Need help

[Boston_Strong]

Hey guys, I've got some questions and concerns about my snake that I need some help with...

First I'll give a rundown of things like tank conditions and whatnot.
I got my BP 6 days ago, I think I remember the guy at the store saying that he was 5ish weeks old. I bought a pretty simple tank/heat lamp/log and repti bark combo. And I figured that was all I would need, but after reading thru a bunch of stuff on this forum, I've realized that I need a bunch more stuff (thermometers, uth heating pads, humid hide etc...) but I can't afford all that till my next paycheck, so I guess my little guy will just have to be uncomfortable for a little while. As far as tank temp goes, my room is consistently 84-88 and basically never dips below 82 during the summer. So I figure that the temp in the tank is probably fine without much additional heat (I have the heat lamp on a timer that goes on and off throughout the night)

Now my first question is this, do you think there is even a chance that my snake will eat if his tank conditions are as described above? Obviously the conditions are not optimal and he's been displaying some signs of being uncomfortable (trying to climb the sides of the tank) I would assume that since he's so young it's important that he eats, but I tried to feed him yesterday, I followed all the instructions that I've found on the forum and he just would not eat.

Thanks for the help

[MissterDog]

What's concerning is that if your bp is really only 5 weeks old, then that's waaay too young. Do you know if he has ever eaten before while at the store? How much does he weigh? What have you tried feeding him and what were your methods?

Have you tried this sticky method?
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-hatchling-101

In addition to everything you've listed to buy, you need to get a thermostat asap. That should be your number one priority.

[KMG]

Sounds like the snake answered that question for you. Those temps should be fine so my guess is the issue is security.

Put the log against the glass. On the outside of the cage at the log put some thick paper to make that end seem closed. Then take some crumpled newspaper and put it in the other opening. This will give you at least one good hide.

You can also put some slightly crumpled newspaper in the tank the snake can hide under. Cheap and easy.

[bcr229]

With ambient temps of 84-88*F there is no need for supplemental heat so keep the lamp turned off. When you finally do use the heat sources make sure they are regulated by thermostats so you don't burn your snake and end up with a huge vet bill or a dead snake.

Cover the top of your enclosure to keep humidity in. I would also add a large water bowl, it will help keep humidity up.

Get some plastic hides, you can make them out of almost anything. Even loosely crumpled newspaper or a small cardboard box will work. The wood half-logs mold quickly and don't make the snake feel secure anyway.

[Boston_Strong]

What's concerning is that if your bp is really only 5 weeks old, then that's waaay too young. Do you know if he has ever eaten before while at the store? How much does he weigh? What have you tried feeding him and what were your methods?

Have you tried this sticky method?
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-hatchling-101

In addition to everything you've listed to buy, you need to get a thermostat asap. That should be your number one priority.

I'm not sure if the guy said 5weeks or 5 months or what, I'll have to go back to the store and have a chat with him. I don't have a means of weighing the snake. I tried feeding him a thawed little baby mouse thing (arctic mice is what the package says) I asked a friend to stop at the pet store to grab a mouse and that's what the employee recommended. I put the mouse in a dish and left it in the same room as the snake for a while, then I put the mouse in the tank near the snake after moving it around to simulate movement. I left it in there for like 15 mins then removed it. I think I will try the methods mentioned in the thread you linked to, thanks


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[KMG]

The mouse needs to be heated too. You can use hot water (not boiling, just from the tap), hairdryer, of my least favorite a heat lamp.

The mouse needs to mimic a live mouse which has a body temp just over 100F. This may be why it didn't eat.

I thaw mine in water and then make hot in water. I serve small, medium, large, and XXL rats so water helps them thaw in a timely manner. Otherwise the big ones would take forever.

[MissterDog]

KMG pretty much addressed what I was going to say. The key thing is making sure your mouse has an appropriate heat signature to entice your bp. If you don't have one already, it's worth getting a temp gun to help read temps. They're really inexpensive on amazon and are fantastic!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm hoping your bp is actually 5 months because that will make everything less difficult! Weigh your bp when you can so you can check if you are feeding it the appropiate prey size. I'm guessing by your description it's a fuzzy or hopper?

If in doubt, refer to this chart:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...ing-Guidelines
General rule of thumb is to feed 10-15% of you bp's body weight.

Good luck!

[Craiga 01453]

A lot of what I have to say has already been said, and it seems you know you rushed things a bit.

Falling for the crap the store tells and sells is always a problem that many new keepers run into. Just learn and move on. I would only bother asking the store about his feeding schedule prior to coming home with you, but my guess is they won't even have the info at this point.

Just study the stickies on this forum about basic husbandry and feeding.

Making sure your snake is comfortable, feels safe and secure should be your top priority right now.
Your ambient room temps being where they are will buy you some time when it comes to a thermostat and UTH. Just leave the lights off for now.
Use this next paycheck to get some stuff like hides, décor, etc... that will make your snake feel safe. And you can do all this pretty cheap.
Save a few bucks from your next few paychecks and buy a tstat and UTH in the next few weeks.

As for feeding, make sure you've got the appropriate sized prey and that it's heated properly (the right temp, but NOT cooked).