| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Lotabob |
Posted - 02/04/2011 : 00:09:45
Wow, I decided since Sanke was settling so well I'd feed him. As its the first feed I had first feed worries but oh boy did he make me smile. Mouse ws presented, tongue flick X2 and then blam, strike and constrict!
Anyway I didn't want to annoy him for long but I had to have the camera running to capture the occasion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLUkhvXNuy0 Enjoy, I did. |
| 13 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Margwar |
Posted - 02/04/2011 : 18:07:34
Margwar doesn't ball up, but then again he is pretty old now and used to us. In my opinion, the best way to pick any snake up is just grab it and go (Gently of course) support as much as it's body as you can.
I've noticed with our king if his entire body is supported he's a lot calmer, whereas if just a bit is supported he's more flightly.
Lotabob, Sanke is gorgeous! Nice feeding response, I look forward to more videos and photos! |
| Lotabob |
Posted - 02/04/2011 : 17:41:50
No not about them biting, they are indeed puppy dogs (even better con) and look really cute when they poke their head out. I've had a close call with Duke but that was my fault and I scared him with my big face and he has hissed at me too when I was cleaning him out and he was heavily in blue but again that was out of fright not aggression. They are not aggressive snakes they are calm and lovely, even Duke is lovely most of the time.
You just get used to the mountains of poo you have to deal with, thats another good thing about Royals, they hold it in for weeks and weeks and when they go its usually solid even their pee is solid most of the time. |
| n/a |
Posted - 02/04/2011 : 14:23:07
LOL - that brings back memories. Shahi went into blue the day after he arrived, and the shed was a mess and I had to help him, despite no-handling rules. I remember scooping out this tiny baby, but his head was still a lot bigger than a corn's, and for a moment I really did wonder if he would bite. I've since learned that if you put your hand near a royal's head (unless it's in feeding mode and you're holding a mouse, in which case it may accidentally aim for your warm hand) it will jerk its head back. Except for soppy Surahi, who likes her chin tickling ...aah.
I've had some hissing from Shahi when disturbing him in shed or bathing him (a hollow 'haaaaaaah' noise) but that was all bluff. I've heard of aggressive royals, it's true, but the majority are very gentle. The most aggression I've ever seen from a snake is my new corn Missy who arrived with 'an attitude problem'.
Royals are pu$$y cats! (Just conned the swear filter I hope! ) |
| Laws |
Posted - 02/04/2011 : 14:06:19
wen u say wtach which bit the head will appear from is that incase they bite u wen they are curled up ? i just had to wrestle kodi back into her faun , explosive poo so had to lift her out , shes just fast but hates going back in lol ! i think we will just have to get used to the difference with zac and wen we have him out a few times we should be more confident :) |
| Lotabob |
Posted - 02/04/2011 : 14:03:19
Royals are so incredibly easy to pick up. They make it a doddle specially when they aren't used to you, they roll into a ball. Only thing to watch is which bit will the head appear from. Once they get used to you they tend not to roll up, Duke will go stiff and straight, and I've said it before but its like taking a scaffold pole out of the viv. |
| Laws |
Posted - 02/04/2011 : 13:44:36
awh urs are still babies ! kodi is 9 months and kai is 10 months and zac is 9 months too . with zac im just nervous about going in there to get him out , i mean atm we cant do that till he has had a decent amount of feeds , but when i was watching him moving around in there last nite i realised how big and strong he already is , and i kno he could curl into a ball , but its def gonna be diff to scooping a lil shoe lace corn snake out lol . im thinking of how i can arrange the plants so i can just prop them back up , we have them stuck on the back see which looks well nice , however i have already stuck them back on twice , i will think of gettin those picture screws lol! |
| Lotabob |
Posted - 02/04/2011 : 12:36:12
He is my first strike feeding snake, I was expecting it but still let out a giddy celebration when he struck. He then played with his food for about 15 minutes before swallowing it down.
