6 mth old bredli- shy or stressed?

[Cypher]

G'day guys, this is my 1st time I've had a python this young, having had adult carpets in the past.

I've had the 6 mth old Bredli for juz under 2 mnths now.
She's eaten twice, didn't like pinkie rats but gladly accepted pinky & fuzzy mice.

She's enclosed in a 3 ft glass reptile enclosure. Branches & basking lamp on one side with a temp of 35-37C. This is on a 12 hr timer that also turns on/off the full spect tube.

A heat-mat covers 3/4 the length of the tank but this is on a seperate timer that turns on at night giving a floor temp of about 28C. The heat mat turns off in the morn when the basking light switches on. A hide box is located on the other side of the basking side & sits on top of the heat mat.

The whole enclosure is located in my living room....floor boards, heavy traffic area, tv.

My concerns is that she stays in the hide box day & night & hardly ventures out.
Suffice to say, she hasn't used to basking site once.

I've handled her a couple of times & she'll quickly calm down in my hands. It's only these times that I've put her back in the enclosure that she'll climb to the highest part, close to the basking area...she'll stay there overnight but will venture back into her hide box & stay there.

Is she getting enough heat, just from the heat mat alone? Floor temp 28C. 12 hr cycle.
Should I have the heat mat on also during the day, along with the basking light?

I've read all the topics here regarding the enclosure may be too big for a 6 mth old or the location too noisy...or possibly not hot enough...????

I honestly don't want to move the entire enclosure to our spare room that's obviously quieter but hardly used at all.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[Timmy-Morelia]

look at moving it to a quiteter area like your bedroom for a start

 

[tomcat88]

has she only accepted two feeds and refused the rest or you've only fed her twice? I would probably be feeding a python of that age around once every 7 - 10 days. your temps and set up sound pretty good and like already mentioned if you move it to a quieter area this should further help. my advice would be to get some food into it every 7 - 10 days and itll grow fairly fast and the size of the enclosure wont be a problem, handle a couple times a week for 15 mins but back it off if it goes of its food. good luck

 

[neo1530]

i think your temp sounds abit high i would not let it go over the 32deg mark for a snake that is a hatchie it is ok to pump the heat in to an older snake as it helps them with there food.

running your temps that high for a hatchie may lead to other probs like dehydrationand irratation from being to hot, that that might explain her being defensive.

make sure she has a cool spot that she can go to and a dark hide so she feels safe, if you are fairly new to owning a snake you should buy keeping and breeding australian pythons it explains alot about husbandry.temps,breedin ect.....

regards

jason

 

[Kurto]

Halve the enclosure size for a start, young snakes need to feel secure. Put her some where a bit quieter for a few months and the temps are a touch to high.

 

[Kurto]

I honestly don't want to move the entire enclosure to our spare room that's obviously quieter but hardly used at all.

Your going to have to move her, at least for a little while, bredli adapt very quickly if you give them a chance.

 

[Cypher]

has she only accepted two feeds and refused the rest or you've only fed her twice? I would probably be feeding a python of that age around once every 7 - 10 days. your temps and set up sound pretty good and like already mentioned if you move it to a quieter area this should further help. my advice would be to get some food into it every 7 - 10 days and itll grow fairly fast and the size of the enclosure wont be a problem, handle a couple times a week for 15 mins but back it off if it goes of its food. good luck

I've tried feeding her a total of 4 times since I've had her.
The first 2 times were with pinky rats which she either wasn't interested in the way they "smelled" or struck at them defensively when I dangled them in front of her using chopsticks.

The moment I switched to mice (3rd try a pinky & 4th try a fuzzy) she quickly clamped onto them & fed.

Now that I know she prefers mice I can start feeding her every 7-10 days on fuzzies.

 

[Cypher]

i think your temp sounds abit high i would not let it go over the 32deg mark for a snake that is a hatchie it is ok to pump the heat in to an older snake as it helps them with there food.

running your temps that high for a hatchie may lead to other probs like dehydrationand irratation from being to hot, that that might explain her being defensive.

make sure she has a cool spot that she can go to and a dark hide so she feels safe, if you are fairly new to owning a snake you should buy keeping and breeding australian pythons it explains alot about husbandry.temps,breedin ect.....

regards

jason

I'm a bit confused when you mention the temps might be a bit too high....

A 3 ft tank. The basking sight reaches 35-37C with a long enough branch to get closer or further away from the heat source.

The rest of the tank is not heated during the day until the basking light turns off & the heat mat turns on for the night cycle reaching about 27C with still enough cool surface as the heat mat is only 3/4 the size of the tank.

Are you saying the basking site may be too hot?
(I can adjust the heat source & bring it down to about 27-30C.)

OR are you talking about the heat mat on 27C at night?

