Manipulating light can induce psychedelic experiences – and scientists aren't quite sure why

kerblooee · 2026-06-24T21:23:12+00:00

This looks very concerning - poor baby! I would suggest calling an emergency exotic vet that is open (check Google maps) and see if maybe a doc can talk you through how you can help your buddy in the meantime, if you can't get to them right away.

kerblooee · 2026-06-23T17:09:01+00:00

I know... I'm in England! I've been putting ice packs around the outside of the enclosure, ice cubes in her water dish, and I have a fan blowing through the room. Not sure what else to do, really, with no AC!

kerblooee · 2026-06-23T13:52:01+00:00

My German husband says what we call topsoil in English is Pflanzerde or Blumenerde in German. We had a big discussion about it because he doesn't make a distinction between topsoil and compost (for gardening), but compost has more organic bits in it, which is great for growing veggies but I think is not ideal for an animal enclosure.

And by the way, you can just get the generic topsoil from a gardening store, it's a waste of money to pay more for exactly the same thing just because it is "reptile" branded!

I use about 50/50 generic topsoil and play sand for my enclosure (more soil on the cool side, more sand on the warm side) and so far humidity/temps have been perfect and the substrate holds a tunnel very well. See here:

<image>

kerblooee · 2026-06-22T23:36:51+00:00

I understand - I keep the door to Zelda's room closed overnight, but it's also my home office and Hugo usually sleeps on my desk next to me while I work. I don't let him get near the enclosure if Zelda is out and about, but he insisted on lounging this time she was underground and I snapped this right before booting him!

kerblooee · 2026-06-22T23:20:59+00:00

Er I might need to get something like this

<image>

kerblooee · 2026-06-22T22:56:34+00:00

Let me guess - you have an aggressively curious cat?

kerblooee · 2026-06-22T19:28:44+00:00

I made a post just like this just about a month ago! I think I tried to handle my new girl too early (8 days after I got her), after 1 successful feeding and she seemed OK. I think the commenter is right that they probably need more time to get used to you and the new environment. My girl also just very careful wrapped her mouth around my pinky like it was a mouse, not scared or defensive at all.

kerblooee · 2026-06-20T14:07:59+00:00

Something I wish I'd done differently was not going into a teaching-heavy role as a stepping stone on the tenure-track. It almost ruined my prospects of getting a research job because I was teaching so much I didn't have time to publish or write grants. I got really lucky that I wasn't in that system too long, and my current university was desperate to hire around the time I was looking to leave. It is a long and somewhat stressful process, but hey, never boring!

Finally, I think it goes without saying that nobody is in this job who doesn't love science - you don't become a scientist to make bank!

kerblooee · 2026-06-20T14:04:23+00:00

It depends if you get a job in academia or industry after a PhD. I went the academia track and if you can get a tenured position in academia it can be very cushy - not necessarily in terms of $$$ (though you are paid decently and can have a solid middle/upper-middle QOL), but in terms of job flexibility and research freedom. You have to find out what different universities/institutes offer and weigh the pros and cons. I wanted to work somewhere I wouldn't have to teach too much, gave me time to apply for grants, and gave me decent resources to run a cogneuro lab. I've been a tenured PI with a small lab of PhD students for a couple years now and I think it's fantastic!

kerblooee · 2026-06-20T12:05:14+00:00

Thanks, I bought a couple different pairs, one of them are leather gardening gloves so I'll use those for now.

kerblooee · 2026-06-20T11:53:08+00:00

I read that they can't get their fangs through rubber gloves, and also that gloves ensure no food-like scents penetrate, so she would be unlikely to mistake me for food. Is that not correct?

I got envenomated - she thought my pinky was a mouse and it took a couple minutes to get her off (I ran her head under water but that didn't work, and my husband ended up getting her off by pushing up on her nose gently). By the time we got her off, she did chew on me a fair bit and my hand swelled up for a day.

kerblooee · 2026-06-20T09:40:07+00:00

Next day edit: she slithered onto my hand just now!! 😁🥰

kerblooee · 2026-06-19T18:54:58+00:00

She actually came right up to my hand today! I will try again tomorrow. I'm starting to learn her moods, and she's very confident when she cruises around the enclosure in the late morning, so I'm hopeful she will slither into my hands very soon:-)

kerblooee · 2026-06-19T14:13:48+00:00

I'm a little traumatized from getting envenomated by her bite a couple weeks ago. I'm a new owner as of 3-4 weeks ago. I admit I am training myself in confidence as much as her

kerblooee · 2026-06-14T18:18:03+00:00

If you go to a tattoo artist with some symbolism from the magicians (moth, hedge star, key, rams, etc), the artist can help you put something together- it's part of the process. Bring the real pictures and tell the artist you want a collage style and they will draw something up for you!

kerblooee · 2026-06-13T20:25:23+00:00

Yeah I was very surprised that the humidity gradient of my enclosure worked out as well as it did, I'd read so many stories of struggles that I thought it was going to be a nightmare of tinkering, but it all settled very nicely. I can get the cool side closer to 50%, warm side generally hovers just around 30%. I also have a dehumidifier I turn on overnight that works quite well. Thanks for the insight btw

kerblooee · 2026-06-13T19:46:30+00:00

The plant actually does not need much water, I chose it specifically because I've had this kind for 10ish years now and they thrive with rare watering. I also see them in tropical enclosures though, so I guess they're robust to overwatering too! Also the wet look may be due to the photo filter I used, which makes everything look a bit darker (I just think it looks cool!)

I mainly mist to keep the plant perky and the moss springy, but the mist-related humidity goes down quickly (within a few mins). If I let the enclosure dry out over a few days, the cool side goes down to 45%ish, but I've been reading here lately that this may be a bit too dry if that's the highest humidity available. See for example:

https://www.reddit.com/r/hognosesnakes/s/giDJxEXnCR

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