New BP owner.

[jmsemii14]

You say I seem irresponsible because I'm asking for advice on how to take care of my snake?, my bad. I won't ask for advice anymore so I won't know whether or not I'm properly taking care of her. I didn't purchase my snake when money was tight, but unexpected things happen in life.

As everyone has already said, remove the heat rock because they are dangerous and are known to burn animals. I'm not sure what species a heat rock is made for, but it's definitely not a ball python so see if you can get your money back for it. A 55 gallon tank is way too big for a baby like yours, but If you fill the tank with LOTS of things like plants and hides and such it will help your snake feel more secure. But as you mentioned, money is tight so if you don't have the money for fake plants and such you can crumple up paper towels to add more security.

I just want to say that you seem a bit irresponsible. You said you learned the basics, but obviously not because this is the basics. And you purchased your snake when "money is tight". So now you can't provide proper care for it. It needs plants and hides and a thermostat and you can't provide those things. I would suggest taking the snake back and waiting until you're in a more stable place financially before purchasing another one. And I'd also encourage purchasing directly from a breeder because pet stores are notorious for selling unhealthy animals. Especially if it's a big chain pet store. But you may have gotten lucky and purchased a healthy animal!

Good luck!


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[Redlude92]

If you want to make your snake feel more secure grab a can of Plastidip from your local Home Depot or lowes and paint the two sides and the rear. I found that the plastidip, which is basically a rubber coating REALLY helps keeping the temp regulated.

[Ballpythoncrazy]

You say I seem irresponsible because I'm asking for advice on how to take care of my snake?, my bad. I won't ask for advice anymore so I won't know whether or not I'm properly taking care of her. I didn't purchase my snake when money was tight, but unexpected things happen in life.

Excuse me, when did I say you were irresponsible for asking for advice?


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[jmsemii14]

Excuse me, when did I say you were irresponsible for asking for advice?


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Sorry, you just came off a bit rude.

[Velrys]

Hey jmsemii14,

I don't think anyone believes you are irresponsible for wanting to learn about your snake. Possibly some, maybe including myself a little bit, were alarmed when you said something like. "I know basic snake husbandry, how do I determine the gender and age, of my snake?" Which are both valid questions but then you showed evidence that you didn't actually know basic snake husbandry, and had not read the information bcr initially gave you though you claimed you already knew it.

Unfortunately I think a lot of people have had bad experiences with hobbyists who think they know proper husbandry but don't. It kind of leads to situations like this where people start asking questions about there snake but don't know how to properly take care of their snake and are making mistakes that can be found in any decent care guide.

I can't speak for others that have posted (in fact I know there are those in the industry that I don't speak for and its really frustrating) but I feel like the well being and comfort are one thousand percent the responsibility of the owner. The animal can't go somewhere else to live better so its our responsibility to be sure the animal has exactly what it needs. Again I can't speak for all but I know I and assume others may come off harsh because we care for an animal in danger.



So... now that you know how to improve your setup, hopefully at this point you have read the caresheet that bcr linked, and have input from users here. We can all work together to improve the QoL of your snake.

Though I would suggest that if you have other questions specific to your setup you start a new more concise thread to get help faster.