It's been a weird week. I haven't been feeling my best, which is why I haven't written as often as I do. My babies have been great, doing their usual stuff, it's just me who's been a bit off.
I fed them yesterday. Well, I fed some of them. I tried again with Maat and still she won't eat. She seemed interested for a few seconds then changed her mind about eating. I tried and tried but she wanted nothing to do with the pinkie. I ended up giving her some Pedialyte drops instead. At least I know she is getting some nutrients.
Topkapi ate, as did Damascus. You know, I always read that ball pythons are picky eaters, but I've not had a single problem with either one of them. I really recommend them as a first snake.
Talulah ate. She was very funny yesterday. I grabbed her and positioned her to take the pinkie. She struck, let go, and then struck multiple times, as if she were a venemous snake. She then proceeded to constrict the dead pinkie. She's never done that before. I guess she was feeling frisky.
Tybalt was still shedding so I didn't feed him.
By the way, I did end up buying the humidifier, so I will be using it the next time the snaked are shedding. Since I have them all on the same feeding schedule, they usually shed at the same time, which is good.
I did not feed Coral, because, although I hesitate to publicly announce this, she is looking too chubby. I've had to put her on a diet, so I'll be feeding her every other week instead of every week.
I finished the last Dark Tower book in the Stephen King series. I was devastated by the ending. Don't worry, I'll not give anything away, but really it was astounding. A lot of people complain about the way it ends, but, although I was surprised by it, I think it was really the best ending possible. If you haven't read the series, I highly urge you to do so.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The Spa
I just finished a VIP spa treatment for Barbossa. He is shedding, and he looks like a mess. Something's going on in the snake room/library because the air conditioning seems to be sucking all the moisture from the air quicker than it used to. I even have a window slightly open to let in some of this perfect Miami humidity, and still my babies are having trouble shedding. I spray them pretty much every hour but it doesn't seem to be working. I might have to resort to drastic measures: put all the tanks in the garage (I don't even want to ponder the outrage Topkapi would feel), or I could get a humidifier. One of those portable ones. I used to have one, that I took with me when I was auditioning for music programs. I went up to North Carolina, it was freezing, and the hotel room's heating would have dried my voice out completely if not for the humidifier.
The problem of using that is that not all my snakes shed at the same time, so I would be increasing the humidity needlessly for some of them, therefore putting them at risk of getting respiratory infections. There is no easy solution. Aaaaah!
Well, anyway, let me explain what the spa treatment consisted of. First I soaked Barbossa in the bathtub for a few minutes. Probably five, because he did not want anything to do with the water and he was getting very scared. Then I placed him on the bathroom floor and turned the shower on at full blast at the hottest it would go. This, of course, creates steam. My mom and dad used to do this for me when I was little because I suffered from pretty severe asthma attacks. My dad would sit with me in the sauna that was the bathroom and made me breathe in deeply. If you suffer from any breathing problems, I recommend it, it really helps (if you can add some eucalyptus leaves to the water, even better). I still use it today when I get sick and feel on the verge of breathing trouble.
So today, I did this for my little shy boy. He seemed to like it.
I sat with him for half an hour, I read while he walked around. Then I put lots of baby oil on him and misted his cage to the soaking point. He seemed to be having less trouble right now getting rid of the leftover old skin, but I'll see. I might have to repeat the whole procedure.
The problem of using that is that not all my snakes shed at the same time, so I would be increasing the humidity needlessly for some of them, therefore putting them at risk of getting respiratory infections. There is no easy solution. Aaaaah!
Well, anyway, let me explain what the spa treatment consisted of. First I soaked Barbossa in the bathtub for a few minutes. Probably five, because he did not want anything to do with the water and he was getting very scared. Then I placed him on the bathroom floor and turned the shower on at full blast at the hottest it would go. This, of course, creates steam. My mom and dad used to do this for me when I was little because I suffered from pretty severe asthma attacks. My dad would sit with me in the sauna that was the bathroom and made me breathe in deeply. If you suffer from any breathing problems, I recommend it, it really helps (if you can add some eucalyptus leaves to the water, even better). I still use it today when I get sick and feel on the verge of breathing trouble.
So today, I did this for my little shy boy. He seemed to like it.
