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Advice on if I should get a bigger terrarium

Awesome! Also, how long (estimated) do you think he might be on the hoppers before switching to bigger mice? I'm wondering how many I should order.

I accidentally ordered too many pinkies and the other small kind, and now I don't want to do the same mistake with the hoppers.
 
I still have a bag of small fuzzies (I just looked them up to see what they were). Should I use those for a while? It'd be nice to try to get rid of them.

If I was using fuzzies, should I use maybe 2 fuzzies per week?

Thanks, everyone, for the help! :) I really appreciate it.
 
No, I would do one fuzzy every 5-7 days for about 2 months... some dont feed anything double past pinks others do... after about 2 months then you can do doubles then hoppers.
 
When moving to a bigger terrarium, does the snake feel stressed out for a while? Are there any special precautions to be made?

I'm also considering moving him to another part of the room. I don't know how much they can see outside of the cage, but his outside scenery might be a little different also.

Thanks
 
Some of them hate "moving home" - one of mine goes on hunger strike if I move him to a different viv. Others are completely unaffected and it's just business as usual.

Just keep an eye on the snake and try to react appropriately to what you see. If he seems extra nervous then it's worth treating him like a new arrival - no handling or feeding for a week and minimal disturbance other than spot cleaning and water changes. With any luck he'll be one of the easy ones!
 
Thanks, bitsy! :)

I have a feeling it'll be easy on him, because so far he has never given me any troubles (except for when I accidentally dropped his cave on his head! :) ).

Do you think I should feed him beforehand, and then wait a couple of days before moving him? Or should I move him first, and then feed him so that he chills out in his cave for a couple of days? I was planning on feeding him in a day or 2, but the new cage is coming tomorrow afternoon. I was hoping to move him into the cage first, and then maybe feed him the following day.
 
I should move him first and feed a couple of days later if he seems chilled. Less chance of a regurge that way. The move shouldn't be an issue if he's usually a laid-back chap.
 
Thanks to everyone for the advice! I made the move today, and everything was successful. He seemed happy with the new viv, and he was exploring everything. Then he climbed high on one of the vines and sat there for a while. He seemed very comfortable in his new home, so I decided to try feeding him today. I just gave him a small fuzzy and he ate it right away.

The only thing I'm confused about is why does he continue roaming around if I only give him 1 fuzzy? Is it because he's still hungry? In the beginning, when he was just eating 1 pinky, he would immediately retire to his cage after eating, as if he needed the rest. But now he roams around for about 10 minutes after I feed him. And he doesn't look slowed down by the food at all.

I'm getting some hoppers tomorrow, so maybe next week I'll try feeding him one of those, and seeing how he does.

I'm just so happy that my snake is so easy-going! And he's totally not afraid of me anymore. I like that he comes to the front of the cage whenever he sees me.
 
It an instinct. In the wild, where there's one small mouse there are likely to be others, so he's looking for the rest. They're opportunistic feeders - they eat everything they can, when they can, as they don't know when they'll next eat again. In captivity, they don't know that you guarantee their next meal in a matter of days.

As long as the food leaves a bump in his belly for 24-48 hours, he's fine. You just have to ignore the hunting behaviour as it's inappropriate for captive conditions.
 
Since the day after I moved him, I haven't seen my snake at all, and it's been about a week now! :( I don't know what happened. I don't think there's any way he got out of the cage. There are simply no holes or cracks, not even small ones. It's possible that he's just hiding underneath the wood shavings, but why would he do that for so long? Is it possible he's stressed from the move, and just wants to hide for a while?

I put a hopper on a plate in his cage 2 days ago, but I removed it after 24 hours because he didn't eat it. Then I put a new mouse on his plate last night, but again this morning he hasn't touched it.

I guess I could check underneath the substrate to see if he's hiding, but I wanted to get some advice first. Should I just leave him alone? Would any snake hide for so long?

Thanks
 
I'd check your cage.... Sounds like he may have escaped. He could be hiding though, definitely a possibility. Gently and carefully go through the substrate - that won't be enough to stress him out.

What type of viv do you have him in? Substrate? I assume that you have a securely locking/closing lid?
 
Thanks! I took your advice, and now I found him! :) Since I was afraid to put my hand under the substrate, I just used a plastic spoon and gently started moving stuff around. He quickly popped his head up. :)

Is it normal for a snake to hide for a week straight after being moved? I didn't realize they could get so stressed out. He hasn't even come up to eat!

I have him in an Exo Terra viv. It has a locking lid. I don't think it's possible for him to leave the cage in any way. I use aspen for the substrate.

I'm just so happy that he's still in there! But I'm worried now because he's hiding so much. Is there anything I should do to make him feel more comfortable in his new home? He has all the same furnishings, so at least some things will look the same. But he doesn't like to sleep in his cave anymore, so now he's under the substrate all the time.
 
Glad you found him! When I kept my snakes on aspen I had a few that would bury themselves all the time. Make sure you have enough tight-fitting "cave-like" hides that will make him/her feel secure if you're worried he may be stressing.

Is the cave you have in there in a new position relative to the heat? (ie, is he burying next to the heat, while the hide is on the cool side, or vice versa?) Sometimes moving the hides around helps encourage them to use them. But I wouldn't worry at all about him burying. At least now you know where to look!
 
I have only 1 cave, and I think it's a perfect size for him. But I ordered another one, and it should be here tomorrow.

I would've never guessed that moving the hides around can encourage them to use it! I was thinking that maybe if I kept everything in the cage looking the same as the old cage, that he might feel more safe and comfortable. The cave is over the heat pad, like it was before. I'll probably move it to a different spot later today. Then when I get the new cave, I'll put one on the cool side and another over the heat.

I kinda forced him out just now, and I gave him a hopper to eat. That was his very first hopper, since he was only eating the smaller mice beforehand. I'm glad he ate, because he was looking kinda skinny. His spine was pretty prominent. I'm guessing he hasn't been drinking enough water, either. Hopefully he'll return to "normal" in a short while.
 
I'll put one on the cool side and another over the heat.
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Awesome idea.

His spine was pretty prominent. I'm guessing he hasn't been drinking enough water, either. Hopefully he'll return to "normal" in a short while.
Click to expand...

You're correct - most of the time their spine becomes prominent from dehydration long before emaciation.

Make sure to check your temps too - if he's burying in the substrate on the cool side of the tank and appears dehydration he may be too hot.
 
Thanks for all your help.

I'm very good at monitoring the temperatures, so I'm pretty sure he has a good range to choose from. He seems to be burying himself right next to the heater, but not directly on top of it. On the cool side of the tank, it's usually around 72 degrees. On the substrate above the heater, it's about 80 degrees. Sometimes I make it 85 degrees over the heater if he just finished a meal, because I've read it helps them to digest.
 
Sounds perfect. I'd just give him a little more time to adjust then before getting too concerned.

Good news that he ate for you, and drank. And VERY glad you found him!
 
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