# First Royal...



## snakeskingdom (Jul 9, 2011)

Hi everyone, just got myself my first Royal he is a pastel and I love him too bits he is in a 9 litre rub with 2 hides that are identical and he's nice and snug in them, a Exo terra water dish and a thin smooth stick going from one end of the rub to the other so he can climb, heatmat and stat, temp upto 91f hot side low 80s cool side, I have had him a week very little handling, he seems to be active all day? constantly going round the rub, i offered him a frozen / thawed pinkie today which he won't take, when should I try again? thanks for reading : )


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## hadgo (Jan 1, 2009)

I would leave it for a couple of weeks. Royals are fussy feeders as it is, just let him settle in and then try again in a couple of weeks :2thumb:


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## snakeskingdom (Jul 9, 2011)

I left the pinki outside his hide and he has just taken it in his hide : ) I hope he's eating it lol


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## snakeskingdom (Jul 9, 2011)

nope he has took it in his hide and left it and is now exploring , should I remove it or leave it ?


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## wendywoo (Mar 2, 2010)

I would leave it where it is for the time being hun ... xxx


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## hadgo (Jan 1, 2009)

I would take it out. If you try and feed it too much it will only stress it, they can go for ages with out food so 2 weeks will be nothing.


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## snakeskingdom (Jul 9, 2011)

Ok I have removed it, what about handling though, should I wait until he has fed before handling ?


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## wendywoo (Mar 2, 2010)

Just my opinion but putting it in the viv, letting him take it, then taking it out the viv half hour later will stress the snake more than anything... should have just left it for a while


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## wendywoo (Mar 2, 2010)

Oh and if u just got him, I wouldnt be handling him just yet either ... Give him time to settle in xxx


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## snakeskingdom (Jul 9, 2011)

ok thanks for the replys appreciate the advice : )


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## widge07 (Jun 29, 2011)

hiya bud i have a fussy royal and i find if he is bein a little funny with the food i warm it up in hot water then dangle the mouse/rat just in front of the hide opening that normally works failing that, heat the food item up really warm leave in rub then cover rub with a towel so its all in darkness and leave for a few hours. as for handling i would try to avoid disturbing it to much until its fed only going in to change water and spot clean.


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## s3xy_sheep (Jan 28, 2009)

i would personally say pinkies are too small for royals most will eat small to med mice or rat fluffs straight from birth ...... and yeah as everyone says dont panic that it wont feed yet i have had a few bits of fun myself this yr my albino fem is a fussy :censor: wont eat mice has struck at rats but leaves them and has been eatin gerbils until a few weeks back now wont take nothin :bash: and my big adult fem went on a fast for 2 months this yr thought se may have been gravid but no ... she started eatin last week again an last few days she been cruisin her viv looks like she wants munch so think she's back on track now ...


most of the time they wont feed its a tempory thing an is just royals bein royals my m8's new hatchling took 6 weeks to feed at 1st we found that it wanted rats not mice now it eats both :devil:


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## hadgo (Jan 1, 2009)

Try bigger food, we were giving ours pinkies and it wouldn't have any of it but then when we gave it bigger food it ate.


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## Amy2310 (Feb 28, 2011)

Leave the snake alone for a week, do nothing but spot checks and water changes.
After a week, try a rat pup, if he doesn't take it straight away, leave it in there overnight.
Make sure you heat the rat up well.
If he doesn't eat overnight remove it in the morning.
Repeat the process.
If after 2 weeks he hasn't eaten, try braining the rat.
Do not offer food more than once every 7 days (Extend the time if you can)
As for handling, I'd suggest limiting it as much as possible, I would recommend weighing him now and after 2 weeks just check his weight, if he is not loosing any weight do not panic.
But weigh him after offering food (For example the next morning if he has refused)
I have a female who will not eat if you handle her the day before she is due to feed. 
We cannot move her from her RUB else she refuses.
Hope this helps.


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## westy404 (Mar 17, 2011)

hi mate i just got a fire royal today shes also in a 9l rub can i ask you where you have put your temp probes and stat probe, personaaly im not keen on rub set ups my 2 yr old normal is in a 3ft viv and the temps are all fine in there but my mat stat seems to disagree wiv my mat abit i can have the stat maxed out and it reads 90 on the thermometer.


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## s3xy_sheep (Jan 28, 2009)

westy404 said:


> hi mate i just got a fire royal today shes also in a 9l rub can i ask you where you have put your temp probes and stat probe, personaaly im not keen on rub set ups my 2 yr old normal is in a 3ft viv and the temps are all fine in there but my mat stat seems to disagree wiv my mat abit i can have the stat maxed out and it reads 90 on the thermometer.


is this a digi thermometer ?? if not there could be your prob there ....... i have my probe behind the rubs off the mat on the shelf set @ 28* keeps the hot end 31-34


also what did u give for your fem fire an where from i want one


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## westy404 (Mar 17, 2011)

yes its a digi i dont have a rack system ive only got the one rub wich sits ontop of my viv so ive taped the stat probe to the mat and have the temp probe in her hide., did a swap for my fire for my push bike shes a little beaut bit me yestaday mind lol not blameing her tho being in a bag in the car then havbing to have me set her rub up i'd of been pissed aswell, the guy i got it off he did have a 600g+ one for sale for about £600 but not sure if hes still got her tho.


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## Fionab (Mar 28, 2010)

how old is the snake? as said offer something larger than a pinkie, 
give it time and dont worry, your first royal will always cause you to worry once u have seen the feeding pattern you will soon stop. Again as said weigh her and keep an eye on her weight as long as she isnt losing weight she is fine.


