I caved.

[TheSuppishOne]

And held him tonight. He had been in the cool side cave for the past 3 days, and that worried me. So I tapped him on the head with the hook (extremely gently, perhaps too much so, lol), and picked up the hide, then picked him up and out. It's been 5 days since I got him. I didn't do anything really. Just held him in my non-moving hand for a while. He just sat there, looking at me. I figure it's best to not to try touch him or anything, just let him get used to my scent. Plus, as I take him out and put him back in, I'm sure he'll eventually realize that I'm not a predator/threat.

What I also noticed is that his eyes were kinda hazy. Another sign of shedding, right? So now I'm positive that's what is happening. I'm now keeping humidity at 60-70% constantly.

Anyway, he was very shy and seemed nervous, but we'll see how this progresses. I set him back in the enclosure after about 10 minutes of simply holding him steady in my hand. I put him back under the warm hide and now he's moving around again.

So that's my update! =]

As side notes, he has a weird white "buildup" on his left nostril. He had it the day I received him, too. Is this normal? If not, is there some board I can read to find reputable reptile vets near me?

[DeadlyDesires]

white build up can be a sign of an RI does it flake off? is there a chance it could be shed?

[RyanReptile]

Get a picture of the white build up and am sure someone can tell you what it is.

[stephanbakir]

Is the buildup dry or wet?

[TheSuppishOne]

Dry as far as I can tell. I haven't tried to touch it, though, since I JUST picked him up for the first time last night. I didn't want to go touching his nose...

I'll try to get pictures today after church. =]

[TheSuppishOne]

I took him out again today. Trying to get a better picture of what I'm describing. It very well could be a bit of leftover shed. I don't think it's RI, because I see/hear no other signs like bubbling or wheezing or whistling, or mouth-breathing. Plus, I've kept his humidity perfectly sufficient. He's about to shed now (his eyes cleared up today), so if he doesn't get rid of it with this shed, I'll take him to a vet.

http://i50.tinypic.com/6tpp8i.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/2ykntz4.jpg

To give you some perspective, here is his right nostril, which is not "plugged up".

http://i46.tinypic.com/9ldfcw.jpg

Interestingly enough, he was MUCH better at being held today. A huge difference. He was not wound tightly in a ball the entire time, for one. Now, let me tell you about an interesting behavior. He has barely flickered his tongue at all. Well today I decided to experiment a bit, so I cleaned my sink, then filled it with slightly warm water. When I started to lower him into it, he freaked out. Like, slithering away from it like crazy. In fact, he slithered so much that I accidentally dropped him into it (from like 2 inches above, no big deal). Now, once he hit the water, his crazed slithering slowed. It became calm. Then, he started to enjoy it. He started cruising and flicking his tongue!!! Nearly immediately upon his tongue touching the water, he stuck his face directly into the water and started drinking it. A LOT OF IT. He was gulping, not just sipping. He sat there and gulped water for like 3 solid minutes. In fact, I know that you're supposed to leave water out for a while before they drink it to allow the chlorine to dissipate, but he was so thirsty that I just let him continue. When he finally seemed ready to take a break, I picked him up and put him back into his enclosure's water bowl. It was much colder than the sink water (70-75 degrees instead of a solid 90+), and he got out quickly.

Any comments on his sink adventure?

[Starbuck]

He could have spazzed out initally due to the sensation of being lowered; sort of like a vertigo effect. None of my snakes like to be lowered at all, I have all terrestrial colubrids. Since he is relatively new, i wouldnt be surprised if he is a bit dehydrated due to shipping. Chalk it up to that and maybe try him again in a few days, see if he does it again? Maybe he wants his water to be warmer, you could try moving it to the warm end of his enclosure.

[DeadlyDesires]

couldn't hurt to up your temps a little in case he is starting to get sick from the move.