My Checkered is the biggest weenie

[ObsidianDragon]

So my little Pastel Checkered 'girl?' has been with me for over a week now. She's settled enough to eat--hasn't refused food from me yet!--but remains the shyest dang thing. If I catch her out and about she freezes as soon as she notices I'm looking at her. As soon as I look away--POOF. In a hide.

I'm in her home every day checking temps, etc (72-85). Sometimes I hold my hand in there awhile, but she's up on a dresser in the moment so it's not very comfortable. I'm tall but not THAT tall. A couple of days ago I decided I didn't like the paper towel substrate for her, quarantine or not, and went ahead and gave her the same substrate I use for my King--and added extra hides, so she's up to 5 plus a plant. She now seems to move around more instead of just hiding under the paper towels on the hot side (the cool side was weighted down more by her water and a heftier hide, so I think she avoided it).

I've started hand feeding her. She took it last time--hopefully she will today as well. I'm half tempted to add worms back to her diet (she's on pinkie parts) and see if hand feeding her more often makes her come around faster.

Alternatively, she's so shy I'm wondering if it wouldn't be better to just pretty much ignore her until she's bigger. This was the point where I started handling my king, but...he was out and about more, and well, bigger. Haha.

[guidofatherof5]

So my little Pastel Checkered 'girl?' has been with me for over a week now. She's settled enough to eat--hasn't refused food from me yet!--but remains the shyest dang thing. If I catch her out and about she freezes as soon as she notices I'm looking at her. As soon as I look away--POOF. In a hide.

I'm in her home every day checking temps, etc (72-85). Sometimes I hold my hand in there awhile, but she's up on a dresser in the moment so it's not very comfortable. I'm tall but not THAT tall. A couple of days ago I decided I didn't like the paper towel substrate for her, quarantine or not, and went ahead and gave her the same substrate I use for my King--and added extra hides, so she's up to 5 plus a plant. She now seems to move around more instead of just hiding under the paper towels on the hot side (the cool side was weighted down more by her water and a heftier hide, so I think she avoided it).

I've started hand feeding her. She took it last time--hopefully she will today as well. I'm half tempted to add worms back to her diet (she's on pinkie parts) and see if hand feeding her more often makes her come around faster.

Alternatively, she's so shy I'm wondering if it wouldn't be better to just pretty much ignore her until she's bigger. This was the point where I started handling my king, but...he was out and about more, and well, bigger. Haha.


Taking food from you is a great sign. Give her more time.
Most of her behavior is instinctive but over time she should adjust.

[ObsidianDragon]

I just sort of laugh at her when she freezes. "I can still see you."

There should be a couple of new hides arriving to replace some of the cardboard tubes I've got in there. I don't think those are secure enough for her tastes.

[guidofatherof5]

I've found the best hides to be the cardboard tubs and boxes that come into my life
I tried the store bought stuff and me snakes didn't like it.:D

[Mommy2many]

My snakes like the cardboard from packing boxes, egg cartons and such. I'm also using the little seed planters that you start seedlings in...I just cut a hole and make a doorway. They all squish themselves into those and they can be tossed if they get wet and are really cheap! My kids drew on them and named one the "snake cafe", it seems to be the local snakie hideout!

[guidofatherof5]

My snakes like the cardboard from packing boxes, egg cartons and such. I'm also using the little seed planters that you start seedlings in...I just cut a hole and make a doorway. They all squish themselves into those and they can be tossed if they get wet and are really cheap! My kids drew on them and named one the "snake cafe", it seems to be the local snakie hideout!

Thambucks

[Mommy2many]

See the Snake Cafe and it's daily visitors:

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[guidofatherof5]

See the Snake Cafe and it's daily visitors:

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Popular place with the locals. Maybe we'll be seeing it on "Diners, Drive-ins and Hides":D

[snipstedy]

I have almost the same issue here with mine, except maybe not quite as shy( doesn't always go into hide). I started hand feeding but he will only take food that way while his head is poking out of one of his hides.

Last week wouldn't eat at all b/c of the shedding process but then afterwards still wouldn't eat... I bought another fresh pack of fish and started eating like he was starving to death. I think you have to watch where you get your fish, not so fresh ( no smell to it).

I'm fixing to try pinky parts. Is it good to sprinkle calcium powder on every feed of fish or every other or how often? Is their only a certain brand recommendable? I know some of the stuff of the shelf is deadly, it seems anyway for Garters.

[ObsidianDragon]

She actually ignores the cardboard tubes! I built a little 'hide' with some stackable rocks in one corner, and she'll use that. I also bought a little vase from goodwill for giggles, and she hides in that, too. Tubes? Naaah. I think she prefers something more enclosed than the tubes offer, hence my purchase.

Even my king disdains most of his tubes--there's ONE he'll use, a long paper towel tube, but otherwise he prefers to make his own hiding places. Wedged up against his stick under the plant, for example.

The garter was wedged deep in her vase yesterday, and I couldn't coax her out to eat it so I just left it on a plate. Since she's eating halves at this point, I come back to find blood and viscera smeared everywhere. Occasionally there's also a stray organ, although she usually eats those. It makes her look like a far more ferocious "hunter" than she is.

[Mommy2many]

They love to hunt! Mine have smeared pinkie parts all over their homes, including the glass.

As for calcium powder, I do not use it. I vary the diet between pinkies, earthworms and fish; frozen, live or salmon. Between all of the different foods, they do extremely well.

[d_virginiana]

I have one that acts the same way. He'll be really curious and follow you around inside his tank until you look at him, then he either freezes or runs.

[ObsidianDragon]

Wow, these little garters seem to cycle through sheds fast. She was blue maybe two days, cleared up, and then shed the next! Meanwhile my king, who started blue at around the same time, is...still in blue. Poor fella.

Looked like a good, clean shed. And she ate--but not from my hand! Indeed, after the first time she took food from my fingers, she's steadfastly refused ever since. Ah well.

At this rate she is SO flighty...I think I'll just leave her be and feed her on her plate until she's maybe big enough to not be a total weenie. That day will come, right? Maybe?

[Mommy2many]

Scaredy snake...

[ObsidianDragon]

"The Hermitage", freshly redecorated with More Ways To Not Be Seen
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And one unhappy, poop-expelling, but freshly shed Dart. She didn't appreciate being removed for the redecorating process! I weighed her since I had her in The Cup anyway, and she's a wee 11.7 grams.
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[ObsidianDragon]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNRE1PqUtQw

I took a video of her "back up, flee!" routine, because it amuses me so. I've been handling her here and there to try to get her used to it--only every third day or so, as I also feed her every three days at the moment and try to space it so it's not liable to disturb that process. So, I handle her the day before I'd feed her, so there's a day between when she's left alone.

Have a bonus picture of my King, Noodle, while I'm here:
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[guidofatherof5]

"Patience you must have my young padawan"

[jersbabyp]

Ours is an adult, we rescued him last year from a construction site in the winter. We left him alone for about a week. Then decided it was time to see how he reacted to being held. He explored my hands and lap for about 15 minutes and then fell asleep in my hand. 11 months later and he does the same thing every night. Sometimes only plays for 5 minutes sometimes 30, but always ends up asleep in my hand. He likes to push my fingers with his nose into certain positions so he can get comfortable. He amazes me every day.