Adopted Coastal Carpet Python

[jacqui_]

Hey guys,

I adopted a coastal carpet python on Saturday from the Unusual Pet Vets in Karingal. He's much bigger than I expected (around 1m long), although quite flighty which was expected. He's quite underweight and my goal at the moment is to get him feeding ASAP. If anyone could offer up some tips, that would be great.

Saturday, I tried getting him in a feeding tub I usually put my spotted in to feed with a fuzzy and he was too scared, so I moved him back to his enclosure and placed it in there with him but I suspect he was too out of sorts to feed. I attempted feeding him again today, with a weaner in the enclosure. He struck twice but didn't take, and I've left it in there for a couple hours now and he is still ignoring it. He was wild, captured and given to the rescue so I'm not sure if he'll taken to feeding frozen / thawed too enthusiastically, but I would love some help! (The rescue was also unable to get him to eat thawed pinkies.)

Thank you!

 

[dragonlover1]

first mistake is moving before feeding.Always feed in enclosure.If you think about it, how can you move it? After feeding you shouldn't handle for 2 days.so how can you put it back? Also it can take a week or so to settle into a new home so let him settle and then offer food.
I have 2 basic movements for pythons
1 is feeding and 1 is handling, keep the 2 separate to avoid confusion. Snakes are not renowned for their intelligence so keep it simple.Feed in enclosure, only take them out for handling

 

[Sdaji]

This is the most difficult time of year to work on a tricky feeder, and wild caught snakes are often difficult. I'm not sure how a wild snake ended up in your hands through that way, but it is what it is. Leave it alone as much as possible (no handling until it's reliably feeding), feed in the enclosure, if he has a favourite hide, you can try leaving the mouse/rat just outside the entrance to the hide while he's in it. Offer feed in the early to mid evening, after sunset. Make sure feed offered is warm (not too hot, not cold, just right, think Goldilocks). There are other tricks you can try, but given the time of year it might be best to simply wait until spring unless he's looking dangerously underweight. Stressing him out with rats he doesn't want to eat for several months will train him to see rats as negative things to avoid, rather than yummy things to eat.

Obviously it goes without saying that you want the enclosure set up well, temperatures correct, etc.

 

[Izzyy]

As everyone else is saying, don't handle before feeding, especially as they're wild caught.
Also you really should provide a decent chunk of time for them to settle in, bear in mind they've been shifted around, poked and prodded for the past however long. They're probably incredibly confused, just give them a week or two to settle in, don't touch them, just leave them be.
As they are wild caught, they may not take frozen thawed, but it is best to try once they are a little more settled in, inside their enclosure, and at a time of day where they are active.
My adult coastal goes bonkers at night, roaming around on everything, as soon lights go off, he's out. So that would probaby be a preferable time to feed them, as in the wild they'd probably aim to catch their prey during the later hours of the day.
If the temperatures are right, enclosure has plenty of spaces to hide, the snake is calmer and not been touched, your chances are a lot higher.
Also, maybe booking to meet the animal before just going and getting it may have given you a better idea on size and temperament.

 

[Herpetology]

I’m still confused why they gave you a wild caught animal unless it’s had to have surgery and needs time to heal before being released

 

[JoshsAussieReptiles]

I’m still confused why they gave you a wild caught animal unless it’s had to have surgery and needs time to heal before being released

Probably part of the "Homeless Herps" campaign, basically if anything comes in via fruit trucks etc. they rehabilitate and then release to the public, as many of the animals are unknown as to where they came from previously and could pose a threat being re-introduced to a different population.

 

[GBWhite]

Hey guys,

I adopted a coastal carpet python on Saturday from the Unusual Pet Vets in Karingal. He's much bigger than I expected (around 1m long), although quite flighty which was expected. He's quite underweight and my goal at the moment is to get him feeding ASAP. If anyone could offer up some tips, that would be great.

Saturday, I tried getting him in a feeding tub I usually put my spotted in to feed with a fuzzy and he was too scared, so I moved him back to his enclosure and placed it in there with him but I suspect he was too out of sorts to feed. I attempted feeding him again today, with a weaner in the enclosure. He struck twice but didn't take, and I've left it in there for a couple hours now and he is still ignoring it. He was wild, captured and given to the rescue so I'm not sure if he'll taken to feeding frozen / thawed too enthusiastically, but I would love some help! (The rescue was also unable to get him to eat thawed pinkies.)

Thank you!

Hi Jacqui,

From what you've said I take it that you're in Victoria so naturally if you want to get the snake to eat the temperature of the enclosure is going to be the most significant factor.

