Help newbie to BP

well not from choice we have ended up with 2 pythons 2 young lads were going back to the uk and were going to leave them or dump them.

We have a male and female 7 & 8 and she is sitting on 4 eggs, the viv is far from adequate so we need to build them a new viv each and get them seperated and the eggs in the incubator

If anyone has any tips or links to pictures of viv I would appreciate it or any other tips that would be good, feeding tips etc.

Upto now I have only had corns 3 adults and 13 hatchlings at the mo.

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...wsnakes034.jpg

We know the viv they are in at the moment is way to small and we are going to build them a new one, they both seem really friendly so any advice to give them a better life would be really appreciated.

First of all you need to separate them.... 1 snake = 1 enclosure.

Get them set up appropriately, with the proper temp gradient and humidity, as well as the proper technology (UTH, thermometer, thermostat, hydrogometer).

Then leave them alone for a proper acclimation of one week (no handling).

Get them feeding (I would recommend 2 successful feeds) before you do any handling.

Get the eggs into an incubator... although if they have been moved and have been out of an incubator for any length of time without proper heat and humidity, it may be too late.

Not to be a hater, but BP eggs are not super hardy.

There is a good care sheet on this site, not sure where it is, as well as DIY plans for an incubator. Hopefully you can search and find them, or someone will post them.

But keep in mind, this is not a few hours project... setting up a bp properly takes time, tweaking, and planning. Setting up an incubator.... X3 on all the forementioned.

Bruce

As far as your viv being too small... BPs do not need much room. They are not a species that require alot of space.

I keep all my adult males in 32qt sterilite tubs... my biggest females in 41qt tubs.

Your priority is the eggs and separate ensclosures for the snakes.

Bruce

http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....warticle&id=40

quick easy setup for them and cheap too

youll need 2 one for each bp

and here is a easy incubator setup for the eggs

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ncubator+setup

Hi,

Well for simplicity and cost effectiveness while giving the snakes exactly the conditions they need I would recomend a couple of tubs.

For the incubator have a search in the breeding forum for some good ideas on how to convert coolers, fishtanks and fridges to make perfect incubators.

What I would say is plan the equipment list out before ordering anything to make sure you get it right in only one order. :)

A rough idea of the top of my head would be two tubs of appropriate size. What weight/ length are the snakes?

If your room temps are a little low plan for flexwatt under tank heating for both the hot and cool end of the tubs ( where you will be placing them will decide if you can use 2x 2 foot lengths or need 4 smaller ones). These will also need a thermostat - this is re-useable as you change enclosures so I wouldn't recomend skimping on this as it only causes problems further down the road.

Any incubator you build will also need a thermostat to keep the temps right.

All of the above will need to be calibrated using a good digital thermometer - if you get the acurite one from wallmart that also reads humidity and has a probe ( $12) then you can nail all the variables with one unit.

Make sure to wash the female and all cage furniture when you remove her from the eggs otherwise she might not start feeding again.

How long ago did she lay the eggs? If it's more than a couple of hours you will need to be very carefull not to rotate them - mark the top with a blunt pencil before trying to move them.

My brain seems to have short-circuited so sing out as I am bound to have missed something.


dr del

well we have taken them out tonight and given the viv a damn good clean and and the good news is the boy has eaten as well, is the girl like corns do they have a post shed before they will feed as she wasnt interested.

We did notice when we got them out they are both rather flabby is this normal or are they underweight, I have ordered a book so hopefully when that comes I will stop with all the questions.

Anyway tom we are building them a new viv each with some nice hides as the one they are in you cant swing cat in it is just wide enough for when they are curled up but they touch the sides, the poor things havent been very well looked after.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by claireree

well we have taken them out tonight and given the viv a damn good clean and and the good news is the boy has eaten as well, is the girl like corns do they have a post shed before they will feed as she wasnt interested.

We did notice when we got them out they are both rather flabby is this normal or are they underweight, I have ordered a book so hopefully when that comes I will stop with all the questions.

Anyway tom we are building them a new viv each with some nice hides as the one they are in you cant swing cat in it is just wide enough for when they are curled up but they touch the sides, the poor things havent been very well looked after.

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Ask as many questions as you can come up with, we are here to help!! Check out our care sheets, they are a little lengthy but WELL worth the read. Here is some basic info for you which is MUCH more in depth in the care sheets.

1) To measure your humidity and temperature accurately - Use DIGITAL gauges (stick on gauges are NOT reliable, and a waste of money unfortunately) The most cost friendly device you can purchase is an accurite digital thermometer/hygrometer from wal-mart for $12. The gauge does not have to be this brand, but something with an outdoor/indoor measurement will work because this means the device uses a probe.

2) You need a belly temperature (right on the glass under the hide on one side of the tank) measured by a probe (which comes with something like an accurite) of 90 - 93 degrees. This is where your bp will spend his time digesting and hanging out A LOT. A UTH (under tank heater) costs about $20 at a pet store but MUST have a control.

The safest and most reliable type of control is a thermostat ($70 - $300) but the minimum requirement for a control is something like a lamp dimmer (a rheostat, which is something that must be manually adjusted). Lowes sells piggyback lamp dimmers for about $10.

3) You need a hide on the cooler side of the tank with a belly temperature or ambient temperature in the low 80's. This can be achieved through a heat lamp with the correct wattage bulb, or simply a nice warm room. Keep in mind that the two hides you choose should be the same so your bp feels EQUALLY secure in BOTH hides. Your bp will choose where it feels safest, whether or not it is the correct temperature.

4) HUMIDITY = very important - just as important as temperature. 55-60% humidity is required for proper shedding. For tips on how to achieve this please see the care sheets.

5) A sturdy water dish with fresh water can be put anywhere in the tank, if placed over a UTH (under tank heater) it can help raise the humidity.

6) Substrate can be anything from newspaper or cage liners to aspen. Cedar is TOXIC. Do not use cedar. CYPRESS mulch is good - don't mix it up with cedar.

7) Security - ball pythons are shy. They hide more than 80% of the time so if your snake is hiding a lot, thats a good thing. Cover three sides of your tank with paper/aquarium background - what ever you would like to help your snake feel less exposed. Snug, identical hides are a MUST, one on the cool side one on the hot side.

Hi,

Here is the link to our caresheet. :gj:

And no on the post lay shed before they eat. Mine laid on the 11th and ate on the 15th - but you have to completely remove the smell of the eggs before most of them will snap out of incubation mode apparently.


dr del

thanks all great help. We are getting some measurements done today and going to get viv built for both of them, the other question I have is will having pythons and corns together make a diff, we have corns as well and they are not housed together at the moment but one of my corns seems a bit more nervous than usual.

The new viv we are building is going to be a stacking system with the 2 pythons on the bottom and if poss maybe one of my younger corns on the top but dont want to do this if they are not supposed to be housed all together.

sorry more questions.