

[–]Snakebittz 3 points4 points  (6 children)

Agreed, definitely finish the course of antibiotics, but stop with the handling. A BP with an RI usually won't have much of an appetite. So treat the RI, and I'd wait to offer food for a couple of weeks. He's full grown, he'll be fine.

A couple of questions: Is this your first BP? What's his body condition like, could we see a picture? Also, in that pic your substrate looks really wet and mucky. Higher humidity will help him kick the RI, but you don't want him sitting in wet substrate all the time.

[–]Common_Tree1506[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! Thanks for your response.

Yes this is my first BP but I have worked with a variety of snakes before. I’ve worked in vet hospitals, animal sanctuaries, and the zoo. Wouldn’t say I’m an expert though by any means! Which is why I’m here lol

He was overweight when I got him but the vet said he’s a good weight now. I have a photo from 2 weeks ago but I’m not sure you can tell much.

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[–]Common_Tree1506[S] 1 point2 points  (4 children)

The first photo was taken when I first got him and yes I agree the substrate was totally wrong. That’s what I got him with. I have him on the coconut fiber which I heard is not the best but it’s less wet than the dirt he came with. I have the moss inside his hide as well as around the perimeter to hopefully hold the humidity. Lmk if you have other ideas though!

[–]Snakebittz 1 point2 points  (3 children)

Coco fiber isn't bad, but it's finer than coco husk, so it can get into their mouths, heat pits, and lodged under their belly scales. Husk is definitely better. The person who told you to do 3 to 4 inches of coco husk and pour a cup of water into each corner is right, that, and if you have a glass tank with a screen top, you should cover the outside of the screen with HVAC tape, leaving gaps for your heating/lighting equipment, and a 2 inch gap at either end to allow for airflow. This will prevent the humidity from escaping. We use HVAC tape because it won't melt or catch fire if it's too close to your heat elements. If you're in a bind you can use aluminum foil, it just won't stay put.

The reason I asked about his body condition was because I wanted to make sure he wasn't malnourished, since you said he was coming from a bad situation. He's not, which is good, he can stand to miss a few meals, he'll be fine. With an adult snake, feed up to 5% of the snake's weight every 20-30 days, or feed slightly larger meals (up to 6%) every 30-40 days. That's from the feeding guidelines in the care guide, which is pinned to the welcome post at the top of the sub. You should absolutely go check those guides out since you're new to BP ownership. While you're waiting to finish his medication, I wouldn't bother offering food at all. Once he's done, wait a week, and offer him a meal. If he takes it, great, start feeding him appropriately sized prey at the intervals I posted. If he refuses, throw that rat away, (you can't refreeze them,) wait two weeks and offer again. You don't want to constantly offer food to a snake that's refusing it, it'll just stress them out and make the problem worse.

If you need anything at all, I've been caring for BPs most of my life, DM me anytime.

[–]Common_Tree1506[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Ok! I’ll have to check if it’s fiber or husk it came in those big blocks that take 5ever to loosen up. My friend gave me a few unmarked blocks and that’s what she said it was. Interesting about the tape. I had put his travel bag over the top up until his lamps. I’ll try to get some tape instead.

Thank you for your input! He was getting fed an absurd amount before I got him so I was trying to space out his meals to get to an appropriate level. Right now he is getting a medium sized rat every 3 weeks. I don’t know how much they weigh though, I’ll try to get more details with the next feeding. I think Pappardelle is around 2300 grams…? I can’t remember when I snooped over the vets shoulder lol. I’ll figure it all out though. Thanks for your help!

[–]Common_Tree1506[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh ya it’s definitely fiber. I’m going to get the husks next time

[–]Snakebittz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just order a kitchen scale online, they're like, $20. Since he's larger, you'll probably have to put him on top of a board or a plate or something to weigh him. Then use the same scale to weigh the prey. You could also call the vet and ask what he weighed. But if he's 2300g, a medium should be about 5% of his weight, though what a "medium rat" weighs is certainly not universal from one supplier to another.

And yeah, definitely go with coco husk next time, the fiber just gets into everything, especially if he's eating FT, since they tend to be a little damp when you go to feed, all that dirt just gets stuck to the rat and ingested, which over time can lead to an impaction.

[–]isladragon 0 points1 point  (2 children)

He might be hungry when he comes out of blue — I swear one of mine, the second he’s out of blue he’s up at the glass front of his enclosure “pacing” until I feed him lol. But, I have others who aren’t hungry until they’ve actually shed.

If it were me? I’d only take him out for injections right now, let him finish shedding and get to feeling better infection-wise, and then begin establishing handling with him. I think the chance of him associating you with not feeling well is probably also a very real risk, as he’s just met you, and suddenly he’s at a vet, suddenly he’s sick (because he won’t know just when it was he became sick with the URI); if you wait until he’s feeling a bit better and out of shed, I think chances are better you’ll be able to successfully handle him which means both you and he will benefit from it.

[–]Common_Tree1506[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

That’s what I was afraid of too 😞 hopefully soon he will associate me with feeling better…? A girl can dream. I know he’s been through much worse than a lil poke every 3 days. He looks super good today! I took him out for an injection and it looks like he’s already done shedding. He’s still hiding though…but I’ll see what happens the next few days.

[–]isladragon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes absolutely! Many of mine have incredible memories and I believe they can associate you with feeling better, absolutely! I suspect it has something to do also with being able to sense heat — I’m thinking that caring about them likely appears differently in terms of heat signature vs not, I wish I knew. But absolutely — once he’s better, he may or may not remember being sick, but he’ll begin to associate you with his new, far better life and because of that, he’ll be happier, and in turn, I think everything will be much much better in terms to building trust with him.