First Time Snake Owner

[wonder]

After reading online about having a snake as a pet, specifically ball pythons, I've come to realize that the sign that says "for children 12 and up" doesn't really seem to make sense. Being 20 years old, I've had myself worried for the snakes care, I want to make sure that I properly manage it. I bought the snake at a pet store that seemed to be much more educated and proper in reptiles and other animals than a petsmart or petco. Though most of the sites I've read on say to stay away from pet shops.

I bought a snake-kit that came in a huge box, if I bought that then I'd get a free python to go with it. I thought that was a deal and so that is what I took. The snake I got has to be 2 1/2 to 3 feet in length, but quite young.

In the box came with a 20 gallon reptile tank, bedding, two lamp lights (one night, one day), water bowl, one hide, and a thermometer that also checks the humidity.

the water bowl is useless, too small. the one hide it came with is too small, both of those I threw out. The bedding I threw out because when I tried to give it a bigger water bowl ( it seemed a little dehydrated and was actually drinking water) he spilled the bowl all over the place.

So when I did more research I've found a lot of useful tips and needed facts.

Heating pads are better, aspen bedding preferred, thermastat, etc.

Well I went back to the shop, and replaced a few things, I got one heating pad, cage carpet (someone told me that was good for extra protection from burning your snakes belly from the heating pad), a larger heavy ceramic bowl which he's laying his entire body in now, fits nicely. And over the carpet for right now I've had to use shredded paper towels, which I hear is not good with the heating pad. I also bought a semi-big wood halfpipe log that you see everywhere for the heat side, but i still only have one hide. And now I'm reading that even that type of hide sucks for the snake.

I'm going to be taking pictures later, Sorry for the long post and this probably seems like I'm rambling, I just worry and want everything to be well for my snake, I'm sure it won't die right away while I do some more shopping and research. I came to this site for help, sorry If this is in the wrong section. I'll be doing some shoppin hopefully today/tomorrow, starting with aspen bedding. I just need someone to give me some insight, but that faq thread seems like a lot of money spending I don't want to go overboard but at the same time I care for the snake.

Overview of what i have

20 gallon
larger ceramic bowl
one hide ( wooden halfpipe log
1 heat pad for size of tank placed underneath
two heat lamps
one thermometer/humidity thingy.
cage carpet for size of tank
shredded paper towel as of now

I'll upload pics later to clarify.

Thanks in advanced with any help you guys can give on what else is needed to be done.

[Kaorte]

WELCOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Well you still have a little ways to go.

1. Get rid of the half log, ball pythons like small tight spaces. Rock cave type hides with small openings work the best. Make sure your snake fits tightly inside.

2. If you are using a heat pad you MUST MUST MUST control it with a rheostat or thermostat. If not, you snake could get burned or even cooked

3. If you can manage to keep your temps up with no lamps or just one, do that. Your temps should not fluctuate so you will leave all heat sources on 24/7.

4. I take it you have one of those stick on dial thermometer hygrometer things. Those are basically useless for telling you the temps and humidity. Go and get an Accurite digital thermometer/hygrometer combo. they look like this: http://www.petsr4u.com/prodimages/ac...URITE00891.gif Make sure it is the one with the probe, this is very important. The probe will go right over your UTH inside the enclosure and under the substrate, right on the glass. Then the rest of the unit will go on the side opposite the UTH.

5. Reptile carpets are basically impossible to clean and hold bacteria very well. This is bad, get rid of it. I would recommend switching to shredded aspen or paper towels.


I don't mean to sound harsh, just trying to give you some pointers in the right direction

[EJ45]

Welcome! Im new to keeping snakes as well. One thing I learned from keeping fish is ... buy the BEST you can the first time or you will spend much more in the long run when you have to replace substandard equiptment. I have spent quite a lot on my set up so far and Im sure Im still missing a thing or two. Good luck and gather as much info as you can!

