First snake

[Payara]

I am about to get a month old Male Tangerine Hypo Honduran Milk. He is taking F/T pinkie mice once a week. I was planning on keeping him in a spare 10 gallon aquarium with pine or aspen bedding. I had a few other questions concerning his care.

1. I live in TX and my condo stays between 75- 82 during the day and at night stays at a constant 75. I was planning on using a 32 W compact fluorescent light on one side of the tank. I figured it will generate enough heat. Considering my situation do I need a heat source? Before the cooler weather hits I'll be purchasing a Ultratherm Heat Pad. What do you all think?

2. I have heard mixed opinions on using a separate container to feed the snake. What do you all think?

3. What type feeding schedule do you guys recommend? Should I feed him once a week and do you guys recommend a fasting day, so basically I feed him 3 x a month.

4. Should I provide a deli cup filled with moist sphagnum moss?

Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated.
Thanks again

 

[Payara]

please

 

[Kiote_9]

I am about to get a month old Male Tangerine Hypo Honduran Milk. He is taking F/T pinkie mice once a week. I was planning on keeping him in a spare 10 gallon aquarium with pine or aspen bedding. I had a few other questions concerning his care.

DON'T USE PINE!!! It can kill your snake. Aspen or cypress, and I don't use cypress, myself.

If you are going to keep him on aspen please feed in either a separate container or at least set his prey on a piece of plastic so he doesn't ingest substrate. When I had smaller corns I put a small sterlite with the prey in the snakes tank so they could climb inside to eat.

1. I live in TX and my condo stays between 75- 82 during the day and at night stays at a constant 75. I was planning on using a 32 W compact fluorescent light on one side of the tank. I figured it will generate enough heat. Considering my situation do I need a heat source? Before the cooler weather hits I'll be purchasing a Ultratherm Heat Pad. What do you all think?

The snake wont need light. Use a UTH made for a 10 gallon tank and put it on one end so the snake can thermoregulate between hot and cold.

2. I have heard mixed opinions on using a separate container to feed the snake. What do you all think?

I feed in the same container, house my snakes separately, and most of them are on newspaper so I can feed them in their houses easily. The two that are on aspen get fed in a sterlite.

3. What type feeding schedule do you guys recommend? Should I feed him once a week and do you guys recommend a fasting day, so basically I feed him 3 x a month.

I feed my younger snakes every 5-7 days till they are about 6 months old then it is every 7-10 days. At about 1 year they go to every other Saturday---ish. Feeding schedules aren't carved in stone. In the wild they eat when they can catch something, so if you feed a couple of days early or late it's not a big deal. I keep a calendar so I know when they ate. You don't need to fast them, it's up to you.

4. Should I provide a deli cup filled with moist sphagnum moss?

Keeping a snake in a tank you more need to keep the screen top covered than provide a moist hide. My male jungle-corn is the only snake still in a tank and he is in a 20 long with a UTH, a hide, a log, a waterdish big enough for him to soak in, and a screen top covered with a folded beach towel to keep in the humidity. He sheds just fine. Again, it is up to you.

Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated.
Thanks again

Just my opinion

 

[Payara]

Thanks a lot Shelly, I appreciate you taking the time to answer all my questions

 

[Kiote_9]

You are most welcome!

Please post pictures when you get your little guy.

If you want a nice source for frozen pinkies there is The Mouse Factory in Texas. I used to buy my feeders from them and they are the nicest people with great merchandise. You buy 1 bag and it should last till your snake is ready to go up to the next size. That is, if you don't mind keeping a bag of mice in your freezer....

 

[Payara]

Will do...I am placing the order with Joe tomorrow and just ordered the heating and hides from Reptile Basics. I'll post some pics of the lil guy by Friday. Thanks again

 

[Payara]

So I got the lil guy this Wednesday from Joe Exposito he looks awesome and he ate his first meal Thursday. And now he's about to shed. I'll be posting pics this coming week.

I had 2 quick question about heating. I bought a Ultratherm Undertank Heater (6"x11") from Reptile Basics for his 10 gallon enclosure and placed the UTH inside the aquarium, placed newspaper over it, and shredded aspen over the newspaper. I do not have a thermostat yet. So do you guys think that the placing the heater under all that will still produce a healthy heat gradient or should i remove the newspaper?

