Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello All, Thanks for all the geat ideas on how to find the missing milk from one of my earlier posts. He has returned and has shed also. Pic.......

The bad news...... This the second snake my landlord found while doing laundry. The tupper ware snake shelf has to go and the snakes are not allowed back untill i get a "secure" enclosure. Arguing will do me no good here. I have started drawing up the plans for 2 snake towers holding 5 snakes per tower. Framed glass front doors with locks. Will be starting just after i finish this email.

Still......Very Happy about the find!

Mike

Where did you find your snake?
What do you keep your snakes in ?

I suggest you go to Target and get some of these in both sizes.Then go to Home Depot and get a small pen type soldering iron to burn some holes.

Have a cabinets maker make you a rack.You can have him dado a channel 1/3 toward the back for some heat tape or just heat the room.

Bottom spines prevent the boards from sagging. A common problem if you do not use 3/4 inch ply,or the width is more then 2 feet

I walled off a small part of my basement and put a door in. The door frame should include the floor so it can be sealed.If the snakes get out of the containers they still have to escape the snake room (aka Mancave).
Let us know you plans.Some of the guys in this forum have kept snakes forever so they can help.I have had more snakes escape over the years then I care to admit.I found a adult gentilis just this summer that had been gone since the 05/06 winter.

Good Luck

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Doug L

Congrats on the find. Doug's right you are really lucky! That's awesome.

Consider buying a plastic rack that holds Sterilite or Iris tubs, etc. They work great and are the closest thing to snake proof that I've seen.

Dave
DNS Reptiles

The most glaring now is to gain the confidence of your landlord. If you still allowed to keep snakes read on.
In the pic you will notice both stuck skin from the last shed AND flared scales indicating a continuing skin infection. This one was in rough shape before the escape, and its likely very dehydrated now. A dehydrated snake with a skin infection is a serious problem. It is likely soaking as we speak. Open water exascerbates the infection and great care must be taken, this is CONTAGIOUS! Make sure to wash your hands before and after dealing with this snake. Its going to need a REAL hot spot(100 plus)and a wide temp range while it heals. Too much water will lead to blistering so hand water only for a week. No water in the cage! it will likely go through a couple more sheds without eating in quick succession in a attempt to heal. Feeding is unlikely, force feeding a tail twice a week during "treatment" should keep it alive.
Caging going forward. I like to keep baby milks in deli cups. They usually feed better and its easier to monitor humidity, which is super important to babies. For heat I use rope light, you can find this at a home depot. You can put one edge of the deli cup on the rope; you now have a secure, cheap and easy to manage set up that will hold you til you get something built for the adults. The hot end using rope light wont be much higher than 90, so its not hot enough and a deli isnt big enough to offer proper thermoreguation during sickness, and this one should be kept in a seperate room if possible while you quarantine it.
Skin infections are likely the number 1 killer of baby snakes. I have tried hydrogen peroxide on a swab, antifungal powder and several other things. Too often by the time you spot the problem it is already too late, as its often the cure that gets them off feed.
I may be over-reacting here, but better that now than the alternative. These are all good suggestions that have worked for me, there are other ways of course. But if you are new into snakes do yourself a favor and keep things as simple as possible til they are regularly feeding and growing. Dont make big investments into caging (time or $$) til you establish what and how many you want to keep. Its a mistake too many of us have made. Good luck.

Just built these two stacked racks a couple of weeks ago for under 100 bucks, heat and dimmers included. 16" wide melamine shelving and a table saw. Heavy stuff so I built ten tub units and joined them after carrying them inside. I left the front shelves long so the tubs would go outside of the enclosed sides to give a better cool spot and gradient. I used cereal box cardboard as a spacer when screwing in the shelves so there is no chance of escapes unless you don't push a tub in all the way. You could of course use a couple of larger tubs and space the shelves accordingly. When using larger tubs for larger snakes I use quarters at all four corners for spacers. Peg board on the back with 11" heat tape that is hooked up to a dimmer switch. Each ten tub unit has its own dimmmer so I only have to heat what tubs are being used. Cheap, effective, and escape proof if done right. Photos in next message. Another option is to buy a nice rack which I do also but they are pricey. I do prefer belly heat but that is a lot more work and these racks I built are for hatchlings that will only be in those tubs a short time. Hot side 86 and cool 72. Not bad.

Here are the two cheap racks stacked and screwed together.

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Doug L

I keep them in Sterillite containers but the tops do not lock down. The landlord found him crawling at her feet in the basement. I am in the second story apt.

My wife and i are starting to think now that there were little curios fingers at work here. My son is 3. There are no other logical explanations for this. The other milks have been in these same containers since early spring. My boa has been in one since i moved here.......Little fingers!!!!..

So need a rack that will keep the landlord, and my wife happy and the kids out. I have a solution drawn out. I will post some picks when finished.

Jeff. The scales on the neck appear to be leftover skin from the shed. I will take clean close ups tomorrow and start a separate post with them.

Thank you All!

Mike

Mike, on the left side of the body near the first complete band, the scales are...."fringed" out. It is common for skin/blister disease to see this, its what I was talking about in the original email to you. Often a non feeder will go into repeated shed cycles without feeding, another clue. Be aware, increase the temp beyond 100 in the hot side. If you keep the temp 70-90 you will only prolong the recovery. Feeding is a sure sign its receeded, but like I said reacting too late will probe costly. J

That snake is NOT a "non feeder".

With all due respect, you appear to have no idea what you are talking about.

Mike, you can try all the things the "biologist" advised, but if I were you , I would just give it a pinkie.

Good luck,

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Chris Jones
King of Kings Reptiles

http://www.kingofkingsreptiles.com/

"All the fancy names in the world will be of no help if you do not know the difference between chocolate pudding and pig poop." -Frank Retes

Pinks will be in tomorrow. I will try. The frayed scales were leftover shed that rubbed off when he cruised between my fingers. Will put ut some pics.

Thanks,
Mike

Chris, an ounce of provention may beat a pound of cure. The advice I gave is good for ANY escapee. I didnt say it was a non-feeder, I described non-feeders and what to do hopefully BEFORE he ever has to deal with it. This way he is prepared for whatever happens. As I stated, most times when you have problems with babies by the time you recognize the problem it may already be too late. Hand watering and a hotter/wider temp gradient? Hardly bad advice.