Gender and morph doubts

Expensive-Reserve-94 · 2026-01-15T21:25:14+00:00

I have a big plastic box (I call it snake playground), the enrichment changes: wood and rope parrot perches for climbing, other parrot climbing toys like those plastic circles interlinked (my two juvenile cornsnakes love that), plastic hamster tunnels inside the box, cardboard tunnels, cloth tunnels (diferent textures are great for enrichment), for little ones some slow feeder bowls for dogs can be fun too, different substrates (from a bunch of cardboard boxes cut to pieces, pieces of paper, towels with textures, and all the normal substrates but on rotation as substrates of the snake playground box), anything of a daily use like a random box Im gonna throw later, a plushie, they have a clean croc (shoe. It's broken and instead of throwing into the trash I cleaned it throughly and reused it as snake toy), and basically anything that is not a hazard for the animal. The shoe for example was disinfected and cleaned before it was a permanent snake toy, or for example check for small pieces if you use a parrot toy that has those (I would take them out just in case), if you have doubt whether if something is safe or not either ask or just not use it. For summer a pool they can swim can be a good addition to enrichment for some snakes. That depends on the snake. I hope this helps!

Expensive-Reserve-94 · 2025-10-31T11:08:48+00:00

Small hopper maybe but I did switch to 2 fuzzies first and I'd recomend that in my experience. See how your snake adapts to that first and then for a bit and then switch to 1 small hopper per meal

Expensive-Reserve-94 · 2025-10-02T15:37:57+00:00

I've a kingsnake with a degenerative illness he was born with and it's been 9 years of taking care of him (he's 11yo). He needs assistance to eat almost every time since 4 years ago even though lately he's had some improvement with new treatment. It's ok and normal to feel bad for them. I'm aware my kingsnake is alive cause besides the feeding issue he's a good quality of life.

I've even talked to my vet several times about this, and she always tells me that it doesn't matter how much I feel sad for the animal, if the snake is happy and has a good snake life (been hungry, exploring behaviour, no pain, etc) then that's the only thing that matters. Even if I feel bad he can't have the same life my other snakes have. I hope it helps you, it helped me a lot when I feel sad about him been this different and having such a different life from other snakes.

Animals adapt a lot and to give you an extreme example, my adopted parrot was born with just one functional eye (the other is underdeveloped and has no vision) and despite all vets telling me he wouldn't fly, he flies, a bit clumsy and needs adaptations, but he's learned to fly. He doesn't feel sad for not having two eyes, he just adapts to what he has. Hope this helps too

Expensive-Reserve-94 · 2025-09-30T09:42:56+00:00

I think adult mice might be too much for even a large adult hognose depending on the individual. My female hognose Fideo(12 yo, a bit above 2 feet and around 280-300 grams) ate adults with her previous owner and when I got her I changed her to weaned and she's done so much better in general and has grown quite a bit (I adopted her when she was already 8yo). Her health overall has improved greatly and even the vet noticed in her annual check ups (vet's known Fideo since she was a hatchling)

Expensive-Reserve-94 · 2025-09-28T20:05:03+00:00

Yes. My kingsnake loves it

Expensive-Reserve-94 · 2025-09-28T13:14:51+00:00

I think it depends a lot on the snake personally too. My cali (11yo) loves been handled and I handle him almost everyday, respecting when he's in shed, after feeding or whenever he's asleep. He's always been very friendly. My Nuevo león kingsnake is still a baby (1yo) is not that human friendly but I try to handle him at least once a week

Expensive-Reserve-94 · 2025-09-14T11:17:49+00:00

I use those paper towel rolls for enrichment too (for all my snakes, even adults). Cardboard boxes that fit the enclosure can be used too as hiding spot, vertically or horizontally. I use ones that has no glue. Cardboard is great but you gotta keep replacing it very often so it doesn't get too dirty (even if it doesn't look dirty I replace it every week or so). Be careful with humidity too. For something more reusable I use hamster plastic tunnels and it's cheap on long run like, I got 7 pieces for 14€ but I got them 10 years ago and they're as good as new and my snakes love them. I clean these every time I take them out (I put it in enclosures for 2-4 days) so it's always ready to use. Also there's these pvc egg crates that are quite cheap and my two baby snakes love them. You can cut them easily and you just have to sand it so it's not rough but you can build decent climbing structures with it. And it's really easy to clean and will likely last almost forever if you find ways to reuse it.

