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BPnet Veteran
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Re: just bought a BP from petsmart
~~ McKinsey~~
"Men have forgotten this truth," said the fox. "But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."
~The Little Prince; Antoine de Saint Exupery
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BPnet Veteran
Re: just bought a BP from petsmart
First of all... if you bought one of those zoo med heat pads, you will want to get a dimmer switch fo some sort so that you can control how hot it gets. Mine actually got too hot to touch when it was just plugged into my wall.
You will want your tank to be about 92 on the warm side and low 80's on the cool side.
If cared for correctly, your snake should live to be 15-20. judging by its size it seems to be only a few months old at the moment.
As for frozen or fresh killed... Whatever is easier for you. I have heard that frozen kills some of the vitamins, but i dont know if thats a solid fact or not.
Easiest way to reheat frozen is to put it in warm water (not hot) until it's soft and warm to the touch.
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Re: just bought a BP from petsmart
this site has an excellent care sheet on balls and you should look that up.
a few things for your set up.. Balls prefer small enclosed spaces. a 20gal might be too big for him. Id recommend a 15quart rubermaid tub with a locking lid.
your hot side -needs- to be 90-94 degrees F. And if you came from petco, you're missing an integral part of your set up; a thermostat. I HIGHLY recommend Johnson controls, ranco, or helix. These arent cheap but they are as important in your set up as your snake is. These are what keep their environments at the correct temperature for them to thrive. I would not recommend a zoomed reptitemp 500R. they "look" great but are really bad for situations where there is ANY temperature fluctuation as they are only a glorified dimmer switch.
As far as thermometers and hydrometers, do yourself a favor and get an Accurite outdoor thermometer with probe. you can find them at target, walmart, lowes, etc.
Feeding; i feed frozen thawed because it is easier and cheaper. To prepare f/t you take the mouse or rat out of the freezer and either put it directly into hot water (NOT boiling) or into a plastic baggie and then into hot water. The amount of time depends on the size of the rodent, 10 minutes minimum and then some if they're bigger prey items. NEVER microwave your rodents. You can also take a rodent out of the freezer and put it in the fridge the night before and then before feeding time put a hair dryer over it for a little to get it to the right temperature.
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BPnet Veteran
Re: just bought a BP from petsmart
I got mine from Petsmart too. Healthy and happy and all that, but they sell captive hatched (born in Africa and shipped over) and she had pinworms. You will probably want to take a poop sample into a herp vet when you get a chance.
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0.0.1 Ball Python, 4.2 Canines, 1.0 Feline, 2.0 Pet Rats
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Registered User
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BPnet Veteran
Re: just bought a BP from petsmart
Are you measuring the temp on the under tank heater or the air temp? I've seen the heat pads heat upto 115 degrees without some type of thermostat on them. This could be why your snake is being so active. Someone mentioned this but I couldn't find what you were measuring temps with. It is best to use a digital thermometer with a probe. I place the probe under the substrate on top of the UTH and then place the head unit on the cool end to measure ambient temps. It should all be in the caresheets and links that starmom gave you.
Welcome and congrats!
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