My BP cooper seems to prefer it cold.

[Stukn1986]

I have my BP in a 55 gallon aquarium where for starters I can only get the warm side to around 82 degrees. But Cooper seems to like it cold. He spend most of his time burrowed under his water bowl. When we get him out he feels cold but is very active. Should I be worried about or is he just a wierd snake

[Alexandra V]

How old is your BP? If it's young a 55 gallon tank is FAR too big, and he probably feels too stressed or frightened to make his way to the other side of the tank.

Also, if your hot side is only 82, what's your cold side???

The cool side should actually be around 80-82, with the hot side 90-92. You'll definitely want to fix that ASAP. Your snake might not be going to the warm side because it's simply not warm enough to be useful to him.

What kinds of hides are you offering?

A little rundown of your setup would help.

[Stukn1986]

He has a hide directly under his heat lamp as well as a heat pad under the middle of the tank. He has the log in the middle to hide and help with shedding which he has not done yet. The Thermomoeter at the bottom center reads 80 degrees. We have had Cooper for a month guessing he might be a few months

[ballpythonluvr]

Your snake is definitely a little small for that big tank. You should clutter it up with some fake plants. Alexandra is right, you want to bump up those temps on the warm side. The hides look a little big for the little snake too. He may be feeling a little insecure also.

[Alexandra V]

He has a hide directly under his heat lamp as well as a heat pad under the middle of the tank. He has the log in the middle to hide and help with shedding which he has not done yet. The Thermomoeter at the bottom center reads 80 degrees. We have had Cooper for a month guessing he might be a few months

The analog thermometers are really far from accurate, and if you're using a heat lamp and an under tank heater my guess is it's far hotter than what the round thermometer is reading.

Secondly, log hides can help with shedding but don't make good hides. The rock hide you have seems to be too big for your snake (they like it to be a very snug fit) and the reason your BP is hiding under the water dish is probably because he doesn't feel secure enough anywhere else.

If I were you I would go out and buy a matching pair of smaller hides for your bp, put one on either side of the tank so they don't have to choose between heat and security (they'll always choose security) and get two digital thermometers with probes so you can monitor the surface temperatures of your warm and cool side.

By the way, very nice looking snake.

[Stukn1986]

Ok girlfriend reminded me that the Humidity is only hovering around 40%. We have added an extra water dish and mist the tank a couple times a day

[jbean7916]

that tank looks pretty big for the little guy. I'd try covering the sides with construction paper and cluttering it up. Usually people have identical hides on each end and the water bowl in the middle. He might be hiding under his bowl because the hides are too large?

[RichsBallPythons]

What i do with my Snakes is give them a room temp of 78-80 and hot side set at 88 which gives them a 89.


They do well with 88-90 no problems. I personally think 82 is too hot which is why i provide 78 room temp.

[blushingball419]

I agree with everyone else so far that both the tank and those hides are way too big for your little guy. He is almost certainly hiding under his water dish because that feels the most secure for him. Definitely tape dark construction paper or cardboard up around 3 sides of the glass, cardboard will help insulate it and keep it warmer too. You could also get some cheap fake plants from a dollar store to help fill it up a bit and make it feel less open.

That big cave hide will be perfect for him in a couple years, but right now he definitely needs something smaller. I know hides are expensive, so for now you can go to a dollar store and get some small dark opaque plastic bowls and cut a hole in the side that your snake can fit through. Just make sure the edges aren't too sharp. Put one on each side of the tank, one over the heat pad and one under the heat light.

And, lastly, yup a digital thermometer (there's a nice, relatively cheap one you can get at wal-mart) would be much more accurate than those little dial ones. That's a really nice normal ball python you have too, I love his pattern!!

[BbyBoa]

A 82 hot side is pretty low, and you can pick up a Digital thermometer for 10$ at Wal-mart, with a light and a heat pad I don't know how its only 82 though. Normally people have to tone those to things down because they pump out too much heat, it must be freeeziingg in your house! . I would get the digital on the hot side to see what it says, as far as the size of the tank, I would say as long as your snake is eating I wouldn't worry about changing it "theres no point" thats the only thing the size of the tank would effect. Humidity isn't all that big of a deal, the only thing the snakes REALLY need it for is the shedding process, which you can see coming, and just bump up the humidity a bunch when they go into shed.