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Did I become afraid of my own pet?

I don't mean to bring up this thread again but figured it would be best to pose this question here since you guys know the full story.
Casper ate his first fuzzy like a champ, now it's 2 days later and there is absolutely no visible lump, and he's still jumpy (not that I expect that to change from 1 normal feeding), but I was wondering if it would benefit him to eat 2 fuzzies in one feeding or is that bad for him? He just seemed to digest it fast, I couldn't get a great look at him but even yesterday it looked fully digested. Now my pet store said the next step up from fuzzies are "mice", now I know there are more levels of mice to choose from, is it common for pet stores to not stock certain mice sizes? Or is that woman just talkin out her elbow?
He does seem a bit happier, but I also just cleaned his viv, and you know how a thorough cleaning can be, he's all over exploring his new hides and such, so who knows. I raised the temp on the warm side to 82.7, closest I could get to 83, just to give him a better temp range in the viv. Good choice?
All in all I feel good about Casper's future, I got him the correct food, I've jazzed up his viv a bit, and he does seem to be out and about more, I guess the little bugger just needs some more time to make up for my idiotic mistake.
 
Because I find it difficult to gauge 1.5 x the widest width of a snake, I use the visible lump for 24-48 hours rule of thumb. By 48 hours, the prey shouldn't be detectable anymore, but by only 24 hours, it still should.

Personally, I would take increasing his food on the easier side right at first. Give him a few single fuzzy feedings and check him after 24 hours each time. If you can't see any evidence of a food lump after 24 hours after a few successful feedings, then offer him two and see how that goes. Hoppers are the next size up from fuzzies, as in the Munson plan. If you don't have access to those, make do with multiple smaller food items until he's big enough to move up to small mice. Get a reliable scale and weigh your food items if you're unsure. Prey weights are also given in the Munson plan, so you can really use that as a guideline.

Also, small snakes are often "jumpy." They don't usually track your hands, but they are often less than calm. Once your snake is several hundred grams, it will probably be a lot calmer.
 
Brooklynyte said:
Now my pet store said the next step up from fuzzies are "mice", now I know there are more levels of mice to choose from, is it common for pet stores to not stock certain mice sizes? Or is that woman just talkin out her elbow?
That seems to be common with smaller pet stores. The pet store I go to only carries pinkies (which tend to be rather big for hatchlings), then fuzzies, then adult mice, and adult rats.


Glad to hear he handled they fuzzy well, good luck putting some weight on him, he's very pretty.
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Great, what a thorough answer! I happen to have a very precise digital scale I use for mail, I never even thought of weighing the food, even to track it for records and such which I want to start doing. I also need to find a good container to weigh him in, shouldn't be hard. I'll definitely feed him a single fuzzy, wanna take it easy on him as you suggested, then I can monitor him.
 
Iguanagirl8662 said:
Brooklynyte said:
Now my pet store said the next step up from fuzzies are "mice", now I know there are more levels of mice to choose from, is it common for pet stores to not stock certain mice sizes? Or is that woman just talkin out her elbow?
That seems to be common with smaller pet stores. The pet store I go to only carries pinkies (which tend to be rather big for hatchlings), then fuzzies, then adult mice, and adult rats.


Glad to hear he handled they fuzzy well, good luck putting some weight on him, he's very pretty.
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I figured as much, ever since I started looking into buying a snake I came to partially despise the typical pet store, between lack of knowledge, lack of correct supplies, animal sickness, it's just all ridiculous after a point.
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Brooklynyte said:
I figured as much, ever since I started looking into buying a snake I came to partially despise the typical pet store, between lack of knowledge, lack of correct supplies, animal sickness, it's just all ridiculous after a point.
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Yea I don't like pet stores because of that too. We only have to pet stores here and one is small local shop, which cost more, the other is a large store which is cheaper, both have there problems (alot of them) but I prefer the smaller one and will only go to the larger one if the small shop doesn't have what I need. I just wished that people who own pet stores cared for the animals they sell and not just be in it for the money.
 
Just wanted to say I am glad he chowed and is a busy little snake:)
Way to go...
hope you life is settling down overall too.

Keep us updated...I love pics! :)
 
*cough* Yes Im sticking my nose in it.