[llovelace]

[aceboogie09]

i just got my first bp from a pet store also this week.

when i got him i noticed he had mites and a tick,

so be sure to check for those man, try and do it b4 u put bedding in.

all i did when i spotted those was get some reptile releafe and cleaned his entire setup from hides to water bowl to the climb, threw out the bedding and for now he is just on paper towls till im sure all the mites are gone.so be safe n check him really good man.

ace

[twisted-wing]

As was stated earlier, get rid of the cage carpet thing. I second/third the reasons someone else said, plus it absorbs heat from the heating pad. Also, your snake needs two identical hides, one on the warm side, and one on the cool side.

Anywho, welcome and good luck!

[Kysenia]

Welcome and I second the first posts advice Good info there. Getting things right to start is a learning process but once you get it down the system works well. I would then go back to the store and tell them to sell the snake and keep the rest of the stuff lol the UTH and the tank are all they gave you and even there the UTH is not functional without a control.

[Wh00h0069]

To the OP, there are many different choices when it comes to bedding. I suggest either newspaper, aspen, or cypress mulch. Newspaper is best for quick, easy cleaning. Aspen works as well, and is what a lot of people use. Cypress mulch, in my opinion, is the best. It holds humidity very well without molding. If your humidity is low, then I suggest using cypress mulch. If you do go with cypress mulch, then make sure it is pure cypress mulch, not blended.

Soaking a lot is a sign that you ball python could have mites. It is very common for reptiles that come from pet stores to have mites. You should check for, and get rid of them if he has them. To do this, you should put him on paper towels, so that you can see them more easily. They look like little black bugs crawling over him and near him. You may also see them in the bottom of his water bowl after he soaks, or on your hands after you handle him. If he does have mites, then you should buy a bottle of Prevent a Mite. I believe that it can only be purchased online. Follow the instructions, and you will have no problem getting rid of them.

As Kaorte posted above, you definitely need to get him two identical hides, one for each end. Anytime you use an under-tank heater (UTH), you need to use a temperature controller. UTHs can get extremely hot, and could burn / kill your snake. I suggest a digital thermostat. You can get them at reptilebasics.com. Another option is a rheostat (light dimmer.) Although they are not as good as a thermostat, they are a lot cheaper. They can be bought at most hardware stores. I have a Lowes in my area that carries a light dimmer by Lutron that works pretty well. The reason that I recommend a thermostat over a rheostat is a thermostat actually controls the temperature to a specific degree. A rheostat, on the other hand, only turns the heat up or down, but has to be controlled manually.

BTW, grats on your new pickup, and

[grim reaper in NY]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Balls! These snakes are a blast to owna nd I have found they have personalities all their own.
You've obviously gotten some great advice so far. The only thing I would add is that an initial veterinary visit is also in order. Many people wait to bring their snake to the vet until they notice behavioral changes or obvious signs of illness. I'm a firm believer in preventive maintenance and regular vet checkups are essential in ensuring your snake lives a long, healthy life. I recently adopted 3 snakes and I took all 3 to the vet this week. All 3 got their "physicals" and were given clean bills of health all the way around. it's a great peace of mind knowing your pets are healthy and it just makes sense in the long run.
Again, welcome to the fourms. Have fun here and become a sponge. Soak up all the info you can because there is a TON of knowledge here just waiting to be tapped into!

[Ed Chisholm]

Welcome.

You have received a lot of great advice, and your snake will be very happy if you follow it. I needed a ton of help with my BP, and I found that everything I needed to know was here. I bought another UTH,two identicle hides (look like rocks with a small entrance), an Accu-rite and two thermostats to get my enclosure just right.

My only concern is the Vet. PLEASE make sure that you take your baby to a vet that knows what they are doing with BP's. My Vet, who I thought was AWESOME up to this point, said that he delt with reptiles al the time. He recommended a "routine" de-worming, and it almost killed my BP. He said she had anaphalatic shock, but the true experts here on BP.net said that was a bunch of bull. So, I would ask these experts if they have a vet to recommend in your area before you take your BP in.