I sat with him for half an hour, I read while he walked around. Then I put lots of baby oil on him and misted his cage to the soaking point. He seemed to be having less trouble right now getting rid of the leftover old skin, but I'll see. I might have to repeat the whole procedure.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Super-Hero Arachnid
I went to see "Salt" on Saturday. It was surprisingly good. I expected the same type of movie that Angelina Jolie always does, so I was pleasantly surprised at the story line's twist and turns.
Her acting was fine, not Oscar worthy, but then I wasn't really expecting that either.
The only negative comment, and I know I'm being a bit of a nitpicker, is a lack of research when it comes to spiders. Let me explain.
Jolie's husband in the movie is an arachnid specialist and he keeps some specimens in their apartment. Early in the film, Salt goes to pick up some things and she stashes one of the spiders in a container to take with her. It's obviously a venomous spider, but she picks it up with her bare hands without any type of precaution. OK, that's problem number one. The next one is that she puts this poor spider in her backpack. She then proceeds to scale the walls of her apartment window in freezing weather, to run like a maniac through the streets, to jump off a bridge onto a passing truck, to propel herself from that truck onto many other vehicles, etc. You get what I'm saying: she did a lot of risky, very physical stuff. She then went to a hotel, took out the spider that looked perfectly fine and drained it of it's venom. That's where I have a problem. The spider could not have survived all of that. They are quite fragile, and the poor arachnid's exoskeleton could never have sustained the blows that Jolie's backpack received. She would not even have survived the cold (that's why you always see pet spiders in tanks with heat lamps).Even in the container that she was placed in, which looked like a simple plastic jar, it's impossible. There, that's my issue. Other than that really trivial problem, the movie was fun, go watch it.
Her acting was fine, not Oscar worthy, but then I wasn't really expecting that either.
The only negative comment, and I know I'm being a bit of a nitpicker, is a lack of research when it comes to spiders. Let me explain.
Jolie's husband in the movie is an arachnid specialist and he keeps some specimens in their apartment. Early in the film, Salt goes to pick up some things and she stashes one of the spiders in a container to take with her. It's obviously a venomous spider, but she picks it up with her bare hands without any type of precaution. OK, that's problem number one. The next one is that she puts this poor spider in her backpack. She then proceeds to scale the walls of her apartment window in freezing weather, to run like a maniac through the streets, to jump off a bridge onto a passing truck, to propel herself from that truck onto many other vehicles, etc. You get what I'm saying: she did a lot of risky, very physical stuff. She then went to a hotel, took out the spider that looked perfectly fine and drained it of it's venom. That's where I have a problem. The spider could not have survived all of that. They are quite fragile, and the poor arachnid's exoskeleton could never have sustained the blows that Jolie's backpack received. She would not even have survived the cold (that's why you always see pet spiders in tanks with heat lamps).Even in the container that she was placed in, which looked like a simple plastic jar, it's impossible. There, that's my issue. Other than that really trivial problem, the movie was fun, go watch it.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Feeding Frenzy Friday Part 19
Maat did not eat Wednesday night or today. I tried the live pinkie and nothing. I am getting a bit concerned. I've checked and double checked her temperature, but it is always in the correct range. She has hiding spots, I've not handled her in days, I don't know why she refuses to eat. I did manage to give her some Pedialyte, she was not too happy about it, but she drank quite a number of nutrient filled drops. She kept opening and closing her mouth in disgust. Sorry, Maat but it's for your own good.
So Tybalt ended up eating the live pinkie. He was still shedding so I had to convince him to eat, but he finally took it.
Topkapi just finished eating. No problems with her as usual.
Damascus, Talulah and Coral all ate and look very full and happy. All in all, a good day for snakes at my house.
So Tybalt ended up eating the live pinkie. He was still shedding so I had to convince him to eat, but he finally took it.
Topkapi just finished eating. No problems with her as usual.
Damascus, Talulah and Coral all ate and look very full and happy. All in all, a good day for snakes at my house.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
The Elusive Coral
Finally, a picture of Coral!
It's not a perfect picture, I know, but I am always alone when I take her out and I can't really hold on to her and a camera at the same time.
With her it really feels like a rodeo. Some days she lets herself be picked up without issue, then a minute later she starts freaking out, wanting me to PUT HER DOWN. But, if I do, she goes running in the opposite direction at the speed of light, and I run the risk of never seeing her again, so no, I do not put her down.
