Adopted Ball obviously not cared for right. first time owner need help.

[MoonSong]

Okay. A bit of an intro since i'm new here. So, this is only the second reptile I've ever owned.
Taken care of injured wild lizards before but this is my second snake.
First was a baby corn snake that didn't know how to swallow her pinkies, she tried to eat them sideways.
Hubby was in the military at the time so we found her a home with someone more knowledgeable at the time, and I have been researching what i can in general in between rescue.
when we were living on acreage we put ourselves into rescuing wolfdogs.
Landlord was unreasonably terrified of snakes like murdered innocent garters.
Longstory short, we're in a big city now, in an apartment.
a HS friend got a ball python for her BF aprox a month ago.

I've named her Maisie for reasons.
PO(previous owner) caught them posting on a swipswap not even a month after getting her.
so i responded "awe why are you saying goodbye already?"
PO's excuse. they're too depressed to handle her daily.
blahblahblah they agreed to payments

I now have a snake of unknown age.
is aprox 50inches or longer
And weighs 1828grams appears otherwise healthy.
Has previously been fed 1 medium rat a month LIVE,.
ONLY heat source has been a cheap halogen 50watt bulb. And in an obviously too small 20gal long.

She now has an undertank heating pad for now.
And will get an upgrade in two weeks when I get paid again.


What I need.
She's not horribly underweight but she's not round, and her sides are soft and squishy almost.
Healthy ballpythons i've handled at breeders were round and firm.
I am not going to risk feeding LIVE
So I need some methods to transition her from LIVE.

then, how necessary is a separate feeding tank? because one has NOT been used previously.
also what does the feeding area need to be made of?
does it need to be another glass tank?
or can I use a storage bin?

What is the ideal sized tank? What brand is a good but affordable option?


I'm thinking I'm going to start feeding her every other week. Maybe medium fresh dead rat?
then graduate to every week till she's healthy weight then back to every other week?

I just want her to be healthy and happy.
thank you for reading sorry it's so long.

[Slim]

Hubby was in the military Thank him for his service

they agreed to payments How much are you being charged for this rescue?

Has previously been fed 1 medium rat a month LIVE You obviously seem to know that she was being fed too little. One small to medium rat a week will be just fine. Nothing wrong with feeding live. Ball Pythons are built for hunting, killing, and eating live rodents. In fact, they're experts at it

And in an obviously too small 20gal long That tank is NOT too small for that snake. Does she have hides?

She now has an undertank heating pad for now Please put the pad on a thermostat, or disconnect it until you can get one. Bad things can happen

I am not going to risk feeding LIVE I say again, BPs are weapons of rat destruction

So I need some methods to transition her from LIVE At her age and size, she may not switch, but then again, she might. There are several hundred threads on the Forum about switching from live to F/T

then, how necessary is a separate feeding tank? because one has NOT been used previously Not only NOT necessary, it can actually be counter productive. Feed her in her tank

also what does the feeding area need to be made of? Should be made of her tank

does it need to be another glass tank? Needs to be the same glass tank

What is the ideal sized tank? Nothing wrong with the one you have now

I'm thinking I'm going to start feeding her every other week. Offer weekly. If she eats, she eats. If she don't, she don't. Let her make the choice

[Timelugia]

Live does have the potential to get dangerous. You could try pre-killed for a while? You do not need a separate feeding tank. Sometimes people say they'll learn to bite if fed in the cage, but this doesn't seem to be true. Its purely optional, it can be a little easier to clean. If you do want to use one any container that's safe for a snake will work. I use a plastic bin from petsmart.
You probably want about a 40 gallon tank. PVC cages are really popular.
Medium or small rats every week and then switching to every other week sounds fine to me. Good luck with your new snek!

[stickyalvinroll]

Thanks for your service

[MoonSong]

I thought they needed belly heat opposed to light based heat?

[MoonSong]

Live does have the potential to get dangerous. You could try pre-killed for a while? You do not need a separate feeding tank. Sometimes people say they'll learn to bite if fed in the cage, but this doesn't seem to be true. Its purely optional, it can be a little easier to clean. If you do want to use one any container that's safe for a snake will work. I use a plastic bin from petsmart.
You probably want about a 40 gallon tank. PVC cages are really popular.
Medium or small rats every week and then switching to every other week sounds fine to me. Good luck with your new snek!

My concern with live is she does have some scales that look like she may have gotten injured before.

[MoonSong]

She has a hide. it takes up half of this tank and she's sticking out from under it.
I will try to get some pictures on my camera instead of my phone when I get home from work today

[OhhWatALoser]

I thought they needed belly heat opposed to light based heat?

heat is heat doesn't matter, however 10 watt heat tape could more than likely provide the same hot spot, not dry out the air (humidity is a struggle for many people), and can also be controlled better on a thermostat. Which you will want a thermostat anyways to greatly reduce the risk of therm being burned.

My concern with live is she does have some scales that look like she may have gotten injured before.

As long as they don't look like they are actively rotting, there not much you can do about scars, they are what they are. Sometimes they eventually fade or disappear after multiple sheds, but not always the case.

[bcr229]

I'm going to repeat what was said about the thermostat. If you don't have one then that is your first priority, as unregulated a UTH can get hot enough to burn your snake, and it needs to be unplugged until you get one.

[distaff]

I'm going to repeat what was said about the thermostat. If you don't have one then that is your first priority, as unregulated a UTH can get hot enough to burn your snake, and it needs to be unplugged until you get one.

A bigger enclosure is nice to have, and a freezer full of f/t rats that she's transitioned to, are also nice to have.

What you NEED is the t-stat! Your previous corn snake was different. Colubrids are better at sensing too much heat and avoiding burns. For some reason BP's just don't - they burn. A Hydrofarm will get you by. Can't remember how much they are (I bought mine off Amazon almost a year ago....I think I spent $40-something, but that might have been for both.) An upgrade Herpstat or Vivarium Electronics is nice to have (again), but if money is tight, just get the Hydrofarm, and you'll be fine.

Something no one has mentioned yet: the scars may be because she was chewed on, not necessairly bit (although, that can happen). Just keep an eye on her until she kills it. Never leave a BP alone with a live rat. Should do fine. I agree, however, I much prefer f/t.