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What I have to do?
- Thread starter bataco
- Start date
Rich in KY
Fortunate Fool
Make sure she is alright, then put her in her viv and give her a few days to adjust!
Congrats! :dancer:
Congrats! :dancer:
Rich in KY
Fortunate Fool
Most of the time, they are shipped in a deli cup with lid. I usually don't handle at all. Just take off lid and let the snake come out when he is ready.
But a little handing isn't bad! Enjoy yopur new snake.
But a little handing isn't bad! Enjoy yopur new snake.
Corny Noob
Proud Momma
The way I see it they're already shaken up anyway, so before they can completely process what's going on I snap a few pics, but that's it, less than 5 minutes of handling then into the tank they go to settle in.
MerlinsPop
New member
Yup... that's about it. Once you get it, take a pic or two, put it in its new home, and... pretend you don't have a snake for 3 days!! That's the hard part. Well, the hard part is changing *nothing's* water. Don't peek! Don't touch!
MerlinsPop
New member
Every other day is fine, unless you see poop in it.
bataco
Daniel
Yeah I live in the D.F., I entered a site called: www.fororeptiles.com.mx and I found this guy who has contact with cali breeders, he had one, sent me some pics and I bought it, he lives in morelos
Nanci
Alien Lover
VMS Acclimation Guide
General Acclimation
You've just received your shipment, opened the box and there's your new friend staring up at you from the inside of deli cup. Now what?
Glad you asked, because what happened to your pet during transit was pretty frightening. What happens next can be even more traumatic, depending on how you acclimate your new pet. Please take a few moments to read the following paragraphs, hopefully before you receive your shipment, so that you know what to do to minimize further stress on your new reptile.
There's a few simple rules to follow which can really ease the transition from their old home here at VMS (the only home they ever knew) to the new home somewhere else in the United States.
First, resist the temptation to tear into the box and dig out your new pet. I know this is hard, but please take just a moment to collect one critical piece of information - the temperature inside the box upon arrival. Just quietly crack the lid and slip a thermometer inside. This information can be very helpful if you should need to contact us later regarding difficulties in getting your pet to settle in.
Second, resist the urge to handle your new pet for a few days. VMS is a commercial breeding facility, housing many hundreds of baby reptiles at any given time. As a result, they rarely get handled other than for routine maintenance and cage cleaning. Your new pet may view being handled as yet another stressful event following the trauma of being packaged up and shipped across the US, ending up in some strange new place. Give them time to settle in and start feeding before attempting to handle them. When you do decide handle them, do it inside the cage if possible or at least on the floor. Odds are high they will be nervous and easily startled - jumping out of your hand for a five foot plunge to the floor can be fatal! Handle only for a few minutes at first, increasing the time spent handling each day until your new pet no longer minds at all.
Third, resist the urge to unceremoniously dump your new pet into his new spacious cage. This can be another real shocker to them. Instead, set the deli cup inside the cage and gently pry off the lid. Turn out the lights on the cage (or even the room if very bright) and quietly withdraw, allowing the reptile to venture out and explore the new surroundings at will. This increases the chances of successfully locating the hide area and water dish, etc. without panicking.
Fourth, don't even think about feeding your new pet immediately. Sadly, this is the first thing most newcomers to reptile keeping try to do. Odds are very high that your new lizard or snakes will be too frightened to feed. Attempting to feed under these conditions can have several consequences:
Uneaten live rodents and crickets may actually turn to your new pet as a food source, gnawing on exposed areas of your new pet! Too frightened to come out of hiding, your new reptile may receive some serious damage.
Snakes frequently seem to associate the presence of the food item with the recent trauma of shipping, and will remember it! This is likely the reason for a juvenile snake refusing to feed after shipping. It simply associates the food item with the traumatic event. We recommend waiting about a week before attempting to feed snakes.
Also, avoid handling your new reptile before attempting to feed. It's more important that it resume a regular feeding schedule than anything else.
Most of the reptiles we sell are nocturnal and feed best in low light conditions. It's best to offer food in the evening or early morning hours, before bright lights and a lot of household activity disturb your pet.
Feed very sparingly the first few weeks after arrival. Feed snakes smaller meals than normal and give lizards fewer crickets than normal. The stresses of shipping can often upset their digestive systems, and large meals may be regurgitated, causing additional problems.
It is of prime importance that your new pet be allowed to settle in and acclimate fully. Constant stress during the acclimation period should be avoided. With proper care and conditions, you should have your new pet for years to come. There will be lots of time to mess with them later - for now, give them a rest!
General Acclimation
You've just received your shipment, opened the box and there's your new friend staring up at you from the inside of deli cup. Now what?
Glad you asked, because what happened to your pet during transit was pretty frightening. What happens next can be even more traumatic, depending on how you acclimate your new pet. Please take a few moments to read the following paragraphs, hopefully before you receive your shipment, so that you know what to do to minimize further stress on your new reptile.
There's a few simple rules to follow which can really ease the transition from their old home here at VMS (the only home they ever knew) to the new home somewhere else in the United States.
First, resist the temptation to tear into the box and dig out your new pet. I know this is hard, but please take just a moment to collect one critical piece of information - the temperature inside the box upon arrival. Just quietly crack the lid and slip a thermometer inside. This information can be very helpful if you should need to contact us later regarding difficulties in getting your pet to settle in.