Secondly, he's a lil bit timid. I have handled him twice and both times hes urinated on me. I really don't care about that but other than time can anyone give some handling/interacting advice in order to get him more comfortable around me.

Any advice would greatly be appreciated!!! Thanks in advance

 

[evilcowboy420]

Personally I would place the pad under the tank. These things even running at 5 watts can get really hot. If you notice the snake not going at all on the heated side it may be a little too hot fir him.

When you handle him a bit more he will stop musking you. However if you put him down right when he does it then it will re-enforce that musking you worked and he will keep doing it. Just keep holding him as unpleasant as it may be and he will stop.

Milks settle down well and they are quick little guys but a lot of fun. I have a Anery Hondoran Milk that my wife claimed as her own because it was "so pretty" and the snake is an awesome little girl but still gets a bit scared when she is first picked up but she never musks or bites.

 

[Kiote_9]

I agree about putting the heat pad under the tank. It's much safer and it's easier to regulate the temps that way. I don't use a thermostat for my little UTH's, I use thickness of mewspaper to keep it where I want it. You have to be careful with it, but it's do-able.

As far as the musking goes, just handle him more frequently and if you put a towel on your lap then hold the snake over the towel it'll save your clothes from getting musky. My new baby burm squirted all over me the first few times I held him, but I didn't put him down even to clean up. Now he hisses a lot, but no more mess.

 

[evilcowboy420]

I agree about putting the heat pad under the tank. It's much safer and it's easier to regulate the temps that way. I don't use a thermostat for my little UTH's, I use thickness of mewspaper to keep it where I want it. You have to be careful with it, but it's do-able.

As far as the musking goes, just handle him more frequently and if you put a towel on your lap then hold the snake over the towel it'll save your clothes from getting musky. My new baby burm squirted all over me the first few times I held him, but I didn't put him down even to clean up. Now he hisses a lot, but no more mess.

lol fun times with the burm. I would have thought they would just flat out bite you over going to the bathroom on you lol. Also that would be a great Bounty commercial.

 

[Payara]

PICS

Personally I would place the pad under the tank. These things even running at 5 watts can get really hot. If you notice the snake not going at all on the heated side it may be a little too hot fir him.

When you handle him a bit more he will stop musking you. However if you put him down right when he does it then it will re-enforce that musking you worked and he will keep doing it. Just keep holding him as unpleasant as it may be and he will stop.

Milks settle down well and they are quick little guys but a lot of fun. I have a Anery Hondoran Milk that my wife claimed as her own because it was "so pretty" and the snake is an awesome little girl but still gets a bit scared when she is first picked up but she never musks or bites.

Thanks cowboy. I have noticed he doesn't spend too much time on heated side. He does go there after a meal and to defecate. He starting to settle down. Today was the first day he didn't musk me but he's still really nervous.

I agree about putting the heat pad under the tank. It's much safer and it's easier to regulate the temps that way. I don't use a thermostat for my little UTH's, I use thickness of mewspaper to keep it where I want it. You have to be careful with it, but it's do-able.

As far as the musking goes, just handle him more frequently and if you put a towel on your lap then hold the snake over the towel it'll save your clothes from getting musky. My new baby burm squirted all over me the first few times I held him, but I didn't put him down even to clean up. Now he hisses a lot, but no more mess.

Thanks Kiote for your response. I'll be moving the heater under tanks shortly.

Another quick question I had was how long should I keep his food in his cage. In the past he ate his meals in less than 15 min. Recently, I left the pinky in his cage for 4 hrs and he still didn't take it. I have been offering meals to him during the afternoon. Would the time of day make a difference. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated?

I also attached some pics of the lil guy and his enclosure. Recommendations and suggestions are more than welcomed

 

[evilcowboy420]

The cage looks good he has a lot of places to hide and you have everything setup pretty good.

