Brett's Updates, Pics & Stuff :p

[dashnu]

Hey so to start my to Ball Pythons had PERFECT sheds! I bought a fogger which I did a quick review for on youtube. YouTube - Zoo-Med Fogger Review (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6zZy7pXH5U) Cheezy video because im cheezy ! I keep my humidity levels around 80% all through the Blue Phase and I never saw them in the water bowl. I assume this is good levels. I am thinking they only go in the bowl if the enclosure is to dry.

Here they are all shinny and new:

http://byfiles.storage.live.com/y1pj1s4pia8Zl5un52G-zWWML03Yv82GXbOZeExQbe55fDcODl55H6Z1Q2CD30q0hABpEe iwCsHa8w



http://byfiles.storage.live.com/y1pj1s4pia8Zl6wcQ3pVgtxYb0YAHxMfduq8tJEx_2BdkduXlx Az7plIwwipu9bUlpgN5tb3SWf7C4

My Eastern Milk WC is eating like a champ:

http://byfiles.storage.live.com/y1pj1s4pia8Zl7K9NCD43dA2gAS9JabXEJudSb7bgJZ6heCI6p 96qbmdu9nMHj_dos8lk_3wzszV_M

http://byfiles.storage.live.com/y1pj1s4pia8Zl7oPgm8890ES98Y68VngC7hOjYJoi7AoeQiSPi w4wlDIngeVkTgCaMlbMBhP3BhHZg

And my two Ringnecks: (Through the glass pics)

http://byfiles.storage.live.com/y1pj1s4pia8Zl672KGUBrCvcOyHRPzUIJtBIHJtK5HpZVJB7Vk YBa2k3OfsQSkPhHtAU_hq_v3BhF0

http://byfiles.storage.live.com/y1pj1s4pia8Zl7YsOwwxLCGDSD4ju9WMur5GM4_TOzWpd8sVlM bO7xwk4ue9Y0kqsRMQs06-9pasxY

Nothing fantastic just a quick update.

[andyoconnor83]

80 is too high for any extended time for ball pythons, they are very susceptible to Upper respitory infection and that is how i lost previous balls when I was younger. I had perfect sheds with my big female for the last 3 years by just letting her soak when she felt it necessary. Unfortunately she died during my move. They like humidity to be fairly low, they are savannah animals that only find humidity in underground burrows and usually only go down to shed or feed...

[dashnu]

I only keep it at 80 for three days or so during blue, 50-60 all other times...

You think 80 is to high for pre-shed?

Seems everyone has a different opinion on these guys..

Thanks for advise.

[andyoconnor83]

it depends on the humidity the rest of the time. if it is bright down low enough the rest of the time it could be ok, just keep an ear out for funny breathing noises...

[jeanette]

your balls are looking great :) oops i just realised how that sounded so ummmm , moving swiftly on.................its great to see your getting your pythons outside they really do enjoy it. The milk snake is looking very happy in his new home, is he settling down now?

[Loren]

I only keep it at 80 for three days or so during blue, 50-60 all other times...

You think 80 is to high for pre-shed?

Seems everyone has a different opinion on these guys..

Thanks for advise.

I am no expert, and dont own a humidity gauge, but I think high humidity for 3 days before a shed is a good thing.
My ball python just had a perfect shed too. I stretched it out on a board to dry. Funny thing is, it was rolled up all tight in a little ring, and I just unrolled it, just like one of the latex things for adults :)
Pretty cool.

[dashnu]

your balls are looking great :) oops i just realised how that sounded so ummmm , moving swiftly on.................its great to see your getting your pythons outside they really do enjoy it. The milk snake is looking very happy in his new home, is he settling down now?

Haha, Yea they seem to enjoy the hot days we have been having. The milk is still not being handled maybe next week I will try to handle him a bit.. But no! he is not settling down a bit ;) He is grumpy still thats one of the reasons I like him so much I think :eek:

[dashnu]

I am no expert, and dont own a humidity gauge, but I think high humidity for 3 days before a shed is a good thing.
My ball python just had a perfect shed too. I stretched it out on a board to dry. Funny thing is, it was rolled up all tight in a little ring, and I just unrolled it, just like one of the latex things for adults :)
Pretty cool.

I agree :) Both the sheds were exatcly the same way you described. There are just to many different viewpoints on Ball Pythons what one to take is the question.

On that note the side with the fogger has a hide that the fog rolls right into super humid in there! And both were in there on the humid side of the tank for most of the three days. So yea I think they enjoyed it. Maybe they would rather do that then sit in a bowl of water who knows...

[jeanette]

I agree :) Both the sheds were exatcly the same way you described. There are just to many different viewpoints on Ball Pythons what one to take is the question.

On that note the side with the fogger has a hide that the fog rolls right into super humid in there! And both were in there on the humid side of the tank for most of the three days. So yea I think they enjoyed it. Maybe they would rather do that then sit in a bowl of water who knows...
yeah that is one of the problems that constrictor keepers seem to have.
the thing is there is no solid rule, the lines do waver from snake to snake.
Ball pythons do come from a dryer climate than Boas so it stands to reason that they dont want the humidity to be as high, but if its just for a space of a few days for a shed it wont do any harm.
Ive found Respiratory Infections to be more common with not enough humidity, or too much humidity without any ventilation.