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## snakeskingdom (Jul 9, 2011)

Thanks for everybodys input, have taken some good information on board and am going too be patient, i have bought some rat pups which do look a lot better size for him i shall try him again in a week or so, and take his weight in the next few days, in regard to the probe question, i have the stat probe and thermo probe going through a hole i drilled in the bottom right corner of my rub which is my hot side, these are taped side by side onto the floor surface and my substrate is covering them, i am using newspaper at the moment. I am not handling him until he has fed now although it is so tempting hes so cute lol he spends alot of his time in his hides using both cool and hot end so good he is regulating himself, the times i have handled him in the past he was so good didn't ball up or seem nervous and loved going up my arms and over my bed, can anyone let me know how to put a picture of him up that would be great, thanks all : )


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## snakeskingdom (Jul 9, 2011)

A bit concerned really, I asked the shop I bought him from for the hatch date and they didn't know just said a couple of months old you can tell? they said it was captive bred and strike feeding. Anyway its the weight I'm worried about, he weighs as of yesterday 56 grams, is this light for a snake supposedly this age ? Somebody put my mind at rest : )


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## westy404 (Mar 17, 2011)

has the snake shed for you yet?when i got my normal he wouldn't feed he only had his first feed with me last weeks ive had him a couple of months,when he shed i fed him the day after and he had 2 large mice do they have a weight record for when they had it?coz if its only lost a few grams it shouldn't be anything to worrie about.ive not managed to weigh my new royal yet shes being abit tempermental with me but shes only around 200-300max id say and she was late 2010 so id say 56 isn't to bad,or the bad option is they've sold you a ill snake?? have you check it for mites?


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## snakeskingdom (Jul 9, 2011)

He hasn't shed yet and their is no feeding record for him, I had a good look at him when I weighed him and there is no mites, he feels a bit loose on his belly the skin if you know what I mean ?


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## fjfenton (Jan 4, 2009)

If it were me, I would just leave him to settle in for 1-2 weeks, only 'going in' to change the water. I would try feeding before handling: I offer the food in the evening and if they don't take it I leave it in the viv overnight (not at hot end, otherwise it'll be stinky!), if its still there in the morning I throw it away...more often than not mine will take it overnight when there's no one around. If its not taken try again after a week. Once eaten leave a couple of days before handling.
Also a couple of mine will feed happily if handled the same say, but one of them won't eat unless she has been unhandled since the previous day.
This is just my opinon but I hope it helps


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## westy404 (Mar 17, 2011)

i think the looseness if just where hes only young but not sure im no expert lol new to it all myself.i would contact them see if they know the last time he shed coz that could be it.


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## s3xy_sheep (Jan 28, 2009)

westy404 said:


> has the snake shed for you yet?when i got my normal he wouldn't feed he only had his first feed with me last weeks ive had him a couple of months,when he shed i fed him the day after and he had 2 large mice do they have a weight record for when they had it?coz if its only lost a few grams it shouldn't be anything to worrie about.ive not managed to weigh my new royal yet shes being abit tempermental with me but shes only around 200-300max id say and she was late 2010 so id say 56 isn't to bad,or the bad option is they've sold you a ill snake?? have you check it for mites?


56g im my oppinion is very small for a late 2010 baby .......... i got hatchling that were 4 weeks old back in 2009 they were 60+ g at 4 weeks old 



westy404 said:


> yes its a digi i dont have a rack system ive only got the one rub wich sits ontop of my viv so ive taped the stat probe to the mat and have the temp probe in her hide., did a swap for my fire for my push bike shes a little beaut bit me yestaday mind lol not blameing her tho being in a bag in the car then havbing to have me set her rub up i'd of been pissed aswell, the guy i got it off he did have a 600g+ one for sale for about £600 but not sure if hes still got her tho.


try coverin the top of your rub with a sheet of polystyrene to keep some heat in i have a ruub on top of my rub rack thats not in a shelf and have to do this to keep the ambient temp up 



Royal88 said:


> A bit concerned really, I asked the shop I bought him from for the hatch date and they didn't know just said a couple of months old you can tell? they said it was captive bred and strike feeding. Anyway its the weight I'm worried about, he weighs as of yesterday 56 grams, is this light for a snake supposedly this age ? Somebody put my mind at rest : )


sounds like a captive farmed 2011 to me an the shop have played dumb to get ppl to buy them :whistling2::whistling2:


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## westy404 (Mar 17, 2011)

my late 2010 isn't 56g lol shes about 200-300gs


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## snakeskingdom (Jul 9, 2011)

his is a 2011 he is 3 months old


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## snakeskingdom (Jul 9, 2011)

He is now eating and doing well : )


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## nightwalker (Jul 5, 2011)

Royal88 said:


> He is now eating and doing well : )


Good for you pal, you stuck in there and got there in the end 

so could you put some pics up when you get a chance ??

be good to see the not so ltlle fella 

:2thumb:


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

s3xy_sheep said:


> sounds like a captive farmed 2011 to me an the shop have played dumb to get ppl to buy them :whistling2::whistling2:



You wouldn't get a CF Pastel :Na_Na_Na_Na:, that would of been kept by the Africans :whistling2:.


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## snakeskingdom (Jul 9, 2011)

Yes I will get some pics on soon, had some good advice and help from the shop. Need a second royal soon now lol


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

Royal88 said:


> Yes I will get some pics on soon, had some good advice and help from the shop. Need a second royal soon now lol



Then a 3rd, a 4th etc... :whistling2::lol2:. They are very addictive.


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## reptileman99 (Jul 28, 2011)

i wouldnt be to worried as royals are really fussy eaters anyway make sure it was dry and its head was definetly super heated


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