Mr. Bojangles (640x480px)

[IamKaervek]

Yes, this is Mr. Bojangles. Is the snake a male? I have no clue "Mrs. Bojangles" still sounds OK, so it can stay if I find out he's a female :p

This is my first snake, other than the countless gardners caught in the wild when I was younger. I'll get some pictures of his tank tomorrow, and perhaps you guys can give me some of your experienced feedback on how he looks and how well his home is set up. I also have several questions with respect to humidity, heat and when I should start feeding him larger prey (he's up to 1 mouse per week now, hopefully 2 per week soon). I'll try to find that info on my own first, because I know how annoying redundant newbie questions can be

[alexrls]

hey there welcome aboard!


so first off temps and humidity should be measured on both sides of the tank one should be the "hot" side and the other the "cool" side
90-93 farenheit 80-83 farenheit
and the humidity should be at around 40%-50%

its very important that u measure with an accurate tool eg. a digital thermometer not one of those analog daily thingys not too accurate u can pick up the digital thermometer/ hygrometer at ur local walmart inthe home and garden section i believe.

if u need anything else give us a holler!

EDIT: unless hes a new born he is looking a little skinny but i cant get an accurate size reading from ur pics.

ps. theres only one proper way to find out the sex of the snake. and that is to get it probed by someone who knows what they're doing

[IamKaervek]

From our most recent feeding on Thursday, 11OCT05 (always live mice):

Mr. Bojangle's an excellent feeder - he has yet to miss a single strike, and he obtains a kill in no less than 60 seconds after striking. I've heard from local friends and people online about how their snakes often miss their strikes, and I'm quite proud to say that so far, Bo's %100!





Bo's starting to get some very small dry-looking spots down the length of his body; the largest "patch" being no more than 1/4" in size. I'm thinking that this is due to low humidity, and I just poured a full glass of warm water throughout the tank, focusing mainly under his hide. My next purchase is definitely going to be a humidity gauge (maybe a digital humidity/temp combo?) and some sort of humidifier.

In hindsight, humidity has been the only think I've overlooked with respect to Bo's environment Lesson learned, and I'm glad that I caught it before it became too severe! His eyes haven't glazed over, so I'm sure this isn't shedding - by the way, how often do royals shed, and is it during certain times of the year?

[BiGBaLLiN]

sweet looking snake. try feeding out of the enclosure though because the substrate can cause impactions in the abdomen if he swallows. i always feed my snakes i a separate rubbermaid which i call the mouth of hell. lol.

[HockeyFan2kx]

Sounds like you need to do a little internet time on BP care because I have no idea why your dumping glasses of water into the cage, all that's going to do is make the cage wet, lead to mold and then a whole new set of problems for you to deel with. I also agree that you shouldn't be feeding in the cage with the bedding your using, that will also lead to problems if swallowed. And feeding Live is just another thing that you should read up on. As for the Digital Therm/Hydro combo, I would go out and pawn off some DVD's if you have to but that is something that should have been baught before you even got the snake, Temps and Humidity levals are the most important care requirement and shouldn't be put off.

[IamKaervek]

Sounds like you need to do a little internet time on BP care because I have no idea why your dumping glasses of water into the cage, all that's going to do is make the cage wet, lead to mold and then a whole new set of problems for you to deel with.

As opposed to what, spraying water inside? Do you really think there's much of a difference? Considering how damp the substrate was when it was purchased, and how much it's dried up since then, I don't think a little moisture is going to be as harmful as you insinuate. You seem to think that I've completely flooded the substrate, and that simply isn't the case. In addition, it's a Cypress mulch, which as I'm sure you know, is highly resistant to mold.

I also agree that you shouldn't be feeding in the cage with the bedding your using, that will also lead to problems if swallowed.

Noted. I'll look into that.

And feeding Live is just another thing that you should read up on.

Why don't you expound on that for me? You seem very knowledgeable in caring for snakes, so I'm sure you can sum it up quite nicely. I don't see how feeding live prey is such an issue, especially when under close observation.

As for the Digital Therm/Hydro combo, I would go out and pawn off some DVD's if you have to but that is something that should have been baught before you even got the snake, Temps and Humidity levals are the most important care requirement and shouldn't be put off.

