I really don't know where to begin. How about the facts first. My teenage son (18), just happened to get a "deal" on an Albino Python. A guy he works for in the summer offered to sell him one, a young one, rather cheap I might add.
Not sure about exact age, it is approx... 14 to 16 inches long, orange, yellow and white (Albino, so I am told). I was totally against the thought of having a "python" in the house, but me being a big "animal lover" of any sort of animal, I want to make sure he is properly cared for, but I am at a loss, I have no idea how to "properly" care for a python. We have him in a 10 gallon aquarium with a wooden cover that has an 8 x 8 inch screen opening. We got a heat rock (as suggested by the Petsmart rep), now I am reading this is not a good thing to have. We had no idea about humidity control, until just while reading info in this forum. We live in South Texas where the humidity is about 90 % or higher, but the snake is kept indoors most of the time (house airconditioner is kept at 74 degrees), During the day my son sets the snake enclosure out on the front porch for most of the day and at night when it is brought back in, I cover the cage with a folded bed sheet.
The enclosure has "Snake bedding material", a bowl of water, an piece of an old tree limb, heat rock, and half of a plastic 1lb coffee can set upside down (the snake never goes in it though). He/She stays pretty much coiled up between the heat rock and tree limp.
Really I don't know what questions to ask, I am that "clueless".
The 2nd day we had "Gizzie" I purchased two very small mice (live), placed one in his cage, he did his thing and started to swallow the mouse, about half way down and much struggling the mouse was regurgitated. I was told that I should be feeding "Pinkie" mice to him/her. I purchased some from "petco" frozen. I thawed one in a cup of warm water and once a room temp I presented it to the snake, he accepted and it was completely swallowed with no problems...well that was two weeks ago and I have tried to feed him four times since then, but he does not accept it (I use cooking tongs to "dance" the mouse in front of him). Another thing, his skin was getting really dry and wrinkled, well 2 days ago he/she started sheding. Is this why he would not eat? His shed is about 1/4 down his body, which I found stuck to the edge of the tree limb (no single shed, humdity problem?).
I printed some excellent material from a group called "ball-python dot net" and see that there is a lot to do with raising and caring for these "pets".
I appreciate this forum and all the info and pics it has to offer. Hopefully I will be able to get on track and provide "gizzie" with a great place to "grow". I am just very apprehensive and worried that I am or will do something that will cause harm to him/her.