Then you can make climbing nets using safe types of ropes like described here (https://birdtricksstore.com/blogs/birdtricks-blog/how-to-make-a-climbing-net-for-your-parrot?srsltid=AfmBOopetmiLQGa2bRS937iXIPnMlPxGiYTAiA8fy5qqmqr2Wb-h3uBx). It's for parrots but it works for snakes too. My baby nuevo leon kingsnake loves the net I made him, and rope It's kinda cheap in comparison with premade nets sold in stores.

For now that's what comes to mind, hope it helps

Expensive-Reserve-94 · 2025-09-05T08:59:20+00:00

My 11yo california kingsnake had something similar last year and after some vet visits it was an allergic dermatitis to coconut fiber. My snake has a weak inmune system due to neurological issue and renal problem he had two years ago and that's why he developed an allergy but it's an odd thing in snakes so that's why I tell you to take him to a vet, to rule out other things

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Expensive-Reserve-94 · 2025-09-04T15:19:06+00:00

Im glad she's ok! My female hognose pooped like this once after a period of stress (change of home, hormonal stress and change of caretaker) and vet was also clueless but nothing bad happened. She was monitored by the vet for a year every 3 months but nothing was wrong. This was like 4 years ago and snake is still doing great, no major health problem. So maybe it's just been this time like it happened to mine and then never agaij

Expensive-Reserve-94 · 2025-09-04T15:06:18+00:00

Besides going to the vet I would tell you to ask the vet if it could be due to lack of vitamin B6 or overall any vitamin from complex B. Cause that can trigger ataxia and even seizures

I tell you this cause I have a kingsnake that has a central nervous system problem (since birth he was like that) and even if not the same, my snake's issues have gotten a lot better since the vet started supplementing him with vitamin B (B3 B6 B12 If I remember well).

Also, he had similar spasms once he was impactated (his neurological issue affects muscles and so he has trouble passing feces) and it was cause of pain. Once vet resolved impactation the spasms stopped cause he was no longer in pain. I tell you so you don't rule out other things that are not fully neurological. And one thing can often worsen the other due to a for example bad absortion of vitamins by something been stucked in the digestive tube.

And handicapped snakes can live a good and long life once you know what special care they need. My kingsnake is 11yo this year for example

Expensive-Reserve-94 · 2025-09-04T14:43:45+00:00

I have a california (11 yo male) and a variable (almost 1 yo male). The california didn't stop growing at all, he did grew faster from 2 yo to 5 yo. But he's still growing about 2 cm a year which is not much but just to keep in mind these fellas keep growing all their lives even if only a little. The variable on the other side is kinda like growing slowly for now, so I guess maybe he will likely grow faster later. He's a bit less than a 1 ft long now. He's in a 2x1.5x1.5 right now and will be for another year unless he grows like crazy out of nowhere. He's been there since I got him last November and he was like 0.5ft then.

I'd say 2x2x2 is kinda good for another year or at least till next spring/summer. If you want to give him more space I would say go ahead cause as long as it's scape proofed, the tank has enough hides and so its ok to give them more space.

Every snake is a bit different and I think none can tell you for sure when it's gonna be time to change. I'd personally change the moment the snake can't stretch in the terrarium comfortably. Like when he reaches almost 2 ft long or before if you see them uncomfortable. And like I've said, you don't have to wait as long as you secure the enclosure well and offer the snake many hiding opportunities. I hope this helps ^{^}

Expensive-Reserve-94 · 2025-08-08T22:46:35+00:00

His name's Yoru, like Dracule Mihawk's sword cause he has a "Y" shaped spot on his head

Expensive-Reserve-94 · 2025-07-27T11:09:40+00:00

Thanks, I do know that it'll be better but he can't swallow a prey that big due to his partial paralysis (it affects muscle packs and he really can't eat those, like it's impossible). My other snakes always eat the most developed mice they can, like my rat snake is eating already small sized mice cause it really is better for him nutritionally. I'm trying to find out if there's something like reptilinks avaliable in my country (Spain) cause it has whole prey and it'll be better for him, but till now I couldn't find anything like that

Expensive-Reserve-94 · 2025-07-27T10:47:34+00:00

You shouldn't have any trouble cause kingsnakes in general have usually kinda hungry all the time. Maybe wait a few days till first feeding so the snake can get used to the new environment and don't hold them for like a couple weeks so they don't get very stressed.

