Please HELP!!

[martin07]

My ball is acting real shady. She ate last saturday and temps/humidity have been good. The only thing is I upgraded to a bigger cage for my 19" ball a couple weeks ago. Before i only used the basic troipcal set up you can pick up at any pet store with no uth n reptibark substrate! Now i have a very large exo terra with UTH, gravel with an a/c filter for a filter then my substrate(mix of potting soil, peat moss, cypress mulch, eco earth, repti bark) live plants, thermostat, 1. exo terra thermo/hydro 1. zilla thermo and 2. zoo med thermo/hyrdos. daylight i use reptile 2.0 n use the same night bulb that comes with tropical setup.

I have not seen her out all week, she just sits in a ball under a rock on her hotside. Even when i take her out she stays in a ball but like wants back in her cage. Her skin seems to have gotten darker n eyes are hazy but no signs of shedding. Temps under the rock are 82 and she has about 4inches of substrate, filter n gravel before the uth so could she have burns or be affected by the UTH? Humidity is 70..with the live plants i have not had to spray the cage much but not understanding what going on...Thanks!

[KMG]

A uth should have a very thin level of substrate over it. Less than 1/2 inch, I have about a 1/4 inch. A four inch substrate will not allow any heat from the uth to reach the surface.

I'm not familiar with the tropical setup you had or what it comes with it. I would unplug the uth and use a heat lamp to get a proper hot spot.

Not being able to see your setup I'm blinding going to suggest having secures hides and alot of cover for the snake to move through. If the new cage is a good bit larger than the old it may not be feeling very secure and adding tight fitting hides (atleast 2) and cover (more plants, driftwood, fake plants, etc) can really help reduce stress in your snake.

[OsirisRa32]

what type of potting soil o.O....some potting soils have added chemicals that are toxic to animals/reptiles.....4 inches is too much substrate.....1/2 inch or less over hot spot...which should be regulated with a thermoSTAT and be at 88-90 degrees...82 is too low for a hotspot temp...what are the ambient temperatures?..whats the cooler side of the gradient?

also realize it can be days to a week before they actually shed once the eyes go foggy/gray.

What size cage to what size cage did you upgrade?....how cluttered is the new tank? remember they love closer in type spaces....wide openness isnt a good thing for BPs.

gravel and a/c filters??? can you get us picture and explain the a/c filters a bit more? your setup sounds a bit overkill just from the written description.

[martin07]

how do I upload pics? n I have 3-4 inches of substrate bc of the plants n was trying to make a self sustaining ecosystem. The new cage is a 36x18x18 with a few different hides n things to climb on. the soil I used is gardners pride from walmart. it says it does not have any additives or fertilizers. yes it may b over kill but she liked all the plants when they were in pots in her old cage(18x18x18) I think. I still use a 75watt night bulb for hot spot. 89 degrees.hot side is 85 cold side is 75. I do use a thromostat for uth.

[KMG]

Yea, i figured that was your setup. I Think you should bring the cool side temp up a bit but other than that it sounds good. The uth should just be removed it is doing absolutely nothing but heating the water running through the eco system you built and maybe growing bacteria or mold.

I have live plants too and understand why you do. As for the snake. A hiding ball python is a happy ball python. The cage sounds good so not seeing your snake roaming is a good thing. Mine only will go from hide to hide at night. Very rarely will she just explore, unless she is hungry.

You upload pics to a site like photobucket and then copy the img code and paste it in your post. It will be a link in your post text but a pic once posted.

[martin07]

okay. so I should just get a little bit bigger Bulb to keep my temps up Instead of the uth? and my ball is usually out and about in the evening. Hardly ever does she hide but she has been hiding for a week now.

[satomi325]

Honestly, I don't really see why you're worried that your snake is hiding more.
I would be more worried if she was roaming more than usual.
A happy ball is usually a hiding ball.

Heat promotes digestion (activates metabolic activity).
Since your temps are lower than ideal, she's probably still trying to digest that last meal. Snakes don't move much when they are digesting.

[martin07]

im worried bout it bc she doesnt look good. Her eyes are all cloudy n skin is very dark.

[satomi325]

I did see you mention that in your original post. But you also said that isn't a sign of shedding. Color darkening and cloudy eyes are a sign of shedding in my opinion. :\

If she isn't limp, wheezing, popping, and is somewhat alert when you touch her (tongue flicking, flinching), then I personally wouldn't worry about it yet. If you're really worried, then take her to the vet.

I still think shed, however.

[elbee]

Sounds like she is about to shed. My balls look dark and washed out and hide most of the time during shed. Hiding is normal anyway, but mine stay cooped up in a ball even more before a shed.