Just few notes to BP Husbandry FAQs...

[Malpaso]

I'm noob here so first what I have done is read FAQs. Is that possible I have bit different experience so far that some answers are? Is my snake that different or I have been making some mistake or what? Let me share and please give me some opinion . Thanks in advance...

3. Can I use a heat rock?
Heat rocks should never be used. They can cause thermal burns and are not a reliable source of heat.

I have heat rock with thermostat (I have set max temp as 35°C/95F) and operation only during day cycle. I have read somewhere snake need some heat source from bottom to be able digest better... dunno...

6. How far should temps drop at night?
Your temperatures should not drop at night. Cooler temperatures leave your BP susceptible to illness. The only time you should drop temps are if you are actively trying to induce breeding.

Really no drop? So... is in Africa the same temperature during day and night? . I have read many times that drop is needed as part of day/night cycle for reptiles... however temperature must never drop below 21°C/70F. That's what I have read... so my average temp during day is 26°C-27°C/78-80F and during night 23-24°C/73-75F. Is that really bad?

8. Does my BP need UVA/UVB lighting?
No. BP’s are nocturnal and do not require it.

No UVB needed at all? UVB is for optimal calcium metabolism plus converts vitamin D into vitamin D3. So guy from local terra-shop has recommended me this Repti Glo 5.0 Compact Tropical Terrarium Lamp... ???

16. What makes a good hide?
Any small, opaque, enclosure that your BP can squeeze itself into. They prefer to feel the hide “hugging” them all the way around and will almost always prefer something that seems too small than something that is more generous. Also make sure that there are no sharp edges that could injure your snake.

Big surprise for me what she thinks is good hide . I have prepared amazing hide from old wood (scrubbed with heat to be sure it's not contaminated). Really luxury hide on the ground, wide to provide colder and warmer end... however she has chosen to hide behind plant "on the first floor" (left-middle dark side in pictures below)

19. Does my BP need something to climb on?
No, it is not necessary. BP’s are primarily terrestrial, but may climb a bit if a branch is offered.

She loves to climb! I have seen her only once on the ground for my eyes... I'm sure she is on the ground only for two reasons: poop (right corner) and drink (left corner) see picture below )



What you think? Thanks for comments again...

[Bruce Whitehead]

Just a few notes...

Have you ever seen a snake that has curled up inside of light dome? I will assume not... if nothing else get that light out of your enclosure ASAP. Burnt snakes are the worst in that it is always 100% avoidable.

Heat drops are not needed, you maintain a temp gradient and your snake will find the appropriate end of the enclosure day or night and thermoregulate on this own.

UVB lights are not necessary. BPs are nocturnal. I would take the bulb back and get your money back.

Pet stores are notorious for selling product you do not need. And VERY expensive products at that. Regular day and evening light in the room are sufficient for your snake to have a proper schedule.

Bruce

[Bruce Whitehead]

As far as the UVB arguement... that arguement works for lizards that bask daily and will get sick, not for snakes.

Bruce

[Bruce Whitehead]

As for the heat rock... those wonderful pet store heat rocks have a very high fail rate.

Your snake will not know it is too hot until it has been burned... so again, get that out of the tank.

When we recommend "belly heat" we are referring to an Under Tank Heater (UTH)... this is beneficial to aid digestion. You want two temps... 80 on one end of your enclosure, and 90 on the other. With an identical snug hide on each side.

These need to regulated with a quality thermostat... some people will recommend dimmers, but personally I would not use one. Dimmers are only good if you check them daily and EXPECT lots of temp fluctuations, and are only good if the room stays a constant temperature.

Hides... people use inappropriate hides all the time. Why? Not sure when a proper hides is not hard to find. But given the option of laying out in the open (BPs have MANY natural predators - especailly from above) they will pick the hide.

But for OPTIMAL husbandry, two tight identical hides are recommended.

These FAQs and guidelines are not randomly thought up, they are based on the quantitative experience of keepers that have kept 100's-1000's of BPs flourishing.

Bruce

[rabernet]

Regarding night drops - the termite mounds and burrows that ball pythons spend most of their time in, are very good at keeping consistent temps around the clock. Very well insulated - so, no - they don't really experience many night drops.

And since ball pythons are nocturnal (sleep in said termite mounds and burrows during the day), they don't require UVB for metabolism.

[Mike Cavanaugh]

She loves to climb! I have seen her only once on the ground for my eyes... I'm sure she is on the ground only for two reasons: poop (right corner) and drink (left corner) see picture below )
...

