sentient-linguine

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Rehoming Sneks

It is with a heavy heart that I must admit I need to rehome my snakes. We’re going to be moving to a city with a strict no boa, no python law in the somewhat near future and I want to make sure they find responsible, snake-savvy owners who will take good care of them.

This isn’t necessarily urgent, but I want to start the process now because I realize it may take time to find the right homes for them.

I have a female yellow belly ball python named Medusa who is about 3 years old. She is a little shy at times but she has come such a long way since I rescued her.

I have a male banana ball python named Aethas who is about 2.5 years old. He’s a very sweet boy, but his breeder raised him on live food and I have been unable to switch him to f/t.

Finally, I have a female hypomelanistic red tailed boa named Dessa who is about 1.5 years old. She’s super outgoing and is a great eater.

If you are interested and would like to discuss specifics, just send me a dm.

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https://www.instagram.com/p/BbCZolBgw7t/?

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Precious noodle child very upset that favorite hide has been (temporarily) removed. Grieves by refusing to leave the area.

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Tarantulas in media: great big vicious monsters, insatiable appetites, super deadly, ultra predators, terrifying soulless beasts

Tarantulas in real life: fragile, soft-bellied, eat your dinner or just fucking molt already it’s not that hard, ‘I’m fasting for religious reasons that I’m not going to explain and your offerings of crickets offend me’, ‘oooh nooo I stepped in my water dish and now my foot’s wet I’m going to climb up the glass to sulk about it and if I fall I might DIE and THEN you’ll be sorry’, will yank out ass hair when angry, arches up on tiptoes to avoid belly being touched by passing cricket, might hurt self on own skeleton, leave scraps of web lying around for no reason, constant maladaptive daydreaming, the stoners of the spider world

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A wild diplodocus in its natural habitat

Where going?

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Egg’s bioactive setup is officially up and running!

I couldn’t be more pleased with the results, I hope Egg likes it as much as I do, and that his colours start improving now that he has a better light and more consistent heat.

Lighting and substrate are both by Arcadia, I used their Mini UVB kit and their Earth mix arid, and so far I absolutely adore both of them.

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It's been almost two months since I brought Dessa home. Look at her grow!! She had her second shed since I've had her today 😊

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This is, at least, a bamboo blade clown. From Brock Wagner https://www.facebook.com/brockwagnerreptiles/

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any suggestions/cool pictures for diy snake hides? I have an old flowerpot in there atm, but she's outgrown her other cork hide and I want to make her something new :)

Just about anything can be used as a hide! Turning cheap tupperware containers into hides is super easy and can be really neat too. You can get them at the dollar store and buy a bag of landscaping or fish tank gravel and use silicone to decorate the container.

Some examples under the cut.

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Foamboard and grout can make some great ones, too! You make them the same way you’d make a custom background. ( @wheremyscalesslither has an easy tutorial here. She also has one that fits as a base and holds the snake’s water bowl, conserving space by creating a hide under the bowl, but I can’t seem to find the link)

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You can usually find some really neat ones on etsy, too. And then, of course, things like boxes, baskets, flower pots, PVC pipe and lots more can also be used. Anything that’s safe and lets the snake feel secure is a good hide :)

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step 1: triangulate exact distance 

step 2: E X T E N D

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May I ask which breeder produced your Suriname? I've been waiting to get one for quite some time and few pop up for sale which is why I asked. Please and thank you, and Hoffman is absolutely impeccable! ❤

I got him from Brian Vuillenemboa! Brian is one of my all-time favorite locality breeders. He’s out of Suris for the season, but what he produces is definitely worth waiting for! Highly, highly recommend him.

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I love her

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Dessa appreciation post

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I love her little goatee 😍

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Been considering moving this kid out, but every time I go to take that step, he sheds again and I think, “Well he IS really pretty, maybe I’ll hang on to him for just a little longer…”

Dozo, 2015 Jungle het Kahl Boa imperator

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In a few weeks I will be moving across the country and driving over 20 hours and only stopping to sleep in parking lots when tired - the only issue is, I have snakes to bring with me. How do I safely and securely transport them during this journey?

Crikey, 20+ hours all at once? That’s a long drive!

My first suggestion to getting your snakes to the destination safely is to plan for an actual 8 hour sleep between your two 10+ hour stints. If you can afford it at all, sleep in an actual bed, like at a cheap 30-dollar a night motel. That has two benefits: One, you reduce the likelihood of crashing when you’re over-tired; and Two, your snakes can come with you into the room in their bins and have a few hours of peace and quiet, too.

Now, that said, depending on where you live and where you’re headed, you may encounter snow and cold weather. To make sure your snakes are safe and warm, buy a reptile heat pack for each snake, and buy spares, too, in case there are delays, bad traffic, or some other reason why you may need extras. They’re relatively cheap, so buy like 2.5 times as many as you have snakes, just to be sure. Don’t buy just any heat pack, because some of them get too hot and can burn your snakes, that’s why I linked to the specialized ones.

