Reptile & Amphibian Forums

got a pyro king snake, has been eating fine, but goes up against the glass and pushes as if he's trying to push right through it. Didn't do it before, and has been doing it for about a week or so. What should I do? Its about 82-84 on the hot side and 73-75 on the cool.

Maybe I'm wrong, but given the time of year - it may be searching for a suitable place to settle down for the winter.
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Arrrggg!
It's like Shalom, but for pirates.
- iCarly

Or right, but theres a better chance its looking for better conditions. We just do not know what they are.

But if you give that snake the oppertuntity it will tell you.

When a snake pushes to escape, its not happy with its cage. I wonder why we think we know why, and I wonder why we do not simply ask the snake why.

In my experience, temps are meaningless unless the snake has a way to use them(usable temps). I like to offer temps from near 100F and down to high fifties or low sixties and all these choices must be available in hiding. Then the snakes can feed or chill out, as it pleases. Cheers

How do you go about achieving that thermal gradient? That's a difference of 45 degrees in one enclosure..........how big is the eclosure? Do you keep your herp room 55 F and just add heat?

I think that method sounds great......bascially you're offering more choices (concerning temps) than they would have even in nature!
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2.4.0 Leopard Geckos
0.1.0 California Kingsnake
0.1.0 Copperhead
1.1.0 Eastern Box Tutles

I am just a good old country boy who loves snakes and just started to breed them so I mean no disrespect FR, but how in the world do you accomplish those temps? You must have four feet of dirt in the enclosure and it must be huge. Can you post a photo of an enclosure you use? I love my snakes and if I can do the same I will.

levels jerry... levels...

~ Cosmo Kramer

>>levels jerry... levels...
>>
>>~ Cosmo Kramer

Retes stacks are excellent for basking reptiles, but I think may be a better way for thigmotrophic species involving thermoelectric chips that produce heat from one side and cold from the other.

I have preliminary designs but have not had time to produce and test yet. After I have produced and tested the design I'll share my ideas.

In the mean time you guys should see what you can come up with incorporating a chip that produces heat on one side and cold on the other.

My premise revolves around a room that is 68 in the winter and 78 in the summer. Temps inside the cage manipulated further from that point.
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Herp Conservation Unlimited
Mexicana Group Directory
Photography by Joseph E. Forks

Levels along will not accomplish this Mike. Achieving such gradients in a small setup is difficult. You need larger cages, bedding with depth and thermal mass and a cooler ambient room temp.

Frequently however the problem is simply that the basics are not being met. If the warm hide isn't warm enough (which 84 is not) the snake may deside to go dormant. If there isn't a cool enough location to do this (which again I don't believe 73 is cool enough) the snake is going to go looking for different conditions.

My recommendation would be to shift the entire gradient towards the warmer side by about 10 degrees during the day (12 - 14 hours) and let conditions return to current levels at night. If the snake doesn't resume feeding and stop cruising the cage and providing a large cage with a whole host of choises is not an option, shift the gradient the other way and let the animal go dormant for awhile. It may not be new age herpetoculture but it will not hurt the animal and it works. The thing is you still need to understand the animals behavior and respond accordingly.
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Darwin Rocks!

It may not be new age herpetoculture...

whats new age herptoculture?,,,,,,,,,,,thomas
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Morphs... just like baseball cards BUT ALIVE, how cool is that???

my website www.barmollysplace.com

I first heard this term used in about 93 when Philip deVosiley (sp) was talking about utilizing bigger and communal caging. Dang has it really been 15 years!
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Darwin Rocks!

Give him a humid hide in each end of the enclosure, if he doesn't already have them.
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Diego

SWCHR

I agree with FunkyRes -- during this time of year, my pyros KNOW it's winter, stop eating, and will try to "escape" to cooler quarters. Yes, it looks like they're going to snap their noses right off! I suggest you consider cooling him down to 55 degrees F or so until mid-late March (with clean water available at all times). Make sure his gut is empty first by waiting until at least two weeks after he eats a final meal. You'll save on mice and your snake will feel better, too. Good luck.

The cool side is not cool enough. Let it get down to 60-65 deg.

What type of cage and how are you heating it?
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Mark

At the risk of sounding like Frank, I would say he's looking for someting he's not finding in your current setup.
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Darwin Rocks!

You have got some great advice from the above posters. Just curious have you checked it out for parasites such as mites? Mites can literally drive a snake crazy, especially a heavily infested snake.

It appears that there is no mites, or anything of that matter. I keep him in glass terrarium with a hot side and a cold side, he just ate. Shouldn't that mean he's alright? It's really annoying because he was fine up to this point, lately it seems as if he's active ALL THE TIME.

Also is it necessary to make them hibernate? If you don't want to do you have to?