My first snake, please help :)

[Snakewoman]

Very nice snake, I have 6 snakes and my Murray is my favourite, he's very laid back and the whole family loves him. He'll be 2 years old in March, and is somewhat smaller than your snake. He eats large hopper rats every 7 days.

 

[Blondie84]

The girls do tend to be bigger than the boys.

@ Tahlia - What a gorgeous boy he is!!

 

[Snakewoman]

@ Tahlia - What a gorgeous boy he is!!

Thanks, I think he has a hansom face

 

[leighroy6]

so glad i have a girl ...i kinda agree wit tigerbudgie she does look pretty big for a 2 year old, mines 2 and only bout 1.5m

 

[Trouta]

Gday Boys, and thx heaps for all the comments, so glad i came across this site, u guys rock. Yeah im in the transport industry so long hours, but weekends off

Got her out tonight (without any beer in the system ) and she was pretty cool, loves my face for some reason, allways comes up and eyeballs me, i dont really like that much

I got the snake of my girlfriends sons mate, he has a whole wall of snakes, breeds etc and heaps of different varieties, lovely collection, but he was moving interstate so he sold of 3 of them and just lucky my birthday was at the same time, i got the tank i reckon its 2 metres long, a ceramic heat light (with cage around it ) and thermostat and fluro light and the snake for 300 bucks, i dont no, but i reckon i got the bargain of a lifetime?? He has had her since a baby, well the size of a pen he said and said she is 2 years old. Love the setup of that tank, thats bloody awesome and has given me some ideas to work with to, so thx for that

Yep gonna feed her this weekend, so will read up on the defrosting bit as im gonna go the frozen bait way, thx for tip i woulda just defrosted it and probally stuffed it up

I love all creatures and have had several scorpions, lizards and a tarantuala, until he escaped but must admit, my first snake is such a buzz, it wrapped around my arm tonight and she is very strong, such a pleasure to meet all you guys you have all been so helpfull for this struggling nervous newbie

And quick appologies to the Ladies as well, i was just scrolling back through the posts and noticed some ladies as well, so thx heaps Guys and gals

 

[Tinky]

Hooked. . . Addicted. . . Gotcha.

Bet that your are already starting to think about your second snake.

 

[shortstuff61]

The best way I have found to tell if it's ready is gently feel around the belly area. It should be squishy and warm. If it is cold it needs a few more minutes in the hot water. Hope that helps

I just saw this on the defrosting rats thread and didn't want to hijack the thread so I copied it here. It is simple and logical, but it is good advice that is not often mentioned. Plus if you use the plastic zip-lock bags you can do this without handling the stinky rat and potentially get bitten

A lot of people mention the use of buckets but if you only have one prey item to defrost and you use the zip-lock bags there is nothing wrong with just using your laundry sink. One thing you should not do that isn't mentioned often is DO NOT REFREEZE! This isn't a problem for many people, as a refused feed can often be given to another snake, but you obviously don't have that option (yet ). I'm the Q.A. Manager at work, and without going into too much detail a "twice frozen" product can have very high bacteria levels, enough to make people sick, so I couldn't imagine it being good for a snake.

 

[junglecarpet]

Beautiful enclosure natexx!!

I agree with what most people are saying, she could EASILY eat an adult rat... its amazing what they can eat, you will think it wont fit in but it does!

Good luck with her, she is gorgeous

 

[Trouta]

Gave my girl a bit of a treat today, spiced up her home with some artificial grass and background picture and a log to climb around and her first feed in my care and all i can say is bloody awesome, the strike and coil was lightning fast, blink and u missed it, i went with a medium rat ( i no, lol, but i couldnt fiqure out how her tiny head would get around a large rat) BUT now i can see, lol, her mouth is massive, lol, she downed the medium rat from first strike to nothing left in around 14 minutes, ive got another medium rat in the freezer ill give her in 2 weeks, then ill give her a large one after that here is some pictures of her spiced up home and her first feed

 

[Snakewoman]

Very nice! She's a pretty girl, and it looks like she enjoyed her meal!