Look we have been having a big problem with peopl coming on here telling us these stories about how they are harming their snake and want help. To tell you the truth had the post not gone on for so long and you had not posted a picture I would have thought you were what we call a "troll." The people who replied did so to try and help you. Maybe they came off as rude but as you know your snake is underweight. 45 grams for a 2 year old would make just about anyone who knows a normal size want to scream. I have a 1 year old who is 223 grams and healthy. So you can see why people acted as they did. They did not mean to be rude and going back at them in the manner that you did is only going to keep them from posting to any of your other threads. The first person to post has a lot of knowledge and was being as helpful as she could be without proof that you were not a troll. We all have our problems and while yours seem to have happened all at once its hard to see how you would not have had 5 mins a day to take care of the snake.

Im glad you took the time to post and ask questions. Im glad to hear he is doing well. Just as a side note because of his size and age I don't think he is going to reach 4 feet so a 20g might be big enough for life. He should start to bulk up and he might grow a little longer but I don't see him growing enough to pass the 4 foot mark. Keep up the good work and don't worry about adding more food. He'll need to get used to the new size and you should start seeing a size differnce in the next shed. What is the temp of the cool side?
 
When I have snakes that get a little snappy, I wear a light glove (the stretchy ones that are about $1). I have two that just have bad attitudes, but their little "teeth" are so small that they can't pierce the glove. I know it sounds wimpy, but I don't like being nervous about handling my snakes. Once I get them out of their viv, their fine.
 
Cam5 said:
Just wanted to say I am glad he chowed and is a busy little snake:)
Way to go...
hope you life is settling down overall too.

Keep us updated...I love pics! :)
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Thank you, I'll be posting more pics at his next weighing, I may have made a miscalculation, that previously stated "45g" may actually be "45oz" (275g), the numbers just seem wayyyy too low, he is small but not THAT small. I will weigh him properly within a day or two. Thanks for helping!

nlt71 said:
When I have snakes that get a little snappy, I wear a light glove (the stretchy ones that are about $1). I have two that just have bad attitudes, but their little "teeth" are so small that they can't pierce the glove. I know it sounds wimpy, but I don't like being nervous about handling my snakes. Once I get them out of their viv, their fine.
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LOL I did that the last time I picked him up, just till he setlles down a bit I'll probably use one when handy.
 
For what it's worth...

Brooklynyte said:
Thank you, I'll be posting more pics at his next weighing, I may have made a miscalculation, that previously stated "45g" may actually be "45oz" (275g), the numbers just seem wayyyy too low, he is small but not THAT small. I will weigh him properly within a day or two. Thanks for helping!
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There's a BIG visual difference between 45 g & 275 g...check your scale; it should be able to tell you if you're measuring with ounces or grams.

This is a snake that is 52 g.
15oct0752gcv2.jpg


This is a snake (see Maizie the amelanistic) that is 275 g. (The anerythristic in the background is already over the 300 g mark here, and the normal is a little less than 275 g...)
maizieandfritzxo5.jpg


Quite a difference, no?
 
Cegninedorf said:
For what it's worth...


There's a BIG visual difference between 45 g & 275 g...check your scale; it should be able to tell you if you're measuring with ounces or grams.

This is a snake that is 52 g.
15oct0752gcv2.jpg


This is a snake (see Maizie the amelanistic) that is 275 g. (The anerythristic in the background is already over the 300 g mark here, and the normal is a little less than 275 g...)
maizieandfritzxo5.jpg


Quite a difference, no?
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Not to highjack this thread but....WOW! What a beautiful group of snakes!!!
 
Just to add, the same snake:

43g:
DSCN3278.jpg


240g:
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e354/nifer10/Nagini/DSCN4376.jpg[img]

So from the picture you posted, there is no way that is a 250+g snake.
 
First off, those really are some gorgeous snakes... That IS quite a difference, but to be sure I'll be weighing him later, pics to follow!
 
Missed the part where you said it's impossible for him to be 250+g, I believe you, but will still be weighing him, hopefully often to keep a little record of his progress, thanks for pointing that out Cegninedorf.
 
Also, just chiming in, if you have a set of long tongs or tweezers, use those when feeding.
It helps you feed the snake more accurately and safely, and stops the snake from associating your hand with food.
Don't be in too big a hurry to right all the 'wrongs' in your snakes' life.
He has adapted.
Just start feeding him more a little at a time, no need to stuff him like a thanksgiving turkey.
Maybe 2 fuzzies at a time, or fuzzies 4-5 days apart?
I have snakes that get less than the munson plan, and snakes that get more. They are all just a little different.
 
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