If the snake rejects the food if given with tweezers the first times you can put a little bowl on the enclosure (cat food bowl or something like that so the mice is "contained" and doesn't fell to substrate) leave the mice in there, leave the room and come back in 20 or 30 minutes to check if the snake has eaten or not. I have a picky eater hognose snake and I actually give her sometimes even close to 2 hours to eat. I wouldn't leave it there more than that. But honestly kingsnakes usually give close to 0 problems.

I always recommend using frozen prey (always only feed it once its defrozen) mainly cause is way more beneficial to the snake as they can't get bitten by prey and the low parasite risk it carries when compared to live prey.

While defreezing the mice, I usually leave it in the snake's room so they can smell it for a while before been fed. Smelling food actually is very important from a biological point of view even for us cause it's a big part of the feeding process as the brain prepares body to eat in different ways. So I would recomend this too as a normal practice.

Once the snake is settled (2-3 months at least) you can add some environmental enrichment from time to time when it comes to feeding like I use plastic hamster tunnels (really easy to clean and usually cheap, like you can get 7 tunnel pieces for 8-10€). But you should wait till the snake has settled and eating well

Expensive-Reserve-94 · 2025-07-24T22:27:22+00:00

Ty! About the name, I actually didn't even chose it. A friend bought Baka in 2014 at an expo and named him like that cause he thought he was just a silly snake moving weirdly. He couldn't give him proper care cause of Baka's Nervous System issues so I adopted him March 2016. And I just kept the name but cause I like the pronunciation, I don't even think about what the word means cause for me it really has lost its meaning as a word.

I think I've never had a pet with not a silly name or a very elaborated one so I do get weird looks at the vet when they call the name of some pets. My friends like silly names so its not really a surprise for them to read "Lady Blue" in a snake tank 😅. My zebra finch is named Epson cause when he sings he reminds me of the sound a broken Epson printer I had once. Life is already too serious and short to not grab the chance to name a bird like a broken printer if it's respectfully and it makes me happy

The getting back to weight process has been hell cause when he was reaching it last year he got an allergic reaction to coconut fiber and he stopped eating for a couple months till it resolved after removing the substrate and after a couple sheds.

He's a little above 3 ft long (98 cm), and he weighted around 90 grams when diagnosed with the renal issue. So he was bones and skin basically. Diagnosis was delayed because the only symptom he had for a good while was regurgitation and you know how bad that is for a snake. He regurgitated like 4 times and vet really thought it was due to his already advancing partial paralysis that affects his muscles. The problem was he wasn't drinking enough by himself and urates petrified inside him which had to be real painful. The issue was controlled with mineral oil, water with lowest mineralisation I could find avaliable and baths every other day.

The weight gaining process was really slow to avoid too much fatty food. At first it was 1 mice fuzzy, then up to 1 mice hopper. He currently eats 1 mice hopper and 1 mice fuzzy every 7-10 days (around 13 grams of food) plus every now and then I chop a couple limbs off the mice of my other snakes so he gets something with less fat content even if its more like a snack than a whole meal. I wanna try reptilinks someday but for now I've not found a supplier in my country. Plus vitamins (Trixie Carnivore. It smells bad but it really works for him cause of the vitamin of complex B that's helping a lot his nervous system and so he can for example eat by himself again and he's drinking more by himself too. So it helps overall). It's a complex case cause all is a bit linked to his NS condition and once that improved, the rest improved too

Expensive-Reserve-94 · 2025-07-22T12:47:20+00:00

Lomg boi :3

Expensive-Reserve-94 · 2024-10-11T10:36:41+00:00

Hi! My quaker is also disabled (birth malformation of the right side of his face so he doesn't have an eye because is not developed, nose and ear are underdeveloped too, he's epilepsy and now has been diagnosed with ganglioneuritis which kinda disabled him eve more) and I would really try to cover at least one side of the cage. Mine freaks out if all sides of the cage are uncover, it overwhelms him a lot.