Lastly I have read that book you mentioned in the past & can easily get a copy. As I stated I've looked after grown carpets in the past but never one so young as a 6 mth old Bredli.

 

[Cypher]

Your going to have to move her, at least for a little while, bredli adapt very quickly if you give them a chance.

Yes I agree, I will have to find a smaller enclosure & also move it to a quieter location.

I have a spare fish tank I can easily convert.
It's 18 inches in length & 12 inches high.

My question is: Where should the heat source come from for this size enclosure?
A basking light OR a heat mat half the size of the tank?

 

[neo1530]

basking site at 32 max. get your self keeping and breeding australian pythons it will be the best $50 you ever spent

jason

 

[GTsteve]

This is just a thought from a novice but perhaps your gradient isn't enough. For example I read somewhere that when setting up an enclosure of any type (from click clack through to large enclosure) that the hot spot should be where the snake has to expose itself to bask but the cool end should have the hide in it. If you have the heat mat under such a large area you may be giving it all the heat it needs so unless its hungry it has no reason to leave the hide.

 

[Sock Puppet]

Hi, I also have 6 month Bredli (x2) & they are in small plastic enclosures 400x300x300H (sorry, I only do metric). Thier only heating is a 13W heatmat under half the enclosure (so only on the floor). Warm end floor temps are around 32C, measured with a digital non-contact thermometer. They each have 2x hides, a water bowl & a climbing branch. Thier enclosures are in a spare room, low traffic room. Their only lighting is a red globe hanging off a nearby desk lamp (doesn't provide any heat for them, not close enough) so I can watch them at night, & most nights they are out & relatively active, often spending a lot of time up the branches. Don't forget, this is away from the warm floor end, so they don't mind the cool 15C ambient air in the spare room! They are both now on fuzzy rats & are healthy, reliable feeders. Now every snake is different, & I'm certainly no expert (I'm still new at this reptile caper), but this way seems to work OK for my snakes, so if any of this info is useful for you, I hope it helps.

 

[tenacres1100]

She's enclosed in a 3 ft glass reptile enclosure. Branches & basking lamp on one side with a temp of 35-37C. This is on a 12 hr timer that also turns on/off the full spect tube.

A heat-mat covers 3/4 the length of the tank but this is on a seperate timer that turns on at night giving a floor temp of about 28C. The heat mat turns off in the morn when the basking light switches on. A hide box is located on the other side of the basking side & sits on top of the heat mat.

The whole enclosure is located in my living room....floor boards, heavy traffic area, tv.


Is she getting enough heat, just from the heat mat alone? Floor temp 28C. 12 hr cycle.
Should I have the heat mat on also during the day, along with the basking light?

.

your temps at the baskinking spot is to hot, 32c max is fine.

get a click clack and have the heatmat on a thermostat under 1/3 of the tub only, glass tanks don't give them a feeling of safety at all,

DON"T cool the temps at night for hatchies, keep the temp on 24/7, if your cooling at night it will stay hidden tring to keep warm.

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/1266393-post1

 

[Cheyne_Jones]

This is just a thought from a novice but perhaps your gradient isn't enough. For example I read somewhere that when setting up an enclosure of any type (from click clack through to large enclosure) that the hot spot should be where the snake has to expose itself to bask but the cool end should have the hide in it. If you have the heat mat under such a large area you may be giving it all the heat it needs so unless its hungry it has no reason to leave the hide.

Totally agree, that heat mat should be really no more than 1/3 the floor area. Snakes dont need to be hot all the time, they need the option for hot and cold.

 

[Cypher]

Thanks for all your advice guys.
Rest assured I've taken all the advice to heart & will be moving my Bredli to a slower enclosure in a quieter part of the house.

Cheers again.

 

[GTsteve]

Before you move the enclosure try changing the heating set up as per the advice above. My 5 month old Bredli's click clack is about 160cm from the ground on a tall display cabinet where I keep my die cast cars. My 2 kids toy box is directly below it and we spend all of our time in the lounge when we are home. The cabinet gets bumped & knocked just about daily but I want him where I can appreciate him at a glance and he doesn't ever seem to mind. He doesn't ever flinch even if he is awake & out & about. It makes me think the traffic probably isn't the issue.........

 

[Cypher]

After reading everybody's helpful advice, I've decided on a compromise...

Firstly move the 6 mth Bredli to a smaller enclosure.
I can understand that considering it was raised & has spent all its life so far in a click clack container from the breeders, a 3ft glass enclosure would be daunting.

I'll lower the heat I've been maintaining in the smaller enclosure, using only a heat mat, half the size of the enclosure.

And laslty, rather than moving the smaller enclosure into the spare room, I'll still keep it in the lounge room but move it furthest away from the tv & high traffic area. I have a 3 yr old son so I really need the python to adjust to the noise of the household.

If she still doesn't venture out in the smaller enclosure in the living room then I'll move her to the spare room.