suggestions plz

[candykainn]

hey all i have just picked up chillie a couple of days ago and she is a bit snappy
was wondering what do i do to calm her?
we never had this problem wif kainn he has always been so placid.
also the guy i got her of says she needs to stay on pinkies but im sure she needs moving up to fuzzies as she eats 2 and still wants more plus it takes her a mere sec to swallow it and u can barely see a lump when she eats.
what do u all think?
oh she is a costal.

 

[Wild_Storm]

I am no expert Candy, but by the sound of it she could do with a small up-sizing. I can't remember the size diff between the pinkie & the fuzzies, but can you try splitting the difference to see if maybe 2 of those would help her? I know my BHP was a bit grumpy, but as soon as I gave her a little more to eat she became placid as.

 

[candykainn]

hopefully that helps she makes me nervous cos she tries to stare u down.
she doesnt seem to like being handled

 

[Sel]

She could be hungry. I used to find that when my spotted was on smaller food.. she would get snappy coz she wasnt getting enough. Now she gets a nice big lump and is always satisfied
Also, when you first ger her, you should leave her alone in her new home for about a week to get used to it. She is probably scared !

 

[candykainn]

maybe thats an idea. she really went crazy for the food its didnt even get put down before she struck it and hunted for more like i said to pinkies and it was like i didnt feed her.

i think im just so used to kainn being so tame from day one also is it usual for a snake to gently take food from its owner hand and not strike it or coil until owner hand away?

 

[dickyknee]

Firstly if you only got it a few days ago , why are you handling it ?? why are you trying to feed it ??
I would leave it alone for a few weeks to settle in .
as for food I cant see pink rats or mice being big enough for a coastal , i would be upping the food size .

 

[candykainn]

we r fairly new at this and were told to handle them straight away to get them used to it.
which is what we did with kainn and he was fine with it but like i said im new at this and that is why im here to get advice.
and seen as the info bout handling and feeding straight away was wrong, i supose having them in the same enclosure is wrong to?

 

[Wild_Storm]

Yeah, I too was told to leave my snake alone for at least a week... But honestly, I still don't see the point- if the snake WAS handled the only thing it needs to get used to is it's NEW owner... Ignoring it won't help that matter. You most likely don't handle like the previous owner, but the snake will soon get used to you. I handled my girl from day one, and it hasn't hurt her... According to my vet my snake is in perfect health!!

I spoke to another Herper off this site, as I was concerned about the food thing- he told me he offers food as soon as he gets a new snake. Under his advise I upped the food and she calmed down. But it is nerve wracking when it is a new snake to you, as you don't want to hurt it.

Good luck!!

 

[candykainn]

dont know if pic worked but thats kainn when we first got him a few months ago

 

[Dave]

How old is the coastal & how long is it?
That will help people be able to tell you what size food it should be on.

 

[candykainn]

that pic i just put up is the same size she is now. her head is slightly smaller
he said she is a yearling and about 30 -40 cm
i can measure her up tonight

 

[Ishah]

I'd be feeding it fuzzie-hopper mice, depending on the size of them (mice) - as I have gotten hoppers from one supplier that are twice as small as hoppers from another etc etc - Or go pinkie-velvet/fuzzie rats - Also depending on what sizes they are... Most of the stuff I have been getting lately is on the smaller end of the range for what they are called/labelled...:S

Pisces (sp?) brand is SHOCKING for it! I have got "hopper mice" and half were barely even fuzzies, and I have also got ones that have practically disintergrated once defrosted and all the hair fell off and they have popped and guts fell out everywhere... (usually means they are really old or were left ages before being frozen as I have been told... And they always stink and there is poo in the bag and on their fur etc... So I have since steered clear of this supplier/brand and I suggest anyone should also...

And like others have suggested, try not to handle it for atleast a week if you have only just gotten it...as that can cause undue stress and it may go off its food etc - although by the sounds of it, not being fed enough, probably wont, but still...Unneeded stress...

And if you up the size of the food and/or amount you are feeding it, it shouldn't be as snappy, but only time can tell, as it may just be its personality... As I have a pair of a few different snakes, and one will be "tame" as anything and the other will snap at anything that moves no matter how much you feed it... And a couple of my "tame" ones go a bit "green" so-to-speak if you don't feed them enough (amount-wise) or frequently enough...


EDIT: Ok if its a yearling, I'd skip fuzzie anything all together... go 2-3 hopper mice for a while and see how it goes... thats what most of my yearlings are on...(they are all just turned one or coming up to turning one) But it also depends on if it was a late starter too...(as it would be smaller than "normal") but you should be fine on hopper mice try it and let us know how you go....

P.S. If you are that super eager to handle ur new snake, wait atleast 5days before you feed/handle it...

 

[dickyknee]

we r fairly new at this and were told to handle them straight away to get them used to it.
which is what we did with kainn and he was fine with it but like i said im new at this and that is why im here to get advice.
and seen as the info bout handling and feeding straight away was wrong, i supose having them in the same enclosure is wrong to?

Hey
No probs we all need to learn form soem where .
IMO handling all the time is not good , especially for a brand new snake , leave it be for a week or so to settle in .

The same enclosure is not good either , one will more than likey be very stressed and is probably why its biting you .
Also if they are both male , there male be fights around breeding season .
Are they both the same species ?
same sex ?
same size ?

another reason for biters is not enough food .

 

[beardy_boy_6]

my coastal is 8 months old and on pinkie rats (well i dont think they are pinkies because they have a heap of fur but the bag says pinkie rats?????

 

[Ishah]

Like Dickyknee said, same enclosure is not really a great idea for many reasons... another reason not to is that it will be very difficult and dangerous around feeding time if you dont separate them... i.e. one might finish before the other and try and take the food out of the other snakes mouth and traumatise it and one might go off its food and be more difficult to feed after that bad experience... or they may both grab the same food item etc etc.... the risks are endless esp. if feeding in the same enclosure, so if you do insist on them being in the same enclosure, atleast separate them for feeding!

 

[Dave]

I would of thought a yearling coastal would be over 100cm, my yearling bredli girl is over 120cm :?

 

[Ishah]

my coastal is 8 months old and on pinkie rats (well i dont think they are pinkies because they have a heap of fur but the bag says pinkie rats?????

It sounds like you have fuzzies atleast... maybe even hoppers? But most likely fuzzies... How many do you feed it? Mine are usually on hopper mice/rats by then...depending on how good of a feeder they are...

 

[beardy_boy_6]

she gets one every 5 days is this good or dose she need more coz she is getting snapy. the rats are covered in fur if that helps

 

[Ishah]

I would of thought a yearling coastal would be over 100cm, my yearling bredli girl is over 120cm :?

Yeh I would have thought it'd be bigger than that by now, but it must of been a late starter/bad feeder.....???? Thats all I can put it down to...:? My yearlings of any sp. are around the 70-100ish cm mark, although I havent measured them and I could be way off! lol

 

[candykainn]

they a both costals one male on female he is at least twice her size and we have fed them separetly. and waited at least 45 min before putting them back together. im getting r tank made with a devider in the middle that can be removed