Hiding neonate

[RandyRhoads]

Is it common for neonates to hide 24/7? When I had him in on paper towels he did 1 lap and hid. I put wood shavings in and for the past couple days he hasn't come out, day or night. He doesn't even seem to know where his water dish is. I sprayed the cage down when I pulled him out and he drank droplets for about 30 minutes.

I'm guessing this is normal for a neonate, to avoid predators? About what age do they become more secure and curious and come out to roam? I don't want to have him die of dehydration because he wont come out unless I pull him out.

[Trent]

Yes,It's common.Truth be told you are stressing the little guy out.When he /she feels secure it will start to roam on it's own.
All he see is Godzilla..a predator...give it time and before you know it you will see him going around his/her tub..

[RandyRhoads]

Lol ok, but as for stressing him out, I wasn't constantly pulling him out "hey dude what the f are you doing?"

[CDN_Blood]

Yes,It's common.Truth be told you are stressing the little guy out.When he /she feels secure it will start to roam on it's own.
All he see is Godzilla..a predator...give it time and before you know it you will see him going around his/her tub..

Exactly. They know they're at the bottom of the food chain and you just need to let them come around on their own. Pushing it when they're that young can have adverse effects, so it's best to just let them settle-in quietly and as Trent says, it'll start trucking around when it no longer feels threatened by every little thing that moves.

[RandyRhoads]

He shouldn't be stupid enough to die of dehydration because he's scared to come out right? He seemed really dehydrated before I switched substrate and misted all of him and the enclosure..

[SpOoKy]

What about moving the water bowl close to where he is hiding. That way he doesn't have to travel to far to drink

[RandyRhoads]

What about moving the water bowl close to where he is hiding. That way he doesn't have to travel to far to drink

I've done that. When I first put him in there I dipped his nose in it hoping he get it but he ignored it and hid. As far as i've seen he doesn't come out at all, even right out the front of the hide.

[SpOoKy]

Is he somewhere you can see at all times? If so try moving him to a quiet room, maybe even cover his enclosure up a bit. Give him a few days like that, hopefully he will make an appearance.
Sorry can't offer anything else...that's all I got :)

[Squirtle]

I'd say it's pretty normal, I've had my retic for a month already and the only time he comes out of his hide at day time is if he's going to be fed or when I handle him. He's ALWAYS out of his hide at night though.

[Trent]

He shouldn't be stupid enough to die of dehydration because he's scared to come out right? He seemed really dehydrated before I switched substrate and misted all of him and the enclosure..

When he is thirsty he will come out for a drink.Sometime during the night when its dark and quiet.

[RandyRhoads]

He's in the bathroom. Quiet and no one's in there to make him uncomfortable. Good suggestion to cover his cage up. I'll put a towel over it.

[RandyRhoads]

When he is thirsty he will come out for a drink.Sometime during the night when its dark and quiet.


That's what I figured but when I took him out to change the substrate I could visually see he wasn't to the point of his skin being wrinkly.

[cenecker]

What size is his cage? At neonate age bigger is not always better, and in fact can be very stressful. One of those little $1 plastic shoe boxes from home depot works well for the first couple months of life.

[CDN_Blood]

I once let my youngest Blood Python have a few inches of substrate to play in. Of course, he dug himself in as I expected he would, but I said to myself that I'd allow him 30 days.

I could tell he hadn't surfaced for water in all that time because he'd have left tracks. After 30 days when I dug him-up and pointed him to the water, he drank for quite some time, so this should give you an indicator of how long they can go, but a Boa is not likely to spend as much time buried as a Blood is, and regardless of whether or not you think it's drinking, fresh water at all times is very important for things like liver functions and such, so I always recommend fresh water every 2nd day.

As long as it's not too hot, you run very little risk of dehydration. That snake could find a thimble full of water in the space of an entire house. They're designed to 'smell' it and track it down, so as was mentioned, it will find it and drink when it's thirsty :)

[RandyRhoads]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d86/randy666rhoads/DSCN0692.jpg


I don't know 20 gal? Doesn't seem too huge to me.

[CDN_Blood]

If it's really just a newborn, it'd probably feel more secure in a smaller space. You could always throw it in a smaller rubbermaid type thing inside that until it gets a little bigger. You'd likely find it'd make a big difference in it's security level. Just a thought :)

[RandyRhoads]

Ok thank you.

[Aaron_S]

It's a newborn. Right now, he's living off whatever was left of the yolk in his belly. Also he's going through his first shed cycle. Keep humidity where it needs to be and leave him alone until after this.

[RandyRhoads]

Ok, will do. Thanks Aaron.