New Owner, A bit confused, have a few concerns and questions

[Blueraven99]

Hi All,

I purchased my first snake a lovely normal morph ball python. He is young and on hoppers. He is unsexed...so until I am able to find out differently I am going with he and calling him Alex. Anyway, I have a 20L set up with an UTH pad, a digital probe thermometer directly onto of the pad so I know how how the glass under the substrate is getting. I have a hide on the warm side and a hide on the cool side of the tank. Since he is still very little and my tank is big compared I have lots of plants in the tank and I positioned many to provide ground coverage so he feels safer as he moves around the tank and one that he can slither up if he so chooses.

The warm side of the tank is staying at 88 degrees pretty consistently and the humidity is staying around 55. I have aspen bedding that is 'fluffy' and not packed down. I have some moss in the tank with a mixture of moist most of humidity and dry. I have a low, flat and shallow dish of water and a large heavy ceramic dish of water big enough for him to get into if he needs. I have two overhead lights one is a 50 watt black night light. I have that over the cool side of the tank and it has a dimmer. On the warm side of the tank I have a UVB light which I am not sure I'll keep. The room his enclosure is in gets lots of natural daylight though his tank is not near the windows.

When I got him home I did not touch him or handle him at all. I gently got him out of his container in order to get him into his tank.


When he was purchased I was informed he was on hoppers and that he was offered food on Tuesday. I was told to offer food this week still as she was not certain if in particular ate. I am concerned about this because I really don't want to disturb him. I mean after he explored his tank a little bit he curled up in his cool hide and hasn't moved since. I would prefer to just leave him be for awhile...Should I over food this weekend or let the little fella be?


I do have a question about my lighting...Should I get a UVA light for him? Will it matter? I just want him to be healthy and get the appropriate vitamins and minerals UVA would provide.

Thank you all.

[Asherah]

#1 thing, unplug that UTH until you have a Thermostat to control the temperatures. Otherwise the snake will be burned, maybe not today or tomorrow or a month from now, but it will happen. Other than that your setup sounds pretty good.

A snake doesn't need any special lighting. So you don't have to worry about that. Otherwise the general time frame for feeding is about a week or two after you bring them home. Let him get settled in well and then offer food. Allowing the time helps to lower the stress and up the chances of your snake accepting food.

Also welcome to the forum and congratulations on your first Ball Python!

[200xth]

Should I over food this weekend or let the little fella be?

That's up to you. Missing a single meal won't do any harm for a snake, even a hatchling. Many will eat without problem right away, but it won't hurt to delay the feeding or even skip one entirely if you want.

If you have concerns about wasting food or just want to leave him alone, you should wait. If you aren't worried about it, you can try feeding.

[Blueraven99]

Hi,

Thank you both for your replies.

I have the UTH unplugged until I can get a thermostat. I spent all day going to chain and local pet supply stores trying to find one. I'll end up having to order online. In the meantime I think he should be fine. I have alternatives to giving good heat for him.

I've decided to wait on the feeding. He seems to be hiding exclusively since I got him settled in. Occasionally he Smithers up a plant I put that goes up to the top of the tank near the night light bulb.

I am also trying to think of ways to keep the cage more secure. At his size my other animals would kill him easily I'd he got up. I have two very large pet rats that would shred him and 2 ferrets with high prey drive that are regularly fed raw organs and meat that is appropriate for them as it is more natural. Any one of those animals could kill my little buddy with no problems. So it's a safety thing. I have large clips up to six and slate tiles I can put on top.

[EL-Ziggy]

Congrats on your new BP Blue. It sounds like you'll give Alex a good home. Getting that thermostat is a great idea. I believe it's one on the most important items needed when keeping snakes. They can be amazing escape artists so securing that lid is crucial too. Other than that I think you're good to go. I do like keeping a temp gun around too. Best wishes.
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[Penultimate]

I wouldn't feed him/her until you have a thermostat. They need the heat to digest. Once you get that, everything sounds good.

[Boom]

Like others have said your setup looks great with the exception of a thermostat. I recently adopted/rescued my first BP a few months ago. A few days before picking her up I found this site and the amazing amount knowledge. The person I got her from gave me everything they had. After reading so much I was shocked to find that the 13 yrs they owned her they never have a thermostat. The same night I got her I ordered a Herpstat. Best investment I made.

[Blueraven99]

Thank you everyone. It's really great here on these forums! Very friendly and helpful. I've been trying to read as much as I can. Little Alex seems to be doing well. He hides all day long and at night he explores like crazy! Aside from misting and checking temperatures/humidity I have been leaving him be. But I'm happy he is very active at night. I have six heavy duty clips on his screen right now and it seems strong enough. I still worry though. Like I said before, my furry babies would be able to kill him without much effort. Thermostat will be here soon I hope.