Hi All,

I purchased my first snake a lovely normal morph ball python. He is young and on hoppers. He is unsexed...so until I am able to find out differently I am going with he and calling him Alex. Anyway, I have a 20L set up with an UTH pad, a digital probe thermometer directly onto of the pad so I know how how the glass under the substrate is getting. I have a hide on the warm side and a hide on the cool side of the tank. Since he is still very little and my tank is big compared I have lots of plants in the tank and I positioned many to provide ground coverage so he feels safer as he moves around the tank and one that he can slither up if he so chooses.

The warm side of the tank is staying at 88 degrees pretty consistently and the humidity is staying around 55. I have aspen bedding that is 'fluffy' and not packed down. I have some moss in the tank with a mixture of moist most of humidity and dry. I have a low, flat and shallow dish of water and a large heavy ceramic dish of water big enough for him to get into if he needs. I have two overhead lights one is a 50 watt black night light. I have that over the cool side of the tank and it has a dimmer. On the warm side of the tank I have a UVB light which I am not sure I'll keep. The room his enclosure is in gets lots of natural daylight though his tank is not near the windows.

When I got him home I did not touch him or handle him at all. I gently got him out of his container in order to get him into his tank.


When he was purchased I was informed he was on hoppers and that he was offered food on Tuesday. I was told to offer food this week still as she was not certain if in particular ate. I am concerned about this because I really don't want to disturb him. I mean after he explored his tank a little bit he curled up in his cool hide and hasn't moved since. I would prefer to just leave him be for awhile...Should I over food this weekend or let the little fella be?


I do have a question about my lighting...Should I get a UVA light for him? Will it matter? I just want him to be healthy and get the appropriate vitamins and minerals UVA would provide.

Thank you all.