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deleted
7384 Posts |
 Posted - 21/10/2011 : 13:57:29
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On Monday Ziska dined (when does she ever not?) on her usual large weaner. Gopher snakes don't mess about. Maybe it's to do with being diurnal desert snakes; in bright light and not much cover, you scarf that prey down fast before something interrupts your meal.
The aftermath is usually deposited in her waterbowl, which is now a giant stoneware lidless casserole from Oxfam. She's now fully 3' long and needs room to soak. Otherwise, when she gets in, the water gets out. Not her fault!
On Tuesday her waterbowl was unsullied, but, fussing about checking and rearranging her viv while she was asleep and couldn't supervise me, I found a trail of little offerings in her deep aspen, and cleaned up. Thank you, Ziska.
On Wednesday I glanced into her viv and saw that she'd been up on a climbing branch when Nature called again ...a lavish monochrome splatter, worthy of Jackson Pollock, decorated the whole of the 2'x2' end wall of her 5' viv. Charming. Thank you, Ziska!
On Thursday, She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed was banging on the window of her viv and demanding armchair walkies before I'd even finished my morning coffee. Naturally I complied. Daren't do otherwise! Ziska gave me a playful nip, hissed, tail rattled, walked all over me, and went to sleep in my sleeve as usual. Mercifully, unlike a corn snake, she has never taken a dump on me. Yet!
Today I got up to find her lounging in her water bowl.
What you doing in there, Zisk?
What do you think? (Something's coming, something good ...)
Take aim, fire ...
Aaah, that feels better!
You, there, cat, just bring me the kitchen roll and the F10! Thank you, cat. You, Lil, look sharp, chambermaid service please! And no chuntering!
(Lil, chuntering ...) When do I do anything else round here ...
Thanks for looking. 
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Edited by - n/a on 21/10/2011 14:32:07 |
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boomslang
Old Royal - I Post too much!
United Kingdom
2025 Posts |
Posted - 21/10/2011 : 15:20:26
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| See!!! More pics of poo,I'm starting to see a pattern here :P |
1.0.0 pinstripe Royal Python
1.0.0 Bumblebee Royal Python
1.0.0 Normal corn
1.0.0 Extreme red Hognose
0.1.0 Extreme red tiger Hognose
1.1.0 yemen chameleons
1.0.0 Piebald yemen
1.0.0 Tamatave panther
1.0.0 Quadricornis
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n/a
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7384 Posts |
Posted - 21/10/2011 : 15:34:16
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LOL - you know when I posted this, I couldn't help thinking, I bet that Boomslang's going to comment on my pics of ... an hour later I went upstairs and there was Spooky anxiously looking out for the chambermaid.
Didn't take any pics of mine, Lil! And it was a whopper!
Sorry, Spooks, but Boomslang'll think I'm weird ...well he does already ...
Could start a new website - faecesbook!
Hey, if I was Tracey Emin or Damien Hirst I could have donated Ziska's wall painting to the Tate or enshrined her effort in perspex and sold it for millions ...now THERE's an idea!!
With 11 snakes, just got to accept it, life's not a bowl of cherries, but a bucket of ****! |
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Edited by - n/a on 21/10/2011 15:35:48 |
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boomslang
Old Royal - I Post too much!
United Kingdom
2025 Posts |
Posted - 21/10/2011 : 17:15:52
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HEHE just googled gopher snake.."Large and heavy-bodied, the gopher snake is reported to reach 9 feet" whats that all about lol.
Where did you get her from?You don't see any down here,Was she expensive?So its like a bullsnake then? but with alot better colours.
Cool pics poo in all :P
Edit:Just found one for sale :P sort of mid range price. |
1.0.0 pinstripe Royal Python
1.0.0 Bumblebee Royal Python
1.0.0 Normal corn
1.0.0 Extreme red Hognose
0.1.0 Extreme red tiger Hognose
1.1.0 yemen chameleons
1.0.0 Piebald yemen
1.0.0 Tamatave panther
1.0.0 Quadricornis
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Edited by - boomslang on 21/10/2011 17:18:01 |
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7384 Posts |
Posted - 21/10/2011 : 17:36:16
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Hi, I got her from Blue Lizard last spring, advertised in their livestock section as 'well grown on - a gorgeous specimen!' £90 and well worth it to me but they can be cheaper.
When I phoned to enquire, they said she was a good size for her age (5 months approx) 'with an attitude to match!' (How could I resist??)
Gophers really are fabulous - as long as you're prepared for the inevitable rattlesnake imitation, they're a snake worth having. As with bulls and pines, it's all bluff - you go in there, they strike and headbutt you or taste you; you pick them up and bring them out and they might swear a bit, but they soon calm ...
If you've got chance of a gopher ...even if it has a gopher you ...still, gopher it!
You will never regret it!
