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New snake owner with a few questions

I

IamDaz

New member
Hello there, as the title says, I recently got Quasimodo from my local shelter about 3 weeks ago and everything is looking ok, he looks healty and happy but as a first time snake owner I do have some questions and concerns.

So at the moment he's somewhere in the range of 16-18 inches and 20-25g, I've been searching as I'm unsure when I move him onto fuzzies, at the moment I am feeding him 2 pinkies every 5-6 days, and I feed him the second one the next day after the first. Also, he is due a feed today or tommorrow and I am wondering as I have not found a poo from the last 2(sat-sun just passed) I have searched through the aspen and under the hides, unless he left it under the newspaper? I found him under there this morning but haven't searched fully under it all. Should I go ahead and feed him anyway? And is 2 ok or stick to 1(pinkie) or can he manage a fuzzie?

Also, I have a heat mat 15w on a microclimate ministat 100 on/off thermostat, I also have a 75w infared bulb on a dimmer, the cool end is around 72-75F and the warm end around 80-84F, good temps? Should I replace the thermostat for the heat mat for a pulse? I have heard these are much better than the on/off.

Just one last thing, concerning Quasi, I have 2 exo fake plants, I forget what they are called, which are stuck in the back corners of the viv, he tends to spend alot of time during the day in the warm end one or the cool end one and only at night around 7-8 p.m. he tends to poke around, but during the night I turn the temp down slightly to about 77-80F in the warm end and the cool end gets to about 70-74F, he doesn't seem to spend much time under the hide on the warm end and I do find him sometimes the next day under the hide on the the cool end, is there a reason he may be acting like this? And by that I mean not chilling on the floor getting warm?

SORRY FOR THE WALL OF TEXT, I just want to make sure he lives a good happy life with me :D.
 
I forgot to mention he hasn't shed since I got him which was about 3 weeks ago, I thought I had read somewhere while searching that younger snakes tend too shed often, every 2-3 weeks, I would have thought considering his size and weight he is still young and would shedding by now?
 
Hello and welcome!

At the weight he is now I would expect him to be able to be able to take fuzzies, with one being fed every six or seven days. As a guideline, the food should be roughly 1 - 1.5x the width of the widest part of the snake's body. If you do decide to switch to a single fuzzy in place of two pinkies this won't matter, but for future reference, when feeding two items per feed, it's usual to give them both at the same time, not a day apart. I don't know if it's harmful per se to wait a day, but I would imagine that they wouldn't be as much in the mood for food if they're busy digesting yesterday's meal.

Don't worry about whether or not he poops between meals. My corn saves up 2-3 meal's worth before letting out a massive one. Just keep a note and if there's three or more meals with no bowel movement, start to consider whether he's constipated. Temps sound about right to me. Maybe the warm end could be a smidge warmer, but it's fine as it is. Personally I use on/off stats for all my mats and it's true that there is more variation in temps than with other stat types, but I've personally not found it to be a problem - you just have to make sure that the max and min temps are within good ranges.

As for his behaviour - he knows what temps he needs and is acting accordingly. When I first got my corn I was always worrying that he wasn't spending enough time in the warm, but ultimately it's up to them - we provide them with a choice exactly so that they can display this kind of behaviour :) Just make sure he has plenty of hides dotted around so he can feel secure whatever temp he chooses.

As for shedding, no, they don't shed as often as every 2-3 weeks. It's more like every 6 weeks when they're young, slowing down to every 3 or 4 months or so as they get older, but every corn is different in this regard. I'm not surprised he hasn't shed with you yet.
 
Hiya IamDaz! How ya been?

Welcome to the forum!! Just a question: How did you come by that moniker for your little sneaky one? The last animal I named after the hunchback of notre dame was so ugly it appeared as if it fell out of an UGLY TREE and hit every damn branch on the way down, and he happened to be a veiled chameleon!! Lol!! (Only kidding, of course, but corns are just way too cute for that tag, imo).

Not much to add to Giga's usually informative responses (where were you a few months back Geeg?) except for the part about fuzzies. If Quazy is 20 grams he's on the low side to be able to take fuzzies. And if he's 25 grams (BIG difference in a hatchling!), I would look for a small fuzzy. However, at that weight you're safe to go with 2 large pinkies!! Also, as Giga mentioned, the 1-1.5 x the diameter of the sneaky one at its widest part is a good rule of thumb!

Welcome and hope everything works out for you and the little sneaky one!!
 
Hey thanks for the reply, I think I might try him on a fuzzie, the shelter were nice enough to give me enough pinkie's but I haven't seen the size of the fuzzie, only pics on the the internet, and a pinkie is about the same size as the largest part of Quasi, they don't actually leave a noticeable "lump" so to say.