Sorry to say but this is exactly what you don't want to see. It means the snake is stressed out and trying to find adequate shelter. If you want a snake that is out climing around all the time, I would recomend a different species. A happy ball python will spend probably 90% of its time in its hide. A BP that is constantly climbing around is stressed, and a stressed BP turns into big problems.

That is such a beautiful setup. If it were me, I would stick the BP in a tub and put a kingsnake in that tank instead.

[rabernet]

Just a quick note too - based on her climbing all the time, coupled with her refusal to eat (from another thread), she's throwing some very clear signals to you that her enclosure is a bit overwhelming and she's not feeling safe.

You may wish to move her to a smaller enclosure with tight hides until she's eating with consistency for you.

[JLC]

I think everyone has pretty much addressed all your points...but sometimes I just can't ignore the urge to put my own two cents into the mix. So here's a point-by-point response:

I'm noob here so first what I have done is read FAQs. Is that possible I have bit different experience so far that some answers are? Is my snake that different or I have been making some mistake or what? Let me share and please give me some opinion . Thanks in advance...

First off, there is no single perfect way to keep any animal, including BP's. Different people find different methods that work for them and that's fine. What we try to do with our caresheets and faqs and other advice we offer is to distill ALL the different methods into the most basic and "tried-n-true" methods that any new person can apply with a confident expectation of success.

I have heat rock with thermostat (I have set max temp as 35°C/95F) and operation only during day cycle. I have read somewhere snake need some heat source from bottom to be able digest better... dunno...

Belly heat is accepted by most to be the optimal source of heat for ball pythons. However, this is best accomplished with a UTH, rather than a heat rock. I'm glad you have it controlled with a t-stat...that's certainly more than most folks will do if they have one. But those rocks are very poorly made and you still run a high risk of causing burns with it.

Really no drop? So... is in Africa the same temperature during day and night? . I have read many times that drop is needed as part of day/night cycle for reptiles... however temperature must never drop below 21°C/70F. That's what I have read... so my average temp during day is 26°C-27°C/78-80F and during night 23-24°C/73-75F. Is that really bad?

I don't think it's "bad"...it's just not necessary. Why add to the complication of keeping them if it's not needed? If you enjoy doing it, and your snake continues to eat well and thrive with it, then that's fine. If, however, your snake should stop eating or shows other signs of stress, you might consider constantly fluctuating temps as one source of stress that you can try removing.

No UVB needed at all? UVB is for optimal calcium metabolism plus converts vitamin D into vitamin D3. So guy from local terra-shop has recommended me this Repti Glo 5.0 Compact Tropical Terrarium Lamp... ???

As has already been pointed out, these are nocturnal animals and don't typically bask in the sunlight. When they need to, they'll come out after the sun has gone down and bask on rocks warmed by the sun earlier. If they're not seeking UVB in their natural environment, why should we force it on them in captivity?

Big surprise for me what she thinks is good hide . I have prepared amazing hide from old wood (scrubbed with heat to be sure it's not contaminated). Really luxury hide on the ground, wide to provide colder and warmer end... however she has chosen to hide behind plant "on the first floor" (left-middle dark side in pictures below)

I can't really tell what your "hide" is like from your pictures. If the hide itself is big enough to have a warm side and a cool side...then it's hardly a snug little cave that they prefer. Just give it a try...get a really small "cave" (you can buy them at the pet store, or you can make your own out of any inexpensive opaque plastic container...just cut a hole in the side) and put one on the cool side and one on the warmer side of the enclosure. Give the snake a few days to figure out that they're there and convince himself they're safe...and I'll bet you you'll see your snake using them all the time.

While you're enclosure is, without a doubt, beautiful....that exposed light is dangerous. Seriously dangerous. Ball pythons aren't the brightest of critters...and they don't experience pain when exposed to heat as we might think they do. They can easily burn themselves quite severely on something like that.

In addition to the danger that light exposes your snake to...it is also a source of stress. As has been pointed out several times, these animals like to come out at night...and spend the day snugged up in their burrows or little caves. They don't like bright light...and having something that bright and close is a source of high stress.

She loves to climb! I have seen her only once on the ground for my eyes... I'm sure she is on the ground only for two reasons: poop (right corner) and drink (left corner) see picture below )

Young ball pythons do like to climb. And if you enjoy maintaining an environment that allows it, there's certainly nothing wrong with providing them stuff to climb on.

What you want to be looking for, though, is not a snake that is constantly climbing and moving around, but a snake that usually only comes out in the evening or nighttime to explore and move around a bit. A happy ball python is a lazy snake, even when young...and they spend most of their days (sometimes days and days at a time without moving at all) sleeping in their little caves.

