Ball-Pythons.net Forums - Blogs https://ball-pythons.net/forums/blog.php Ball python care and information as well as community driven content covering all manner of reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates - from boas to ball and blood pythons to bearded dragons and brachys. Have questions? We have answers! Come join our unique community and create your own photo gallery, compete in monthly contests, classifieds, calendared events and so much more. Got balls? We got you covered! en Thu, 19 Mar 2026 23:21:01 GMT vBulletin 60 https://ball-pythons.net/forums/images/themes/default/misc/rss.jpg Ball-Pythons.net Forums - Blogs https://ball-pythons.net/forums/blog.php Precautions and hopefully ideas for some https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?100-Precautions-and-hopefully-ideas-for-some Sun, 24 Nov 2019 09:49:08 GMT So every year I come across posts where peoples thermostats malfunctioned or something happened that caused them to lose animals in their care. Stuff happens and sometimes it's just beyond your control, but there's things you can do that give you the best possible chance to prevent this from happening. I'll explain more into detail, then I'll post photos.

First and foremost, you need to have a good thermostat. I get that the $30 thermostat is tempting, but these thermostats break and often and when they do it's wide open. That means the heating that you use will get as hot as it will get. Some good thermostats are herpstat, vivarium electronics, helix and I'm sure they others but these are the ones I'm familiar with. When they fail, and it's super rare, it cuts the power. I don't think I've seen a post where one of these ever got stuck open. If that thermostat fails and kills your animal then you've lost more than a cheap thermostat.

I keep a camera in my room that I can pull up anytime or anywhere as long as I have a cellphone signal. I can review footage if I forget to log when I fed the animal or anything. Here is a screenshot from the cell phone app:


Next I have a smart powerstrip which is connected to my wifi that I can see what plugs are on, control what time they go on and off(because I run a day/night setup). I can also tell how much wattage each plug is pulling so I know if a light is out. Also if for some reason my house a/c system failed during summer, I can control just simply turn the power off to the plugs. This has happened when my system wouldn't come on because of a leak and if I wasn't able to turn the heating off because it was 97 degrees outside with heat lights it would've easily cooked my animals. I got a notification that the temp in my room was higher than normal because I keep a system that monitors the temp in the room. Here are some screenshots of the smart power strip:





Next I have an smart thermostat in my home that I can control when the heat/air is on, what temps I want it to come on and if I leave or something and a cold front comes through where I need the heat I can control it from my phone, or whatever the case may be:


All in all what I have I consider an investment. In the event I don't keep snakes anymore, the camera can be used around the house or kept in the room. The smart wifi powerstrip I can use anywhere, or if you have kids you can control the ps4 and what not. I also have a router that I can control everything from my phone, so if I want to pause internet access to a device I can, or setup restrictions, a time frame they can use it or what not. Also having a smart thermostat for the home means I don't have to worry about anybody adjusting the temperature. I lock it so that it can only be controlled via the app on my phone. ]]> Neal https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?100-Precautions-and-hopefully-ideas-for-some <![CDATA[If you can't control it, don't own it.]]> https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?97-If-you-can-t-control-it-don-t-own-it Thu, 12 Jul 2018 19:52:17 GMT ---Quote (Originally by Ax01)--- that boa had to have been on the loose for a bit. it was in the ceiling/floorboards or vent. i wonder if the owner reported it lost. either way, keep if securely caged or on a leash. ;) ---End Quote--- I dunno. A determined Boa can cover a surprising amount of...
Quote Originally Posted by Ax01 View Post
that boa had to have been on the loose for a bit. it was in the ceiling/floorboards or vent. i wonder if the owner reported it lost. either way, keep if securely caged or on a leash. ;)
I dunno. A determined Boa can cover a surprising amount of ground in a short period of time. ]]> MasonC2K https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?97-If-you-can-t-control-it-don-t-own-it Thinking of Starting or Advancing? https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?94-Thinking-of-Starting-or-Advancing Sat, 21 Apr 2018 21:02:04 GMT I tend to ramble on from time to time about different subjects when I have time to think about something good to blog about. This one is going to be for anybody that's looking to get into the hobby, or advance to different steps in the hobby and by that I mean from starter snakes to the not so stater snakes, to the higher level of experience needed snakes.

I'm sure for any of us that have visited reptile shows, or even pet stores tend to see people that are interested in getting into the hobby or maybe you're thinking of advancing into different species which may require more experience.

