New ball python owner. Sorry for the long post.

[ijacobz]

Hey everyone, sorry for the long post, but i want to be sure I do everything necessary to get this snake living comforatbly with me.....

I recently inherited a ball python I'm assuming it's about 2 years old. It's got to be about 2 1/2 - 3 feet long.

He was kept in his enclosure without a heat lamp, only the heating pad that covers about 1/3 of his terranium for about 3 days before I got him, his cage was filthy and two mice were left in there with him(alive). There was no hygrometer or temp gages of any sort....

I have since cleaned his glass terranium and the hide, water bowl, etc. with a 3% bleach solution, triple rised to be safe. I replaced the bedding with a terranium mat I was assured was safe and a better option. I also bought a 50W heat bulb that is infra red. I got him a little climbing piece of drift wood (store bought) and some nice green vine type (synthetic not real) and draped it around 3 sides. A bigger water dish for him I was hoping for it to raise the humidity.

Heat pad is under the tank covers about 1/3 of the bottom, as I said. The terranium matting is over the entire bottom. The hide is placed over the heat pad section, I also keep a piece of damp paper towel under it for a more humid spot for him to chill out. The driftwood is in the middle and ascends over his water dish. The water dish is a large exo terra once, nice and heavy holds lots of water, the heat lamp is over that side. I have covered about 2/3 of the mesh lid with tinfoil and a piece of paper towel under it that i soak every morning. I have done this for about 6 days now.

First of all, hows my set up sound? The tank is only about 28 inches long, 20 wide. It seems too small for a snake thats almost 3 feet long.... should i upgrade to a 40 gallon tank (not meaning fish tank but one about that size, I would obviously go for an exo terra made tank of something of the sort.)

My issues are the humidity, lighting, and feeding.

Humidity can drop as low as 40 when I'm away for 13 hours at work. I aim to keep it about 60 by misting a couple times a day but he doesn't like the sound and/or room temp water being sprayed in his home. What bedding is easy to clean, holds moisture, but also won't mold easily as I think this would fix my problem. I know to avoid any bedding that could contain phenol. He really likes soaking in his water dish for long periods of time I'm guessing it helps him stay comforatable when it gets dry? His belly was kind of scaley when I got him, now is nice and moist most of the time.

Can I keep the infra red on all the time for heating. I've pretty much nailed the bedding temp at 26 C (79F) on the cool side with his hide. The basking spot about 33 C (91.4 F) on the floor. On that note, whats the best way to check ambient temp?

He hasn't eaten for 2 weeks which the owner said is really wierd of him, I'm guessing the days without the heat and humidity plus my tank changes have stressed him out. Should i just wait a week and see how it goes? Would it be ok to handle him to get him comfortable with me or should I just let him be and adapt to his environment?

One last thing, when handling how long do you keep him out with you before he gets too cold? My house is usually about 22C (71.6 F).

Hopefully this isn't wayyy too long for all of you, thanks in advance. I'll be sure to check in often to help if with questions if i missed anythng.

[KMG]

green vine type (synthetic not real) and draped it around 3 sides. If this is from the pet store it should be fine. If its from a hobby/craft type of store and is made using plastic chain links remove it because the snake could try to got through it and get stuck. This can be dangerous.

The tank is only about 28 inches long, 20 wide. It seems too small for a snake thats almost 3 feet long.... should i upgrade to a 40 gallon tank. I have a 40gal tank. Its a good size for an adult BP.

Humidity can drop as low as 40 when I'm away for 13 hours at work. I aim to keep it about 60 by misting a couple times a day but he doesn't like the sound and/or room temp water being sprayed in his home.40 is fine and if its truly staying at 40 in a tank you're doing pretty well. Snakes don't have ears and do not hear like you and I. It may not be used to being misted but it will with time. My guys don't even flinch now.

What bedding is easy to clean, holds moisture, but also won't mold easily as I think this would fix my problem. Cypress mulch, Eco Earth are two really good options. I have used cypress for a long time and like it very much.

He really likes soaking in his water dish for long periods of time I'm guessing it helps him stay comforatable when it gets dry? Not many BP soak, not that they wont. Make sure that it doesn't have mites as that is another reason they will soak a lot. Mites would be tiny black dots crawling around the snake and there should be some dead ones in the water bowl by now if it has them.

Can I keep the infra red on all the time for heating. I've pretty much nailed the bedding temp at 26 C (79F) on the cool side with his hide. The basking spot about 33 C (91.4 F) on the floor. On that note, whats the best way to check ambient temp?Those temps are fine but a BP is not really a snake that likes to bask. Its recommended to have two hides, one cool and one warm. What did you get the surface temps with? The ambient can be tracked using a number of different kinds of digital or analog thermometers. Of course the digitals are usually more accurate. They can be had online pretty cheap or many people get the Accurite indoor/outdoor thermometer online or at Walmart. It has a probe so it allows you to monitor the hotspot with it and also gives the ambient temp with humidity. http://www.amazon.com/Chaney-Instrum...te+thermometer

The red light can stay on 24/7 and will not cause any issues.

He hasn't eaten for 2 weeks which the owner said is really wierd of him, I'm guessing the days without the heat and humidity plus my tank changes have stressed him out. Should i just wait a week and see how it goes? Would it be ok to handle him to get him comfortable with me or should I just let him be and adapt to his environment?Wait until it has time to settle in before you start handing it. Once its settled in you could attempt to feed it. If it eats give it at least a day before you handle it and if it doesn't eat continue to leave it alone and retry in another 5-7 days. Offering to often can cause stress and compound the problem.

One last thing, when handling how long do you keep him out with you before he gets too cold? My house is usually about 22C (71.6 F).My house stays at 68 and I keep my guys out as long as I want. Im holding them so my body heat in more than enough to keep them happy for the 30minutes to an hour that I keep them out, but I have laid on the couch with my big blood longer.

[ijacobz]

Thanks, I will upgrade to a bigger tank and add another hide after I get him eating frequently. He seems to enjoy the side with the light and going in the water bowl maybe because its a cooler belly surface since the pad is on the other side under his hide. He hasn't gone to his hide since I set it up this way. I will move the pad under the light so he has a cooler side.

I used a raytek laser thermometer to take the readings. Now that the setup is established under the light bottom of tank is 77 F and under his hide is 91F. Glass temp near light is 79 but will get digital to double check ambient temp.

No black bugs anywhere thank goodness.

[Pyrate81]

KMG pretty much gave you the advice you need.

If you want to try and raise humidity without misting constantly, try moving the water bowl to the warm side. Aside from mites, if they soak it could be a sign they are getting ready to shed or they are too hot.


Also, you can upgrade to a 40gal glass enclosure or equivalent as you said, after he is eating better. I'd recommend a PVC cage. They hold humidity an temps very well. I keep most of my snakes in a 3x2x2.

here are a few brands to consider if you decide to go that route:
visions cages
boaphile
pvccages.com
animal plastics