some assistance please

[karmag]

My 4 month ?? old darwin albino has not been in his water atall, he hides underneath it most days. CLeaned out enclosure but He smells of urine, do i wash him (lol) sure he would not like that but any suggestions

 

[MrBredli]

He'll shed soon and the smell will be left behind with his old skin.

 

[karmag]

Thankyou for the reply, can i also ask, what should i do with him when i have him out. he sits on my knee or in my hand at present should i have something for him to wrap around outside the enclosure so he can be out with us for the 15-30 mins i have him out daily

Also can i ask if all snakes are finicky, he likes sitting one day and I can just stroke him on the head and other days he can be very uppity and not want to be held atall, and then he just wants to wander, but he is too small at present to let loose anywhere.

how often will he shed, he has shed once since i got him at christmas, he is fed every week, now eating weaners, i think thats what they are called, miniature mice with hair etc. is weaner the correct term

 

[Leasdraco]

^My Murray-darling goes through moods much like that.i guess all snakes can have different personalities.
i often have him out on the bed(the enclosure is in our guest room.) while I read a book for a while so he gets a good stretch.

 

[karmag]

so how old is your Murray - Darling? I guess a good stretch is the right way to go, must be a pain being coiled all day under his water bowl. could it be his enclosure is too hot ( or cold ) bottom reading is 28.4 approx

 

[pythonmum]

If the lowest temp is 28, try adding a bit of ventillation to allow it to drop to about 24. Hot end should be 32-35.
Stroking a snake on the head is a very scary thing for the animal! Dogs and cats may enjoy this, but it is not natural for a snake. Crawling around on you or just sitting there is much more natural. Your snake never needs to roam free in your house as long as it has climbing opportunities in the enclosure. Wide mesh in a click clack or a variety of shelves and sticks gives them lots of exercise opportunity at night when they are most active. My Darwins love a high shelf to lie on even more than they like branches.

 

[suzpect]

hey mate ur bottom could be a few degrees lower what is ur hot spot reading?

 

[karmag]

I really hope that someone answers my questions. first time snake owner , want to make sure i dont stuff any thing up. he is absolutely the best pet ever. so fascinating to watch, and know that he is in control of whatever he wants, i dont have much say in it. am i wanting too much from him, do they have the memory of an elephant or a goldfish. I wonder if he knows who i am, i keep to a routine with him, every day the same things, does he need a variety of places he can go. or does'nt it matter, i leave him alone for 24 hrs after he is fed, i feed him outside his enclosure in a pillowcase. Is repetition the best way to get him socialized

 

[suzpect]

also do u have any hides in ur cold area if not hell b using the bowl as a hide

 

[MrBredli]

My browser just crashed as i was finishing my reply/essay grrr... Rather than retype here's something i have posted previously regarding handling.

Use a snake hook to get her out of her cage; a small metal object won't bother her too much whereas 2 hands attached to a big scary human will scare the **** out of her, which puts her in defensive mode before you've even started handling her. You want her in relaxed/exploring mode so keep that in mind. If she's out and about, open her cage door and let her come out of her own free will if at all possible. When handling, keep your hands away from her face, try to remain unseen - hold her so she is facing away from you, try not to restrict her movement as she will feel as though something has got a hold of her which she will not like. As she moves foward you will need to move one of your hands forward to support her, do this gently keeping your hand out of her line of sight - be the tree as someone once said. Being a yearling you can probably still hold her between the fingers of your hands. Use the contact of your hands/fingers with her skin to create a slight bit of friction This will allow you to control how fast she moves, but remember you don't want to restrict her or she'll panic. So only slight friction, this also gives you the benefit of a) knowing immediately if she's going to lunge which could result in her falling from your hands onto the ground and b) if she does lunge, a quick squeeze of your hands and you will have a good grip on her preventing her from falling and possibly injuring herself. It will probably result in a bite but better an injury to you then to the snake.

 

[suzpect]

its good your trying so hard shows u really care for ur snake relax a little bit enjoy him ive owned 7 snakes now about to be 9 come june never had any set routines except for feeding days also feed them all in their enclosures but each to their own with where they feed them but mine are all very easy to handle except for my jungle stil working on calming him down just a little bit lol

 

[karmag]

This low reading is where the probe is at the bottom of the enclosure the red light side of the tank. Not sure of the cool end. ONly have a probe thingy at present, which is not as reliable as a thermostat. is a heat mat a better idea for him. His water bowl is under the lamp which i would expect would make some humidity. He is always under the water bowl. this makes me think he may be too hot. but at the opposite side of the enclosure is the sticks, his hidey rock, which he is only in sometimes, and if he is not in either of these two places he is right at the top along the shelf where the tank lid fits and the false rock backing meet. Bugga to off there if i try to get him out. And i realised that the head might not be a good place to stroke him as the shadows will cause him to be jumpy. But there are times when he does not mind atall. I understand that most of you have much more experience than i do. so every bit of knowledge you can give me is greatly appreciated and taken on board.

yes he has a hide, but seems to like under the bowl, was thinking of setting the bowl down further in the substrate so he cannot hide there, would this be cruel , i dont mind moving it to get to him, but if you reckon i am scaring him every time then maybe i should

 

[pythonmum]

An infrared thermometer ("temp gun") will be very helpful for you in determining the temps the snake is experiencing. Even though the probe is at 28 degrees, that doesn't mean the temperature where the snake is has reached or stayed at 28. That is too cool for the hot end, too hot for the cool end. You need to measure surface temps. Under the water bowl may be the warmest spot available, so he is using that. It is also secure, so appealing for hiding.

 

[karmag]

This is great advise and thank you. i must have been scaring him alot although he has never lunged at me, nor bitten me yet, he seems very placid, but i will stop stroking his head and make sure i let him do his own thing within reason. got stuck down the side of the recliner i was sitting on and i could not get any purchase on him to get him out. could not sit the chair up for fear of cutting him in half scared the **** out of me

 

[dragonlover1]

Thankyou for the reply, can i also ask, what should i do with him when i have him out. he sits on my knee or in my hand at present should i have something for him to wrap around outside the enclosure so he can be out with us for the 15-30 mins i have him out daily

Also can i ask if all snakes are finicky, he likes sitting one day and I can just stroke him on the head and other days he can be very uppity and not want to be held atall, and then he just wants to wander, but he is too small at present to let loose anywhere.

how often will he shed, he has shed once since i got him at christmas, he is fed every week, now eating weaners, i think thats what they are called, miniature mice with hair etc. is weaner the correct term

mini mice with hair are called fuzzies

 

[karmag]

What is inl your opinions the best form of heating his enclosure, we have the red light 60w with cage have had a 75w and that blew last week so just using this till i get another 75w, bearing in mind this enclosure at present is small like him this is the starter enclosure,says Medium on the tag

so your a pro then , good one. thanks for the reply every little bit helps.

thanks fuzzies righhht

Thanks so much guys and girls for all your help , keep it up need it cheers to you all .

Buying a second hand enclosure good or bad, will ob need one soon, growing fast. is bigger better, the people who sold him to us reckon he could get to 2 mtrs , will have my hands full if he does.