New Ball python owener, can you just have a check?

[rizzlemedizzle]

Hi guys, first post here so take it easy!

I bought my first BP and snake just over a week ago. I have:

• 456 x 305 x 305 mm glass vivarium
• One heat mat hooked to a thermostat. The hottest end of the viv is appprox 33C (91F) the coolest end is about 23C (73F). I don't have a thermometer on the glass, rather a digital one i take a reading of the actuall substrate with. This is my biggest worry. The heat mat only spans half of the tanks bottom.
• Humidity sits at just above 50%
• She has one hide ( I plan on getting a second when I get a bigger viv (hen money permits))
• I have handled him since I got him (Ok, i know most agree you should leave for at least a week, some handle everyday)
• She hasn't eaten since i got her and she had been feeding at the pet store.

When I feed, I defrost a mouse in boiling water, and tong feed (in his viv, ive read conflicting info but that it is supposedly the best way)
She doesn't seem interested one bit, sit in her hide and thats that.

Any advice or info would be great.
Thanks!!!

http://imgur.com/a/NZDxJ

[Morjean]

I won't get into the other details, but I would strongly advise against thawing f/t in boiling water! That way you're gonna cook the meat, which can (and likely will in the long run) make your snake sick. Also the feeder could potentially, well, explode. Microwave is also a big no-no.

What most people do (from what I can tell) is put the frozen feeder over day in the fridge, or for a bunch o hours at room temperature, and afterwards put it in warm water (no hotter than comes out of the tap) for 10 minutes to get the body heat up (might have to refresh the water at halftime)

[rizzlemedizzle]

I won't get into the other details, but I would strongly advise against thawing f/t in boiling water! That way you're gonna cook the meat, which can (and likely will in the long run) make your snake sick. Also the feeder could potentially, well, explode. Microwave is also a big no-no.

What most people do (from what I can tell) is put the frozen feeder over day in the fridge, or for a bunch o hours at room temperature, and afterwards put it in warm water (no hotter than comes out of the tap) for 10 minutes to get the body heat up (might have to refresh the water at halftime)

Thanks mate,
I feel a little irresponsible for not knowing everything about snakes before getting one. But I'm also trying to do everything i can as quick as i can to make her happy.
Will defo do this next time!

[jbzapanda]

Hey, congrats on your new ball!

I would probably try to raise the cold side a bit. Below 75 isn't recommended for them. You can raise ambient temps by either putting the set up in a warmer room or having a heat lamp or CHE. I have an infrared dome light on a dimmer so it's on the lowest setting and only produces heat around 80F which is enough to raise ambient temps to the cold side. I place my dome light near the warm side.

As for humidity, if you cover the top with aluminum foil (just leaving a gap for the lamp), it'll help keep humidity in. You can mist the enclosure every now and then and the humidity will stay in for quite a while. Keep in mind the lamp might suck some of this humidity out which is why you want to keep it at the lowest setting and this is why you mist every now and then.

You also want want to leave him/her alone in the enclosure for 5-7days just to acclimate to the environment. Then you can try a feeding. If it refuses, try again in at least 5 days. Offering too often can stress them out. Then once it finally feeds I personally wait 48 hours to handle. And from that, you can just find the schedule that works for you and your snake.


I hope I was helpful. Good luck!

[cchardwick]

From the photo it looks like the top is mostly glass with a little bit of screen? That's actually a really good setup. I wouldn't worry about the cold side temp myself, it's better to have it a bit too cold than to have it too hot, you don't want to cook your snake. I usually dial in the hot side to about 88F. My ambient temps are low to upper 70s, I think you are fine there. You could probably bump up the humidity a bit, I'd rather see it a bit too high than a bit too low. When my snake is sluggish and I crank up the humidity to nearly 100% they pop right out of it and look great. I usually crank it up high and then let it fall to 50% to 60% before cranking it up again.

Never heard of boiling a rodent LOL. I usually defrost my rodents in the fridge overnight, then put them in an incubator at 110F. I pull them out one at a time to feed, if I pull them all out at once they get too cold and the snakes won't eat them. The trick to feeding frozen thawed is to get the rodent temps perfect, should be about 100F to 110F, very difficult to dial that in. And should be raw, not cooked LOL. If you feed one that's too cold or one that's too hot they can freak out and go off of feed. If you feed one that's warm on the outside and frozen on the inside you can kill your snake. I usually like to feed fresh killed, you can make a CO2 chamber pretty easily using small canisters of CO2, like the ones you use for BB guns. Costs about a dollar shot to put down one or more mice. Also, if you thaw out a rodent I wouldn't refreeze, you risk it spoiling. How old is your snake? You should post photos. Be sure to watch for mites, they look like little black spots on your snake and sometimes can be seen crawling around.

