Few behaviour questions [newbie]

Hey I just got my new snake four days ago. He is in a nice 7L click clack container and he seems to enjoy it. Quite active and happy.

I have a few questions regarding his behavior. He always seems to be wondering around the perimeter of the container going in circles, is he just finding his boundaries or is he wanting a bigger viv? He also knocks the top as if he wants more head space.



I am planning on feeding him tomorrow for the first time. I don't know why but I've been seeing people putting them into different containers to feed them, is there a good reason for this? As a substrate layer I use paper towels.




Thanks for lookin, nice to be a part of this cool community. Here is a picture if you like:

He's just going around the viv and pushing the lid to try and find a way out, Its normal.


As for feeding in a seperate container its to avoid any chances of the snake ingesting any of the substrate. I've read a few stories of paper towels getting stuck to a mouse and being swallowed along with the food item, But its highly unlikely. However feeding in a seperate small tub is a good idea as the smaller confined area will make the snake notice and pay more attention to the food. But thats just my opinion..!

Hehe, he's looking for a way out. I've had mine for almost a week now and he's still doing that. He goes ALL OVER his 20 gallon aquarium looking for a way out and trying to get out. I'm sure he'd do that even if the aquarium was twice as big, lol.

As far as feeding him, where to feed him is your choice. Many feed their snakes in separate containers because they use aspen as a substrate and therefore don't want to feed them inside the snake's home because the snake could ingest some of the aspen and become impacted, where basically the snake can't pass what it ate thru its system, a blockage basically. Many also like feeding in a separate container because then they can clean out the snake's home while he's eating or resting from eating.

I fed my first snake in a separate container because I wanted to be able to observe him up close and personal, (since the snake's home sits up high on top of the computer desk), so I wouldn't make a mess in his clean home, (with a dripping wet mouse), and because I knew he was comfortable with me handling him.

My second (and current) snake, I fed inside his home, (I use paper towels as substrate also), because he is very shy and skittish, so I knew if I tried taking him out and putting him in a separate container to feed him, that more than likely he wouldn't have eaten, he would have been too scared and stressed.

Hope that helps.

He's testing your husbandry techniques to see if he wishes to remain as your snake.

Another, somewhat less valid reason to feed in a seperate container is so that he doesn't automatically associate you opening his up and reaching in with getting fed. I think the "gives him a familiar place to be while you clean out his home" argument is the better one.

Ok folk! Thanks for the replies. I had a feeling I was just being a bit of a worry.

And I probably still am with this question.

This is a picture of my snake, in its typical sleeping position. He is not using his whole hide, maybe because he doesn't like it or maybe because the heat is a bit too hot where the heat mat is. The temperature is fine.




Should I get a more intricate hide? Maybe one that doesn't have two open ends?

Try having one hide in the middle, one at the hot end and one at the cool end, then the snake can choose what temp he wants to be at and still be secure in a hide

StaceyBaybee said:

Try having one hide in the middle, one at the hot end and one at the cool end, then the snake can choose what temp he wants to be at and still be secure in a hide

Click to expand...

That is how it is. I don't know if you an see the heat mat too well, but it is under the container and is black.

The roll is in the middle, half off half on. He seems to only sleep on the half off side sticking out a bit. There is more room to go and still be in the cool but he just doesn't do it :S

Yeah I can see that the tube is half on the heat mat and half off the heat mat so it would be inbetween the temp at the hot side and the temp at the cool side. T

The further away from the heat mat he gets the cooler it will be, so if you placed a hide at the cool side, not touching the heat mat it would be cooler than where he is now. I think he is half in the hide and half out of the hide because its too warm to be all the way in there.

The lovely thing about loo-roll tubes is that you can squish 'em a bit flatter for hatchling hides

StaceyBaybee said:

Yeah I can see that the tube is half on the heat mat and half off the heat mat so it would be inbetween the temp at the hot side and the temp at the cool side. T

The further away from the heat mat he gets the cooler it will be, so if you placed a hide at the cool side, not touching the heat mat it would be cooler than where he is now. I think he is half in the hide and half out of the hide because its too warm to be all the way in there.

Click to expand...

AH yeah my apologies Stacey, I misread your first reply :eek1:

Thank you both!

Thats ok

i was told that u feed them in a diffrent con. bc u dont want ur corn to associate ur hand coming in to the viv as feeding.. so it doesnt strike