ive just got my 1st Royal Python, he is 1& half and ive had him 2 weeks now very very friendsly but he will not eat atm :( ive been told by the shop that his temp should be kept at 28 & him tenceing up on me when i lift him is normal ! .... is this correct and can anybody help me please Many Thanks Steve
Hi and welcome and congrats on getting your royal.
Yes, they're shy snakes and it's perfectly normal for them to ball up when you first handle (though some don't.) As he becomes more used to you he will get bolder. A change of home can cause loss of appetite - two weeks fasting is nothing for a royal of his age - he could fast for months with no ill-effects in the mating season.
The ideal temperature gradient is 26c in the cool end of the royal's enclosure, 32c in the warm end. There's a good caresheet on here -
Hello, well done on getting your first royal :). How long did you leave him to settle before you first held him? He may be not eating due to being stressed from not having long enough to settle in. Or he could just be being a fussy bugger like most royals lol. Anywhere between 28-32 is fine as well. Mine used to tense up alot when I first had him, used to scare me a bit lol. But I'd just pick him up anyway and he'd be fine. Id personally refrain from handling until he's eaten a few times. Good luck :)
1.0.0 normal royal -Floyd 1.0.0 mojave royal - Smee 1.0.0 common boa - Brady
Also, its not a bad idea to leave the food to thaw out near one of the vivs vents, you`ll soon notice once its thawed out if he`s interested. dipping the head into hottish water for a few seconds or giving it a blast from a hairdryer can give the required results. I`ve recently got a few new ones and they are only just showing interest in eating after having between 2-3 weeks off due to their change of home.
Give it new guy a rest say 7-10 day no touching at all only go in to Vic to change water and clean up when needed .
Then defrost food near viv in a food bag but I leave it open so the can smell it then when ready the the bag put in to hot water for a few minutes to warm up then try if they don't take within 2 min place in viv near a hide and leave it over night . Once they are settled in slowly introduce handling say 5 -10 min at a time 4 time a week but not for 48 hours after a feed ok
feeding
Posted - 11/04/2012 : 20:24:18