Even this time of the year it shouldn't be too hard to get it eating as long as it can reach and maintain it's required body temperature. If you haven't fixed the situation yet then I've had a lot of success over the years getting small wild and captive pythons to eat using the following method.

If it's around 1 metre long I'd put it in a smallish enclosure like a 10 to 15 litre plastic tub over a heat mat which, given your location and the time of year, should cover between a third to half the floor area) set the heat mat thermostat at around 32 deg C. You can leave the mat on 24/7. Use paper towel as a substrate. Provide a very small, shallow & spill proof water bowl at the cool end and suitable hide (just big enough for it to squeeze into) on the heat mat end. Naturally provide sufficient ventilation holes across the top of the sides of the tub and a piece of dowel across the tub for it to perch. I'd say that it's scared and feeling insecure because it has been getting moved around from place to place, so, for the time being leave it alone and place the enclosure in a low traffic area or if this is not possible make up a screen from cardboard that will shield at least 3 sides of the tub and place this around the outside of the tub to provide the snake with some privacy.

Try and keep an eye on it over the ensuing days from a bit of a distance and without disturbing it to try and see what it's up to. If it's warm and comfortable it should start to explore it's enclosure and slowly but surely spend more and more time outside the hide. Once it starts doing this regularly you can consider offering food. If you see it start perching with it's head facing down, then that's a good sign that's it's looking for a feed so it would be an ideal time to offer it a meal. If it looks thin and hasn't eaten for a while it's advisable to just offer something small around the size of a "hopper" mouse so it doesn't put a lot of strain on the snake's metabolism to digest it then, once you've had some success offer "hoppers" for a couple of more feeds then start to up size the food item. FYI a 1 metre Carpet is quite capable of taking a full grown mouse.

Here's some pics of the tubs I use. These are 7 litre.


Hope this helps.

George.

 

[jacqui_]

Hi Jacqui,

From what you've said I take it that you're in Victoria so naturally if you want to get the snake to eat the temperature of the enclosure is going to be the most significant factor.

Even this time of the year it shouldn't be too hard to get it eating as long as it can reach and maintain it's required body temperature. If you haven't fixed the situation yet then I've had a lot of success over the years getting small wild and captive pythons to eat using the following method.

If it's around 1 metre long I'd put it in a smallish enclosure like a 10 to 15 litre plastic tub over a heat mat which, given your location and the time of year, should cover between a third to half the floor area) set the heat mat thermostat at around 32 deg C. You can leave the mat on 24/7. Use paper towel as a substrate. Provide a very small, shallow & spill proof water bowl at the cool end and suitable hide (just big enough for it to squeeze into) on the heat mat end. Naturally provide sufficient ventilation holes across the top of the sides of the tub and a piece of dowel across the tub for it to perch. I'd say that it's scared and feeling insecure because it has been getting moved around from place to place, so, for the time being leave it alone and place the enclosure in a low traffic area or if this is not possible make up a screen from cardboard that will shield at least 3 sides of the tub and place this around the outside of the tub to provide the snake with some privacy.

Try and keep an eye on it over the ensuing days from a bit of a distance and without disturbing it to try and see what it's up to. If it's warm and comfortable it should start to explore it's enclosure and slowly but surely spend more and more time outside the hide. Once it starts doing this regularly you can consider offering food. If you see it start perching with it's head facing down, then that's a good sign that's it's looking for a feed so it would be an ideal time to offer it a meal. If it looks thin and hasn't eaten for a while it's advisable to just offer something small around the size of a "hopper" mouse so it doesn't put a lot of strain on the snake's metabolism to digest it then, once you've had some success offer "hoppers" for a couple of more feeds then start to up size the food item. FYI a 1 metre Carpet is quite capable of taking a full grown mouse.

Here's some pics of the tubs I use. These are 7 litre.

Hope this helps.

George.

Hi George,

Thank you for the tips. He's been switching between his hide and going under the newspaper I've put down and is in an almost opaque tub (like the ones you've got pictured).
That's what I've thought as well, feeling scared and insecure, but he seems to be a little bit more comfortable now that it's been a few days. I'll definitely wait until he starts looking for food until I offer again; thank you so much!

Jacqui.

 

[Izzyy]

I’m still confused why they gave you a wild caught animal unless it’s had to have surgery and needs time to heal before being released

It's probably because the snake came from a different state, they didn't just pick it up off the street. It was found after being transported from another state, releasing it into suburban VIC wouldn't be a good idea, and they wouldn't have the available option to send it back without fees and the right temperatures etc. It wasn't "wild caught" just a more "wild" snake.
Plus there's the potential threats to our states wildlife, yada yada.

 

[dragonlover1]

I'd listen to George, he is one of the most knowledgeable people on here