Need some starter help :)

[Darixx]

Hey everyone,
first off thank you for taking the time to read this, i have recently purchased a bredli. the breeder said its a yearling but i quite doubt it due to it being only 50-60cm in total length but then again i cant be certain. Anyway she is a little snappy now that she is in a larger container and new environment. before the switch she wasnt too much of a problem.

she was in a 5L container first and is now in a 57L
Hot end is kept at about 30'C and cool end is usually between 24-27 depending.
she has a medium sized fake rock hide, a branch and a water dish in the tank
im currently using newspaper as substrate because she is young and can use this as a hide also.

When feeding time comes i remove her from the box using my hand and place her on a blanket which has a hide on it that she immediatly runs to. i then bring out the thawed weaner sized mouse and dangle it infront of her while im wearing a glove.
she ate 2 weaner sized mice last feed (yesterday) and then remained in striking position and i know this sounds wierd but i could of sworn she was waiting for more...

anyway what im trying to get to is, before this beautiful girl ive only really catered to stimmys and spotteds and so being new to this and also while trying to deal with her snappy nature i would like as much help as i can get (im only getting so much from care sheets)

feel free to correct any stupid mistakes im making or suggest some new ones like i said im new to this and i need help to make sure this snake is properly looked after and for me id like to achieve an understanding with her so she stops trying to take my face off lol i dnt mind being bitten now ive been bitten many a time before but i know what size my malice is going to grow to and it wont be so fun by then i think

Thank you all in advance i await your reply.

 

[mrs_davo]

Maybe put her in a smaller enclosure and add a couple of more hides......

 

[saximus]

Yeah definitely try a smaller enclosure. They get scared by the big spaces of new oversized enclosures. Snappiness is just a characteristic of a lot of juvie snakes. She should grow out of it if you put in the time to handle her regularly. From the sounds of it you should probably up the food size too. It's hard to tell just from length estimate but I'd suggest pinkie or even fuzzie rats? Good rule I was told is it should take about 20-30 mins to get down. Any less and the prey item is too small.

 

[pythons73]

When shes still in the striking position,doesnt she say "I NEED MORE"..I would defiantly up size her feeds,and IMO get her onto rats..By the sound of it she is stressing being in the larger cage,5-8ltr tub water bowl in one end,also a hide in both ends,if you can possibly a small branch across the tub,ALOT of carpets like being up of the ground...

 

[Fantazmic]

more dinner

I would feed her a little bigger food item than you usually do...and then wait and see if she settles if she doesnt she is still hungry

she should have an obvious bump and go off to sleep to digest her food

and remember food in food oit before you feed again

Regards

Elizabeth

 

[Darixx]

well first of all Weaner size mice are alot larger then fuzzys... there about the size of fuzzy rats. and i DID want to switch to rats instead of mice but the only problem is that the breeder had them on mice and a friend told me it might be hard to switch them over. so i thought to go with the safest option since she seemed so hungry. i will experiment nxt feeding session with some rats and see how it goes. so a 57L tub is too big u think? there is plenty of places to hide and climb :S i just cant see her being happy in an 8L because when i brought her back home in a 5L she was very keen to get out she would never hide in it she would just continuously try to get out :S for hoursss! thats why i took her out and now she spends 90% of her time either in the fake rock hide or wrapped around the branch.

im sorry if i seem a little stupid, just trying to make sure i look after this snake properly as she is my first carpet

 

[pythons73]

more dinner



and remember food in food oit before you feed again

Regards

Elizabeth

So we all have to make sure they have defecated before feeding.What evidence to do have to proove the snake needs to defecate before offering the next meal.I have NEVER done this and dont have any issues..BUT if u can proove thats the case,let me know...And i change my routine...So Darizz its much easier to try and get the Bredli onto rats as soon as you can,If need be just scent the mouse or thawe the rat in the same water as the mouse..IMO carpets need to be started on rats ,except (chondros).As long as there is a good heat gradient up one end,30-32c and a cooler end 24-28c with a hide in both ends and a water bowl,IMO a 30 litre tub would be ideal,ALOT of young snakes stress being in larger cages.The next feed let us all know hwhat happened..

 

[hornet]

I would move her back into the 5l tub. My partner has a yearling bredli (same size as yours) in a 5l tub and its going great.

 

[Chris1]

if shes feeding i dont think the larger tub is too stressful,...just add a couple more hides and a branch like has already been suggested.

young bredli can be snappy, it takes a bit of regular handling to calm them down.

as for moving her from mice to rats, buy both, defrost 1 of each in the same bag so both smell mousy and she should take both.

 

[wiz-fiz]

I thought people recogmended feeding developed mice until they can take well developed furry rats? because they have more nutrition or something, like calcium and muscle tone or something? Just what i have been told.
As for the striking/bitting thing, just handle her more. When i 1st got my bredli, the only thing she wanted to do was bite me and sleep, and with persistant handling, she is the biggest softy ever!! hasn't bitten in months!!


Will

 

[redbellybite]

buy some rats ,take a mouse that your using and thaw both ..rub your mouse over your rat and feed to her ....why do you remove her from her tub? If you feel she is stressing then just feed her in her own tub,not out on a blanket,she is showing signs of being on the defence,so by leaving her in the tub this could reduce significantly and I would down size tub size till she settles down ..

 

[Darixx]

i take her out so that she doesnt associate the opening of the tub to feeding time so that when i want to handle her she doesnt immediatly get ready for food :S i dnt kno thats just what people have recomended. is it wrong? next feed should be soon i will try a fuzzy rat and keep you all updated, and im going to purchase a smaller tub today maybe a 30L or there abouts.. 5L is just way to small i tried putting her in again she hates it, she doesnt rest in it just constantly trying to get out. thank you for all your advice

 

[redbellybite]

i take her out so that she doesnt associate the opening of the tub to feeding time so that when i want to handle her she doesnt immediatly get ready for food :S i dnt kno thats just what people have recomended. is it wrong? next feed should be soon i will try a fuzzy rat and keep you all updated, and im going to purchase a smaller tub today maybe a 30L or there abouts.. 5L is just way to small i tried putting her in again she hates it, she doesnt rest in it just constantly trying to get out. thank you for all your advice

upgrade food size ,down size tub ,and its all BS about it associating the opening of the tub means food ...if she isnt hungry she wont go for the grab in hunger she would most likely do it out of fear ,which is what most young snakes do and as with most grow out of it ...unless you get a satan daughter one like mine ..she still bites and chews regardless of being hungry or not ..but that is the joy of owning a snake