Mother hen syndrome. Advice?

jobu84 · 04-12-15, 12:42 PM

Hey guys, new to the forum.

I just got a female JCP on Friday 4/10/15. She was born 7/1/14 so she is a little over 9 months. She is in her enclosure now and I'm starting to get used to how I should operate it throughout the days as I live in NY. I know its going to take some time before she fully gets used to her new enclosure. So far she's been holed up in her hide and thats understandable. I know they are more active at night and she's showed that by poking her head out a bit the last 2 nights. I change the water out daily so she can get used to my scent and have fresh water of course. I guess the only questions I have are about when to feed her and how long she could possibly stay in her hide. I asked the breeder about the last time she was fed and he said 4/4/15 (Sat). I didn't want to try on Saturday after I got her because she would most likely feel stressed and not want me bothering her. So how long of a settling time should i give her before I attempt to feed her? And yea, how long could she stay in her hide? (Also, she has 2 hides, one on the warm/hot side, and one on the cool side, she has been in the cool side hide.)

Thanks guys!

**millertime89** · 04-12-15, 05:32 PM

I would only change the water every 3 days or so. Give her a chance to settle in to her new home before worrying about her getting used to you.

At this age I would feed weekly but I would wait to offer until you've had her for a week. You've had her only a few days so she'll probably stay in there until she's used to the new sights and smells.

Can you describe her set up or post some pictures of it? T-stat, heat source, cage size, substrate, etc. are useful info.

Albert Clark · 04-12-15, 06:04 PM

Also, don't worry too much about the feeding part right now. Most people who acquire new additions to their collection quarantine them for at least 30 to 90 days. I know this is your only reptile right now so things are a little different. I would be more concerned about examining him for any signs of illness over the next two weeks or so. Give him some type of quarantine period to be safe. It's not like he is a little hatchling or real baby snake at all. He can tolerate a bit of a fast right now. Make it a point to observe him at night when he is more likely to venture out of the hide. Good luck.

jobu84 · 04-12-15, 06:29 PM

Thanks for the replies guys. Here is a pic of her tank (under this post). Eventually I'm gonna try to work in some greenery, but for now I think its ok. Right now I'm using a dual lamp fixture with 60watt daylight blue and nighttime red bulbs. The dome isn't sitting directly on top of the tank but about 6-7 inches above it so not to over heat. The top of the rock near the lamp reaches 90.5 while the hide near the bottom right on the other side of the tank hovers bout 77.5-78.5. At the moment at night I raise the lamp another 1.5 inches to drop the temp overall bout 3-4 degrees depending on what the weather is like outside. (NY doesn't know whether to be cold or warm some nights and my room has poor insulation) For substrate the breeder recommended I use cypress mulch, though I think I have the mixed bag, not the pure pure cypress mulch. She is in a 10g tank, dimensions: 10.5 in (h), 16 in (l), 8.25 in (d).

jobu84 · 04-12-15, 06:32 PM

Here is the tank. Ill post one of what it looks like in the daytime tomorrow. I check the sides with the thermometer usually in the afternoon and at night to make sure temps don't fluctuate too badly. Will improve this once I get a hang of where to consistently place the dome.

jobu84 · 04-12-15, 06:32 PM

Sorry here's the tank I accidentally uploaded the wrong one before.

**millertime89** · 04-12-15, 06:46 PM

Can you take a pic of the bag? The mixed stuff can have woods with oils in them that can be toxic to the snake. You need pure aspen or pure cypress to be sure. I would venture that she's staying in her hide because she doesn't feel secure anywhere else. That hide under the heat is probably too large. They need be able to touch all sides for a hide to truly be effective for them. If you get another hide like the one on the cool side I wouldn't be surprised if she moves over. That 10g is also going to be too small very quickly, if it isn't already. What I would do is get pure cypress or aspen (I prefer cypress), a second hide the same as the one on the cool side, and some cheap, plastic decorative plants from walmart/the dollar store/etc. and just spread them on the ground for extra cover. What's your humidity at in there?

jobu84 · 04-12-15, 07:31 PM

I am not sure of the humidity right now because the gauge was placed into the tank earlier today. Although currently it says 54, i would say give or take 5%. You're most likely right about the hide, I thought it wasn't bad originally because it provided her a way to reach the heat as well as give her a warmer hide. I thought about putting some fake plants inside it to enclose up the space more, but I guess that wont work. Any ideas on what to put in the tank for her to reach the heat and hold her up? I'll look into getting a smaller hide. Here is the substrate.

**millertime89** · 04-12-15, 07:34 PM

That stuff works just fine. It's pure cypress.

I would just get a higher watt bulb. They don't necessarily need the light so you could just get a CHE which can usually be found in a higher wattage than the blue or red bulbs.

jobu84 · 04-12-15, 07:43 PM

Cool. The bulbs get plenty warm, its just that if i place it right on top of the tank, there isn't much of a cool side for her to go to. That's why I have it a couple inches above the tank so there is a hot spot which can also serve as her perch since i know they like to climb.

**millertime89** · 04-12-15, 07:51 PM

Hence the earlier suggestion for getting a larger tank.

jobu84 · 04-12-15, 07:57 PM

Haha, true enough. I asked the breeder before I got her whether or not I should get a 20g because I was surprised when he said 10g after I saw her. I thought it was too small for her, but went with his more experienced judgement, said she'll last another yr in a 10g. Guess thats not the case. So with that in mind, i have a 30g at my disposal, would that be too big a leap for her? I was going to move her to that when she outgrew the 10g.

**millertime89** · 04-12-15, 08:10 PM

I would go ahead and use the 30g, just add either an extra hide or more fake plastic plants (or preferably both). I would give her something to perch on too. You can make something out of narrow diameter PVC pipes and Ts and 90s.

jobu84 · 04-12-15, 08:16 PM

Ok, will do then. My last question is about the substrate. How exactly do you maintain good humidity with misting, but prevent bacterial growth in the substrate? Or is that why everyone just uses a water dish on the hot side?

Thanks

malgus · 04-12-15, 09:30 PM

I find that just using the water dish is keeping the humidity at a good level for mine, no misting required. She was also active enough to want to eat two days after being introduced to her enclosure. All snakes are different but from what iv heard most jcp's are quick to adapt to new homes.