I am going to try tonight to feed Maat a fresh pinkie. My sister is going to bring a live one and I will inch my way a little more into the gates of hell by killing it first and then offering it to her. The best way to do this (I have done it before) is to put the mouse in a bag and smack it against the wall or the floor as fast and as hard as you can. It sounds monstrous and it is, but it is also instantaneous. Hopefully she eats, although I am sure Tybalt will take it if she doesn't.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Morning Madness
I walked into the library/snake room this morning and encountered something interesting. Topkapi was crawling all over, investigating every corner of her cage. She raised her body up and flicked her tongue out at her heat lamp, which I had just turned on. I expected the shenanigans to stop with me around, but I sat on the floor to watch her for a good ten minutes before she decided to go inside her hiding place and sleep. What the hell was she doing?
She's usually hyper like that only during the night, when all the lights are turned off, but never during the day. She is nocturnal, after all.
I have a couple of theories.
There are two cats in the room with all the snakes. These cats get quite hyper at night aas well. They play around like crazy and this morning they were still playing when I went in. So, either Topkapi wanted to see what all the commotion was about OR she wanted to get out of the cage and strangle both cats so she could sleep. With her, it's a toss up.
I have a pound cake in the oven, which already smells pretty fabulous. Here's the recipe:
1 cup butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 tbsp. honey
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. orange extract
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Beat butter, sugar. Add eggs one at a time, then the extracts and the honey.
Sift flour with salt and baking powder. Add slowly to the wet ingredients, beat until smooth.
Place in prepared pan of choice. Bake at 350 F. for 50-60 minutes.
She's usually hyper like that only during the night, when all the lights are turned off, but never during the day. She is nocturnal, after all.
I have a couple of theories.
There are two cats in the room with all the snakes. These cats get quite hyper at night aas well. They play around like crazy and this morning they were still playing when I went in. So, either Topkapi wanted to see what all the commotion was about OR she wanted to get out of the cage and strangle both cats so she could sleep. With her, it's a toss up.
I have a pound cake in the oven, which already smells pretty fabulous. Here's the recipe:
1 cup butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 tbsp. honey
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. orange extract
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Beat butter, sugar. Add eggs one at a time, then the extracts and the honey.
Sift flour with salt and baking powder. Add slowly to the wet ingredients, beat until smooth.
Place in prepared pan of choice. Bake at 350 F. for 50-60 minutes.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Melodies
The Internet at my house has been on the fritz so I haven't been able to log on for a few days. Technology is so moody.
Talulah has finished shedding and she is looking so cute. I have to take some more pictures of her and of Tybalt, because they have grown so much. They're looking like big chunky snakes. I'm such a proud mamma.
Damascus has looking a little scruffy even though he shed recently, so today I soaked him for the first time. I expected a lot of squirming and escape attempts but he behaved like the little angel he is. He was even relaxed enough to drnk water while he soaked. After about 20 minutes, I took him out, dried him and put baby oil on him. Hopefully that will help him if he's a bit dehydrated. I don't think he is, but better safe than sorry.
I am reading 'Delirium' by Laura Restrepo. Like an idiot, I picked it up at the library in English, when the original is in Spanish, and guess what, duh, I read Spanish. I'm such a moron. I'm always talking about how books are much better in their original language and there I go and grab a translated book of a language that I can actually read.
Anyway, the book is very good. Her writing is in the style of Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It is a milder form of magical realism, which I love. A really touching portrayal of madness and the love of a husband and wife. It's a melodius book.
Talulah has finished shedding and she is looking so cute. I have to take some more pictures of her and of Tybalt, because they have grown so much. They're looking like big chunky snakes. I'm such a proud mamma.
Damascus has looking a little scruffy even though he shed recently, so today I soaked him for the first time. I expected a lot of squirming and escape attempts but he behaved like the little angel he is. He was even relaxed enough to drnk water while he soaked. After about 20 minutes, I took him out, dried him and put baby oil on him. Hopefully that will help him if he's a bit dehydrated. I don't think he is, but better safe than sorry.
I am reading 'Delirium' by Laura Restrepo. Like an idiot, I picked it up at the library in English, when the original is in Spanish, and guess what, duh, I read Spanish. I'm such a moron. I'm always talking about how books are much better in their original language and there I go and grab a translated book of a language that I can actually read.
Anyway, the book is very good. Her writing is in the style of Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It is a milder form of magical realism, which I love. A really touching portrayal of madness and the love of a husband and wife. It's a melodius book.
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