Is the food alive or dead. If it is alive you should never leave live food in with your snake. It can hurt or kill them. I doubt a pinky could do any real harm but better to not make it a habit for when you switch to bigger prey. I would also feed him in a separate enclosure like a small tupperware box. This will reduce the risk of you being bitten when he is older He will associate being fed in his enclosure with food and anytime the hand goes in there he will likely strike.

I have seen some snakes go without eating and for a snake that small if it goes longer than a month I would worry but unless it has been a month I wouldn't worry too much about it. Also getting closer to fall it could be starting to go into brumation just make sure the temps are the same as if it were summer. The time of day could have an effect on him eating since they are nocturnal snakes you could try feeding him in a darker location. But I seriously wouldn't worry they can survive a long time without food.

Pretty snake btw

 

[Payara]

The cage looks good he has a lot of places to hide and you have everything setup pretty good.

Is the food alive or dead. If it is alive you should never leave live food in with your snake. It can hurt or kill them. I doubt a pinky could do any real harm but better to not make it a habit for when you switch to bigger prey. I would also feed him in a separate enclosure like a small tupperware box. This will reduce the risk of you being bitten when he is older He will associate being fed in his enclosure with food and anytime the hand goes in there he will likely strike.

I have seen some snakes go without eating and for a snake that small if it goes longer than a month I would worry but unless it has been a month I wouldn't worry too much about it. Also getting closer to fall it could be starting to go into brumation just make sure the temps are the same as if it were summer. The time of day could have an effect on him eating since they are nocturnal snakes you could try feeding him in a darker location. But I seriously wouldn't worry they can survive a long time without food.

Pretty snake btw

Thanks James for the prompt and helpful reply. I exclusively feed F/T pinkies. Do you really think it's necessary to feed him in a separate container? I open and go into his cage other than just to feed him. And if I took him out to place him another container wouldn't he associate me picking him as a cue for feeding?

I tried feeding him today as well, but this time in the evening. He ate it without too much trouble. I have noticed he is not a aggressive feeder, is that normal of Honduran Milks?

Also, I have heard different feeding schedules from hobbyists, breeders, and zoos (I got a friend working a zoo) on feeding schedules. I was feeding him once a week but now I am thinking of feeding him 2 pinkies a week until he gets a decent sizes. The zoo feeds all their snakes once every 2 weeks. While others suggested something in between. What do you all think? Someone else suggested, once a month I give my snake a week without food in order to clear his system. What do you all think?

Thanks again for helping out a noob and sorry the multitudes of questions.
kG

 

[Payara]

Oh yeah and how big of an enclosure do you think he needs as an adult? I was thinking of purchasing an AP cage in the next 6 months.

 

[Kiote_9]

Don't apologize for asking questions, it shows you care.

I leave f/t food for about 12 hours.

I think a 3 foot cage would easily house him for his whole life.

 

[Kiote_9]

Ah, you're using aspen. I feed my snakes on a newspaper placed on the aspen to keep fragments off the food. You could place the pinkie in an open rubbermaid and set it in with the snake if you don't want to take him out.

I feed most of my snakes in their homes.

 

[evilcowboy420]

::

Ah, you're using aspen. I feed my snakes on a newspaper placed on the aspen to keep fragments off the food. You could place the pinkie in an open rubbermaid and set it in with the snake if you don't want to take him out.

I feed most of my snakes in their homes.

Exactly about the aspen. I made the mistake of feeding my Ball Python on aspen and I had to get the aspen out of the snakes mouth before it swallowed it. Also remember these snakes eat a variety of things I have seen garters take fish and worms before a mouse. So it may just prefer some other choice of food.

The 3 foot cage I agree with too. Placing them in a sperate container tells them that "hey when the lid open its not time to eat I have to wait until I am in that other box." I notice all my snakes start hunt mode once in the box because they are use to it and I have never had a feeding strike happen this way. I have only been defensively bitten by a king snake. Them guys are jumpy as juvies.

Good luck the snake is absolutely pretty.

 

[Payara]

Thanks guys for all the help.

I heard a lot of people telling me about impaction due to the consumption of aspen so I place the pinky on paper towel and leave it in the cage. But I'll try your advice on the separate container.

I am thinking of getting the Animal Plastics cage, it looks real clean. So hopefully I'll get it in the next 6 months.

Thanks again