Get a latching plastic bin for each snake, that is just about big enough for it to comfortably curl up in, but not to rattle in, when driven over rough roads, for example. Put a towel or some aspen or an old t-shirt on the bottom for bedding. Add a couple air holes (melt with soldering iron or drill, or poke with a hot awl or something like that).

Get (or make) a breathable cloth bag for each snake, which you will tie securely. Pillowcases make good snake bags.

Stop feeding snakes about a week before the trip. You don’t want to deal with regurgitated food on the road, believe me. As a rule, you don’t want to deal with regurgitated food at all, it’s gross, but ESPECIALLY in a small cramped space like a car.

Activate the heat pack and place in the bin – it takes the heat packs an hour or more to reach the target temperature, so make sure you do this well before you load the snakes into your car.

Now when you’re ready to depart, you will put your snakes in bags. One bag per snake, one snake per bag.

When you place a snake in the bag, make a secure knot AND tie with a zip tie to make absolutely sure they can’t escape.

Place bagged snakes into bins. One snake per bin. Fasten the bins. Secure with bungee cords or binder clips etc. if not absolutely positively sure that the latched lids are escape-proof. Make sure air holes are not covered up.

Drive.

Stop for an 8-hour sleep. Trust me on this one. I’ve crossed the US twice in a car now. You’ll need your rest to stay safe on the road.

Drive the rest of the way.

Depending on the size of the snake, you will need more heat packs per bin.

Also, this trip will stress them out for sure, so when you arrive, give them some time to acclimate, maybe another week to ten days, before feeding them.

Finally, be prepared for them to get sick from the trip, and research a reptile vet in your new town before you leave.

Good luck.

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Hurricane Preparedness: Animal Edition

Hey animal lovers, you’ve probably started seeing guides on how to keep your home and human family safe during a storm, but I haven’t seen much on how to keep your pets safe, and comfortable during a severe storm.

For Cats and Dogs:

Buy backup food, it might be a while until it’s safe to go back out and pick some up. If there is flooding, it could prevent stores from being restocked properly, and the last thing you want is to have to research what canned food is safe for dogs. 

Potty pads (no, trust me). During the storm, it may be unsafe to take your pet outside to go potty, or if your dog is anything like mine, he may refuse to tinkle in the rain. If that is the case, put down a potty pad so your dog doesn’t have to try to hold it until the storm passes. It may be a little smelly, but it’s better than directly on the carpet. 

For dogs with storm anxiety: consider asking your vet for a gentle sedative. A panicked animal poses a threat to itself and others, and trying to manually calm a dog for hours on end can be exhausting! If you cannot go to the vet, you can try baby benedryl (1mg/pound) to help calm your pet. If you do use benedryl, please be careful about dosing. DO NOT use benedryl to calm your pet if they have glaucoma, high blood pressure, or other cardiovascular diseases. 

For Reptiles:

Fast your reptiles. Reptiles need heat in order to digest their food, so please consider fasting your scaley friend before a power outage.

Provide backup heat sources. A good, inexpensive heat source I have seen used in the past are those hand warmers that are sold at CVS or sporting good stores. The hand warmers may run too hot for your pet, so put them under a towel or a pillow case to prevent your reptile from getting a burn. Be sure to check regularly that the hand warmers are still producing heat, and change them out for new ones as needed. 

For Horses and Other Livestock:

Provide identification for your animals. I have heard of horses and other large animals leaving their pastures for higher ground during a storm. This is one of their best options for staying safe. However, if your horse gets lost, it may be difficult to figure out what animals need to go where when it comes time to round them up and bring them home. To prevent confusion, use a small dog collar with an ID tag (with your address and phone number) on the ankle of your horses. Make sure it is very loose so it doesn’t impede blood flow or cause injury to your animal. Other ways to identify your livestock include Paint Sticks, a weather proof paint that you can write a phone number directly on your animal.

Be warned: Do not put proof of Coggins on your horse! While this may seem like a good additional measure, proof of Coggins allows your horse to be moved over state lines, and as people have learned the hard way, not everyone is honest. 

Emergency horse housing in Central Florida: Sumter Equestrian Center, Bushnell, FL - emergency stabling and camping - 352-303-4325 LEAVE A MESSAGE.

Marion County Animal Care and Control (352) 671-8900

Broward County Animal Care and Control (954) 359-1313

Palm Beach County Are and Control (561) 233-1201

The Sunshine State Horse Council has a searchable stable database as well if you need to evacuate your horses.

If anyone has anything to add about any other variety of animal that I have not included, please add to this post. I have no experience with birds, rodents, and other small animals when it comes to emergency weather protocols. Please signal boost this, you never know how many followers you have who live in range of the storm.

Stay safe, keep your pets safe.