My first snake, please help :)

[Trouta]

Got my first snake, please help

Hi Guys and Girls
Got my dream present last weekend for my Birthday a Murray Darling Python and shes a beauty, she is 2 years old and around 2 metres long and has been hand raised since she was the size of a pen. Ive never had a snake before and must say i found it very daunting/nerve wrecking holding her for the first time, let alone getting her out of the cage for the first time, but i have done so, only going by the fact it has never bitten ive been told. Ive been busy at work this week 12-13 hour days so havent even picked her up this week, i noticed she has done quite a big poop in her cage so i cleaned that out, she seemed a bit different/adgitated or is this my nerves playing on me since i havent handled her in 3 days. The previous owner said he feed her a baby rat every 3 weeks, this sunday coming up will be 2 weeks, could she be hungry again? Any good sites on body language of snakes?? Or any help just in general from u expereinced people would be great. I think the nerves are getting the best of me as im kinda waiting for it to bite me, im 42 years old so im a adult and would like to learn all about her

thx for any replies and look forward to chatting on here lots

 

[najanaja]

being a Murray means she is a Morelia...

There always hungry,,, lol

in this time of year she could be getting ready for a feed after 2 weeks..

Give her a rat and see if she settles a bit.. it wont hurt her..
matter of fact, give her two and really let her settle into her new home..

 

[leighroy6]

welcome trouta
i have an MD myself bout the same age, how long have u had her? she'l probly seem bit adgitated and hidin out for afew weeks coz of her new enviroment, so maybe try not handle her so much n let her get used to her home ..ive only ever read good things bout MDs, when i take mine out shes so gentle never trys to bit me just slithers around my arms n shoulders..i might be feedin her more often tho, i feed mine a small rat once every 10 days

 

[smigga]

Hi, Welcome to APS.
IMO your snake could eat a much larger meal than a baby rat. A 2 metre long Murray Darling could easily eat a Large rat. Good luck with her and you will learn alot off of this site.

P.S could you post some pics

 

[beersdave]

dont stress, they are hardy animals. thay dont need to be played with each day like a dog. let her get comfortable in her new cage, get her feeding well on good sized rats and than worry about getting her out when you have time. dont stress!!

 

[Trouta]

Hi Guys and Thx for the replies guys, i read somewhere online feed them food no more than double here head size, shes only got a tiny head so im thinking wow small rat ive only had her 5 days, i had her out for the first 2 days (over weekend) and she seemed quite relaxed, just been back at work for last 3 days and spent no time holding her, ill post some photos now, as i said its my first ever snake, so the nerves are getting at me a bit, watched heaps over docos over the years and they all say when the coil back they gonna bite, shes does this a bit but never bitten, i think shes playing games with me








Shes a BEAUTY

 

[jamesbecker]

hey, congrats on your python

lol when they are going to strike, you will definatly know! its not really that they coil back a bit, but they more so go into an S shape and look aggressive .. thats when you stand back lol

 

[leighroy6]

gorgeous MD i love the black n creamy ones..she looks well fed, but yeah i'd say maybe upgrade her food..try one small rat if she eats it in under 10 mins then next time go two small rats or maybe try a medium rat.. do u have a hide box for her?..itl take her a good 2 weeks to get used to her new enclosure so after that i'd say youd be right to handle her, i take mine out once every 2 - 3 days..everytime mine S'd up i got nervous as haha but mine seems to do that alot but she never bites, after awhile you'l notice when shes gunna strike you can see it in her eyes lol hope all goes well with your new snake

 

[thebraddles]

she looks the same size as mine mate, im feeding 1 large rat every 2 weeks. up size her food for sure.

 

[Dannyboi]

she looks the same size as mine mate, im feeding 1 large rat every 2 weeks. up size her food for sure.

Thats what I thought the second I saw her.

she looks the same size as mine mate, im feeding 1 large rat every 2 weeks. up size her food for sure.

Thats what I thought the second I saw the pics.

 

[Just_Plain_Nuts]

dont be scared about the rat being too big for her, as a newbie you'd be surprised what they can eat.

