After you open that white box with your new snake inside there are a few steps that I take & I’ll explain here to hopefully give you a few tips of your own. For some reason I always check the heat pack, if there’s one included, to make sure it’s still warm. I say “for some reason” because it truly doesn’t matter, I’m going to move forward in taking my new addition out either way but it’s always good to know if you’re going to possibly need to slowly warm the animal up or slowly cool it down if it’s too hot. Remember, it‘s always best to have a cold snake than a hot snake. That’s a whole other topic pertaining to issues that extreme heat can cause on your reptile. Anyways, next get that bag or deli cup open & thoroughly visually inspect it. Looks for any scars, kinks & external parasites like the dreaded mite. Check out its behavior. We’re not doing the psychological evaluation of it now, just making sure it is breathing normally & moving around as it should. If this is your first snake then make sure you get from an experienced, respected breeder (Like ME!!) so you know your new animal is in fact healthy. This will be an aspect of your new standard going forward of what a healthy & issue free snake will look & act like. I will typically list any issues outside of the norm, if there are any present, in a certain animal such as a rodent bite or an extreme wobble. Be sure to ask questions & do additional research to know what to do to handle an issue like a wobble. Ok, back to the topic...After you looked over your new animal, get it in it’s new enclosure. If you’re nervous about a specific spot gently place it near its hide spot on the warmer side. Make sure everything is secured so there’s no way of him/her getting out. Then, message the seller to let them know your findings and express any concerns. I will always do my best to rectify a situation or answer any questions that you don’t have an answer to or are just unsure of & most other breeders will do the same. This is it! I know it’s early in the day & you’re excited to finally have it at your place but just leave it alone. You will have this new animal for many years to come and the first few days & sometimes weeks are the most important. The life of the snake has most likely completely changed from how it’s been kept since birth & the shipping process has to be very stressful. I’ll be sure to write again on the next steps, what to do, what to look out for, etc...Stay in touch & comment, message me with your thoughts. Thanks for taking the time out to read this & hopefully this has helped even if just a small amount.
-John
Comments