Week Three journal  06/16/02 (Sun.)- After we got home from hanging out with Mary, I decided to go ahead and take Addae out. It was just after midnight and he was, once again, a very calm and good boy. He was a bit excited when I first held him and was exploring rather actively so I took him on another tour of the room. He really seems to enjoy this and is curious about absolutely everything. I don't let him crawl all over it, but I let him sniff it and get close enough to see and examine it. He is fascinated by the hanging that divides my room. It's purple with a Celtic design and also has purple icicle lights hanging from the top of it, which he also finds very interesting. :) He settled down after that and was content to explore me. He likes to twine around the back of my neck and then use one or the other shoulder as a perch for surveying the area. :) Hehehe...it's quite cute. I really think he's very comfortable with me now. I had pulled him out from the back of his enclosure this time as well and he took it all very calmly. He seemed just the slightest bit nervous as if I might be a predator in my clothing..(grin)..but he's really very trusting of me. I didn't even warrant a tail rattle this time. :) Yay! Ah, snakey progress is wonderful. They are truly fascinating creatures and I enjoy the chance to share my life with them. They aren't like any other animals I've had and it gives me a unique opportunity to interact with a very different species. They are a delight. Graceful and fluid, they are very careful, patient creatures. I'm learning a lot just in dealing with them. I plan to handle both of them more today, but...after sleep. Zzzzzz...Okay, Sunday during the day now. :) Well, around 7pm I wander over to Laini's terrarium to find that she is along the top edge of the rim...heh. Aha...it seems she is craving to be an escape artist and mimic her kingsnake siblings. :) In anycase, because we'd been out and came back to find her this way, it seemed she may have been at it for some time and I was delighted to see her still enclosed. I hope the four large clamps I have will continue to hold her securely inside. I don't want to lose her. I've considered seeking out a sliding enclosure door like Addae's when she gets larger and I increase her living space. I'll have to explore this option. Matt currently has her out right now, I cleaned her terrarium again and held her for a while. She's currently exploring his arm quite enthusiastically. :) Hehehe, she's such a sweetie. She's burrowing and seeming to explore a lot more now. Due to a vet's advice, I have stopped having the heating pad on during the day and only use the heat lamp. At night, the pad goes on and the light goes off to provide the day/night light cycle and ensure a warm side. She seems to actively prefer that. I also bought an inexpensive indoor/outdoor thermometer with a probe. Hooray! :) Isn't some modern technology wonderful? It lets us help our animal brothers...at least, some of it. I'll probably get Addae out in a bit. :) He was curled up under his log so I thought I'd let him lounge for a while longer. Hmmm...well, took Laini from Matt when we were about to leave to go out and the little bugger munched on me! :P She bit me, the little sneak! :) Well, it was obviously nothing big. It was a bit like someone had just pinched me on my index finger. I can't imagine why except that Matt said she'd been moving around on him fairly quickly so perhaps she was simply agitated and wanted to go back. Ah well, no big deal, but definitely a small 'event' in my book. :) 06/17/02 (Mon.)- Well! Today has already been eventful! :) Laini is indeed about to shed and I put her into her pool and she actually swam around a bit! It was quite nice to watch...even after I put it back into her enclosure. I was delighted and caught a bit on film.Addae was actually out on his log sunning himself too! I also got some film of this and was quite, quite happy. Unfortunately, when I get film I normally don't have time to also take photographs or pc cam pics. That's okay however b/c I can always transfer them from the camcorder. Still, it was a delight on both counts! I have been recently considering that when I enlarge Laini's enclosure, I'll simply move her to Addae's...it seems more secure and he doesn't try to escape at all. I would loooooove to get an enclosure that's open all around for him and set up a display stand of sorts in the center of my living room. I think that would be beautiful if done well. However, these are expenses for in the future and not anytime soon. :) It's worth thinking about now however to plan for the future. If nothing else, when I get Laini a new enclosure, I would love for it to be the type with the sliding door like Addae has, those seem the most secure. So...I'll be looking around. I also haven't chosen a mouse supplier (sigh) and am annoyed with the whole process. We'll see however, someone I know has a line on someone in Georgia so I'm hoping that will work out. In the meantime, Laini has some leftovers and Addae requires a mere run down the road. :) So, no problems but overall it would definitely be cheaper. I'll write more later when I get Addae out, but for now...ciao! 06/18/02 (Tues.)