Good ole Zac, I warned you they destroy their vivs overnight, BATS' idea of the eye screws are a good idea for hanging stuff. All my plants are from the ground up so they just get tipped over rather than dragged down, I have plans to mount a big branch in the viv but they are seriously expensive and nothing has been exactly what I wanted yt so the search continues. Spot is 7 months old now (wow I can't believe I've had him that long), Duke is 8 months. And Sanke is 3 months so they are all still babies. I'm not overly sure about how big Sanke will get, I'm almost 100% sure he is pure hogg island Boa so he will be smaller than your average Boa, I'm feeding him every 5 days at the moment but thats because he looks a tiny bit on the thin side, but hope to change that to once a week in about 2-3 weeks time. I am planning on him hitting 6 foot, although its unlikely its best to expect the larger size and plan to house one that size. I'm very taken by the little guy though, he swallowed his food by just opening his mouth and letting the throat muscles drag it down, all the time flashing off his impressive but not exactly massive teeth.
Don't be nervous when handling Zac, I have what at best I can describe as an unpredictable royal in Duke and he is fine when he is up and been handled. Its a whole different ball game handling a royal though compared to a corn snake, I was always afraid of breaking Spot when he was tiny, not so much now but I'm still gentle. Duke is a bit different, he is VERY strong and won't be told what to do, I can guide him but thats about it, he also finds it funny I think to grab my thumb with his tail and then set off round my hand without letting go. They really are an amazing snake. |
| n/a |
Posted - 02/04/2011 : 11:29:47
Wow, congrats - he's a right little tiger for his grub, isn't he!
Hi, Laws, after asbo corns vandalising their vivs I discovered screw eyes (you know, those little rings that screw into wood, like the kind of thing you see on the back of picture frames) - they come in all sizes - I think a pack of .5cm ones are a fiver or so in B&Q. The chipboard's a pig to make a hole in but once you've got a few of the eyes screwed in you can tie stuff up anywhere, no sharp edges, and they're strong - safe enough to support a climbing branch for my 1350g lass.
Yeah, it's funny how corns steal your heart, I'd planned not to have any more but then Mistletoe came along. Love them, even if they are stinky colubrids!
Congrats again, Bob. |
| Strawb |
Posted - 02/04/2011 : 11:03:02
Sanke's size will be determined to a certain extent by how you feed him. If you feed him larger meals on a regular basis he will probably grow pretty big, maybe 4-5 feet. If you feed him less he could well be smaller.
Tia is 3 years old, 80cm long and only weighs about 580g because she was fed very irregularly. I would suggest just feeding Sanke regularly between 10 and 15% of his body weight as recommended, and let him grow as he wants to. If you handle him often he will always be safe to handle and you will have no reason to be nervous of him.
You may find that you don't notice the snake growing all that much. People tell me Karla my cali has really grown since they last saw her a few months previously, but I can't say I notice it. She's a lovely little thing, even if she craps all over my office. |
| Dio |
Posted - 02/04/2011 : 10:22:47
quote:
Originally posted by Laws
well zac has just trashed his viv . the stuck on plants are no longer stuck on with blue tac . i think it frightened him wen he kncoked it off as i heard a thump and thought he had fallen off somethin , but he was coiled like he had struck the back of the viv . i will no doubt be forever sticking the plants on in a morning !
We tacked ours onto the viv so Dio can't knock them down. He quite likes laying on top on them. It's definately worth doing if you don't want to keep sticking them back up. |
| Laws |
Posted - 02/04/2011 : 01:51:25
well zac has just trashed his viv . the stuck on plants are no longer stuck on with blue tac . i think it frightened him wen he kncoked it off as i heard a thump and thought he had fallen off somethin , but he was coiled like he had struck the back of the viv . i will no doubt be forever sticking the plants on in a morning ! nice to see him checking his pad out! hes def bigger than i thought stretched out , i feel slightly nervous when it comes to us getting him out for some reason! hes alot bigger than our lil corns!
how big will sanke get ? how old is spot ? xx
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| Lotabob |
Posted - 02/04/2011 : 01:40:33
I've not got a lot of pictures yet but once he digests the mouse he took tonight I'll get him out for a proper photo shoot. He is very good natured and inquisitive. I'm so happy with him.
Duke is really stunning but my favourite is still Spot, he is just so lovely. |
| Laws |
Posted - 02/04/2011 : 01:06:50
wow bam indeed! just saw some vids of duke too , he a stunner ! just looking over at zac's viv and hes out and about! so happy! have u got some more pics of sanke? i was trying to show my other half x |
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