I want to start off by saying, although snakes are relatively easy to take care of in the sense that they don't make a mess in the house, you do still have to feed them, clean up after them whether it be urates, poop, shed etc... However, they do require maintenance, you do need a proper enclosure, and I would never recommend just a regular aquarium as my base recommendation would always be an exo-terra enclosure but preferably a enclosure similar to Animal Plastics. On top of that you need a heating source, some hides, bedding and a decent thermostat. This may or may not be cheaper than some other animals starting off, but once you've gotten that, the food versus a bag of dog food or cat foot etc is quite a bit cheaper.

Anyways, ball pythons are great snakes, although I would say a king snake or corn snake would be a better choice to start off simply because ball pythons can be highly picky eaters. However, if you pay attention, ask questions and heed advice, ball pythons are great starters. Some ball pythons may taken f/t rodents right away, some may switch eventually and some may never eat f/t. So if you don't have access to live, then I would perhaps think about getting a king snake or a corn snake. I've seen ball pythons refuse rodents because of them not being all white, or having spots, and it's completely individual based.

You get what you pay for product wise. Two of the most expensive things you'll have to buy aside from possibly being the snake depending on what you choose, will be the thermostat and the enclosure that you keep your snake in. I'll make my recommendations on those two here in just a moment and give some advice on bedding and other things.

Enclosures
This part is strictly about enclosures and is all based on my experience and preference. If you have the money and plan to keep your snake or get other snakes in the future then I prefer Animal Plastics enclosures. They're very well built, reasonably priced, easy to clean and help with heat and humidity. If you're getting the enclosures from them, you're able to customize with different features like lighting, heating, and security.

If you're going for a bit cheaper route which isn't much cheaper I would recommend the Exo-Terra enclosures as you're able to lock them and you don't have to worry about your snake pushing the top off. With these you can open the top if you turn the fastener type things at the top to remove the top, but what I really like is you have access through the front of the enclosure.

Now a rack style system is another option, but if you're not breeding and have a lot of snakes then I don't agree with it and this is purely my opinion.

Heating
The options of heating are plentiful as you have under tank heaters, heat panels, heat tape, bulbs, etc... Whatever route you go, you will need a thermostat and a reliable one, which I will touch on after this. The most expensive way of heating is going to be heat panels and in my opinion is the best way, however you would really want an enclosure like Animal Plastics because they screw on to the top of the enclosure and with enclosures like exo-terra you can't do it, at least not safely. This is also the most efficient way to heat in my opinion as in the long run it's the best option. They last for years, and they radiate heat, sort of like the sun.

Heat tape is a really good option because you can get different length and width and it's relatively cheap. The tricky thing with this is taping it with the proper tape so it holds in place and makes contact. You can't use just any tape or you'll run into issues. With this you want to make sure that under the substrate isn't really hot, which will be a different temperature versus the top of the substrate in case your snake burrows or moves the substrate out of the way. So you have to find a balance, which can be a little time consuming if done properly.

UTH's are good option, but cost more than heat tape. The one thing about them is the backside is the adhesive side so they're easy to stick to the enclosure. I would stick with a more known brand if you go this route as some of the other brands have had issues in the past.

If you go the bulb route it can be cheaper than the heat panel, depending on what you do and where you shop. It's more expensive than the other two routes though. The one downside of using any type of bulb, whether it be incandescent bulb or a ceramic heat emitter is it will hurt your humidity. You can counter this by misting the enclosure daily or doing other things as well. If you go this route, I would recommend using a ceramic heat emitter as it doesn't emit any light so your snakes have some sort of a day/night cycle if they get light during the day. I personally give all my snakes day/night cycles.

Thermostats
The first and my favorite thermostat that I recommend is the Herpstat, as I've used them for a long time and never had any issues.

The second would be Vivarium Electronics as I've had them before and never had any issues either.

I would avoid the cheap thermostats as when they fail and they normally get stuck wide open which can kill your animals, especially if they have no way to escape the heat. I know they have other thermostats, but I've never used them and can't speak for them with first hand experience.

Hides
I like the Reptile Basic hides as they come in a huge variety of sizes and are easier to clean than others. I'm not going to touch too much on this subject because they have numerous brands and different things you can use as hides. I will say this though, the best hides are the ones where they can touch all sides of the hide and only have one entrance. This allows snakes to feel more secure because they will curl up in the hides and put their head by the entrance.

