Reptile & Amphibian Forums

NOSE RUBBING
So my subadult z which was rubbing its nose entered a shed cycle a week after eating a live fuzzy... it shed perfectly and the nose appears almost perfect... apparently it was mostly just cosmetic damage to the old skin or something... she is still a bit active and today, one day after shedding, she ate another good sized live fuzzy... she is still in the naturalistic enclosure but i put a spagnum moss hide 1/2 filled with water in there.

BRUMATION
Apparently she is not very interested in going off of food as she attacked and ate that mouse with some ferocity... her cage is about 71 day 66 night. If she goes off food i will wait 2 weeks then start cooling her i guess? But until then i plan to just feed her if she wants to keep eating.

If your snake is eating even fairly decent-sized prey items, the snake needs to be able to locate a section of the enclosure in at least the high 70's or more so the prey doesn't rot inside the snake and it causes a regurgitation. Either that or simply cool them down more and don't feed at all. But you CANNOT cool them down either without first giving the snake a good while to poop out all of it's contents, or it will again....rot!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Good on you for providing the sphagnum moss hide, but half filled with water sounds like a possible drowning hazard. The moss just has to be moist, not sodden.

Also, the hot spot should be in the high 70's F; measure it with an infrared gun to be sure.
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Bob/Chris
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire

Thanks folks ... i do have a under-glass heater covered with substrate and i just got a dimmer switch to lower it way down to about 78 or so... also removed all water from the moss...

So, if she keeps eating regularly i guess there is no need to brumate her.... are there any advantages to brumate her or is it best to just let her eat then decide if she wants to brumate herself?

Also, are there any books that deal with husbandry in detail - especially about brumating?