general questions????

[goincrzy]

ok so i picked up a female baby ball at the reptile expo yesterday and ive been reading some conflicting things on feeding. Now some say do not feed in the cage, and some say its ok to feed in its cage,. So which one is better for the snake? I will be feeding f\t to her....
secondly the person i got her from is a breeder and i was askin all kinds of questions, he said he doesnt use any heat bulbs or UTH's nothing just a regular 100w lightbulb and has never had a problem, and i should do the same thing. Which sounds great to me but when i was reading on here there is alot of people using alot more and i wonder is it all truly necessary?? with the light bulb my tank is at 85 under the light and about 78 on the cooler side. At night when i turned it off the cage this morning was about 70 and now that the light is on its back up to 85.. So would these temps generally be ok for my little snake???

[goincrzy]

the other thing i wanted to add was at the show it was cooler in there but this snake was active, i took her out of the container and held her and she was so calm and moving it was awesome. When i got her home i put her in the cage and she was actively exploring but since when she found her hide thats been now i havent seen her.. Im guessing this is normal of them since they are really shy animals. I just felt id ask to reasure myself that mainly they will just be balled up and stay in there hide during the day????

[zina10]

Honestely...

you will have the best results if you just stick to the advice in the caresheets you'll find in this site. Many times snakes will be "ok" with less then perfect care. But why risk it ? Its really not all that difficult to set them up correctly and it will make you feel so much better you are doing all you can to make this successful.

That big of a temp drop at night can cause the snake to regurgitate its food, its to cold to digest it. Can also cause a respiratory infection or simply a weak immune system.

In the end, it is up to you.

I've had best results with setting them up correctly, then leaving them be for at least a week, then offering food IN the enclosure they're in and where they feel safe now.
Feeling safe is of top priority to your Ball, and without it, it will most likely not eat.

[zina10]

Yes, its perfectly normal for them to hide. Its very important you do not handle or stress her for a while, then offer food, and do not handle or stress UNTIL the snake has eaten at least twice.

If everything goes well, you'll have that snake for many many years, and healthy as well. Its well worth it to have some patience, now

[goincrzy]

Thank you for the advise and knowledge! im gonna swing by the pet store later today to get an UTH and the hardware store for a dimmer switch so i can get the temps higher and constant through out the day... then i can switch to a flourcent bulb for the tank since i wont need the light to produce heat..

since im a newbie to the snake keeping world, i never knew how hard it was to simply keep my hands away. I just wanna get her out and hold her but i know i shouldnt for a while.....

[steveboos]

By you leaving her alone, you will help both of you in the future for sure!! She just needs to calm down and get used to her new home and if the big mean gigantic monster keeps coming in and picking her up, she will never be comfortable .

They hide all day and if you were looking for a display snake, this isn't the one!

PLEASE PLEASE feed in the cage, there is no reason to stress your snake out even more putting it in a cold container and shoving a mouse in her face. With ball pythons, you really don't have to worry about cage aggression, that's just a myth. Other species yes, but with Ball Pythons, if they are comfortable and the husbandry is correct, they will be a great snake for you~

[goincrzy]

steveboos, thanks for the advise! that makes it easier that i can feed in the cage i was just concerned about that, mainly picking her up after she eats to put back into the cage.. I have aspen as a substrate in the tank, now if im feeding her in the cage do i need to be worried about her eating some of the aspen bedding if it gets caught on the mouse??

I will leave her alone for a while as hard as thats gonna be.. after two feeds it is... i would much rather like to have a happy gentle snake when it gets bigger rather then a pissed of monster...... i dont think my wife would like that....

[zina10]

It also helps to cover the tank up with a dark towel and only leave it open in the front or almost covered all the way. You won't always have to do it, but it can make a difference in making that snake feel "safer sooner". Once it feeds well, you can remove the towel. Although its a good idea to keep the back, sides and perhaps most of the top "blacked out" anyway. The snake might be more willing to chill out "in the open" if its not quite so exposed...

Just make sure your towel doesn't touch any of the heat sources

And yes, a little patience now can mean a easy and successful start to a very long and great time with your snake

[gman8585]

as far as feeding it's just opinion if you should put the snake's in it's own feeding tank. once a snake smells food or has eaten, a warm hand is awful close to looking like a mouse. i only feed one snake in a seperate tub because his feeding response is very strong and if i have to adjust or clean his tank any time before or after his feeding, he will be striking at me. just remember also a feeding response is natural and is not aggression. and it's always wise not to handle snakes after they have eaten or handle them as little as you can.

[goincrzy]

Whooo hoooo my ball (bella) has taken her first mouse for me... Being new to snakes, i have to say that was the coolest thing i think i ever watched!! it was a f\t mouse but holy CRAP the strike was blinding.... well i fed her in her cage, and i was alittle worried about it cause of the aspen bedding i have in there. Now this time i didnt see of notice any on the mouse when she took it down but if she does injest some of the aspen will that hurt her?????? of course its all shavings but im just concerned about it.... Thanks for the advise so far, im learing alot FAST!