Substrate
This is another subject where you have so many options, and some are better than others. Aspen is often used because it helps with any smells, it's relatively cheap and is overall a good substrate. It can be dusty, so misting it before placing it in the tank will help with the dust and misting it a few times a week will help with humidity as well. This substrate isn't the best for humidity but it works.

Another option is coco husk, which can definitely make maintaining a certain humidity level much easier, and it's also relatively cheap compared to other options. I've used this in the past as it's a good option.

Some people who use rack system often use newspaper, which is cheap, but it has a lot of downsides in my opinion. The only time I would ever use this or papertowels would be if I had a new snake in QT and treating for mites as a precaution.

I switched to bioactive in some of my enclosures years ago and find this is the best option. In the beginning it can be more annoying to get situated, but once you get everything going it's the easiest to maintain. If you have springtails and isopods, with proper food for them(dead leaves) and other stuff that was properly treated then they will eat snake sheds, poop, urates and so on. In two of my enclosures I've not had to do any cleanup in months because of this. However, you should do your research if you ever decide to go this way.

Advancing To Another Stage?
So say you've been keeping awhile and are looking to advance to another stage in keeping, something that requires more experience or knowledge. If you're moving to something that I would really hope you've done your proper research as the animals in our care depend on us to give it the proper care. If I had to quote it, a book I read years ago said it best when they said that most keepers have phases they may advance to(Bigger, Meaner, Rarer, Hot). Most people won't go through all the stages, and some may skip some, but most won't ever reach the last stage, Hot being slang for venomous.

When you start dealing with Bigger, Meaner and Rarer snakes you start getting into snakes that require more experience and knowledge. Anywhere from certain humidity levels, temperature levels to name a couple. When you start dealing with bigger snakes, depending on how much bigger, you can easily get overwhelmed. Some species of snakes are more prone to bite than others, some get bigger so can do more damage in a bite. If you plan on getting into those snakes, I would ask a lot of questions, and do a lot of research on what you want, what's required and so on because the financial aspect can drastically change, along with your mind set towards a snake after a negative encounter. When you start getting into snakes that get 6+ feet or longer, it cost more for food, especially when you get into double digits. That's not the only thing that gets more expensive though, as with a larger snake comes the need for a larger enclosure and once you get past a certain point, that number can quickly rise.

Now what I mean about a negative encounter is say you have a 13-14 foot burmese or retic. If you get nailed by one whether it be a defensive bite or a feeding response, that can easily make you scared of the snake and not want to interact with it again which could lead to you having to sell or rehome the snake and that's not easy to do when you have a snake that large. I've seen bites from a snake that big and I've seen the damage that can't be repaired due to those bites.

With the rarer stuff, the way of keeping them can be harder meaning you may have to maintain a certain humidity level or you run into issues. The temperature can be a tighter range and harder to maintain. They have other issues, but I just wanted to touch base on two of the more frequent ones.

Venomous
Now if you ever want to get into this stage, you need to have training and when I say training I mean hours upon hours. This is not something to be taken lightly as one mistake can be the difference between life and death. Along with that certian precautions and requirements should be met, or in my opinion must be met. Venomous snakes have some of the most amazing, unique animals, but there's so much to consider.

Some states or even if your state allows, some counties/parishes or even cities may not allow you to keep venomous. A lot of states require you to provide documented experience in order to acquire the proper license. A reputable person who sells venomous will always require that you show them proof of a license if your state requires and some even go further and won't sell certain species depending on how dangerous they are to people without prior experience.

Another thing to consider is the medical bill if you get bit. Even if you have insurance, they have clauses that could allow them to deny your claim because you put yourself in a dangerous situation. It's not the same as getting bit by chance outside as owning venomous snakes and having that risk day after day. I know this sucks, but it's perfectly legal for them to do this. If you simply google snake bite bills you will see a range from anywhere to $14,000 to $150,000. A lot of factors play part in this, how many vials, what type of anti venin, and the hospital. I know a couple people that have been bitten, and both of their medical bills would of been over $50,000.

Now even with insurance and antivenin if you get bit, depending on what has bitten you then you may still not make it. If you were to go in anaphylactic shock from being bit, or have an allergic reaction to the anti venin then you run into an entire different problem on top of the snake bite.

One of the most important things I can say is know your limits. I've been around venomous since I was a kid and I used to catch copperheads and cottonmouths. I've also owned venomous for a few years and there are certain venomous snakes even I wouldn't really feel comfortable with owning and two of those I've actually dealt with first hand from a friend. Among those are King Cobras, Black Mambas, Green Mambas and Forest Cobras. One of the most important things to learn is how to use a hook, but even having a lot of hook experience a snake can either make it easy or difficult. When you start dealing with 8 foot venomous snakes that are really fast, it puts a whole new meaning to the word danger.