What you think? Thanks for comments again...

So, there ya go. That's what I think. I think your enclosure is beautiful. You just need to get that light out of there. That's the critical point I can't stress enough. And I would also highly recommend trying small, snug hides that hug the snake on all sides. If it seems too small, it's probably perfect. And I would highly recommend exchanging that heat rock for a proper UTH.

Hope that's helped some!

[Egapal]

I'm noob here so first what I have done is read FAQs. Is that possible I have bit different experience so far that some answers are? Is my snake that different or I have been making some mistake or what? Let me share and please give me some opinion . Thanks in advance...

I have heat rock with thermostat (I have set max temp as 35°C/95F) and operation only during day cycle. I have read somewhere snake need some heat source from bottom to be able digest better... dunno...

Your snake does need heat to digest properly. So that means your snake wants to curl up in a hide and have belly heat. Do you have a hide on top of your heat rock? If not its useless.

Really no drop? So... is in Africa the same temperature during day and night? . I have read many times that drop is needed as part of day/night cycle for reptiles... however temperature must never drop below 21°C/70F. That's what I have read... so my average temp during day is 26°C-27°C/78-80F and during night 23-24°C/73-75F. Is that really bad?

Like everyone is saying, your snake stays in a burrow in the ground most of the time. When it comes out it comes out to find food and then goes in a burrow. The only time its out for long is during breeding season. So provide a night drop if you are breeding. Otherwise don't bother. Its harder for you to provide and hurts your snake. Remember that your snake needs the heat to digest properly. When you lower the temp you slow down the digestion process.

No UVB needed at all? UVB is for optimal calcium metabolism plus converts vitamin D into vitamin D3. So guy from local terra-shop has recommended me this

Lets say you had a bat. The flying mammal kind, and I said, "Hey your bat needs UV light to metabolize calcium and convert d to d3." What would you assume. Would you assume that you need to provide a UV bulb or that both you and I don't really understand bats bio chemistry that well since they are nocturnal and all.

Big surprise for me what she thinks is good hide . I have prepared amazing hide from old wood (scrubbed with heat to be sure it's not contaminated). Really luxury hide on the ground, wide to provide colder and warmer end... however she has chosen to hide behind plant "on the first floor" (left-middle dark side in pictures below)

I looked at the picture of your enclosure and I do not see any hides. I see places that your snake goes to try and hide. Your snake sits there scared poopless then thinks damn I gotta find a better place to hide.

She loves to climb! I have seen her only once on the ground for my eyes... I'm sure she is on the ground only for two reasons: poop (right corner) and drink (left corner) see picture below )

Ahhh where can I hide, maybe over here......no.....maybe if I climb over there......no.....ahhhhhh.

Your snake is looking for a place to hide. It wants out of that enclosure.

I got some new hides from reptile basics last night. I am not making this up. I though, man these look a bit large for her. I took her hide off, put the new hide over her. I looked back 10 minutes later she had left the new hide on the warm side and gone to the nice tight hide on the cold side. So I took the big hide out and put the little one back and now she is back in the little one.

This is why you offer the small hide. You offer what the care sheet says to offer. If your snake is doing something different from the rest of ours. Do you think its because your ball python is totally different from everyone else's, or you are doing something wrong. Not to be mean, but think about it.

[Malpaso]

Thank you all for response. I'm so glad I have joined this site... just to provide you more information to all "issues":

general:
I'm aware of burn risks so that bulb inside vivarium is not common bulb... it's LED one. It's absolutely no heat around it... That was my first choice of light source (no-heat, extremely economical). After that "UVB" info from local shop I have bought external box for that UVB bulb (so now I have two places where to put some light source)...



...and planned to change that LED for some night bulb (to be switched on manually and only when I want to watch my BP in the night). So currently looks like this:



heat rock:
As you see in the picture above it's in the corner and away from any hides... True is I have not seen her using it so far and after reading your arguments I'm afraid buying it was probably just waste of money

night drop:
Understand it's waste of energy... hard to understand but based on huge experience... So no more questions.

UVB:
I hate that shop guy... Real waste of money

hides:
Let me show you more pics... This is hide I have prepared:



...and this is place she has chosen:



climbing:
First time I put her it vivarium she made exactly this journey:



So... you really think she is just stressed and can not find better place on the ground to hide than above that plant? But she ate two times from there (amazing response on prey)... I had no feeling there is any trouble with that...

Is that change anything already written???? Thank you so much...