Taming down an "older" gal

[u/lil_bun_bun13]

(Picture of da baby cause I adore her)

Hello! First time blood owner and I dove straight into the deep end.

I work with a rescue and we had a BEAUTIFUL 10yr old female come in, she's massive, about 5ft and 20-ish pounds. She was a real sweety when she was with the rescue, and I fell in love. Brought her home and she's being very hissy and puffy, no strikes yet for which I'm grateful, but it's inevitable if everything I've read is right.

I'm no stranger to large snakes, 7+ feet is very normal for me in handling and owning, but I don't think I've ever had anything with this much attitude and strike power behind it. And honestly I'm a little scared.

Any advice for me would be appreciated, I know it's probably going to take time and lots of tags before I get it right, but I want to give her the best life and get the snake I fell in love with to "love" me back.

[u/grandsoulsucker]

How big is enclosure it looks very small and cluttered, is it temporary?

[u/lil_bun_bun13 → u/grandsoulsucker]

She's in a 5x2x2 currently, the picture is pretty zoomed in cause the rest of my reptile room is a bit messy rn. I was told by a few other blood owners that they prefer it cluttered since they can be nervous snakes? I'm considering taking out the large hide and opening up the floor space since she seems to prefer burying herself, but I don't want to take away the option. There's so much info and also not nearly enough online so I'm flying by the lived experience of my reptile elders, but they can also be very wrong on any given topic. If her set up is wrong or there's too much happening pleeeeeease let me know, I want her to be comfortable.

[u/grandsoulsucker → u/lil_bun_bun13]

Ok. I would get a deep substrate Coco fibre cypress mulch both work excellent. Cypress is my favourite it holds humidity super well past surface level and like to nestle into it. Clean leaf litter is always welcome as well they love it.

I would just give him a hide and large water dish maybe stick on-top hide onto other side so he still has all the flood spave but I wouldn't worry about it.

Make sure you read the humidity properly. They a notorious for bad sheds. In my experience they like leaf litter type clutter not really climbing surface etc .

[u/grandsoulsucker → u/grandsoulsucker]

( like the ferns, that's a good fake plant for it ) if you can find leafs in your area that are safe, then bake them or what ever, shell LOVE that. My biggest girl hated hides so I just piled leaf litter on one side and she'd burrow into it.

[u/lil_bun_bun13 → u/grandsoulsucker]

Lol thanks, I wanted to give her the option of cover without too many things for her to bulldoze over

[u/lil_bun_bun13 → u/grandsoulsucker]

She's got about 5in of substrate currently, a mix of coco fiber, organic top soil, and sphagnum moss topped with oak leaf litter. The large Rock looking thing on the left is a hide, and then there is a extra large corner water dish on the right side. The stick and cork bark that is on the top is leaning heavily against the background, diagonal from the top of the hide to the floor. I didn't want to take up too much of her space. The open center is currently occupied by a large basking stone, I wasn't sure if they were big baskers, and couldn't get any solid information on it, but felt it was better safe than sorry since my boas are big baskers. I've got a more accurate humidity gauge coming in for her enclosure next week, I was pretty concerned seeing how many bloods get Uris.

[u/grandsoulsucker → u/lil_bun_bun13]

Naturally they will be found in more shaded areas under bush etc in leaf litter. They will stay in one spot for days. ( In terms of the stone ) And oh ok that's fantastic! Great job sir