Buy a Book - Page 3

Nerys · #21 (**permalink**) 18-04-2007, 03:55 PM

dizzy - you'll find if you leave him on it, that his sheds will come back to normal after a while..

a lot of mine have a real ropey first shed when i put them on gold chip the first time..

the other thing, is to have a moss box in there during shed.. that can help.. in fact it helps so much i keep royals on gold chip, with big moss boxes, and even they shed ok (and i only spray the amazons/gtps.. nothing else generally)

N

HABU · #22 (**permalink**) 18-04-2007, 04:03 PM

ratboy, i agree the first thing is getting to know the natural habitat. having traveled all over the states, some people would be surprised at the actual climate of diff areas. people may think i go on too much about places i've collected and lived in, but i reasoned some would like a little first hand knowlage. my first rule is "give 'em what they want" and knowing the habitat and swings in the weather is an important insight to their care. but that's just me.

ratboy · #23 (**permalink**) 18-04-2007, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HABU

ratboy, i agree the first thing is getting to know the natural habitat. having traveled all over the states, some people would be surprised at the actual climate of diff areas. people may think i go on too much about places i've collected and lived in, but i reasoned some would like a little first hand knowlage. my first rule is "give 'em what they want" and knowing the habitat and swings in the weather is an important insight to their care. but that's just me.

Totally agree Habu. I have a grey rat snake that I used to keep at corn snake temperatures (85F) as advised by care sheets and he was as grumpy as hell. A little research into the temperatures in areas of Georgia, Mississippi, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama and I now keep him at 81F, raised to 83F when digesting and he is much calmer and uses all of the vivarium.

He now only gets upset when I do something that really annoys him.... like breathe

HABU · #24 (**permalink**) 18-04-2007, 04:32 PM

give them choices is what i say. a snake will go where he's most comfortable.in a small cage they are dependant on the keeper to maintian things to their liking. this is one reason i am puzzled by a lot of posts that emphasize a small cage or else the snake will be stressed. is all of outdoors pretty big? are all snakes living in the big outdoors stressed? it just puzzles me a bit . anyone clue me in? p.s. ratboy i used to visit friends in carlton, georgia. like florida it's pine needle city. is that a good substrate?

skimpy · #25 (**permalink**) 18-04-2007, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HABU

give them choices is what i say. a snake will go where he's most comfortable.in a small cage they are dependant on the keeper to maintian things to their liking. this is one reason i am puzzled by a lot of posts that emphasize a small cage or else the snake will be stressed. is all of outdoors pretty big? are all snakes living in the big outdoors stressed? it just puzzles me a bit . anyone clue me in? p.s. ratboy i used to visit friends in carlton, georgia. like florida it's pine needle city. is that a good substrate?

the small viv thing confuffles me a bit too. My royal was in a very small viv when i got her, then went to a 4 footer. she decided to go on hunger strike. i was advised on the forum to return her to the smaller viv. i didnt (naughty!). I am glad we persevered with the larger viv, as she likes it now, is eatingwell, and she can move around a bit. theres room for a soaking bowl, various hides, big piece of cork bark and lots of plants. i think she owuld prefer that any day over a wee viv.

Nerys · #26 (**permalink**) 18-04-2007, 04:50 PM

the main thing people forget with young snakes, is that their main aim in life is to stay alive until they are big enough to make more young snakes..

basically, a young royals life consists of eat, hide, shit, hide, shed, hide, eat, hide, shit, hide. etc etc etc

so.. small vivs with lots of cover mean they can fulfil the "hide" part well..

young snakes aren't like young kids.. they don;t have a desire to get out in the garden and play.. their main worry in life is not being eaten by something.. and finding food themselves.. so sometimes big empty vivs can be very daunting..

a young snakes doesn't feel safe if its on exposed ground with no escape hole (or hide) so a large viv, with a hide at each end, can sometimes lead to the snake being too wary to cross the open groud bewteen the two.. especially if they can then hear and sense large things moving about outside the viv/hide.. to a small snake, most big things are harmful.. even just being stepped on by a grazer is bad news for a young snake..

this is why a lot of peope advise keeping small snakes in small enclosures...

N

skimpy · #27 (**permalink**) 18-04-2007, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nerys

the main thing people forget with young snakes, is that their main aim in life is to stay alive until they are big enough to make more young snakes..

basically, a young royals life consists of eat, hide, shit, hide, shed, hide, eat, hide, shit, hide. etc etc etc

so.. small vivs with lots of cover mean they can fulfil the "hide" part well..

young snakes aren't like young kids.. they don;t have a desire to get out in the garden and play.. their main worry in life is not being eaten by something.. and finding food themselves.. so sometimes big empty vivs can be very daunting..

a young snakes doesn't feel safe if its on exposed ground with no escape hole (or hide) so a large viv, with a hide at each end, can sometimes lead to the snake being too wary to cross the open groud bewteen the two.. especially if they can then hear and sense large things moving about outside the viv/hide.. to a small snake, most big things are harmful.. even just being stepped on by a grazer is bad news for a young snake..

this is why a lot of peope advise keeping small snakes in small enclosures...

N

Thanks for the clarification. my royal is 6, so i felt the necessity to persevere with the larger viv...and the fact it was part of the furniture in the living room! the environment is a lot better now, and she has settled in to it well.

Nerys · #28 (**permalink**) 18-04-2007, 05:00 PM

i'd seen people with babies in 4ft vivs doing fine yeah.. its more the viv, and how its set up, than the snake.. of course you get exceptions to the rule, but generally.. there is no reason why a royal can't do fine in a 4ft viv, as long as there is enough in there, and its at the right temps,

good to know she is doing well anyway

N

spider_mad · #29 (**permalink**) 18-04-2007, 09:13 PM

I have quite a range of books on exotic pets I had to because 7 years ago there was not nearly as much info on the net as there is today. I have a couple of books by P de vosjoli myself and the book I have by him on lizards and one on beardies and lawson dragons are unbeleivably good books even though a good few years old they still have all the info that need today. The only book by him I got rid of was arachnomania as it was very dated. I agree I think books are a very good source of info and go into more detail. I have a book on keeping and breeding snakes written bt Chris Mattison and is one of the best books. I want to get the encyclopedia on the terrarium but havent got round it yet

LeeH · #30 (**permalink**) 18-04-2007, 10:58 PM

don't stop the bandwagon jumping and flaming but hey what do i know...
why only say it here?more basic questions said elsewhere or is it the case itll be removed in seconds and instant warning as the mods love to make people feel inadequate OR its not considered as some are mods there and don't want the hassle so bring it elsewhere....
here is one of the most relaxed sites on the net with some really helpful people..why i stay here

i have quite a few books and really good information in them

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