Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone,
I recently (about two weeks ago) bought a July '03 het albino nelsons female and a September '03 albino nelsons male. I have already made a few mistakes with them, such as feeding them the day after they were shipped to me, and again three days later. The male barfed after the second feeding, and I posted here. I was recommended to start them feeding once a week, and gradually reduce it to how often I want (appropriately sized food every 3-4 days for maximum growth).
So I waited a week after the second feeding, and fed them both again. My female has done great, she hasn't barfed, and musks, bites, and squirms like crazy when I clean her cage. I don't hold them until the day I feed them, when I put them in deli cups with a pinkie, and clean their cage, and put them back in their cage (a ten gallon, divided into three smaller cages, with a lamp heating all three, each compartment has towel substrate, a hide, water dish, and small, sterile, natural rock for shedding help). The male has always been much more calm, hasn't musked or bitten me. I assumed this is because he's two months younger, and somewhat smaller.
I was just holding them today, six days after their last feeding, to make sure they're doing all right. I have been checking on them every day, just not holding them until the day. The female is, again, great. The male, however, has really stiff skin so that it crinkles when he turns his body. I concluded that he's getting ready to shed, and put him back in his cleaned cage. He barfed for a second time in a row soon after, and the pinkie was hardly digested. I then put him in a deli cup with a half inch or so of water in it, to help him shed. Twenty minutes later, his skin looked normal and everything.
What do you all think I should do with the male? Feed him now, or wait until he sheds? Do you think soaking him twice a day, for a half hour or so, will significantly help him shed (it has worked wonders with my baby little corn snakes). I'm planning to feed the female this evening, as she is doing great.
Thanks very much, in advance, for your replies. These are the first milksnakes I've owned, and are the most expensive snakes I've owned as well. I want to take really good care of them, and have a really good breeding program going in a year or so. I don't want to spend an unnecessary amount of money, but take the best care of them as possible with a reasonable cost. I'm going to make a rack with 28 qt. sterilites, heated with flexwatt, as soon as I get some tools and time, they're no where needing a bigger enclosure right now. I'm also getting another albino female, I'm just waiting for warm enough weather to ship.

Taylor

is give the male a small humid-hide box. You can use a gladware-type box that you get at the grocery store. Get one small enough to fit in his current cage, cut a hole in the side of it so he can get in. Then fill it with damp sphagnum moss and put the top on. Keep it on the cool side of the cage. This will help him to shed. Usually they shed about a day after their skin looks normal again.
Next I would check his cage to make sure you have the warm side in the mid 80s, and that he has at least one other hide available.
I would then leave him alone in his cage for 10 days. Don't handle him. Don't try to feed him. Just leave him alone.
After the 10 days, try the feeding again. If you were feeding f/t, you might try a live pink this time. Either way, I'd try to use a really small pinky (like a day or two old).
Good luck.

Also get some Nutri-Bac powder. It is or used to be advertised in Reptiles Magazine. Just put a little bit on the rump of the pinky next time you feed him. If you put any on the head he may not want to eat it. Make sure it doesn't rub off before he eats it. It helps alot with barfing by restoring natural digestive bacteria, which is what a snake loses when they barf.

Hi again,
Just thought I'd let you know, almost immediately after I posted last the male shed. He crawled around for a while while I watched him shed. It was pretty cool. It came off in two or three pieces. Also, the female shed about a half hour ago. What are the chances of that happening?
For the future, I will plan on giving them each a humidity box. I've heard to do that, just didn't place a high enough priority on it.
For the guy who responded, are you sure that he won't get really hungry? Maybe even enough to get sick, or worse? He hasn't digested a mouse in almost two weeks now, I'm just a little concerned about hunger.

Thanks,
Taylor

He will be fine not eating for 10 days. Snakes can go a long time without food. The reason that you need to wait is that when they regurgitate, they lose a lot of their stomach acids. If they eat again right away, they are likely to toss it up again because they can't digest it. Again, you want to make sure that the temps are ok on the warm side before you do feed him.

"Also, the female shed about a half hour ago. What are the chances of that happening?"

Pretty high apparantly. I'm always amazed at how my snakes of the same species seem to shed almost simultaneously. I'm inclined to believe that lunar cycles have something to do with it. And of course if they are brumated for the same period they tend to match up on their sheds.
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Please do not feed your make for at least 5-7 days. If you feed him now, and he barf again, that will make him not eating in the feature, then you will have a big trouble to get him to eat. (Your male is not a not eating baby, he just can¡¦t digest food now, and you need to wait until he gets really) Also you need to leave him alone, don¡¦t even look at him or touch his cage for couple days. After a week, feed him a small pinky, and leave him alone for the other 3 days. Make sure you have a hiding box at the warm side of his cage. (most of my nelson snakes digest better and faster inside of hiding box at 85 degree). People say lighting is not important for snake, I do agree about it, but if your snakes are place at the room which always turn on and off often, it will scare the snakes also. That¡¦s way hiding box is very important.
If you thinking to breed your snake next your, for my opinion, feed your female every four to five days (don¡¦t feed oversize food, I am talking about power feeding not over feeding). I will do four days this time, and five days next time. She needs more warm area than male. I will never want to hold her, because it will stop her digestion. I keep record for all my snakes, so I know when they eat and when they shed, and how much they grow for every two months. My female nelson bred last year when she was about 250 gram. If you don¡¦t use power feeding for your female, I don¡¦t think she will breed next your.
You also mention your female is very active, always bites you. Don¡¦t worry about it, she will come done when she gets about 120 to 150 grams (maybe more, depend on each snake). For shedding problem, when you know the snake is going to shed, I usually wait for 2 more days to make sure he can¡¦t shed by himself. Then I will put him in to water for about overnight. Don¡¦t put too much water use common sense.
Everything I said about is what I learn from my experience, if anyone wants make any common, please do so. I also want to learn more.
Sorry about my poor English
Eric

Hi everyone,
Thanks very much for your replies. I am definately going to do better with my snakes now. I'll get some of that nutri-bac and feed him in a week or so. Hopefully I'll have a litter of live pinkies soon so I can get some tiny ones. He's crawling around a lot right now, and some skin is still on his tail. Rather than hold him, I think I'm just going to try to mist him at nighttime and when he crawls around it will rub off. Anyway,
Thanks again for you help,
Taylor