[General Care] Right its nearly time!

[The Gun]

Hello

I have had bowman a week tomorrow so the time has come when i would like to handle him.

I have held him before a few years back and other snakes but never before by me being the first the handle (they have always been given to me via the handler), how should i approach this? what is the best way?

Catch up

After turning on his CHE his humidity went down loads (around 30%) so i have been spraying down his tank every few hours to rise it. Since eating he hasn't been out from under his cave alot at. Yesterday i tried putting to damp (ringed out) face towels (one each side) and this brought his humidity up loads and kept it there so I'm happy to do that twice a day until the moss i have ordered arrives. Last night he came out for hours (from under his cave) until early hours in the morning, he seemed to just stare at the TV for a good 30mins, don't blame him though it was Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider. I managed to open the case to touch his back to which he didn't seem to act aggressively but did come my way, i wasn't sure if he was in a defensive posse or not so i shut the glass but put my finger close to his face (other side of the glass ) and he came to them and tried licking them through the glass. Anyway i left him be to which he was out for a good 5 hours .

Questions

He made a few noises while out and only seems to make them while out from under his cave so my questions are:

1. What kind of general noises do they make?
2. What should i look out for noise wise thats a good sign and bad sign (health wise and defensiveness)?
3. What behavior should i look out for in the same sense as question 2?

Thank you.

[bterrill]

Re: Right its nearly time!

Well they can wheez a bit when breathing and that's usually a sign of a possible RI.

For handling what I've always liked to do when I'm working with the snake the first few times is place my hand in the cage away from the snake and let my smell get in there. Then I like to see if the snake will work its way over to me and crawl up or atleast check me out enough where if I pick it up it won't be too suprised.

I don't know a whole lot about signs of unhealth so I'll leave them to others, but I do know if you hear some wheezing it can be a possible RI.

[The Gun]

Re: Right its nearly time!

Well they can wheeze a bit when breathing and that's usually a sign of a possible RI.

For handling what I've always liked to do when I'm working with the snake the first few times is place my hand in the cage away from the snake and let my smell get in there. Then I like to see if the snake will work its way over to me and crawl up or at least check me out enough where if I pick it up it won't be too surprised.

I don't know a whole lot about signs of unhealthy so I'll leave them to others, but I do know if you hear some wheezing it can be a possible RI.

Thank you, in my opinion its not a wheezing noise but what makes me wonder is the snake is loads smaller then me and maybe the wheezing noise in a snake sounds different to humans, when making these noises it sounds like its on the out breath and rarely do i see him open his mouth to make them.

One noise is like if you close your month, breath in, then softly rush some breath out of your nose in a split second (like a boxer when throwing a punch but far far less quiet and softer) - never seems to open his mouth for this

The other noise is more like a cross between a shy/huff & a hiss, not to loud nor violent and does it when investigating his tank, he some times opens his mouth to do it but last night was the first time i had heard this noise from him.

Thank You

[The Gun]

Re: Right its nearly time!

I was wrong, it is making his sounds under the cave?????

Also he had what i was told is a wee last night, a hard lump of whiteness and some liquid, i was told the white thing is his amonia sack but it was very hard so i was thinking weather the pre owners was wrong about that to and it was the rats bones?

[clsutt29]

Re: Right its nearly time!

Alot of times they huff and breath hard when being active.

As far as the white thing being bones it is not. It is called a urate and is normal when they urinate.

[The Gun]

Re: Right its nearly time!

Thank you

[bterrill]

Re: Right its nearly time!

Hi again,

I also agree it sounds like a uriate (pee) from their last meal. I take it you didn't notice any actual poop? Was the fluid brownish?

As for the noise, well, sometimes they just make noise. My largest boa makes some breathing noises from time to time but I believe his is caused by breathing through his mouth at times. I got him 2 years ago as a big adult from my sisters friend for free and he had some severe nose rub and looked like his left nostril was non functioning. I notice he will breathe loud from time to time.

Other than that I'm not too sure. I don't know very much about health issues. Hopefully someone else can chime in.

On another note how did handling Bowman go?

[The Gun]

Re: Right its nearly time!

Hi again,

I also agree it sounds like a uriate (pee) from their last meal. I take it you didn't notice any actual poop? Was the fluid brownish?

As for the noise, well, sometimes they just make noise. My largest boa makes some breathing noises from time to time but I believe his is caused by breathing through his mouth at times. I got him 2 years ago as a big adult from my sisters friend for free and he had some severe nose rub and looked like his left nostril was non functioning. I notice he will breathe loud from time to time.

Other than that I'm not too sure. I don't know very much about health issues. Hopefully someone else can chime in.

On another note how did handling Bowman go?

Thank you.

He pee'd right next to his hide out so it was difficult to see what the liquid colour was as its soaked into the apsen but the colour of the apsen hasn't changed much, just looks damp. He litterly found about an half inch space between the tank front and his cave. I tried cleaning it up but he hasn't came out from under it yet and i didn't want to upset him buy removing his roof from over him. No poop yet but i did read in the care guide on here they may wee more the pooh and they may only pooh about once a month. He had poohed 4 days before i picked him up from pre owner.

On the handling front, some story, he hasn't been out yet so i haven't had chance to try.

He seems to be coming out around 9-11pm and staying out till 3am ish. Which brings me to my next question:

I know they don't play with Squeaky toys and tug on bits of rope but is there any ways i can make him more active inside his enclosure to bring him out from under his cave more oftern??