Couple of helpful links -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sohLr5xm_Pw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaJhtOxf3bM&feature=related |
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7384 Posts |
Posted - 21/10/2011 : 19:31:14
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly_EZO3wjBI&feature=related
and another link ...
you'll have noticed the very alert tongue-flicking thing; gophers are WILD - twice/10 times as alert as corns/royals - a whole new experience in fact. Even the feel of them is different, rough instead of silky.
Imo they do need a lot of space - they're active snakes who like to climb and burrow - I give Ziska a 5' viv and a lot of deep aspen and climbing branches, which she seems to appreciate ...
erm sorry, gopher addicted lol |
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boomslang
Old Royal - I Post too much!
United Kingdom
2025 Posts |
Posted - 21/10/2011 : 19:39:07
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Thats where i saw the pic on blue lizard :P must be your snake :)theres one still on there livestock list,listed as sold.
I kinda like the natrix maura,something different,and like the idea of feeding fish etc.But never got round to buying one yet :P |
1.0.0 pinstripe Royal Python
1.0.0 Bumblebee Royal Python
1.0.0 Normal corn
1.0.0 Extreme red Hognose
0.1.0 Extreme red tiger Hognose
1.1.0 yemen chameleons
1.0.0 Piebald yemen
1.0.0 Tamatave panther
1.0.0 Quadricornis
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n/a
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7384 Posts |
Posted - 21/10/2011 : 19:52:22
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That's my girl!
but may be a pic of a previous gopher - notice they put up same pics and descriptions.
Natrix and garters are fascinating, but I've always been a bit dubious about them, perhaps I'm fussing but they're more apt to catch or be infested with parasites owing to their diet, especially wild caught snakes ...lovely critters though! |
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boomslang
Old Royal - I Post too much!
United Kingdom
2025 Posts |
Posted - 21/10/2011 : 20:06:14
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quote:
Originally posted by BurnedAtTheStake
That's my girl!
but may be a pic of a previous gopher - notice they put up same pics and descriptions.
Natrix and garters are fascinating, but I've always been a bit dubious about them, perhaps I'm fussing but they're more apt to catch or be infested with parasites owing to their diet, especially wild caught snakes ...lovely critters though!
Not really a garter snake fan,but was going to make a grassland type viv and put a Natrix in it.with a pond and stuff lol |
1.0.0 pinstripe Royal Python
1.0.0 Bumblebee Royal Python
1.0.0 Normal corn
1.0.0 Extreme red Hognose
0.1.0 Extreme red tiger Hognose
1.1.0 yemen chameleons
1.0.0 Piebald yemen
1.0.0 Tamatave panther
1.0.0 Quadricornis
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n/a
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7384 Posts |
Posted - 21/10/2011 : 20:32:23
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Oh boy sounds cool ...have you seen this - dice snakes, also natrix ...incredible snakes ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=LbkTYnOuK3E
oops got wrong clip - if you saw it before, take second look lol |
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Edited by - n/a on 21/10/2011 20:38:40 |
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boomslang
Old Royal - I Post too much!
United Kingdom
2025 Posts |
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boomslang
Old Royal - I Post too much!
United Kingdom
2025 Posts |
Posted - 22/10/2011 : 01:33:33
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oh and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn1YK2eLw0A&feature=related
can't find the ones i wanted to find lol. |
1.0.0 pinstripe Royal Python
1.0.0 Bumblebee Royal Python
1.0.0 Normal corn
1.0.0 Extreme red Hognose
0.1.0 Extreme red tiger Hognose
1.1.0 yemen chameleons
1.0.0 Piebald yemen
1.0.0 Tamatave panther
1.0.0 Quadricornis
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7384 Posts |
Posted - 22/10/2011 : 05:11:30
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| Those are good ...the grass snake scarfing down its fish dinner and taking it out of the rub into its water bowl lol ...beautiful snakes ...the dice snakes too - only how do you go about keeping that lot clean if they do what Ziska did today ...oops yesterday?? I suppose it fertilises the pond plants lol. |
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boomslang
Old Royal - I Post too much!
United Kingdom
2025 Posts |
Posted - 22/10/2011 : 18:48:30
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If you only had a normal kinda size viv,you could go natural with real plants etc,but the water/pond area would have to be a normal water bowl etc,As cleaning it out would be a pain.I've tried it before and it was a pain to keep clean.
Unless you can make a large pond with a pump and litle waterfall etc,where you could plant up pond plants to.
Think of the exo terra waterfalls,to small a pond where water is left to sit,won't work and will be a pain.I will try and find the video of the outdoor setup for you on yt :P |
1.0.0 pinstripe Royal Python
1.0.0 Bumblebee Royal Python
1.0.0 Normal corn
1.0.0 Extreme red Hognose
0.1.0 Extreme red tiger Hognose
1.1.0 yemen chameleons
1.0.0 Piebald yemen
1.0.0 Tamatave panther
1.0.0 Quadricornis
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n/a
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7384 Posts |
Posted - 22/10/2011 : 20:16:28
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I can imagine! Yes, without established water plants to maintain a balance, and preferably a pump, water in a viv could be a disaster, but even so, going by the amount of work needed for my 120 litre aquarium, a water setup could well be a pain ...in the average dice/grass snake setup the large cat litter tray filled with water would be the most sensible option.
