Elated new BP caregivers

[Raymei]

My boyfriend and I just entered the world of Ball Pythons

My sister's friend works at a reptile shop a couple towns over. Without dragging the story out in detail, the she said this guy had come in and displayed "gross mishandling" of the python he brought in (he was complaining it was the wrong pattern).
She took him away from him and was given permission to personally find him a home, having decided the poor baby had been through enough.

She and my sister came by to hang out while in transit with the little guy, and my boyfriend and I just fell in love with him. Neither of us had ever owned a snake, but there was just a connection with him that we couldn't help but offer to give him a home.


He. Is. Awesome. =D
I've always liked snakes, but never knew one that seemed affectionate! He's so good about being handled and we just gave him his first feeding here at home today, and I couldn't BELIEVE how easy he made it!
(the mouse made it easy too, running immediately face-to-face... I think he was a little suicidal and knew he'd serve a good purpose dying this way XD haha)
He struck, held it for no more than 3 or 5 minutes, and got the hopper down in under 10.



I've been "shopping" for forums for when I need advice, input, have questions relating to behavior, or just "get to know" other python parents and hear stories about their buddies
This one seemed to be the one with actual activity going on and seems like a great group of people from some of the posts I scoped out!

Looking forward to the ride ahead Should be in for a couple of decades of Royal adoration with your help.





He's named "Mordin" (shout out to all you Mass Effect fans!), a CB, he's the Duke of Orbs, and he's going to be one spoiled snake.

[The Serpent Merchant]

Hello and welcome to BP.net. You aren't going to find a site more helpful than this one when it comes to BP's

I suggest you check out these threads to get started:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...04#post1845904

[King's Royal Pythons]

Hello and welcome to BP.net. You aren't going to find a site more helpful than this one when it comes to BP's

I suggest you check out these threads to get started:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...04#post1845904

^^ True!

[Raymei]

Great!
Yeah, I had already sniffed around a bit, so had come across and devoured the care sheet you guys have up here Great the have the additional information on the temperature control options, too @_@;;; I like the sound of the UTH, but that might have to wait until I have a new tank that I'd feel more comfortable using one with. For now we've been set up with everything he needs by the shopgirl-friend she got us a heat lamp with a dimmer that we're able to keep him from touching, easily enough.

Right now, where we live and without central AC, Mordin's the only one enjoying the temperature XD I've just had to keep an eye on it since the room's temperature itself can drop/rise rather quickly and I have to adjust the light several times while the room transitions. Right now I want to get a thermometer that also has a humidity gage. He seems to be doing all right so far, but feel better with some actual numbers to base further decisions/adjustments on.


Heheh, I can't wait for him to get bigger so I can get him a new tank (he's going to have a killer bachelor pad)

[The Serpent Merchant]

I would stay away from tanks. Large tanks are very difficult to keep proper temperatures/humidity levels in.

Tubs or PVC cages are much prefered.

Check out these threads:

Tubs: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...Basics...*DUW*

PVC cages: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...With-Pictures!

[Raymei]

Ah-so, hadn't heard that bit of info yet, thanks!!

The PVC set up looks like the right idea for us, then. Setting it up should be a fun project for us (hopefully he'll be okay in his tank until we get that ready, then

[Eclectix]

Welcome and advice from a fellow newb:

The under-tank heat pads don't mention anywhere on their packaging that they need to be used in conjunction with a thermostat controller, but THEY DO. I made the mistake of using one without and it nearly burned my house down. Never. Again.

Also, I advise getting your BP on fresh killed prey as soon as possible! There are threads you don't want to see full of pictures of the damage that live prey can do to your snake. I know this sometimes is a controversial topic, but once I found out how easy it is to pre-kill a mouse and then feed it to my snake with a pair of tongs, I was elated, and have never looked back!

[Raymei]

Yeah, I was interested in the pre-kill or even the thawed-kill methods I've been hearing about on here. My main concern is any possible injuries little Mordy might sustain (so far we've been lucky, but I know that the risk goes up as his prey size has to increase).


Gah, killing one myself is going to be tough, for sure (I love rodents, too ) but I love my buddy, sometimes you gotta do what needs to be done XP

[Andybill]

You got pics? I would love to see a couple pics of your snake. Also when you are comfortable with it you should probably switch him over to rats. Ball pythons are girthy snakes and require larger and slightly fattier prey items than mice. There are a few picky ball pythons that will only take mice but they tend to be on the smaller side unless the owner slips in an extra meal per week but it could still cause your snake to stay on the small side. A good rule of thumb is to feed a prey item that is as thick as the widest part of your snake. Unless its a hatchling I think hopper mice are very small. I received my cinnie when she was only a month old and she started taking rat pups for me immediately. You can order frozen thawed rats in packs of 25 or you can make a weekly trip to the pet store...

[Eclectix]

A guy at my local reptile store showed me a way to kill them that works well for me (everybody is different though, and my wife can't do it.) I grab the mouse by the tail near the base and flick them hard against the bone of my wrist right at the top of their neck. It breaks their neck and they are dead, just like that. There's no twitching or anything; just dead. Other people like to use a CO2 chamber and "put them to sleep" with carbon dioxide gas. Someone once recommended that I put a pencil against the base of their head and push down hard to break their neck; that was awful, it popped the mouse's eyes out but didn't kill it. I would personally never recommend that method.

I also love rodents; we have a pair of pet hooded rats. They are not snake food! But then again, I also have pet chickens, even though I love to eat chicken!

I want to get my BP on frozen/thawed, if for no other reason than for the cost benefit, but I think pre-killed is sort of a stepping stone in that direction. At least he's eating them while they are dead, even if they are only recently dead!