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a few questions

B

beardie

New member
ok i have had a few people that tell me that im being cruel because im not pulling my bearded out as much as they think i should any way how much human contact should my snake be getting i got him as a hachling in october.
ok i got him swiched over to FT but i have never seen any of his poop should i just swich his substrate... he is on lizered litter so he likes to dig alot. im not used to haveint to sift though the substrate to find there dropings
 
I handle my snake daily, unless she's been fed. Then I leave her alone for 2-3 days so she can digest. If I see her out and around in the evening after she's fed, I know she's digested everything. I handle her as long as she seems comfortable with it. Usually, 45 min.-1hour. When I first got her, I held her for shorter periods until she got used to me. She likes to hang out in the pockets of my robe, or jacket too. I had her on a mixture of Habi-chips, and coconut hull before, but I had trouble seeing her poo in it. Now, I just have her on the Habi-chips, and after this bag is out, I'm going to see if I can find the shredded aspen. Mostly due to the size of the Habi-chips. They are tiny, and although they say they don't cause obstruction, I worry when she's out crawling in it that she'll pick up pieces on her tongue. I don't know what color the lizzard litter is, but if it's brown, or something like that, it's easy to miss the poo. Do you have a hide for your snake, and are your viv temps warm enough? Mine only burrowed if it was too cold, or she had no where to hide.
 
beardies are sociable animals, live in communites and benefit from interactions with other living creatures

snakes are solitary creatures and how much you handle them is up to you. Whilst you can handle them too much, you can not handle them too little IMHO.

As for poop - if you have had this animal since October, and you have never seen any poop - you are not cleaning your cage often enough. Snakes burrow as a natural tendancy and so the poop will usually be beneath your lizard litter. I would suggest a regular cage clean with complete substrate replacement to ensure a hygenic environment for your snake to grow up in.

Skye
 
Substrate isn't necessarily the issue. Hatchling snakes (eating a pinky) doesn't leave much in the way fecal matter. This is evident when you keep them on paper towels.

The lizard litter will be harder to clean than other substrates. You might want to consider something else; at least until you snake gets to be a little bigger.
 
My personal choices are paper towel for hatchlings and aspen for sub-adults and adults

Skye
 
This is the aspen I use:

aspen_1800.jpg


Tunnels well, but I do feed them outside of the cage to avoid any impaction issues.

Skye
 
I find paper towels are easy for hatchlings, if you can keep them in one spot. Most of my hatchlings though have the bad habit of going under the towel and doing their business, instead of on top.

So I keep all of my snakes on aspen bedding. I haven't had a problem since I started using it for my snakes of all ages. I do feed every snake outside in a separate container, however.

I find the L&M brand of aspen to be more like wood splinters, and would have a few snakes who like to burrow with pieces in their nose or under the scales. I've since switched to Kaytee brand, which is softer and more what you think of when you think of shaving.

The product itself:
00833_200.jpg


Closeup of it:
FLava12504.JPG


I buy mine in the large 9.0 cubic foot bags at Petsmart for around $8 or so. It's pretty absorbant and keeps the odor down for me. I spot clean once a week, and every month or so change out the whole container.

You want to stay away from pine or cedar shavings if at all possible, due to the oils and resins in the wood. They can cause respiratory problems in most animals, not just reptiles.

Hope that helps. =)
 
Taceas,

I see your point about sharper bits. Although I have never found a piece in a snakes nostril or caught under the scale, I have caught a few pieces under my fingernails with much pain on a few occasions.

I always bought L & M because it was recommended to me as being better for tunneling, and I found it to be good for that, and since the snakes didn't seem to be experiencing any problems I stuck with it.

Maybe I should give the kaytee brand a go and see how they like it. It certainly is more what one imagines shavings to look like, as opposed to the shredded effect. What a shame herpsupplies don't sell it.

Skye
 
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