- Today I had a photography class at night, so this post will not be quite as lengthy as most of mine. :) However, do not despair, there is yet adventure to be had!!! Ahem...right. Anyway, Addae defecated AGAIN today...sheesh! Hey, as long as he's going, I'm fine with cleaning it up. :) Laini is definitely about to shed and her eyes are going 'blue'. I'll have to really watch her and make sure to soak her for ten minutes in warmish water when they clear again and then she should have a nice, clean shed. Someone mentioned using Shed-Ease or simply adding a little Gatorade to her water because the electrolites would help. Heh. I don't know about the Gatorade and so I think I'd have to have that confirmed by people before risking her health.The real kicker for the day is that I missed this incredible shot of Addae! Argh! I put his branch directly over his water bowl. It isn't exactly in it, but veeeeeeeeery close. In anycase, I hoped this would get him to use it more since he practically leapt into it when I gave him fresh water yesterday. :) So...here we are...the story: I get home and he is in a PERFECT position!!! The top half of him is draped luxuriously over his log and the back half of him is all curled and wrapped around the branch over his bowl! I was speechless with delight and promptly ran off to get my pc cam on and working. I made a mistake by hesitating for a bit debating over the camcorder. Anyway, I must've squeaked excitedly or something after seeing him and startled him because when I made it back with the pc cam...a matter of mere moments...he was on the ground cover. :( My disappointment was thick upon the very air. (sigh) Ah well! As numerous friends consoled me, he'll be back on them both if he was then. Yes, this is true...but of course because I missed it...it was the perfect picture. :) I got Addae out tonight and he was very calm and went right up into my loose hair and around my neck. He stayed up there 'siteseeing' for quite a while and then I put him back after about a half hour. He seemed to enjoy his time out very much and I am glad to see he is so comfortable with me picking him up now...hooray! :) 06/19/02 (Wed.)- Well, today was feeding time for Laini! However, in the tradition of snakes in a shed (her eyes are completely opaque-blue now) she did not want to eat. She got very nervous too so I throughly washed my hands, removed her myself from the feeding enclosure as opposed to sliding her back. When I picked her up and she smelled my scent she calmed down right away. I was easily able to bring her back to her enclosure, she moved off me slowly and then zipped off into her burrow. I felt so badly about the wasted two pinkies.SooOOo....in what could prove to be smart or stupid, I decided to give them to Addae. Two pinkies are a very light snack for a snake his size. I still plan to feed him the two fuzzies on Friday but figured that since he wasn't being fed enough, this might be a nice 'treat'. He doesn't associate my hand with feeding so I'm not worried about him biting or striking at me when I go to get him Friday. The Critter Keeper that I use to feed in however could be a bit better. I slide them in through the hole in the top usually and that can be challenging if they try to emerge again...especially once they 'remember' where they are and start getting excited and in hunt mode. Eek. However, all went well except as usual he didn't want to go straight back into his enclosure and I had to wait a while and cojole him. He made to strike at my fingers a few times through the Keeper, but then again, there was mouse-scent all over the bottom of it and my hand was right below, so I was okay. In anycase, he's had a little snake and when Friday rolls around, he will have had more than plenty of time to digest two small pinkies. :) Perhaps I'll just feed him the one fuzzy...I'll see what the list people say. As for now and for me, I'm going to sleep now. :) 06/20/02 (Thurs.)