OK, well obviously knowing how much humidity is in the tank is good, but how do you suspect I should raise the humidity when it drops too low? Obviously adding water isn't a good idea, because you've already told me that.

[HockeyFan2kx]

lol..If you think dumping a full glass of water all over the cage is the same as misting then, my friend, you really need to do some home work. BP don't do well in high moist environments anyway so misting them is something that probably isn't a regular thing (if at all) with most owners. If your having problems with your humidity then try using an old butter container with lid and cut a hole in it so the snake can get in it, then place a moist paper towel in it and let the container sit on the hot side so that the moister can evaporate(This is called a humid hide and works great).

What are you using for a cage lid? That is probably your problem, if it's a screen lid or something similar then get rid of it and try and find something solid, but from the looks of your pictures I see your using an aquarium and that would just kill any air flow. You may want to think about switching to a rubbermaid plastic tub and drilling some air flow holes in each corner, you can find huge rubbermaids these days that are even clear so you'll be able to see in. You'll have a much easier time trying to controll the environment inside with a tub then an aquarium. But what ever you do stop dumping water into the cage, BP are not frogs and don't need or want that, your just opening up a can of problems( too many to name them all).

As for feeding Live prey, that's something you can do on your own because there are alot of info on this all over about why this is a bad idea.

[ddbjdealer]

As for feeding Live prey, that's something you can do on your own because there are alot of info on this all over about why this is a bad idea.

And I can also direct you to plenty of info on this site about feeding live and how safe it is and widely used by many breeders and larger snake keepers... Including high end morphs.

[JimiSnakes]

Quote:
Originally Posted by HockeyFan2kx
I also agree that you shouldn't be feeding in the cage with the bedding your using, that will also lead to problems if swallowed.


Noted. I'll look into that.

Don't worry about it. As long as you routinely take him/her out than there will never be a problem. I think transitioning them from "rubbermaid" to cage is a worse stressor than feeding them in cage. I've never been bit and I feed 8 snakes in their home and others here feed 10x or more that in cage. I am willing to believe that this out of cage feeding causes more problems than in cage feeding.

What are you using for a cage lid? That is probably your problem, if it's a screen lid or something similar then get rid of it and try and find something solid, but from the looks of your pictures I see your using an aquarium and that would just kill any air flow. You may want to think about switching to a rubbermaid plastic tub and drilling some air flow holes in each corner, you can find huge rubbermaids these days that are even clear so you'll be able to see in. You'll have a much easier time trying to controll the environment inside with a tub then an aquarium.

Just put a towel over most of the tank lid or use seran wrap. Tanks are still preferred by some and that is ok, not the best but still ok. You just have to improvise a little.

The glass of water is a little extreme, but if it is REALLY dry in there than should be ok but I would make sure it's not sopping wet and that I stirred the cypress daily.

By the way--Welcome To The Site!!


~Jim

[IamKaervek]

Don't worry about it. As long as you routinely take him/her out than there will never be a problem. I think transitioning them from "rubbermaid" to cage is a worse stressor than feeding them in cage. I've never been bit and I feed 8 snakes in their home and others here feed 10x or more that in cage. I am willing to believe that this out of cage feeding causes more problems than in cage feeding.

I don't like the aesthetics of rubbermaid enclosures. I know I wouldn't want to live in a tub. Even if I were to feed in a seperate enclosure, how long would I have to wait before putting the snake back into his regular home? Certainly moving a snake that's recently fed isn't a good idea.

Just put a towel over most of the tank lid or use seran wrap. Tanks are still preferred by some and that is ok, not the best but still ok. You just have to improvise a little.

I think I'll buy some glass to cover 3/4 of the screen-lid, and I'll keep my eyes open for a lid that's mostly solid. Probably have to have something made custom for this...

The glass of water is a little extreme, but if it is REALLY dry in there than should be ok but I would make sure it's not sopping wet and that I stirred the cypress daily.

Again, I must not have been very clear - I didn't flood the tank or any areas of the tank with water, I just poured some water in and stirred it up a bit to make it moist, not soaking. There's already a large water-bowl for the snake to bask in if he needs it. Like I said before, I'm already addressing the humidity issue

By the way--Welcome To The Site!!

Thanks