If you ever find yourself wanting to get into this level of keeping, I'll list a few things that I would say are mandatory.

Locking Enclsoure - This is the most important thing, as this should be a top priority.
Bite Protocols - This can be the difference between life or death, this is a must have.
Emergency Plans - Aside from bite protocols, you should have plans, especially if you have a family. You need to know which hospital you're going to go to. If you live far away from hospitals, like out of city limits then I know you can make arrangements with different EMS services. If I recall correctly Erik from Fascination Herps pays so much a year to the air med service, so in the event if he ever gets bit it won't cost an arm and a leg. I remember talking to him about it one day, but I don't remember the whole conversation. Also if you do get bit, who is going to take care of your snakes, feed them and so on.

Additionally, certain species of snakes have different types of venom and some can and will cause permanent damage. An example is they have a snake where you may lose your sense of smell, or taste as I don't recall the article 100% but it's more than one snake. In the end you have to ask yourself if it's worth it.

I hope that this helps people that are interested in the hobby or advancing as I did over the course of my life. I know I missed some stuff as I can't really think with all the information I had in my head and wanted to put, so if you have any questions or anything I'll gladly help if I can. ]]> Neal https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?94-Thinking-of-Starting-or-Advancing <![CDATA[Feeders & Breeders]]> https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?91-Feeders-amp-Breeders Fri, 07 Oct 2016 07:51:21 GMT For ft feeders, I'll list several and my thoughts on them and I'll start with what I have experience with.

Big Cheese Rodents - This place is my go to place as they're based out of Texas(next door state). I've spent thousands of dollars with him and placed many orders. The quality of the feeders are great and the customer service is top notch. One of the best things is the way they package their feeders. They are all vacuum sealed and they use trays to put the feeders on to keep them nice and neat. I think the only exception to this rule is mouse pinkies/fuzzies/hoppers and rat pinkies/fuzzies. They're clean and with being packaged neatly, that just shows that they want to stand out as a company. Here is a picture of what their packaging looks like:



Perfect Prey - Previously known as Loxahatchee Rodents and are based out of Florida. IIRC I want to say they changed their name as they didn't want it to be the same as the reptile part. They also vacuum seal like BCR does which speaks volumes. I've never personally ordered from them but my friend has and I saw him unbox first hand and I can say that if I wasn't able to place an order with BCR, then PP would be my go to. So depending on where you're from you may have a quicker delivery from one or the other. Also shipping may be cheaper depending on location.

American Rodent Supply - I was tempted to order from this place to see how they are quality wise, but when I asked my first question I changed my mind as they don't vacuum seal. Not that it's a huge deal, but I just prefer to do business with a company that goes that extra step. They were very friendly and answered some questions I had, and their prices aren't bad at all and in some cases even beat the above two.

Rodent Pro - This was the first ever place I ordered from until I got switched to BCR. I've never had a problem with their customer service, however I don't like the quality of their feeders and the couple of orders I placed with them they ran small. So, because of my previous experience with them I would never order from them again. They don't vacuum seal, or at least they didn't when I used them.

So with feeders overall, it varies if you're looking for quality, or price. I prefer quality and with BCR & PP, that's what you get. At the time of doing this blog entry, PP mice are cheaper than BCR, up until somewhere around Adult, but when you start dealing with rats, the prices go back in BCRs favor. The one thing I think most people are complaining about is that BCR was recently out of stock on most rats. Well when you have quality and most people prefer you, you get more business and because of that sometimes things are hard to keep in stock.

Breeders

When you're looking to purchase a snake, I'll give you my three buying points that I consider:

1.) Reputation
2.) Customer Service
3.) Animal Quality

I always, and I mean always look up reviews for a potential purchase from a breeder, or even a company. If I'm at a reptile show, I still use my phone to google and do some digging. Nobody is perfect and sure some transactions may go South, but I look to see if the situation was resolved as well.

As far as customer service, I like to talk over voice, instead of texting/email. This gives me a feel for what type of person I'm doing business. If the person can't bother to talk to me on the phone, that makes me wonder why and then I start to wonder, well what if I have an issue? I'll pass on that note. If you can't take a few minutes to talk to me, especially if I'm serious about purchasing an animal, then I can't be bothered to give you my business.

