Ruby spends the weekends in her travel tank. We send her home with her tank items in a bag. Please make sure there is nothing in the tank that can shift in the car and hurt her.

Her tank items can be put back once she is at your home. She will need her water dish and a hiding hut. While visiting, Ruby has an under the tank heater and will need to be close to an outlet to be plugged in.

Feeding

Ruby will need water. Ruby can be fed every 10- 14 days. She eats 1 fuzzy mouse. The mice are frozen and need to be defrosted. I heat up a mug with water. I put one mouse in a small plastic baggie then putting the frozen mouse in the sealed bag to defrost in the hot water. It should be warm but not hot. NEVER heat the mouse in the microwave, it may rupture. Ruby eats in a separate small feeding tank. I usually let her stay in there for 10 minutes after she has eaten the mouse then transfer her back to digest. I will avoid holding her for an hour after eating so she has time to let her food settle.

Handeling

Handling Ruby is fun. It is safest to hold her with 2 hands with extended fingers, giving her space to move about. She may try to move up your arm or onto another surface. I place my hands in her path so she moves back onto my hand.

When petting Ruby, stroke her scales in the direction they grow, away from her head, to her tail. Ruby can sometimes get startled when trying to pick her up from her tank. Start by lifting a part of her that is not in front of her face.

Longer Stays

If you are caring for Ruby during a break or quarantine she will need to eat 1 fuzzy mouse each Tuesday. If you need to feed Ruby you will have her feeding tank. We feed her in her feeding tank so she does not think hands in her home tank are food. We do not put our hands in her feeding tank before she has eaten. The fuzzy mice she eats are frozen. To get them to body temperature, I start by heating a glass of water. I put the mouse in a zip lock bag and place the bag into the hot water. The mouse should be defrosted and warm but NOT HOT, as that can burn her. The mice can not be microwaved as they will begin to cook and the inside will be too hot, also they can explode. I learned this the hard way.