Second, resist the urge to handle your new pet for a few days. VMS is a commercial breeding facility, housing many hundreds of baby reptiles at any given time. As a result, they rarely get handled other than for routine maintenance and cage cleaning. Your new pet may view being handled as yet another stressful event following the trauma of being packaged up and shipped across the US, ending up in some strange new place. Give them time to settle in and start feeding before attempting to handle them. When you do decide handle them, do it inside the cage if possible or at least on the floor. Odds are high they will be nervous and easily startled - jumping out of your hand for a five foot plunge to the floor can be fatal! Handle only for a few minutes at first, increasing the time spent handling each day until your new pet no longer minds at all.
Third, resist the urge to unceremoniously dump your new pet into his new spacious cage. This can be another real shocker to them. Instead, set the deli cup inside the cage and gently pry off the lid. Turn out the lights on the cage (or even the room if very bright) and quietly withdraw, allowing the reptile to venture out and explore the new surroundings at will. This increases the chances of successfully locating the hide area and water dish, etc. without panicking.
Fourth, don't even think about feeding your new pet immediately. Sadly, this is the first thing most newcomers to reptile keeping try to do. Odds are very high that your new lizard or snakes will be too frightened to feed. Attempting to feed under these conditions can have several consequences:
Uneaten live rodents and crickets may actually turn to your new pet as a food source, gnawing on exposed areas of your new pet! Too frightened to come out of hiding, your new reptile may receive some serious damage.
Snakes frequently seem to associate the presence of the food item with the recent trauma of shipping, and will remember it! This is likely the reason for a juvenile snake refusing to feed after shipping. It simply associates the food item with the traumatic event. We recommend waiting about a week before attempting to feed snakes.
Also, avoid handling your new reptile before attempting to feed. It's more important that it resume a regular feeding schedule than anything else.
Most of the reptiles we sell are nocturnal and feed best in low light conditions. It's best to offer food in the evening or early morning hours, before bright lights and a lot of household activity disturb your pet.
Feed very sparingly the first few weeks after arrival. Feed snakes smaller meals than normal and give lizards fewer crickets than normal. The stresses of shipping can often upset their digestive systems, and large meals may be regurgitated, causing additional problems.
It is of prime importance that your new pet be allowed to settle in and acclimate fully. Constant stress during the acclimation period should be avoided. With proper care and conditions, you should have your new pet for years to come. There will be lots of time to mess with them later - for now, give them a rest!
Wylie
Meet Sparkle... :D
Sooooo... how'd it go? Did you get your snake yet?
When I got mine, I was so excited and anxious that I just took him right out of his container... unsurprisingly, he was really scared and struck at me a few times. I placed him into his new home (didn't even put his container in there with him) and by later that evening he seemed just fine, seemed comfortable in his new home so of course I couldn't resist but to get him out, even though I had read to leave him alone for a few days, heh, and he was just fine. He's never shown any kind of aggression whatsoever since when I first rousted him out of his little container. I've been handling him every day since. He's very good-natured, calm, and comfortable with his surroundings. So maybe I just got lucky, heh. He doesn't even hide, 90% of the time he is visible if you just walk up to his tank and look in. He's got a log he lies in, wide openings at both ends, so one can easily see him. He seemed to have acclimated very quickly to his surroundings, I'd say after 24 hours he was totally comfortable.
Snake Dave
Schrödinger's cat
Sooooo... how'd it go? Did you get your snake yet?
When I got mine, I was so excited and anxious that I just took him right out of his container... unsurprisingly, he was really scared and struck at me a few times. I placed him into his new home (didn't even put his container in there with him) and by later that evening he seemed just fine, seemed comfortable in his new home so of course I couldn't resist but to get him out, even though I had read to leave him alone for a few days, heh, and he was just fine. He's never shown any kind of aggression whatsoever since when I first rousted him out of his little container. I've been handling him every day since. He's very good-natured, calm, and comfortable with his surroundings. So maybe I just got lucky, heh. He doesn't even hide, 90% of the time he is visible if you just walk up to his tank and look in. He's got a log he lies in, wide openings at both ends, so one can easily see him. He seemed to have acclimated very quickly to his surroundings, I'd say after 24 hours he was totally comfortable.
Although that's good for you it's not necessarily good for your snake. Just because he seems calm doesn't mean that's so. But if he's as calm as you say, then you did get lucky, because Okeetee's are usually the most nervous and flighty of all the morphs, for some reason.
Open ended log hides look nice, and you get a nice view of your snake, but they're not very effective. Snug, tight-fitting hides are best, like small caves.
Congratulations to the both of you on getting your new snakes! You gonna post some pics?
All the best
David
necromantica
snake charmer
ok on the whole perfect acclimation enviorment make sure your tank has a hide and a nice big water dish, not too big but ya know what i mean, you will know when your snakes done acclimating by how often he leaves the hide. Of coarse youll have to watch for this at night being their nocturnal animals. Also you got locks for your tank right? cause when my bf got his after seein how cool my snake was he got one didnt get any locks and woke one morning to a snake wrapped around his computer headphones
necromantica
snake charmer
also its much better to wait a few days after getting a snake to feed it because if their too stressed and u feed them right of the spot they either will refuse to eat or eat and then regurgitate later on.
Wylie
Meet Sparkle... :D
During the times I've handled him, it's usually a combination of him being on the move, (nothing even remotely fast though, more like an exploring objective), and just hanging out. He'll just be still for a minute or two at times, seemingly content to just hang out.
Indeed. And I have both types. I have 4 hides in all with two of them being tight fitting. He is usually hanging out on top of the tree hides or in the open-ended log.