First post, first snake

[CaneCorso]

Hello everyone, I recently purchased my first Ball Python and I am loving it. He is about 10" long and pretty skinny. I always wanted a snake and decided to finally give it a whirl. I have read quite a bit on here and have much more reading to do. This site has loads of great info and once I get settled in with taking the proper care of this one I would like to get another ball python.

I bought my snake over a month ago and he eats well and is in his first shed since I have had him. The only thing I can really complain about so far and if my snake could talk I'm sure he would too is I can't seem to get my humidity right. I mist several times a day and it drops to 45%-50% rather fast. I keep him in a glass enclosure but once I get some money up I would like to buy a cage from reptile basics as I read glass enclosures are hard to maintain temps. The only reason I have the glass is it was free, he has his own room to himself so I could care less if anyone sees him or not I just want him to be well taken care of.

I have two hides in the tank and two water bowls (one of the hides is a water bowl). I am using a heat lamp currently but I also bought a under tank heater but I am a little concerned to use it just yet, I'm just scared I'm going to cook him. Two digital temp gages and one digital humidity gage. I keep aspen bedding in there for him.

I also think he is having a bad shed so I read the bad shed no problem post and gave soaking a try but I only kept him in the water tub for 10-15 minutes as he didn't seem like he wanted to stay in there for long. Well, sorry for the long post. I will try and post some crappy cel phone pics I took of him yesterday. Thanks!

[m0esgirl]

congrats! and good luck not getting addicted or wanting to buy hundreds of those bad boys!! one thing i would recommend for glass enclosures, if the lid is the screen kind, just cover it all (except for a hole in the middle for ventilation) with foil. i dont know if there is a recommendation for whether or not the shinier side goes up or not, but i've read that that helps with the humidity, and keeping it steady. you still might have to mist daily though, because the glass doesnt help either. with the shed, just fill a tupperware container with room temperature water, enough to come halfway up the snake, and put the lid on. then put the container back in the tank, usually for thirty minutes to an hour, and then rub softly from head to back. that is only if the shed has at least come off of his head. if i posted anything wrong, someone correct me. this is all just what i do (except for the foil thing, i have them all in tubs. ) good luck and that's a great looking snake!!

ps...sorry for typing so much.

[Wh00h0069]

Congrats on your new little one! Their so addictive.

I agree with the above poster about covering the top of the lid. That should keep the humidity in.

You should use an under tank heater. You will need something to control the temperature. If you are planning on purchasing a cage from Reptile Basics, then you are going to need a digital thermostat; such as, Helix, Herpstat, Johnson Controls, or Rancho. I suggest going ahead and purchasing one of the above to use for your under tank heater. Once you decide to buy the new cage, you can switch the thermostat to the new cage. This thermostat will ensure that you will not cook your snake, and that his enclosure is at the desired temperature.

Hope this helps.

[snakecharmer3638]

Welcome,
As for your humidity problem I read something that sounded interesting. Now I have not tried this my self so I can not say if it works, but I will try it when I set up my glass tanks. Most glass tanks have a lip around the top of the tank and someone said they had a piece of plexiglass cut to fit the top of the tank and drilled holes on both sides for airflow. In fact they had different pieces with different sized holes for when they wanted a lower or higher humidity. After putting the plexiglass in place they would just put the wire screen on over it. Sounds like it could work.

[Pandora]

The only thing I can really complain about so far and if my snake could talk I'm sure he would too is I can't seem to get my humidity right. I mist several times a day and it drops to 45%-50% rather fast.

Put a towel, saran wrap, or something else over the lid that will help insulate and keep the humidity in.

[Funky#2]

I can't seem to get my humidity right. I mist several times a day and it drops to 45%-50% rather fast.

Put a damp towel ontop of the lid and you'll be set

[CaneCorso]

Thanks for all the replies and good advice. My digital humidity and temp gauge is a exoterra. I placed the probe for the humidity at the bottom middle and towards the front on the glass. My one temp probe I placed underneath his hide on the hot side and the cool side probe is just in front of his other hide.

I just did a quick mist and placed a warm damp towel on top of the lid and I'll see if that helps any. I am going to re-soak him on friday to see if I can't loosen some of that skin, especially the patch on his head. I know if I had a dry patch of dead skin on the top of my head I wouldn't be too pleased.

I told my buddy at work that I got him and he wants to give me a two year old ball python he bought for his kids that they lost interest of. I really want to take it but I want to get used to taking care of one first for now.

[missi182]

Thanks for all the replies and good advice. My digital humidity and temp gauge is a exoterra. I placed the probe for the humidity at the bottom middle and towards the front on the glass. My one temp probe I placed underneath his hide on the hot side and the cool side probe is just in front of his other hide.

I just did a quick mist and placed a warm damp towel on top of the lid and I'll see if that helps any. I am going to re-soak him on friday to see if I can't loosen some of that skin, especially the patch on his head. I know if I had a dry patch of dead skin on the top of my head I wouldn't be too pleased.

I told my buddy at work that I got him and he wants to give me a two year old ball python he bought for his kids that they lost interest of. I really want to take it but I want to get used to taking care of one first for now.

Just a heads up -probes do not measure humidity. Probes only measure temperature. The device itself measures humidity. As for the use of a damp towel, remember that it will need to be replaced or cleaned daily. This is because the warmth and dampness in the towel create bacteria very quickly. So Simply change the towel all together or wash the towel in hot water with soap and rinse.

I am glad you are enjoying your snake but before you get another snake you should be 100% sure that you have the funds available for vet visits and proper housing of the new snake and your current one. You should always have your enclosure set-up and tested prior to bringing home your snake so that it does not have to endure husbandry issues (i.e humidity problems).

Now that you are aware of the care required by a ball python, get your current set-up running smoothly - then consider another addition. Do not be afraid to ask questions, no matter how silly they seem as we are all here to help. Welcome to the site!

[CaneCorso]

Update:

I'd like to thank everyone for their responses and help so far. This site is great, I already recommended someone else to stop in and check it out.

Tim (my snake) ended up having a bad shed, it was stuck on him from about 1/4 of his body up to his head. My friend helped with getting the shed off and now he looks outstanding again. We soaked him for a half hour and gently rubbed the stuck shed off.

So, it has been getting chilly here during the night and my temps in this glass enclosure have been too low. I have a rheostat to control the temp of the heat pad but it seems pretty worthless as I have to keep dialing it and checking on the temp every hour or so to make sure I don't cook my new buddy. I guess I am have the typical temp issues that go along with glass enclosures.

Long story short, I called reptile basics to seek advice and to buy a helix proportional t-stat. Well, it looks like Tim will be getting his t-stat, temp gun, and a new home shortly. I bought the cb-70 rack and I just can't have two empty tubs so eventually, probably after xmas perhaps I would like to get another snake. My wife is going to be pissed .

[snakecharmer3638]

You are officially addicted. Sorry there is no twelve step program.