Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I had emailed the following to Dean, but thought I could also get some input here. I appreciate all the help I have received so far!

I am hoping you can give me some advice on my new cribo. I received a unicolor about 2 weeks ago. I put him in a new cage I had made (6' x 2' x 18", with a loft/hide box above the main body of the cage.(attached pic). He looks healthy to me(he is approx. 5') and the previous owner said he had been eating both prekilled and f/t weanling rats. At each end of the enclosure, I have 11" flexwatt heating the cage, controlled by a Helix proportional thermostat. He always seems to stay in the hide box(which is 3' long x 2' deep, 9"high), but that doesn't have heat in it, except what rises from the main viv. I have tried on 2 different occasions to feed him, once a small rat and another time, an adult mouse. I tried both times to get him to strike at it, etc. and then left it with him and he ate neither time.
There are 2 things that I thought may keep him from wanting to eat(as I have always been told that reluctant feeding is usually a husbandry issue). 1) The area he chooses to stay isn't warm enough(will be putting a thermostat in there tonight) and 2) he had a bad rub on his nose from shipping. He had rubbed it bloody on the bag trying to get out. Also, he just finished shedding, but he couldn't get any of the shed off of his face and on one side, the cap of his eye wouldn't come off(i dampened and manually removed so that he can see now)
Should I close off the "loft" and make him reside in the main cage where it stays warmer? I think the previous owner seems an honest person and I believe he was feeding, but want to make sure I am not screwing up. I have never owned a dry before and had always heard what crazy feeders they are, and naturally got worried when he wouldn't eat. Sorry for such a long post, but make sure I explain the situation fully when asking advice. Any input is appreciated. Thanks in advance.
I posted pics of the cage(the open door propped up by pole is where he hides) and a headshot of his bloody nose.

http://www.heidibortelphoto.com/pics/cribo.gif
http://www.heidibortelphoto.com/pics/cage.gif

1) The pic shows a rubbed rostral with impacted fibers from the snake bag. I would recommend swabbing that area thoroughly with a slightly weakened betadine solution and then apply some neosporin on the affected area once or twice a day. Once it sheds, it should look much better but for now, you just want to prevent an infection.

2) Have you considered getting a full fecal exam done? Cribos are notorious for carrying internal parasites unless they are well established, c.b. specimens. I personally do full fecals and full bloodwork up which will run around $200 per snake; and well worth the cost.

3) You didn't mention anything about exact temperatures; just the types of heat you use. As such, if you are simply guessing on what is the appropriate heat, you are probably missing the mark which can throw a snake off feed. Do you provide any sort of lighting? I have found that just by adding a quality full spectrum fluorescent can stimulate normal activity levels.

4) If this animal just arrived just give it time to settle in. Some animals need quite a bit more time to settle into their new "terriroties" than others. Keep handling to a minimum and allow the snake to get used to seeing your around the cage and maintaining the cage.

5) I would recommend just heating one end of the cage; this will create a thermal gradient which is vitally important for all Drymarchon. You said you were getting a thermostat and that's a good start. You should never guess on temps.

These suggestions should help your snake settle in.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center
Lake Forest, IL

>>http://www.heidibortelphoto.com/pics/cribo.gif
>>http://www.heidibortelphoto.com/pics/cage.gif
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

Maybe he's moving right into another shed cycle because of the injury he suffered. Good luck with him. He could become a 7 ft. beauty in a year or two.

john, i think you're probably just trying to 'over achieve' w/ him. you just need to keep it simple, unicolors generally need to be left alone and cool, they hate heat!!! they are an upland species that thrive beautifully at no more than room temps. try killing all the artificial heat, leave him be for about a week & then offer him a bloody rat. you'll be pleased w/ the result. that's all you gotta do, kill the temps and he'll respond........

I agree. I keep all mine but the yearlings without heat and at room temps and they are all thriving. The yearlings have a place for belly heat but they don't use it much.

A couple of things you might try...
1) Even if he doesn't have full spectrum lighting, making sure that he has some sort of lighting to create a day and night cycle could stimulate a feeding response. Mine (blacktails) are definitely more active during the day, but when they were shy right after I got them, they preferred to eat in the evening right after the lights clicked off. If he has a day/night lighting cycle, try feeding at different points in the day.
2) Wait and let him settle in a week or two.
3) Try putting him in something smaller overnight to feed. Maybe he's not secure
4) You could, if all else fails, try feeding him a small live prey item like a crawler rat. I know that lots of folks are dead set against feeding live prey, but a lot of snakes (not just drys) that I've gotten would take live prey after refusing f/t.
Good luck.
Robert

I had very similiar issues with a new Uni I purchased a few months back, he had some slight nose damage & wouldnt eat. As stated in the post below Unis HATE heat. I initially had mine setup the same way I keep my couperi with basking lights & a small hotspot of 90, he seemed to hate the lights. I've gotten rid of the lights & keep my gradient from 68 on the cool side to about 78 on the warm, he almost immediately showed the typical Dry feeding response & has been feeding great since.
Neosporin daily healed his nose up nicely, as stated below it will look a lot better after he sheds. Remember to keep him well hydrated with several good hiding spots, he should come around. Hope this helps-good luck.

what site???

When I posted the reply there was a web-site listed with a map of Fish & Wildlife areas shown. I don't know who the moderator is but maybe it is not cool to post web-sites due to copyright laws etc. I don't really know.

Good news, he ate 2 mice! It's weird, cause he just finished a bad shed and is already in blue again! Is it possible that it was due to the injury on his nose? I pumped up the humidity..my temps were correct, but I think it was too dry. I placed damp towels in a plastic tub in his hide box. Thanks again for all the responses.

John