1. How long have you had your ball python?
almost a year
2. How old (or how big) is your snake?
about a year
3. Does it eat on a regular schedule?
every week except during a shed
4. How long since its last meal?
Fed him today
5. What type/size prey is being offered?
small rats for about a month and a half
6. How often do you offer food?
every week , thursday or friday
7. What type and size of enclosure does it live in?
55gal bow front aquarium (3ftx1ftx1.5f)
8. What are you using as substrate? If it has depth, how deep is it?
aspen bedding, about an inch most places, a little more in the middle because he likes to burrow sometimes
9. What type of heating do you use?
2 small under tank heaters, 2 top heaters (1 ceramic and 1 natural light)
10. Do you use a thermostat to control temperatures?
no
11. What do you use to measure/monitor temperatures?
2 digital therms
12. What are the surface and ambient temperatures in the enclosure?
92 on hot side, 80 on cool side
13. What is the average humidity level?
40-50 except during a shed
14. How many and what type of hides does the snake have?
4 hides, 1 cave over his water dish (water temps at 75 usually) which he moves off to the side and hides in during his sheds, 1 half log in the middle (~85degrees) with a card board mailing tube in it (which he loves), 1 tree with a cave in the bottom on the hot side
15. Is water readily available at all times?
yes, 1 dish large enough to soak in and an additional small dish during shed cycles to bring humidity up
16. Does the snake live alone or does it share the enclosure with anything else?
alone
17. How often and for how long is the snake typically handled?
once or twice a week, in addition to being removed from his enclosure for feeding
18. Does the snake have any medical history (old injuries or illnesses)?
always been happy and healthy
19. Do you have any other reptiles? Have you brought in any new reptiles recently?
nope
20. Is there anything specific or unique about your situation that we should be aware of?
I actually have a bit of a backwards problem from most ball python owners, my little guy seems hungry too often. He's been on rats for a while and they're still right around the size of his belly, but after every feeding he seems to be in "hunter mode" still for at least a day. Everything related to his feeding is moved/cleaned after, but he still seems to be behaving the way he does before a meal. After a day or two he calms down, but he seems to go back into "hunter mode" a after another few days. We almost always feed on Thursday (except this week), he usually calms down by Saturday but by Mon/Tues he's back into actively searching and sniffing around for food.
My question is should I try to feed him sooner than 7 days or just stick to his regular schedule?
Reply With Quote
