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New baby Royal Python advice needed

1K views 25 replies 9 participants last post by  ectothermic 
#1 ·
Hi all,
I am new here so please forgive me if this is posted in the wrong section.
I got my new baby royal python this week, we think she is a girl so called her Molly. I have a couple of questions.


  1. There is a lot of conflicting discussion regarding the need for UV lighting, my viv came with lighting as part of set up and though I have read that Royals dont need it am I right in thinking that it wont actually harm her especially as she can always take shelter in one of her two hides?
  2. Obviuosly she has not eaten in her new home yet as she ate a Fuzzy whilst I was in the pet shop when I went to pick her up. Other than going off her food are there any other tell tale signs that may suggest when she is stressed?
  3. She seems to prefer the cooler end of her viv during the day hiding beneath fake folage by her water dish, is this something I should be concerned about or is this completely natural? the heated end of her viv is around 28-30c
Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
hiya :) first of all, congrats on your new addition! i dont have a clue about uv lighting, mine doesnt have it and its perfectly fine, but if it can harm her, then remove it. not many royals are bad eaters, mines great! their body language should be a pointer that they are stressed, dont handle her for a week and only go in to change her water and check for poops daily, dont stress her out! ah, what size vivarium is she in, and what decor ect do you have? do you have her on a heat mat? is it statted?
 
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#3 ·
She is in a wooden 3ft viv with a heat mat taped down in one end. The heat mat is apparently self controlled, never gets too hot. I was assured by the pet shop who supplied the set up that an external thermostat would not be needed.

She has a nice cork hide in the warm end of the viv and a plastic snake cave in the cooler end near her water dish. She also has a long branch to climb on which almost spans the full length of her viv and sits securely on top of her hides.

It is probably a little too late not to hold her as I have already been handling her, it doesnt appear to stress her. in fact she seems rather inquisitive rather than just curling up or bluffing to strike. Do you think I should stop handling her even though she seems happy enough?
 
#4 · (Edited)
for starters, a 3ft vivarium is waaaay to big! she needs to be in a RUB (really useful box) or something similar or she will get stressed out, how big is she, if shes a baby she should be in a 9L one, it should do her for a while:)
royals are known to get stressed in large spaces and as a result they wont eat, and 3ft is very large for a baby!
a word of warning, do NOT use tape inside a snakes viv, bad consequences!
also thats the biggest piece of :censor:, a self statted heat mat :lol2: you ideally need a mat stat, thats why shes hanging at the cool end, get a mat stat from blue lizard reptiles online, its only £16 :)
non statted mats can make more problems for what its worth,
£16 + stat = happy snake, or no stat + snake = expensive vet trip and unhappy snake
and yes its best not to handle her and let her settle in :)

keep the 3ft for when shes about 2ft long, and that should do her for life, but when she gets larger she needs a ceramic on a pulse stat with a guard, because a heatmat under a large boided snake can cause thermal blocking and she can get burns.
 
#5 ·
dont you just love pet shop advise?

You wont need the viv for about 2 years, the mat needs a stat and she needs at least 2 weeks to settle with no handling.

Get her a nice small tub or a 9l RUB with a mat on stat, a water bowl and a nice snug hide.
You can put the RUB in the viv to minimise noise while she settling.

Oh and your original question, theres no need what so ever for UV, infact if you use it you'll never see cos she'll just hide from it until you turn it off at night

Heat mats get VERY hot, not too long ago my stat probe feel out the back of my rack and the mats hit 132F which if left WILL kill your snake.
 
#7 ·
you really need to get her in a RUB though, even though theyre ugly and it might seem cruel, its better for her, she will get stressed in a large enclosure and wont eat
 
#8 ·
Firstly you deffo need a stat for the mat, and probably a digital thermometer to guage temps.
In my opinion if you pack out the viv with hides,logs fake leafs etc it should be ok.I have had young royals in vivs that size no probs.
As for uv,look down the treads a good one on today with loads of info.

Lastly,give the pet shop a bollocking, for telling you you dont need a mat stat and for letting take a snake the day it fed:bash:
 
#11 ·
Nothing wrong with collecting a snake the day it is fed. I picked up my Axanthic last week the day he'd been fed :2thumb:.
 
#10 ·
As above, get a 9L RUB, you can place this on the heat mat within the viv. Also get a stat, these control how hot the mats get & without one they will get very very hot & will cause nasty burns to the snake. It doesn't surprise me one bit that the pet shop said you don't need a stat, you'll be surprised at how many new owners come on here & tell us that the pet shop told them they don't need a stat :gasp:. Get the RUB & pack it out with a hide in the warm end & one at the cool end, small water bowl & if you want to put some fake plants in there you can as it will add to the cover & make her feel more secure :2thumb:. Leave her alone to settle for 7-10 days without any handling, then offer her a warmed up fluff (try to get her eating rats as soon as you can as it will be better & cheaper in the long run).
 
#17 ·
For me that depends on the snake, if its an out going snake then it'll go sooner than one thats nervy and jumps whenever you go near it.
 
#24 ·
  1. There is a lot of conflicting discussion regarding the need for UV lighting, my viv came with lighting as part of set up and though I have read that Royals dont need it am I right in thinking that it wont actually harm her especially as she can always take shelter in one of her two hides?
  2. Obviuosly she has not eaten in her new home yet as she ate a Fuzzy whilst I was in the pet shop when I went to pick her up. Other than going off her food are there any other tell tale signs that may suggest when she is stressed?
  3. She seems to prefer the cooler end of her viv during the day hiding beneath fake folage by her water dish, is this something I should be concerned about or is this completely natural? the heated end of her viv is around 28-30c
1. low level UV should be ok - I have kept royals before under repti-glo 2.0 series tubes - if she wants out of light she will shelter. but always found my old royal used to sit right under the tube as close as he could get

2.would start her off on small mice increasing to two then increase to mediums by the time she is about 100g (approx. by 10 weeks of age). I currently have a 14 week old female who is currently eating x1 medium mouse every 7-10 days (although has been as little as every 4 days) after 48 hours feeding she is already back in hunt mode

3.hot spot in viv should be at 90 degrees (which is 33 degrees celsius). My baby female spends 48 hours sitting on hot spot after eating then moves between both hot and cold hides to thermoregulate. If she is spending lots of time on cold spot it is because that is where she wants to be.

PS. extra tip - royals like 'tight' fitting vivs (easily stressed in large open environments) - so if you have a 3 ft viv partition it and increase to the full 3ft as the snake ages. My 14 week old female is currently in a 21 ltr RUB and will be moved to a partitioned 3ft viv in 12 months

hope this helps -
 
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