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#813145
Greeneyes28532
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New to snake world,,help !!! 
Me and my boyfriend recently purchased a Leucistic Texas Rat Snake, unfortunately it was a hasty purchase on my boyfriends part and I am ending up caring for the snake and I am LOST!!!! Can anyone give me any information about the care for Ali(my snake’s name) . I have her in a pet carrier cage with Cyprus chips and a water bowl, and I had the great experience of feeding her for the first time today ,, I was nervous to say the least but feed her with tongs and it went fine. I have had no problem handling her but after a few hours after I feed her I went to get her out of her cage and she drew back from me so I left her alone. How long after I feed her should I wait to play with her ,, actually I say play but I think of it as bonding , I am thinking the more I handle her , a little at a time the more she will be use to me, is that true?? I really need some help ,,,,, thanks so much !!!!!
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05/31/06 09:59pm
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#813313
Animal<3lover
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Message To: Greeneyes28532 In reference to Message Id: 813145
 New to snake world,,help !!!
First if i may say so your boyfriend should have read up on the reptile before getting it, and its not very nice of him to just let you do all the work... You should make him pay for the encloser depending on your snakes size if its a baby (i would insist on getting a 20 gallon because they do grow) but when it becomes an adult (which it takes a long time for it to reach adult size, years) you will need a 40 gallon, a reptile heating lamp, a heat pad, because the heating rocks will burn the snake, a water dish, a hiding place, some fake plants, aspen bedding, woodchips or newspaper, a humidity gage, and tempeture gage. Ok that is the encloser part. Now this is where you come in since your boyfriend is going to pay for the encloser. hehehehe the tempeture needs to be 70-75 on the cool side and 85-95 on the hot side. Humidity should be from 50-60. Since your rat snake is a baby you should feed it one pinky every five days, then once you get to fuzzies, every 7 days. warning the mouse you feed your snake shouldnt been bigger then the thickest part of its body. You should clean the water daily, and clean the cage every week, meaning new bedding, and wash the cage out and the objects that are in it. ok so we got the encloser and cleaning part down. Now comes the fun part, HANDLING!! i handle my snakes probably 4 or 5 times a week, but after i feed them, i dont handle them untill the next day, (another warning) if you handle it the next day after it ate be clear of dropings. Dont handle your snake to much because it might cause it stress, it all depends on the personality of your snake. The next thing you should know about is biting. After you eat something wash your hands so the snake doesnt smell you and think your food (best thing is hand sanitizer) But one thing that i really want to tell you is, if it does bite you, that doesnt mean you should get rid of it. All snakes bite. If you own a snake you are going to get bitten. I have 3 snakes and ive had them for 4 years, ive only been bitten twice, but that doesnt mean they wont bite me again. (again) It all depends on the personality of your snake. And last but not least, lost snakes (these creatures are escape artists) if you do loose your snake look in warm areas both day and night, (rat snakes are mostly active during the day) also make hiding spots with shoe boxes and other objects and make food availible at all times. I hope this helps you out, and must i add the snakes i own are a joy to have, im sure yours will be too.
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05/31/06 11:41pm
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#813990
Greeneyes28532
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Message To: Animal<3lover In reference to Message Id: 813313
 New to snake world,,help !!!
First of all ,, thank you soooo much for all the information, at least now I am not in the dark. Ali is about 1-1 1/2 feet long. The man we bought her from said to put her in a small pet carrier type cage, so I went and bought something like a hampster cage, I know now that I will need a 20 gallon tank, correct? lol Also what do you mean by aspen bedding ?
Feeding ??? Last night I fed her one pinky , is that enough for her size and secondly when do you switch to fuzzies? I so appreciate all the information you have given me , I never thought I would be the owner of a snake , I have never been freaked out by them but never thought of owning one either, but since I have had Ali I have really enjoyed her and want to do my best to make sure she is happy and healthy and maybe I will be the lucky one that never gets bitten LOL just kidding !!!!! Again thanks so much !!!!!
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06/01/06 02:03pm
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#814532
Animal<3lover
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Message To: Greeneyes28532 In reference to Message Id: 813990
New to snake world,,help !!!
i sure hope that hampster cage doesnt have little holes like regular hampster cages does, cause that snake will find a way out of there, and yes a 20 gallon critter cage will do, make sure the top slides in instead of poping off, when the snakes grow older they can pop those tops off easly if they are not slide ins. Also make it habit to check the screening on the top (make sure no holes are starting). Aspen bedding is a substrate or flooring, I like using Repti Bark most of the time because it helps with humidity. And yes one pinky is enough for her size, just make sure she gets one every 5 days. But my question is do you feed her frozen or live food? If you feed them frozen then what you do is get two of the smallest fuzzies you see and keep them in you freezer. And when you think your little Ali is ready, take one out and make sure its not bigger then the thickest part of her body. Then you feed her every 7 days. If you feed her live then just make sure the fuzzies arnt bigger then the thickest part of Ali. Also i would love to see a picture of your little Ali. I’m sure you will make her a very happy snake.
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06/01/06 07:23pm
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