New Dumerils

[lumpdog]

Hi everyone Im new here and am a snake lover. I think I have a problem with a new Dumerils cuz he was a rescue. Id say he or she is around 2 years old and dont mind being held but if I try to pet it I get peed on and it takes off. I have 2 bloods and 2 ball pythons and even had a red tail boa for awhile. None have ever acted like this so will this change or should I have stayed away from a rescue? the snake is around 3 to 4 feet long and in my mind looks under weight. Sry no pics yet

[Kingsnakechris]

Welcome to the forum, as a rule I tend to stay away from rescues but since you have it just keep working with him, short and frequent handlings and make sure he isint hungry when you try to handle him. You may get "peed" on a few times but it should mellow out.

[lumpdog]

Thanks for ur info Chris I love learning anything I can about snakes. Well today I tried to sex him or her & I may be wrong but I think I have a girl. So I also weighed her and she is 860 grams & like I said before she is around 2 years old. Id say she is under weight what do u think or anyone else that might know? & if so should I feed her once a week or power feed her every 4 days to thicken her up to normal size. Ive never power fed any of my snakes thats why i ask. & thanks again Im sure ill have a lot more questions about any of my snakes in the future.

[exwizard]

Yes 860g is underweight for a 2 yr old Dum, especially a 3-4' long one. If it were me, I'd feed her a small rat every week. It's not powerfeeding to do so but she will get the nutrients she needs to grow with that type of feeding schedule.

Also what do you mean by "petting this snake"?

[rmfsnakes32]

Can we have some more info on her living conditions such as housing what type of prey they were feeding (to small prey such as mice instead of rats will cause low weight gain) also if fed poorly could have stunted her growth. Also if you are not positive on the sex it is possible it is a male and only a few hundred grams underweight. If in doubt take it to vet and have an overall examination done and have the vet sex the snake

[lumpdog]

As far as petting the snake I mean touching any part of her body sept her head. If i grab her and put her around my neck and leave her alone she will stay there till I touch her. Then i get peed on and she is wanting away from me asap. And I do plan on feeding her small rats but was just making sure how often. So I guess once a week will do. And im not 100% sure about her sex because of how hard she is to hold and she is fast as hell. & im not sure what she was eating before I can call & ask tomorrow. My mom picked her up & forgot to ask. We got her from a pet shop that told us she was a mess when they got her. I will find out the sex & old diet for sure to let everyone know. And thanx again for the good info & help.

[lumpdog]

Oh ya and dumeril's must love water or something she didnt get enough of because she got in her water dish for 6 hrs yesterday till I pulled her out and dried her off to play with her. I have a 100% het albino red blood python that loves to swim. But only like 20 minutes at a time not 6 hrs. Anything wrong with that kind of soak?

[rmfsnakes32]

Some just like to soak. I have one that does all the time! Do check for mites in the water dish

[boosh96]

Oh ya and dumeril's must love water or something she didnt get enough of because she got in her water dish for 6 hrs yesterday till I pulled her out and dried her off to play with her. I have a 100% het albino red blood python that loves to swim. But only like 20 minutes at a time not 6 hrs. Anything wrong with that kind of soak?

I think there MAY be something wrong with allowing your snakes to soak in their water dish for a while, but I may be wrong. What I believe I've heard is that bacteria grow quickly in the water and may give your snake a skin infection if it is allowed to sit in there for a LONG time. I think it also may be a sign of not enough humidity? Perhaps you can do some research on that-once again, I may be wrong, and I probably am.

[exwizard]

It is possible that your Dum may just love to soak. One of Rmf's Boas loves to soak and he has always been this way. That being said, I have not seen this tendency in a Dum and I have 7 of them. One possibility is mites. I'm not saying it has mites. I'm only saying that if snakes do, they will soak for long periods of time to drown them. If after checking and there are none, I wouldn't worry about it. Like I said, sometimes snakes just love to soak.

Also if it tends to pee on you and get away when you try to "pet" it, I would refrain from doing that. Instead when you handle it, let it slither around your hands, shoulders and arms but other than that dont pet it according to your definition. Once it gets used to you handling it, then gently stroke it along the middle of its body.

[lumpdog]

As for the soaking she does it all day till i make her get out. She has no mites and this tank is 50% humid cuz thats what ive read on the care sheets ive seen. so if thats to low someone say so and i will up it. My bloods cage is 82% humid right now. its just dumerils are new to me. and I called the pet store and they fed her one med rat every 2 weeks. I know thats not enough. And to exwizard im doing what you said cuz I hate getting peed on. ya if i let her lay on me she will stay there as long as shes not touched. Again thanks

[exwizard]

Your humidity set where it is is fine. Dumeril's Boas are native to some of the driest areas of Madagascar and none of mine have ever had any major humidity issues so I dont believe theres an issue with yours.

If there are no mites, then I wouldnt worry about it too much. It could be that your Dum just loves to soak. That being said, one thing you might want to consider is to keep that waterbowl changed every day just to keep it fresh.