Thats good to hear he might be saving a big surprise for me xD, he has pooped once which was after the second feed, the first 2 feeds I only provided him with 1 pinkie, I only started the 2 at a time last feed but only because they weren't leaving a noticeable "lump" which I have read their should be, he just looked normal after he ate.

I have ordered a few more decor items, I can't help myself with kitting out the viv xD I love it!, but the viv is a large one 45" x 19" x 17" and there are open spots with not much cover, perhaps he is waiting until night to explore under the cover of darkness? But have ordered some more fake plants to provide more cover to allow him to move about during the day, if he so chooses.

Not sure where I might have seen that about the shedding but good to hear, was panicking a bit lol, I have a exo terra snake cave which came with some moss but I havent put any in the viv, I was saving more for when he sheds but do I keep this in a seperate tub with a few holes poked in or inside one of the hides?
 
axis1 said:
Hiya IamDaz! How ya been?

Welcome to the forum!! Just a question: How did you come by that moniker for your little sneaky one? The last animal I named after the hunchback of notre dame was so ugly it appeared as if it fell out of an UGLY TREE and hit every damn branch on the way down, and he happened to be a veiled chameleon!! Lol!! (Only kidding, of course, but corns are just way too cute for that tag, imo).

Not much to add to Giga's usually informative responses (where were you a few months back Geeg?) except for the part about fuzzies. If Quazy is 20 grams he's on the low side to be able to take fuzzies. And if he's 25 grams (BIG difference in a hatchling!), I would look for a small fuzzy. However, at that weight you're safe to go with 2 large pinkies!! Also, as Giga mentioned, the 1-1.5 x the diameter of the sneaky one at its widest part is a good rule of thumb!

Welcome and hope everything works out for you and the little sneaky one!!
Click to expand...

Lol suprisingly when asked about the name not many people realize that the name is from the hunchback, but he wasn't named after him specifically, he is just too beautiful, but I just love the name, It's a unique name(minus the backstory) and again minus the history of the name it just seemed a fitting name for him. Their was also Snake Griffen(Family Guy reference), which could be a future addition haha, I love funny and unique names for pets xD.

Hmm, thinking now maybe I might just stick with 2 pinkies for the time being, I don't want to have the little guy have to go through regurgitating the fuzzie(this is my main concern), and if I do feed the 2 pinkies at the same time as Giga said, how long after the first should the second be given?
 
If you're feeding two items per meal, you feed them literally at the same time, with no gap between them. So if you're drop-feeding (putting the mouse near him [or him near the mouse] and letting him get on with it), just put the two in at the same time. If you're strike-feeding, present the one immediately after he's gotten the first one down his gullet I guess? I'm not actually sure as I only ever drop-feed!

And funny names for pets are the best - all of mine have Lovecraftian names XD
 
Giga said:
. . . And funny names for pets are the best - all of mine have Lovecraftian names XD
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Ahhh! Finally!! Someone who is made from a similar fabric!! Didn't know they made anymore of this particular type, but it is extremely nice to make your acquaintance!!! Somewhere, someone or something named "Cthulhu" notices a ringing in his or her (its?) ears!!! (Did you by any chance ever read "The Rats in the Walls?" An awesome, if not totally MORBID & MACABRE, story written almost a full century ago. Don't really know how we got to this fascinatingly horrid topic but I take full responsibility and remain enthralled by it nevertheless!!).

But back to naming pets, folks who know me act surprised when they learn of my proclivity to name my own pets after characters that actually mean either the opposite (i.e., the FAT MAN called "Slim") or something OTHER than what the name refers to. For instance, I named one of Lilly's first surviving offspring "Ozzy" and many who know me assume this is after Black Sabbath's lead singer whom I have loved since the 1970's after playing one of their albums at 78-speed, an action which, in turn, resulted in a spiritual experience during which I swore I saw God! However, that event was surpassed by witnessing a Led Zeppelin concert at Madison square Garden at the age of 16 on the evening of June 7th, 1977! Ozzy, is in fact named after a character played by John Malkovich in the film "Burn After Reading," a dark comedy by the Coen brothers! Also, one of Lilly's mating partners I named "Bozo" was actually given that particular moniker after I noticed that the large, reddish spot on his dome resembled the wig worn by the clown of the same name, so sometimes these things do work out the way they're supposed to. I think.

In any event, thanx for sharing!!!! :nyah:
 
axis1 said:
(Did you by any chance ever read "The Rats in the Walls?" An awesome, if not totally MORBID & MACABRE, story written almost a full century ago. Don't really know how we got to this fascinatingly horrid topic but I take full responsibility and remain enthralled by it nevertheless!!
Click to expand...

Oh yes, I've read that one. If I ever get a king snake or other snake-eater I'm going to call it Delapore - I know that one species of snake eating another isn't technically cannibalism, but I'm calling it close enough for my macabre pet-naming purposes!
 
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