- Today was quite, quite busy. I had my second photography class and so then went to visit Matt. I checked on the snakes before I left and both were fine, Laini still on her cool side under the pool. I took a suggestion from someone at work who breeds snakes (70+ including some venomous species) and turned the heat lamp completely off. I am just using the heating pad. After I returned from both the class and visiting Matt, it was rather late...heh. Midnight in fact. Shame on me. :( I turned off both the lights on their enclosures (I replaced hers with a normal lamp just shining in so she'd still have the benefit of day/night cycles, just not the heat.) and then let them rest a bit. Then, I went ahead and checked on Laini...her eyes are still opaquely blue but anytime now they should clear again. Her skin is a little less dry and I soaked her again for a bit in her pool. She can't see well at all right now but she seemed comfortable enough when she realized it was me. I then let her down and guided her under her log. She felt the heat coming up from the heat pad and seemed very content.I went ahead and let her rest and went to get out Addae. He tail-rattled me a little but it was all just gesture, he was very calm. I picked him right up (always moving smoothly!) and he again went right up to my neck and his 'perch'. He seems very comfortable there now. In addition, he tried exploring my arms. However, kingsnakes not being fantastic climbers in general, he kept sliding off. :) Hehehe...it was really cute. I was always supporting the middle of his body and the end however so he was in no danger of falling. He tried mightily though but never quite got the 'climbing the warm tree' quite down. :) I don't know if I've mentioned this before...but I am the 'warm living tree that makes the sun rise and set' in snake mythology now. :P (grin) So I held him for a while and we explored the room and such and he seemed very happy. SO happy in fact that when I put him back in his enclosure, he didn't want to go! (grin) Last time he hinted at this, but this time he just plain grabbed the side and tried to climb over it. I gently removed him and aimed him back, and he gently turned around and came right back out again! Lol!!! Crazy boy! So, he slid calmly out and just meandered on down my leg. So, I got a hold of him (I didn't want to startle him) but he seemed just calm as could be and finally aimed him over his water bowl. He didn't have enough time to circle around again while I smoothly and gently as I could shut the door of the enclosure. I was delighted to see him excited about being out and held, it's a wonderful change! 06/21/02 (Fri.)- This morning Laini was still under her log! Not only that, but when I turned on the light (not the heat lamp, remember...it's gone bye-bye! :)) and then came back a few minutes later, she was out and about! I was amazed! She was half burrowed, but still exploring her enclosure! Needless to say, I was delighted and look forward to seeing how much more active she will be now. Wonderful! Anna is coming over tonight and we're going to make a day trip to Hotlanta Reptiles. I'm hoping it'll be a nice experience. I most hope to see (ah, to hold one!) a Rainbow Boa!!! Wow, that would be awesome. They aren't really a beginner's snake though and do have higher humidity requirements and such. I don't know how good their temperaments are but hopefully they've been handled there and are more used to people. We'll see I guess. Even to just see on in person would totally delight me! I'm so easily pleased. (grin) (really, I'm quite picky.) That's all for now! I'll let you know later in the day any updates...let's hope Laini turns into an active little girl after her shed cycle! :)Anna came over this weekend! :D Yay! I let her hold Laini and even Addae! We fed him tonight as well. He ate three mice and seemed quite content. :) I'm going to go ahead and up his feeding to three mice per week regularly now. I got them from The Pet Store in Westside. I thought about getting Laini a smaller water bowl but I wasn't sure it would really make any difference. So, I'm going to wait and see. Tommorrow I'll check on her shed cycle and if she's gone clear I'll go ahead and soak her. 06/22/02 (Sat.)- Well, I woke up and soaked Laini because her eyes had cleared. She spent fifteen minutes in warm water with me gently holding parts of her down because she floated. :) Hehehe. We got a little bit on film and she was highly cooperative. I think she was sort of half asleep or at least very worn out from preparing to shed, I know it takes a lot of energy.Addae was digesting today so we left him alone as he enjoyed various basking spots throughout the day. He seemed very content and was still obviously 'enjoying' his food. :) The trip to the reptile place was highly disappointing. Not only did it smell, but they've moved to a new location and perhaps had eight reptiles total. The snake enclosures were filthy and some even had old sheds in them. I was, to say the very least, unimpressed. I hope to be able to talk to the person I work with and let him know the condition of the animals if he doesn't already. If not, it should be quite an eye-opener. I was very unhappy to have brought Matt and Anna along for an hour drive (one way) just to find such a terrible mess of a place. Alas. Oh well, I suppose my expectations were a bit high, but sheesh! Entry Gatekeeper Tea Room Gallery Nest Box Music Book of Wisdom Quotes Gates    © 1998 skadiwolf@yahoo.com
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