Will's snake thread

[-MARWOLAETH-]

This is my marcianus,Gerri. She's 8 month old and around 36cm (Is that a good size?)

733973407341
(click the pictures to make them bigger)
She's a shy but curios little snake but is calming down a bit with more regular handling.
Isn't eating at the moment because she has recently developed a habit of going off feed a week or two before a shed but as soon as she sheds normal service will be resumed.
This thread hopefully will get more interesting once I get more specimens and a camera that focuses properly.:D

[guidofatherof5]

Looks good. It will be nice to follow your crew Will.

[ProXimuS]

Hi Geri:)

I would think 36 cm(approx 14 in.) at that age sounds pretty good. Tallie is around 10ish inches and about 7ish months old.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

That's good to know I was a little worried that she was behind on her development because I see yearlings that are blooming massive.But really it's probably better that she grows a little slow because it gives less strain on the heart.

[Invisible Snake]

It's about time you started you're own thread :p

Geri looks lovely

[Greg'sGarters]

She looks nice!

[-MARWOLAETH-]

Thanks. marcianus may not be a very flashy species but with their modest colouration and check markings ,they are still a handsome species.

[EasternGirl]

I think they are lovely. She is a beautiful girl. Looking forward to following your thread!

[-MARWOLAETH-]

At the mo there's not much to report but that she's being an ungrateful little sh*te .She took no interest in a nice bowl of trout pieces and pinkie legs that have broken off.She's becoming very dull so I think she'll shed in the next couple of days and finally start eating.It's odd because when she was very small she would eat if she was in shed but she's become a stroppy teenager and decided to be awkward.Has anyone else have snakes that change their habits randomly?

[ConcinusMan]

Naturally. Sometimes my snakes seem to just get tired of what I am feeding them and refuse to eat. So I switch it up and they gladly eat.

[RedSidedSPR]

Same, gotta keep it varied or they lose interest, in my experience.

[ConcinusMan]

Stands to reason that it's probably a survival tactic. Different foods offer a different balance of nutrients.

[RedSidedSPR]

Makes sense. Wouldn't live as long off fish alone

[-MARWOLAETH-]

She refused worms so I know she's not eating because she's in shed.They are by far her favourite food and when shes hungry will chase my hands around the terrarium because she associates worms with my hands :)

[ConcinusMan]

She refused worms so I know she's not eating because she's in shed.

Yeah, probably.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

Her adult tank arrived today! It was took a while to build because I couldn't get it to line up properly(my fault as the wood was cut perfectly).After half an hour of fiddling I thought "sod it!" and forced the screws into the holes like an impatient toddler doing a jigsaw puzzle:D But it ended up all right.I can just fill in the gaps with silicone.
7357 I'll post some more pictures up of my progress with the rock wall.

[RedSidedSPR]

Sweet.

[chris-uk]

Has anyone else have snakes that change their habits randomly?

My male radix will go on and off food randomly, nothing to do with sheds. Sometimes he eats like a pig and will eat whatever is offered, other times he refuses everything for weeks. When he is eating I tend to offer him a little more, make hay while the sun shines.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

A radix that goes off food!? I never knew they existed

[RedSidedSPR]

Same with my adult red sided, like now for instance. He hasn't eaten in almost 3 weeks. Next week he'll probably be gorging himself.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

They certainly are odd little creatures:)

[ProXimuS]

I can't see the picture:(

[-MARWOLAETH-]

I can't see the picture:(I'l see if i can get one to work:)

[-MARWOLAETH-]

I can't see the picture:( Does this one work?
7369

[chris-uk]

Does this one work?

It does indeed. What manufacturer/model is that viv? Feedback on ease of assembly is useful. :)

[-MARWOLAETH-]

It's a Vivexotic VX36 (90x47x52 cm).I recommend it be built on lino or thin carpet and with someone to help and steady the pieces.The instructions are well planned out and easy to follow and if I could have lined it up properly I think the viv could have been built in around 20 minutes.

[kueluck]

Nice cage, I watched the YouTube version on assembly.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

Hopefully it'll look much nicer after I make the fake rock face for it. I bought 6 sheet of 120x60x5cm polystyrene but need to pop down to Homebase to buy the grout and adhesive.

