This is very interesting. I think I've seen a similar video on your channel before. I have a young Children's python, about 7 months old. For managing our ecosystem, I fed him a small hopper. He had only had frozen mice before, but the lady who sold him to me said he should be fine switching between live and frozen if necessary. He seems to really like the live ones. His behavior is completely different, even after feeding. Now, he always wants them, even though he's just eaten. Before, he would be muted after eating and stay in his cave all the time. Now, he always sticks his head out of the hole to watch me whenever I get near his enclosure. He's more active around his enclosure and always looking for food. I give him cues when he's about to eat by using the tongs and clapping them against the edge of the enclosure repeatedly. It's a very different sound, and I don't call his name. I know snakes hear differently. When I'm not feeding him, every other time I handle him (I handle him every day except the day before he eats, the day he eats, and two days after he eats), I call his name and tap the top of his cave twice. Most of the time, he's hanging out in there. For the first time since he was hungry, he nipped me. But then, when he properly smelled my hand, he started looking elsewhere for food. I hadn't been handling any of the mice. It's possible that he can smell their enclosure right below him, but that never bothered him before until he started eating some live. I will put him back on frozen once the population is back on track. However, I think it has awakened his prey drive. He's also a month older and has gone through his second shed with me. My husband said he looks a little bit bigger, but his head is still so small. I know that the rule of thumb is for the rodent to be the size of the thickest part of the snake. Maybe the ones I was feeding him are a little bit smaller than that, but I didn't think he would still be so excited to eat a day after feeding. I don't want him to burst his tummy, and I don't want to overfeed him, but he's acting as though he's ravenous and has been doing that the entire week 😅 I was curious if we could see a feeding video of your Children's python and what the mouse looks like in comparison.
My 14 year old Children's Python eats an adult mouse once or twice a month. The younger one I have eats hopper and fuzzy mice every 10-14 days or so. Both are target trained for eating and to shift out of their enclosure and to change locations; and. I have a separate cue to let them know when they will be handled or when I need to do enclosure maintenance. Why did you start feeding live instead of frozen-thawed or pre-killed? I would recommend that if you feel you do not have clear communication with him that you watch some of the training videos on classical and operant conditioning, low-stress management, and choice-based interactions. I have a Patreon educational platform where I do group and private coaching if that is something you feel might help you. I have several clients who also have Children's Pythons and other antaresia. www.patreon.com/behavioreducation
I have a two month old Stimsons (still Children's genus, just not Childreni) that's doing really well at differentiating between feeding and handling. I attribute this partly to the fact that food is being presented at close range inside the enclosure, while handling is choice-based and requires her to move outside and onto me. That said, I'm concerned that reaching in when I need to move things or replace water might end up being confused with the feeding antecedents. Even though she's fine at the moment, I'm going to begin target training as a preventative measure. So long as there's no feeding confusion, the Children's pythons as a group seem very mild mannered and ' friendly'. Thanks for the great videos, and for introducing people outside Australia (Hi from Aus!) to the Children's. They're lovely, but not so well known, perhaps because the patterns aren't as vivid as some. Take care!
As you might recall, this is a perfect video for me, as my Stimson's has that kind of food response. He is much better now thanks to target training, and he is wonderful to handle. I recently got a baby Children's that is perhaps the most serene little snake I have ever owned, but I am going to target train her just in case. FYI, I got the Children's from Riley Jimison. I am pretty sure he has some left if you are interested; he had a few that he was still trying to get established with eating. They were being challenging - he has had to go through some sort of insane process of wrapping pinkies with shed gecko skins. Last I heard they were doing well, though.
Interesting. I have found that Antaresia after 3-4 years old begin to figure things out anyway, but I have one youngster that is a real character, so why not try the target training. Thanks for the video. BTW, something I did not know about Children's pythons until recently - their range coincides with a bit higher average humidity than the Stimsons python range typically. Although there are micro-climates in any habitat.
I am going to have to try this with mine. He's only about a year old at this point. But almost every time I go up to the cage and he's out he just follows me. And every time I try to take him out then he just attempts to strike at me.
Hi Lori, I have always knocked three times on my snake's enclosure before feeding and they're used to this - I was wondering how you'd recommend target training and especially foraging/feeding puzzles considering this habit. With the latter I am worried they'll associate coming out with foraging/feeding. Thank you :)
It just a matter of transferring the cue from taps to the target. Pair the tapping with the target at first and then fade the original cue over time and just use the target.
Thank you Lori this will become very helpfull to me soon, I hope to have my own Childrens Python in two weeks. I see you not seem to use lamps in his enclosure. Do you use heating mats and how you placed it/them and at what temperature and humidity do you keep him. Greetz from Holland, Rick.
Rick van der Loos He has a heat mat under one corner of his enclosure as well as one on the side for when he wants to be off the ground. The mats are on the left rear corner as you’re looking at his habitat so that’s his warm spot. There is a skylight in his room that allows in natural sunlight. I don’t measure his humidity, he has a small water dish, a large water dish, and a humid hide box with damp sphagnum moss inside it. The bedding is ReptiChip and I’ll let his water overflow when I refill it which moistens the substrate around the dish.
