New to Ball Pythons

[HanDiCaPd]

Hey guys Im new here and I just bought my 1st Snake ever!

After doing a lot of research and going back and forth I decided to buy a baby male Pastel Ball Python. I just got him today, he seems healthy and happy so far, he was a little stressed from the plane ride here but the 1st thing he did in his new tank was take a huge dump so I'm assuming he's comfortable lol

I was told he is 3 months old, he looks a little bit big though to me for only 3 months.. They were feeding him on rat crawlers tho..

Anyways here are some pics of my snake and his enclosure.










The enclosure is a 20 gallon long and I am using Coconut Husk substrate and a little bit of some repti bark. As far as heating goes I have a UTH and a overhead heating lamp(mainly to create a day/night schedule.) My tempts were getting too high tho with both so I replaced the 100w basking light bulb(I should have gotten a 50w anyways) with a normal 65 watt bulb. Cold side is around 80-85 and warm side is 93-98(is that too hot?) Humidity is between 50-60%.

As you can see from the pics I do have a few dial gauges which I know is not recommended but I will be replacing them with digitals. I do have 1 digital that has a probe inside the hide on the hot side tho so I can monitor that.(also Im not going to leave the wire like that)

Do you guys see anything so far that I should be aware of as a potential problem? Does the snake look healthy to you? I didnt notice and hissing when breathing, no mites, and he was very alert to my presence.

My only problem I have run into so far is that he is using the piece of wood in the background as his hide instead of the ones I specifically set out. Oh well he knows where he is comfortable. Does the hide on the left look too small for the size of the snake?

[spix14]

With hides it's the smaller the better, bps like to be squished up inside their hide boxes. Preferably touching it on all sides. Set up looks good, congrats!

By the way so far as the gauges go, go to walmart and get an accurite, they measure your ambient temps, warm side temps, and humidity all in one and they're only about 12 bucks.

[West Coast Jungle]

They like very tight hides.
98 is too hot, 93-94 max. Ball pythons can feel very insecure in a glass tank so he maybe hiding where he feels more secure as opposed to the best temp area. They like to feel out of sight in a tight dark place.

Your enclosure is nice looking and the pastel is real pretty. That hide on left isnt too small but the door is to open, they want to hide out of site in the dark. With a bright light shining down on him and that large entry hole he maynot feel secure in there. I would loose the light, they dont need it and he will feel much more secure without it. BPs are nocturnal and stay underground most of the day.

[HanDiCaPd]

Thank you for the feedback

With a bright light shining down on him and that large entry hole he maynot feel secure in there. I would loose the light, they dont need it and he will feel much more secure without it. BPs are nocturnal and stay underground most of the day.

How do I regulate a healthy day/night cycle without a light during the day hours?

[West Coast Jungle]

Ambient light in the room is enough for day/night cycle. You can heat room(thats what I do) to desired low temps or use a ceramic heater or red night bulb. I prefer to use room heat for ambient because light bulbs or heat emiters dry up air in the enclosure and may make humidity levels a nightmare which can lead to bad sheds and/or RI's. Been there done that.

[snakelady]

Thank you for the feedback



How do I regulate a healthy day/night cycle without a light during the day hours?

If the room has a widow in it. That is plenty of light.

oh and nice looking pastel!

[HanDiCaPd]

I went ahead and attached additional moss to the front of the hide on the left leaving only about 3/4s an inch open for the doorway.

Also I forgot to mention how soon should I wait to feed him? I think i remember reading to wait a week for the snake to get comfortable before the 1st feeding but I cant remember.

[kneepoles]

I don't see anything about a thermostat anywhere in this thread. please tell me your using one, they're relatively cheap (for the on/off type) and are absolutely necessary if you want to keep your little pal from possibly burning himself. otherwise, it's a pretty sweet set up as far as I can tell! Nice looking pastel too!

[HanDiCaPd]

I didnt plan on using a thermostat but I was going to use a rheostat on the UTH and the Light so I could adjust.

[West Coast Jungle]

A good thermostat is the best $75 you will ever spend on your BP. Cheaper than a vet bill. Get a Ranco or Johnson and you are set. The cheap petstore ones are horribly inaccurate.