[ProXimuS]

Yea, that one works(but I guess someone already answered that question....) Very nice! Can't wait to see it all setup:D



Get to work Will!:p * crackin the whip *

[-MARWOLAETH-]

I'll be getting the rest of the materials tomorrow and will get straight to work building and also taking tonnes of pictures:D

[-MARWOLAETH-]

She shed today :) ,this one was noticeably bigger than the previous ones which is odd because I didn't notice her getting bigger. She started eating again soon after her eyes cleared up so which is also a good thing.

[chris-uk]

How's the fake rock coming along?
If you're using polystyrene one thing to be careful of is the paint you use. I've used a stone effect spray paint recently which dissolved polystyrene, whereas it didn't affect grout or expanded polypropylene. I suppose the advice here is to test the paint with a sample of your rockface material before you paint it all.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

I haven't started yet because I haven't found the right adhesive.I'll be using sand stone coloured grout which looks really nice on it's own but i'll be adding some white or black acrylic to the grout and dry brushing it to give the desired affect. I'm basing it off this guys setups Naturalistic Vivaria For Snakes (With Fake Rock Walls) - A "How?" and "Why?" Guide - CaptiveBred Reptile Forums, Reptile Classified, Forum (http://www.captivebredreptileforums.co.uk/snakes-general/58525-naturalistic-vivaria-snakes-fake-rock-walls-how-why-guide.html) Most likely it won't end up as nice as his but as long as she can make full use of the wall,it doesn't matter what it looks like.

[Light of Dae]

Adhesive for what? to adhere to the wall? I'd use a hot glue gun. It works well, if needed it comes off clean, it is safe for garters n all snakes after it cools, and it holds to glass n styrofoam very well.

[chris-uk]

If the adhesive you're looking for is to bond the polystyrene sheets together, then "No More Nails" (or a B&Q/Homebase on brand version) should do that job. If it's for gluing where the snakes may come into contact I'd agree that a hot glue gun is the best bet - I bought a hot glue gun specifically for making snake things, I think I picked it up at Homebase for £10-15 (for the gun and a pack of spare glue sticks).

I'd seen the thread by Thrasops and was planning something similar when I build the girls a new 120cm viv.

I've also had some luck building a structure that fits into one of my smaller vivs using grout over the top of expanded polyethylene (I had some good sized pieces from a box my server was delivered in). And I've used spray paints and a clear top coat to seal it all. I really should post some pics in a thread when I get a chance to edit the photos...

[-MARWOLAETH-]

When I start building I'll post a separate thread on the subject. I can't wait to get building:D

[-MARWOLAETH-]

My littleone hasnt eaten properly in about a month,last she ate was five days ago on three small worms and a week before that she only two bits of trout.Initice she is becoming thin with a dip going down her spine.She is acting normal and I finnally saw her drinking a few times. Should I be worried?

[Foxrun402]

Pictures? could she be trying to brumate?

[ConcinusMan]

Had to put two in brumation today that I didn't want to brumate. They just refuse to eat for about the last 5 weeks and are constantly trying to burrow, rooting around the the tank like they're desperately trying to get underground. Only when I turned off their heat and let them cool into the low 60's did they calm down. This seems to be more of a problem with WC snakes during their first captive winter. This only happens occasionally otherwise.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

I unplugged her heatmat a few days ago to slow down her energy consumtion other wise shed have waisted away. How long should she be cooled for?

[Foxrun402]

To hibernate a snake, the temperature should be dropped to around 50 degrees for one to two months, but you should look up where your snake's natural habitat is, because it will depend on how cold it would get there, and for how long. In the snake's natural environment, the temperature change occurs fairly slowly. While you can get a quick freeze or warming, the temperature change overall is still fairly gradual. Because of this it is best to not change the temperature in the habitat too quickly. Otherwise you run the risk of shocking the snake. This is important to remember when heating the snake back up as well.

[ConcinusMan]

To hibernate a snake, the temperature should be dropped to around 50 degrees for one to two months, but you should look up where your snake's natural habitat is, because it will depend on how cold it would get there, and for how long. In the snake's natural environment, the temperature change occurs fairly slowly. While you can get a quick freeze or warming, the temperature change overall is still fairly gradual. Because of this it is best to not change the temperature in the habitat too quickly. Otherwise you run the risk of shocking the snake. This is important to remember when heating the snake back up as well.