It surprises me how many snakes are aquatic; indoors nobody, apart from Ziska, and occasionally Cy, takes a dip, but, when they come outside in the summer, the garden 'pond' (a 50 gallon header tank from a skip lol) attracts them - both royals and corns have been known to dive in. Ziska I've never tried outside yet - she's not a year old, and very zippy! |
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Edited by - n/a on 22/10/2011 20:20:24 |
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boomslang
Old Royal - I Post too much!
United Kingdom
2025 Posts |
Posted - 23/10/2011 : 00:35:32
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| haha yeah,The one i had needed cleaning out once every 2 days.Was way to much work.then sometimes the pump would jam,was just to annoying lol. |
1.0.0 pinstripe Royal Python
1.0.0 Bumblebee Royal Python
1.0.0 Normal corn
1.0.0 Extreme red Hognose
0.1.0 Extreme red tiger Hognose
1.1.0 yemen chameleons
1.0.0 Piebald yemen
1.0.0 Tamatave panther
1.0.0 Quadricornis
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n/a
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7384 Posts |
Posted - 23/10/2011 : 17:30:24
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Oh boy, tell me about it ...aquarium equipment ...hate it!
The daft thing is, I got into aquariums when all the time what I really wanted was snakes ...I'd go along to the exotics shop for aquarium stuff just as an excuse to look at the snakes ...eventually I saw the light lol. Mind you, despite once halfheartedly deciding to sell them and changing my mind, I do love my weather loach ...because they're like snakes ... |
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boomslang
Old Royal - I Post too much!
United Kingdom
2025 Posts |
Posted - 23/10/2011 : 19:37:21
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quote:
Originally posted by BurnedAtTheStake
Oh boy, tell me about it ...aquarium equipment ...hate it!
The daft thing is, I got into aquariums when all the time what I really wanted was snakes ...I'd go along to the exotics shop for aquarium stuff just as an excuse to look at the snakes ...eventually I saw the light lol. Mind you, despite once halfheartedly deciding to sell them and changing my mind, I do love my weather loach ...because they're like snakes ...
If you can't removed said water feature,cleaning it is 100 times harder,my one took hours to clean out and there was always **** still left someplace.
Anyway water features within vivs,need to be done on the scale of what the frog keepers do.But still love to have a water snake with a natural setup.
My father used to keep sea aquarium stuff,like coral etc was way to much work for my liking.plus stuff always used to die. |
1.0.0 pinstripe Royal Python
1.0.0 Bumblebee Royal Python
1.0.0 Normal corn
1.0.0 Extreme red Hognose
0.1.0 Extreme red tiger Hognose
1.1.0 yemen chameleons
1.0.0 Piebald yemen
1.0.0 Tamatave panther
1.0.0 Quadricornis
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Edited by - boomslang on 23/10/2011 19:37:58 |
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7384 Posts |
Posted - 24/10/2011 : 12:05:37
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Sounds cool but very very fiddly ...I'd love to keep seahorses and angelfish (NOT necessarily together, lol) but know my limitations ...
Here are a few more pics of Ziska, just to tempt you into getting a gopher snake -
Basking on her 'hot rocks' - sea pebbles under ir lamp
She knows when it's feeding day and is ready and waiting
These last two pics happened so fast I was lucky to get them. One large mouse and 'afters' of rat fluff, which she didn't let me photograph.
Their toilet habits are halfway between corns and royals - usually she goes once a week but sometimes she saves it all up for a while and has a grand splurge ...makes life interesting lol |
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boomslang
Old Royal - I Post too much!
United Kingdom
2025 Posts |
Posted - 24/10/2011 : 18:30:34
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quote:
Here are a few more pics of Ziska, just to tempt you into getting a gopher snake -
Hahaha She's a very pretty snake,But my next snake will be something rare or a mate for a snake i have atm.
or something like a water snake,blood python or a viper boa.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUCEhMnUcU8 |
1.0.0 pinstripe Royal Python
1.0.0 Bumblebee Royal Python
1.0.0 Normal corn
1.0.0 Extreme red Hognose
0.1.0 Extreme red tiger Hognose
1.1.0 yemen chameleons
1.0.0 Piebald yemen
1.0.0 Tamatave panther
1.0.0 Quadricornis
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Edited by - boomslang on 24/10/2011 18:46:56 |
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7384 Posts |
Posted - 24/10/2011 : 19:17:27
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| Wow those are nice - are they DWA? |
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Uh oh!