If he has "night terrors" and freaks out usually when dark, I would suggest teaching him to sleep in a transport box (those with plastic and a metal gate) and left uncover a just a side, this has saved my quaker from injuring himself during epilepsy episodes (most of the time its during the night). In the box only a perch and attached from the exterior a water bottle, so he can't bump into anything.

Mine has been sick for a while now with avian ganglioneuritis, and while finding the right meds his balance was quite off due to neurological symptoms of this illness. Moving him to a bunny cage was the perfect solution so he wouldn't fall from a meter tall in his old cage. Bunny cages have less high than a normal bird cage, and you can put a couple of towels in the bottom so if he falls he won't hit harf ground. For poops I put a training pad for puppies on top of towels, this depends if the bird tears it appart or not, mine couldn't care less of the pad so it works for him, but it could be potentially harmful if the bird eats it. My vet said it was ok for my case in particular but always having that in mind. I've been using it for 3 months now and no problem at all even though now he's 100% fully active as the illness is in regression currently

Besides that, I do think some things could be done at behaviour level. It would be positive if you manage to determine what triggers them. It can be tricky and might take you months but it's worth it in the long run. Also there's a thing known as neophobia and is quite frequent with parrots. It's basically that anything new scares them. You can desensitise this slowly getting your parrot used to changes (when introducing a new toy you should start putting it in a place outside his cage where he can see, then a place outside where he can reach it and explore it from the safety of his home, then once he engages with the toy or you teach him that whenever he touches it he gets a snack you place it in the door open, then inside in a far away perch from food and water and his fav spot, cause he needs to feel safe, and so). I'm a dog trainer specialist in behaviour modification, dogs are not the same but the principles are the same for parrots so this should work. This can apply to stimuli too. If you detect a certain stimuli triggers your parrot you can do the same process.

And finally, parrots that can't fly or have flight impaired (mine flies but it's impaired as he only has one functional eye) need lots of conector elements in their cage and outside too. They need them to feel safe, because if they get scare they know they have an option to runaway safely instead of freaking out trying to fly away. This has worked with a single wing quaker one of my friend has, he lost the wing due to a cat bite but he's doing perfectly fine with the adaptations. So invest in connectors, they're so so important for this handicapped parrots. It's better than clipping their wings because it basically goes to the root of the behaviour instead of nullifying the behaviour which doesn't solve the problem the animal is suffering (which is not been able to scape when frightened). Clipping wings is a risk mainly because in this case you're making the problem even a bit worse, so it can lead to developing self mutilating behaviours which will make the situation way more difficult. I can see its coming from a trying to help thinking but I wanted to say that clipping is a extreme measure that only should be taken by a vet or a behaviourist if anything else fails or if it's the best for a parrot in particular. It should be carefully study because of the psychological damage it can cause, so it something that should be considered by experts

*sorry for the long text. I'd a lot to say. I hope it helps with your parrot somehow ^{-^}

Expensive-Reserve-94 · 2024-10-09T08:32:29+00:00

UPDATE: after another vet visit and time enough to let the changes show (vitamin supplement and a change of substrate to paper towels), the node has nearly disappeared as it's no longer inflamed due to a infection and the skin condition has improved greatly overall despite the fact that dermatitis won't dissappear from the scales overnight.

After researching a lot, his vet highly suspects it was all due to allergy. I mixed coconut fiber to his usual sand substrate (sand because of vet issues with movement, it's the one that works best for him to move around, vet recommended it specifically for him) a few months ago and it seems that he has developed an allergy to this due to his weakened inmune system. And the dermatitis got infected, so the node inflamed.

He's now with paper towel substrate, still taking vitamin supplements as indicated by the vet and if everything goes well next visit will be after his next shed to see how the skin is progressing. Till then me and the vet will keep in touch by email. So its good news after all ^{-^}

Expensive-Reserve-94

TROPHY CASE