[adamanteus]

Ive found Respiratory Infections to be more common with not enough humidity, or too much humidity without any ventilation.

Adequate ventilation is something that is all too often overlooked, and it can indeed lead to respiratory problems.

[dashnu]

I use a screen top for all my enclosures, this is the major reason I have the humidity issues im sure. Least I know they are geeting good ventilation. :D

[Loren]

The other thing to remember is moist conditions breed bacteria faster, so cage cleanliness is more important.
Personally, if one of my snakes needs more humidity, I prefer to mist in a way that no part of the cage stays wet at all times.

[Jenlang_79]

Seems everyone has a different opinion on these guys..

Thanks for advise.

That is so true!!!..LOL! I just bought my first ball python about three weeks ago and I got all kinds of mixed advice from people..the cage should be big..no it should be small..they should be handled..they shouldn't be...humidity high, humidity low (I think you get the picture)...I was more confused than ever!!..lol!! I did what I thought made the most sense and hoped for the best!!! Anyways..this is very useful information for me too...I was trying to keep my humidity up but not having it so high seems to be what most agree on here..so I will keep it lower. Your snakes are beautiful!!

[dashnu]

@ Loren, yea that is one of the big reasons I like this fogger thing. It does get a bit wet directly next to it however the rest of the cage remains dry.

@ Jenlang, Thanks!

[infernalis]

OK Brett, you asked - and thou shall receive!

http://www.reformedsniper.net/chomp/milk.jpg

and here he is doing what milks do best..

http://www.reformedsniper.net/chomp/eating.jpg

Now what strikes me about this specimen, he is docile as can be!
You read that right, the day I picked him up he was crawling up my arm,No bites, no musk or any of the "Normal" aggressive traits common in WC Eastern milks. (never bit me yet) His feces passed the exam, no injuries aside from a bunch of dried shed stuck on his tail, and he is not lethargic at all, just "tame".

Love to show him to locals! "Omg that's a spotted adder, aren't they dangerous" and one dude even swore that he saw one stuck to a cows utter! (I don't know what he was smoking, but I want some)

There is a package arriving today with some zoo med sprays in it to help soften up his overly dry skin, let's see how docile he remains while wayno sprays him down :rolleyes:

Regards,
Wayne A. Harvey

[infernalis]

We recently "rescued" an adult BP who was dehydrated. The gal had him in an apartment with forced air heat, screen cover and tiny little (scuzzy) water dish.

Well, as an emergency measure, I put about 4-6 inches of water in the bath tub, and placed him in there.

He swam around for 10 minutes, dumped a big ol nasty log in the water and then wanted out. Several days later we plopped him in the tub again, and he did not seem to protest at all. So he gets a weekly "bath" and the bonus is he always craps in the tub! (keeps the cage a lot cleaner)

Regards,
Wayne

[dashnu]

Awesome! I noticed mine shaking its tail like a rattle snake :eek::eek: Is this normal!!!??? He does it prior to feeding when the pinky gets close to him.

When he is doing this and his tail is next to the back of my cage it sounds like a weed whacker :D

I really really find this guy to be one of the more interesting snakes I have come across :)

[infernalis]

Brett,
Yes they commonly imitate a rattle snake, that cost a baby milk it's life last summer when my "bozo" neighbor chopped up one with a shovel, then came over and asked me if it was dangerous!! (I'm thinking at that moment DUH, its dead HOW can it be dangerous??)

It was all I could do NOT to beat this guy with his own shovel:mad:

Eastern Milks are awesome critters, we encounter them all the time here.

Nature has "programmed" these snakes to act like a rattler to ward off would be predators.

My Corn snake does this sometimes too, but Corns are so closely related to milks, just compare, they both have spots with "saddles" (The black ring around each spot) and a checkered flag for a belly. So it seems reasonable to me that they would have similar reactions to adversity.

Now I forgot what else you said:confused:

Regards,
Wayne

[Jenlang_79]

Yes they commonly imitate a rattle snake, that cost a baby milk it's life last summer when my "bozo" neighbor chopped up one with a shovel, then came over and asked me if it was dangerous!! (I'm thinking at that moment DUH, its dead HOW can it be dangerous??)


That is sooo sad...I am usually peaceful..but I think I would have lost it..your a better person than I. There used to be an abundant amount of them here a long time ago(minnesota)...Some experts theorize that their population has dwindled because so many people used to kill them thinking they were rattlers....As I'm sure you know there used to be a bounty on rattle snakes in most counties(at least in minnesota..not sure about other states)..(how horrible is that!! ..even though the rattle snakes that live in minnesota would more likely slide away than bite..they are not aggressive...(even though I believe most people are good:):)..it makes me feel sick inside to think of how naive people can be at times):(:(

[infernalis]

Rattlers are protected in NYS, it's a poaching charge to kill one.

but again, uninformed fear will overpower the law in most cases.

I even mow my lawn during the hottest part of the day, so I don't run over any snakes. (small ground snakes prowl for food in the early am/pm hours when it's cooler out.)

Regards,
Wayne