 

[Trouta]

Thx Boys, yeah that stone in her tank is actually a hide, she gets under there reguarly, ill get her some rats and feed her this sunday, it will be exactly 2 weeks since her last feed apparently, i also heard they like to climb, so i think ill try and find her a branch or something so she can at least climb up that a bit, cant wait to see her feed for the first time, hot day in adelaide today 36 degrees, 12 hour day at work, smashed a 6 pack after work, so gonna hit the showers and with a bit extra dutch courage ill get her out for a play tonight

 

[fabregasreptiles]

dont worry, when they're gonna strike, you'll no coz they start swaying, etc. MD are generally very placid tho so it should be fine. as a first python, u always have nerves but this will gradually grow as u handle it more. like others have said, let it settle in.

and large rats should be easily downed by her. maybe every 2 weeks feed a large rat then gradually lower to every 3 weeks

 

[rockstar_jones]

haha welcome, another person from SA.

Yeah as others have said she could definately take a very decent sized rat. Going off the photographs you've posted you could easily aim for a rat that is slightly larger than the thickest part of her body.

haha 12 hour shift not bad. I need 9 today in the full elements digging and grading benched trenches at 3.5 below ground level!

As for the nerves, maybe invest in a decent snake hook. Between $10-30 depending where you go, can get offline etc. The snake would probably feel a lot less agitated in the short term when you go to get her out as from my little experience when I was new to it, being nervous and having no confidence as grabbing them out seemed to make them a bit more agitated etc. (I can now reach in and grab either my BHP or Bredli with no dramas.)

She is a great looking snake by the way. Enclosure looks interesting also, just make sure the glass is secure and cant slide etc as they are great escape artists and quite strong.

Michael

 

[chewbacca]

you should snaz up your enclosure a little like this might make your snake a little less stressed and relaxed coz it can hide and feel "at home"

ps; please nobody comment on me not having cages around my heat lamps -_-

 

[rockstar_jones]

^ Those exo terra plants actually look pretty good when used in a decent quantity as you have :O nice work. And yes I recall that u have light cages for it and theres no pythons in it, before someone ignores your request and flames ya.

Michael

 

[tigerbudgie]

what the hell was he feeding it to get it to 2m in only 2 years? that's insane imo and judging by the pics i'd be feeding it an adult rat for sure. it could handle a rat no worries not jumbos but a standard rat. i seriously doubt it's only 2yrs old. but it's a beauty i love MD colours.

 

[waikare]

awesome md mate i got a hatchie a year ago as my third snake and is so placid and has never biten, would recommend them to any one who was looking for there first snake.

 

[Blondie84]

what the hell was he feeding it to get it to 2m in only 2 years? that's insane imo and judging by the pics i'd be feeding it an adult rat for sure. it could handle a rat no worries not jumbos but a standard rat. i seriously doubt it's only 2yrs old. but it's a beauty i love MD colours.

I could quite easily believe that she is 2yrs old. My MD has only just turned 1 and she is over 1m (approx 1.2m to be more exact) and I certainly do not overfeed her, she's only on a hopper every 10days (or so).

Being my first snake I was a little nervous about feeding as well, making sure to get the right size and frequency. From advice I have gotten from those much more experienced I have come up with a 'system' for food size. I don't take much notice of head size coz my girl's head is tiny but OMG can she stretch it.

Instead I go for a rat that is just bigger than the thickest part of her body. So when she has eaten there should be a noticeable bulge but she shouldn't be soo big that the scales are separating. I also double check my food sizing by how long it takes for her to get it down. Anything less than 10mins and I upsize her.

Some people have advised me to choose food size based on weight but I have found that snakes aren't all that easy to weigh (accurately) and not all rats are sold by weight.

Sorry for the ramble but I can sympathise with the stressing about getting the food size right.

 

[shortstuff61]

Congrats on your first snake and it looks like you got a very nice looking MD!
Only thing I would suggest that hasn't been mentioned is to do a quick search on this site for defrosting rats.
If you haven't done it before and the first rat that you have to defrost is a large one, there is potential to get it wrong.
Best of luck, they are generally a great natured snake, my best mate has an adult pair and I haven't heard of anyone having a snappy one.