Congrats on your first ball python! There's a ton of information on this site, just post whatever questions you have and people will jump in to help.

[rizzlemedizzle]

Hey, congrats on your new ball!

I would probably try to raise the cold side a bit. Below 75 isn't recommended for them. You can raise ambient temps by either putting the set up in a warmer room or having a heat lamp or CHE. I have an infrared dome light on a dimmer so it's on the lowest setting and only produces heat around 80F which is enough to raise ambient temps to the cold side. I place my dome light near the warm side.

As for humidity, if you cover the top with aluminum foil (just leaving a gap for the lamp), it'll help keep humidity in. You can mist the enclosure every now and then and the humidity will stay in for quite a while. Keep in mind the lamp might suck some of this humidity out which is why you want to keep it at the lowest setting and this is why you mist every now and then.

You also want want to leave him/her alone in the enclosure for 5-7days just to acclimate to the environment. Then you can try a feeding. If it refuses, try again in at least 5 days. Offering too often can stress them out. Then once it finally feeds I personally wait 48 hours to handle. And from that, you can just find the schedule that works for you and your snake.


I hope I was helpful. Good luck!

Thanks for your reply.
So whats the general consensus here? two conflicts in regards to heating. I would rather not have to get another electrical appliance but if its going to make her happy of course i will.
Humidity i can control easy enough, just wanted to make sure it sitting right. So 50-60% is OK

I'm leaving her alone now for a good week, until i try to feed her (with the ways described here)

I presume its normal for here to bit scared of my and retreat to her hide every time i go to do something in the viv (raise humidity etc)?

Thanks again dude/dudette!

[JodanOrNoDan]

You cannot go wrong if you follow this http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

There are variations. For example, I heat an entire room. Until you know what you are doing and really know your animal it is best that you take the can't go wrong approach.

[jbzapanda]

Well different ways work for different people! I'd definitely try a few different things. If you do decide to get a heat lamp, I suggest a dimmer along with it because they can spike up surface temps at 100+ just like heat mats if not kept on thermostats. Observe your snake's behavior and which side she prefers. Make sure she's thermoregulating (moving from warm to cool, vice versa). It's really a trial and error run the first few weeks as I've learned haha. But there's no set rule of law here that you have to follow. What works for your snake is what works.

And yes, specially babies! They'll be very shy and probably retreat to the closest dark spot they can find away from the possible snake eating human! Wahhh! 😂 But keep changing the water in the viv and they'll identify your scent eventually and realize you won't eat them haha.

[rizzlemedizzle]

From the photo it looks like the top is mostly glass with a little bit of screen? That's actually a really good setup. I wouldn't worry about the cold side temp myself, it's better to have it a bit too cold than to have it too hot, you don't want to cook your snake. I usually dial in the hot side to about 88F. My ambient temps are low to upper 70s, I think you are fine there. You could probably bump up the humidity a bit, I'd rather see it a bit too high than a bit too low. When my snake is sluggish and I crank up the humidity to nearly 100% they pop right out of it and look great. I usually crank it up high and then let it fall to 50% to 60% before cranking it up again.

Never heard of boiling a rodent LOL. I usually defrost my rodents in the fridge overnight, then put them in an incubator at 110F. I pull them out one at a time to feed, if I pull them all out at once they get too cold and the snakes won't eat them. The trick to feeding frozen thawed is to get the rodent temps perfect, should be about 100F to 110F, very difficult to dial that in. And should be raw, not cooked LOL. If you feed one that's too cold or one that's too hot they can freak out and go off of feed. If you feed one that's warm on the outside and frozen on the inside you can kill your snake. I usually like to feed fresh killed, you can make a CO2 chamber pretty easily using small canisters of CO2, like the ones you use for BB guns. Costs about a dollar shot to put down one or more mice. Also, if you thaw out a rodent I wouldn't refreeze, you risk it spoiling. How old is your snake? You should post photos. Be sure to watch for mites, they look like little black spots on your snake and sometimes can be seen crawling around.

Congrats on your first ball python! There's a ton of information on this site, just post whatever questions you have and people will jump in to help.

Hi mate,

Yes my viv is all glass with a mesh top, tipped the whole thing on its side (was my brothers old chameleon viv) and Vola!

Thanks for the feeding tips. Ive got lots of frozen so will still go down this route for now. Do you feed your snakes in their vivs or in a seperate tank?
I like co2 method but at the minute Im not ready to breed mice.

Thanks alot and thank you veyr much for all your help !

[rizzlemedizzle]

EDIT: she is 7 months btw