@@LoriTorrini Thank you Lori, that be helpfull when preparing his 120x60x50 enclosure it be an 3.8ft male animal from 2010 I get it in the coming weeks.
I have a rack system that of course uses underbelly heat. I also have a terrarium that uses an overhead heat source - the Arcadia Deep Heat Projector. Both methods can work very well with these animals. With undertank heat, you want to minimize the ventilation on the cage top. Lights are usually not optimum for heating. Either use a heat mat or use a deep heat projector or ceramic heat emitter - basically heating without bright light. I do use a small LED strip light so I can see better when I am cleaning or just checking in. In the wild, these snakes typically "bask" under cover, meaning the occupy a crevice or hide that has been warmed by the sun but is dark inside and not nearly as exposed to the drying effects of the outside air.
Do you think once I get a Childrens python and let them settle in a little, I should start target training from day 1 of feeding? To establish that as a normal feeding habit in their new environment? Or should I do a couple feedings as normal just to be sure they're eating ok first?
Hi,I don’t know if it counts at « target training » but I always gently tapped at the enclosure to imitate a rodent moving around before feeding her and try to only handling her if she touch the glass...it seems to give clues about what’s about to happen for her.she never hissed or strike or bite,still a bit shy though....she’s only 1 year old.B.occidentalis.do I do something wrong? Thks for your time.take care.
maria callas It isn’t the same thing as target training but you seemed to have done a nice job teaching her a “cue”, a signal to let her know that food is coming and when she doesn’t get that signal, she doesn’t expect food. That’s really good. The tapping is signaling her that she’s going to be fed, so it’s also a cue to come out and eat. When she touches her nose to the door and then you open it, you’re teaching her that what she has to do to get her door open is touch the glass with her nose, so in a way she’s cueing you to open the door for her. She is likely tolerating handling because whatever comes after the handling is reinforcing for her.
This is very interesting. I think I've seen a similar video on your channel before. I have a young Children's python, about 7 months old.
For managing our ecosystem, I fed him a small hopper. He had only had frozen mice before, but the lady who sold him to me said he should be fine switching between live and frozen if necessary.
He seems to really like the live ones. His behavior is completely different, even after feeding. Now, he always wants them, even though he's just eaten.
Before, he would be muted after eating and stay in his cave all the time. Now, he always sticks his head out of the hole to watch me whenever I get near his enclosure. He's more active around his enclosure and always looking for food.
I give him cues when he's about to eat by using the tongs and clapping them against the edge of the enclosure repeatedly. It's a very different sound, and I don't call his name.
I know snakes hear differently.
When I'm not feeding him, every other time I handle him (I handle him every day except the day before he eats, the day he eats, and two days after he eats), I call his name and tap the top of his cave twice. Most of the time, he's hanging out in there.
For the first time since he was hungry, he nipped me. But then, when he properly smelled my hand, he started looking elsewhere for food. I hadn't been handling any of the mice. It's possible that he can smell their enclosure right below him, but that never bothered him before until he started eating some live.
I will put him back on frozen once the population is back on track. However, I think it has awakened his prey drive. He's also a month older and has gone through his second shed with me.
My husband said he looks a little bit bigger, but his head is still so small. I know that the rule of thumb is for the rodent to be the size of the thickest part of the snake. Maybe the ones I was feeding him are a little bit smaller than that, but I didn't think he would still be so excited to eat a day after feeding.
I don't want him to burst his tummy, and I don't want to overfeed him, but he's acting as though he's ravenous and has been doing that the entire week 😅
I was curious if we could see a feeding video of your Children's python and what the mouse looks like in comparison.
My 14 year old Children's Python eats an adult mouse once or twice a month. The younger one I have eats hopper and fuzzy mice every 10-14 days or so. Both are target trained for eating and to shift out of their enclosure and to change locations; and. I have a separate cue to let them know when they will be handled or when I need to do enclosure maintenance. Why did you start feeding live instead of frozen-thawed or pre-killed? I would recommend that if you feel you do not have clear communication with him that you watch some of the training videos on classical and operant conditioning, low-stress management, and choice-based interactions. I have a Patreon educational platform where I do group and private coaching if that is something you feel might help you. I have several clients who also have Children's Pythons and other antaresia.
www.patreon.com/behavioreducation
I have a two month old Stimsons (still Children's genus, just not Childreni) that's doing really well at differentiating between feeding and handling.
I attribute this partly to the fact that food is being presented at close range inside the enclosure, while handling is choice-based and requires her to move outside and onto me.
That said, I'm concerned that reaching in when I need to move things or replace water might end up being confused with the feeding antecedents.
Even though she's fine at the moment, I'm going to begin target training as a preventative measure.
So long as there's no feeding confusion, the Children's pythons as a group seem very mild mannered and ' friendly'.
