Bought my first BP yesterday! I have a few questions...

[syvil]

Yesterday I purchased my first BP he's about 2 ft long right now and seems to very active. I've named him/her "Killswitch" after one of my favorite bands. I'm assuming this is because of his new home and his feeding time was yesterday. I'm going to wait until Monday until holding him again and feeding him so he can get acquainted with his new home. I have a few questions though.

1. What humidity levels should I try to keep his terrarium at? I live in a very hot+humid area (San Antonio) so I want to make sure they're not too high or too low.

2. After feeding him and putting him back in his terrarium how long should I wait before handling him again. I'm guessing 24-48 hours but I just want to be sure.

3. I think it's a male based on a few videos I've seen determining the sex of a BP. I'm going to make an appointment for a vet next week so I'll know for sure by then. Are there any questions I should ask the vet?

Any other recommendations are greatly appreciated!

Here's a few pics of Killswitch and his terrarium. My camera really sucks for a few shoots.

[Fallout32]

1) The humidity should be kept between 50-60%
2) you're right, 24-48 hrs
3) there's no way to tell the sex by looking at them. you're vet will be able to tell you though

[Fallout32]

Also i just was looking at your pictures and it looks like you may want to change his setup around a bit. Half log hides are not good for snakes as they are too open. Also you should ideally have two identical hides instead of just one (one on the warm side one on cool side)

[CoolioTiffany]

1) The humidity level should be between 50%-60%. It can go as low as 40% too.
2) After you feed the snake, you should let it alone for a day or two. If the snake is fed a large meal (such as two mice/rats instead of one or a mouse/rat that is larger than the snake normally eats) you should wait at least two days to handle the snake again.
3) You should ask the vet to probe the snake. This is the most accurate way to tell your snake's sex. Some vets will do popping, but most do probing so your vet may just do probing but make sure to ask him what technique are you going to use to determine my snake's sex/gender?
4) Your setup seems pretty good. Do you have a heating pad as your heat source? If you do, make sure you have two thermometers (to tell the temps on both ends of the enclosure) and a thermostat to control the heat if it gets too hot or too cold so it's just right for the snake. Look up the temps on the care sheet on this site, it should help you out.
The half log hide is just fine, I use it for most of my reptile collection. Though, you will need two of the half log hides because one goes on the warm side (where the heating source is located) and the other goes on the cool side (where the water dish is located). That should be it, and your setup looks pretty good. And also, your snake is a cute and beautiful little guy.. or girl? Guess you will find out when you take it to the vet

[syvil]

Also i just was looking at your pictures and it looks like you may want to change his setup around a bit. Half log hides are not good for snakes as they are too open. Also you should ideally have two identical hides instead of just one (one on the warm side one on cool side)

Thanks for the tip! I'm still playing around with his setup but I'll do try this.

[Kaorte]

Yesterday I purchased my first BP he's about 2 ft long right now and seems to very active. I've named him/her "Killswitch" after one of my favorite bands. I'm assuming this is because of his new home and his feeding time was yesterday. I'm going to wait until Monday until holding him again and feeding him so he can get acquainted with his new home. I have a few questions though.

1. What humidity levels should I try to keep his terrarium at? I live in a very hot+humid area (San Antonio) so I want to make sure they're not too high or too low.

2. After feeding him and putting him back in his terrarium how long should I wait before handling him again. I'm guessing 24-48 hours but I just want to be sure.

3. I think it's a male based on a few videos I've seen determining the sex of a BP. I'm going to make an appointment for a vet next week so I'll know for sure by then. Are there any questions I should ask the vet?

Any other recommendations are greatly appreciated!

Here's a few pics of Killswitch and his terrarium. My camera really sucks for a few shoots.

Okie doke. First of all WELCOME TO BP.NET!!!!! This is by far the best site you could have come to in regards to ball python care.

The super active-ness will calm down once your snake gets settled in. It is just his way of saying "Where am I??? Let me outta here!!".

Before I even address your questions, there are a few things you should know.
1. Those stick on thermometers and hygrometers are no good. They can be as far as 10* or % off which isn't very useful when you need a 10* temp gradient. Invest in some quality digital thermometers and at least one with an external probe.
2. Any heat source you have must have some kind of control or else you risk burning or even cooking your snake. A reptile thermostat like the reptitemp 500r is what I recommend to new snake owners. If you can't find one in a store, get a piggy back light dimmer from the home depot until you can order one online and have it shipped to you.

Now for your questions!

The humidity should be around 50-60% and 70% when the snake is shedding.

Sounds like you are going to feed in a separate container. To be completely honest, this is unnecessary and is just more hassle for you and more stressful for the snake. Feeding him in his home enclosure will not make your snake cage aggressive or make him associate your hand with food. No matter how many times you have read it, it isn't true.

Make sure (as others have said) that your snake is probed by the vet.


Another thing I want to address is your hides. Ball pythons like tight dark spaces and the half log hides don't really do it for them. Your best bet is two tight fitting rock cave like hides. If you are cheap like me you can go to the dollar store and get some opaque bowls and cut a small opening in the side. Make sure the snake barely fits in the hides. My snakes don't even fit into their hides but they still use them!


Good luck with your new snake!

[syvil]

I went and bought some better hide outs for him and removed the half-log he tensed up and laid a few strikes on me I was able to put one on the cool end of the cage and I'll wait until he settles down before I put the other on the warm end of the cage. I'm assuming this is because he's in his new habitat, hungry and still nervous with me. He didn't latch on... just a quick bite and release.

[Kaorte]

Yeah, baby snakes are usually very nervous because everything is a potential predator. Give him some alone time (a week) and he should start to realize that you are not going to eat him.

[Bruce Whitehead]

I'm assuming this is because he's in his new habitat, hungry and still nervous with me. He didn't latch on... just a quick bite and release.

Those are defensive strikes... BPs are a shy snake.

All hail the teeth! He is just letting you know to take it slow and let him acclimate. They have limited means of communicating.

He is not going to mistake you for food...

Welcome to the site, and to the world of BPs. They are a great snake to have around.

Bruce

[syvil]

Thanks everyone for your helpful tips. The bites startled more so than hurt me. I have no marks so either he was head butting me or he doesn't have a strong bite right now

I threw a small hand towel over him, moved him and put the other hiding place in the warm side of the terriaum where the heating pad is. Hopefully I didn't stress him out too much for the day.