Well I don't know about it dropping gradually, but nights getting longer and colder prompts them to stop eating and head back to their den area even while the daytime temps are still very warm. Then after that, the change in weather is usually sudden here and underground they go. It's not as important when bringing them out. Obviously you don't want to bring them out of the fridge and stick them directly in a 85 degree tank, but warming them over several hours is fine. You don't have to take days to do it. It really makes no difference.

Now let me clarify that. Remember one thing: Surface to volume ratio.

The smaller the snake, the better chance there is of "shocking" them. Babies warm up faster, and cool faster than large snakes. If you warm very small snakes up too fast you might have problems. I did that one year and several of the babies coming out of brumation went into convulsions and died. However, I'm not sure if maybe this was because they got too cold when brumating, causing neurological damage. They did get down to 40 degrees (F) a few times by accident.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

She has become dull in colour last few days so it could be her just going off feed early for a shed.The last few shed she only quite eating a week or two prior to shedding.I hope she'll hurry up and shed so she can get some food in her!

[Foxrun402]

I'm not sure if maybe this was because they got too cold when brumating, causing neurological damage.

I thought that about a snake I tried to save one morning and she was COLD... and having seizures... we had seen the SAME one a week prior to it being that cold around here... and it was fine but had a damaged tail because the neighbors got scared of it and trapped it to the grass with a shovel! /facepalm Just makes me feel more like them getting too cold can cause neurological issues... basically backed up the feelings I had about it at the time... ( sorry for thread jacking dont let them get too cold! )

[-MARWOLAETH-]

Haven't given an update in a long while because there isn't much to say about a snake that's in hiberntion.

Anyway I checked on Garry a few days ago and by the look of her ,you wouldn't have known she hasn't eaten for 6 months... apart from her being the size of a 6 rather than a 16 month old :p

She was moving around quite a bit and was flicking her tough every time I moved so I'm assuming she's somehow sensing it's spring and time to emerge and start hunting! (hopefully)

[chris-uk]

I thought you'd been quiet for a while.

Now she's awake and warming up I expect she will eat for England. Er, I mean Wales. ;) My marcianus girls ates sporadically over the winter by are ravenous now, then know when the time is right (right temperature, days are longer).

[-MARWOLAETH-]

She'd better eat for the cowin European Union if she doesn't to stay a scrawny little runt.

[chris-uk]

16 months old is only a couple of months younger than my checkered girl. When you describe her as a runt, how heavy (time to borrow your mum's kitchen scales) is she? I'm over at our friends tonight, the ones that have Eskerina's sister, I'll take my scales over and weigh Lightning - the difference in size between the two siblings is startling, but a good illustration of how they will grow at the pace that suits them.

[chris-uk]

One sister is 77g, the other is 252g. Both healthy snakes other than our girl (the smaller one) having a few lumps on her spine. The big girl is around twice the length, more girthy and an overall bigger girl (she's in good shape, no scale spread).
Just shows that there's so much variation in rate of growth.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

I took her out of brumation a few days ago,she's gone into blue phase so wont be eating until she sheds her skin. She's doing well and is frequently basking,soaking and remarkably is still hyper and responsive despite not eating for a six months. These marcianus are tough little things!

Chris,
I tried weighing her on an analogue scales but it's ancient.It didn't even move when I put the snake on and would probably not be of use if it did as it only measures in oz and lbs (what ever they are...)

I'll buy a digital scale and let you know how much she weighs :)

[chris-uk]

I picked up some Salter digital scales from Sainsburys for less the £10. I didn't have much choice when the wife started complaining about me borrowing her kitchen scales. For me the important thing from my perspective is that using the same scales gives a consistent comparison, it's not necessarily an accurate weight I need it's seeing changes in weight.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

I finally found the macro on my camera! Thought it was a good excuse to post a few pics :)


8768 8769 8770

[Darlo]

Lovely little marcianus mate.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

Thanks, These marcianus are incredible she not eaten for six months and is just about to shed yet still looks as good as ever:D

[kueluck]

No excuse needed when you have little beauties like this.
I finally found the macro on my camera! Thought it was a good excuse to post a few pics :)


8768 8769 8770

[-MARWOLAETH-]

Here she is waiting at her water dish hoping for a few more smelt:)
88688869

[Greg'sGarters]

Beautiful snake!

[-MARWOLAETH-]

Bit of an update

Garry is growing at an alarming rate and it'll be interesting to see how big she will eventually get to. Also she really enjoyed the Mackerel I caught . Thanks to my crap filleting skill there was plenty of scraps left for her.