Thanks for the great videos, and for introducing people outside Australia (Hi from Aus!) to the Children's. They're lovely, but not so well known, perhaps because the patterns aren't as vivid as some.
Take care!
He's gorgeous and coming along very nicely!!!
As you might recall, this is a perfect video for me, as my Stimson's has that kind of food response. He is much better now thanks to target training, and he is wonderful to handle. I recently got a baby Children's that is perhaps the most serene little snake I have ever owned, but I am going to target train her just in case. FYI, I got the Children's from Riley Jimison. I am pretty sure he has some left if you are interested; he had a few that he was still trying to get established with eating. They were being challenging - he has had to go through some sort of insane process of wrapping pinkies with shed gecko skins. Last I heard they were doing well, though.
Caitwn Thanks! I may contact him, I have a voucher for him from last year’s Carpet Fest. I’m so glad the target training is helping you.
Handling them seems so fun
It is great to be able to visualize target training with snakes
Interesting. I have found that Antaresia after 3-4 years old begin to figure things out anyway, but I have one youngster that is a real character, so why not try the target training. Thanks for the video. BTW, something I did not know about Children's pythons until recently - their range coincides with a bit higher average humidity than the Stimsons python range typically. Although there are micro-climates in any habitat.
l have 4 Antaresia and only one has that huge feeding response, expecting food everytime l open the door but she is starting to settle down now.
Gotta love carpet pythons That’s good to hear because we’re thinking of getting a second one.
I am going to have to try this with mine. He's only about a year old at this point. But almost every time I go up to the cage and he's out he just follows me. And every time I try to take him out then he just attempts to strike at me.
Hello, did you make those information stickers for your snakes? I’ve looked for them everywhere online but can’t track them down. They look great!
The labels are made by Cloud Forest Design
cloudforest.design/
Hi Lori, I have always knocked three times on my snake's enclosure before feeding and they're used to this - I was wondering how you'd recommend target training and especially foraging/feeding puzzles considering this habit. With the latter I am worried they'll associate coming out with foraging/feeding. Thank you :)
It just a matter of transferring the cue from taps to the target. Pair the tapping with the target at first and then fade the original cue over time and just use the target.
Thank you Lori this will become very helpfull to me soon, I hope to have my own Childrens Python in two weeks. I see you not seem to use lamps in his enclosure. Do you use heating mats and how you placed it/them and at what temperature and humidity do you keep him. Greetz from Holland, Rick.
Rick van der Loos He has a heat mat under one corner of his enclosure as well as one on the side for when he wants to be off the ground. The mats are on the left rear corner as you’re looking at his habitat so that’s his warm spot. There is a skylight in his room that allows in natural sunlight. I don’t measure his humidity, he has a small water dish, a large water dish, and a humid hide box with damp sphagnum moss inside it. The bedding is ReptiChip and I’ll let his water overflow when I refill it which moistens the substrate around the dish.
@@LoriTorrini Thank you Lori, that be helpfull when preparing his 120x60x50 enclosure it be an 3.8ft male animal from 2010 I get it in the coming weeks.
I have a rack system that of course uses underbelly heat. I also have a terrarium that uses an overhead heat source - the Arcadia Deep Heat Projector. Both methods can work very well with these animals. With undertank heat, you want to minimize the ventilation on the cage top. Lights are usually not optimum for heating. Either use a heat mat or use a deep heat projector or ceramic heat emitter - basically heating without bright light. I do use a small LED strip light so I can see better when I am cleaning or just checking in. In the wild, these snakes typically "bask" under cover, meaning the occupy a crevice or hide that has been warmed by the sun but is dark inside and not nearly as exposed to the drying effects of the outside air.
Do you think once I get a Childrens python and let them settle in a little, I should start target training from day 1 of feeding? To establish that as a normal feeding habit in their new environment? Or should I do a couple feedings as normal just to be sure they're eating ok first?
I start from the very first feeding with me.
my baby children’s python, I think he is going to shed but I don’t know
Sport bro’s 45 When Stübben is going to shed he is less active and stays by his heat a lot more. Sometimes he uses his humidity box.
Hi,I don’t know if it counts at « target training » but I always gently tapped at the enclosure to imitate a rodent moving around before feeding her and try to only handling her if she touch the glass...it seems to give clues about what’s about to happen for her.she never hissed or strike or bite,still a bit shy though....she’s only 1 year old.B.occidentalis.do I do something wrong? Thks for your time.take care.
maria callas It isn’t the same thing as target training but you seemed to have done a nice job teaching her a “cue”, a signal to let her know that food is coming and when she doesn’t get that signal, she doesn’t expect food. That’s really good. The tapping is signaling her that she’s going to be fed, so it’s also a cue to come out and eat. When she touches her nose to the door and then you open it, you’re teaching her that what she has to do to get her door open is touch the glass with her nose, so in a way she’s cueing you to open the door for her. She is likely tolerating handling because whatever comes after the handling is reinforcing for her.
Oki.thks.have a good one!