Now with animal quality, that's pretty self explanatory. ]]> Neal https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?91-Feeders-amp-Breeders Female that recently laid?? https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?90-Female-that-recently-laid Thu, 09 Jul 2015 21:02:37 GMT ---Quote (Originally by Dave Green)--- I would say 95+% of my females will eat right after egg laying if everything is cleaned well; however, there always seems to be one that refuses no matter what I do. When this has happened they always seem to start eating within a week or so after their eggs...
Quote Originally Posted by Dave Green View Post
I would say 95+% of my females will eat right after egg laying if everything is cleaned well; however, there always seems to be one that refuses no matter what I do. When this has happened they always seem to start eating within a week or so after their eggs hatch even though their eggs were taken away and incubated separately.
^This^

So if you have not done so clean the tub well (including water dish), and wipe down your female with chlorhexidine and if this still does not work just be patient she will be ok. ]]> Stewart_Reptiles https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?90-Female-that-recently-laid Most ironic/funny thing that happened to me so far. https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?89-Most-ironic-funny-thing-that-happened-to-me-so-far Sat, 15 Feb 2014 06:31:23 GMT
Quote Originally Posted by Neal View Post
So I'm laying down and I get a text from a number I don't recognize saying: "I'm pregnant."

So my initial thing was to go through my head and count off who I've been with in the time from of 9 months. I crossed those off immediately because of the area code but I was still concerned it was a girl from June, which would put her around 8 months. That was only until I rationed that her mother or grandmother which are friends with me would of told me way before that.

So naturally this is how the rest of the convo went:

Me: And I don't know who you are?
Them: From about a month and a half ago? God how many girls do you smash rawdog.

Now at this point, I know it's not possible becasue I've been in a foul mood with two friends and my aunt passing, my aunt which was in the beginning of January. So I'm just humoring the person now, and the whole "smash" thing threw me off because most proper people don't use that term, especially girls, and rawdog was kind of out the blue as well. Regardless, I thought I'd humor them.

Me: But congrats?
Me: Lol. Nice try. Who's this anyways?
Them: You don't remember me? You answered my ad on craigslist about a month and a half ago
Me: I don't look on craigslist for sex or chicks.
Me: And I'm a virgin :)
Them: BS I met you there
Me: Okay. But that doesn't change the fact I'm a virgin.
Them: Lol that's a lie you d'ed me down like no man before
Me: Lol. You've got jokes.
Them: No babe I'm for real
Me: Well let me do it again. Come over. Lol.
Them: Lol wtf
Me: I'm just playing along
Them: I just text a random # for s and giggles
Me: I figured.
Me: I hope you're a chick though otherwise you've got a strong feminist side. Lol.
Them: You were scared don't lie
Them: Lol I'm totally a chick
Me: I'm honestly not. I'd man up to my responsibilities if it were true.
Me: But how are you doing. I'm Neal.
Them: I'm Lindsey nice to meet ya

So for the past few hours I've been talking to this person, who texted me from her actual cell instead of her work phone. She seems pretty cool though. However, she won't give me her last name to look her up on facebook. This is mainly because I'm curious as to what she looks like so I can start my game :P.

I just figured I'd share with you all to make you laugh and I left it family friendly, or at least I think I did so that way it doesn't get moved to QT.

EDIT:
I will let you know if she's hot or not though if/when I manage to get her facebook or a picture, lol.
]]> Neal https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?89-Most-ironic-funny-thing-that-happened-to-me-so-far Colubrids vs Boids - Intelligence https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?88-Colubrids-vs-Boids-Intelligence Thu, 16 Jan 2014 19:40:51 GMT
Quote Originally Posted by Neal View Post
Now in all honesty I think we link inquisitive with smartness. While I do believe and I'm sure studies somewhere along the line have showed that some snakes are smarter than others, most of us are all going to be biased, like I am towards my Rufous Beaked.

I did this just out of a test. If you're going to watch, then please watch the videos in the order that they're posted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfnTqJkqE8Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5vURYRncDY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGOTD-LltFI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skwQygQ15LQ
]]> Neal https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?88-Colubrids-vs-Boids-Intelligence Colubrids vs Boids - Intelligence https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?87-Colubrids-vs-Boids-Intelligence Thu, 16 Jan 2014 15:47:42 GMT
Quote Originally Posted by Neal View Post
I'd say hands down colubrids.

I've had Anacondas, Balls, Corns, Kings, Rats, BCI's. I've also had to house a retic for 6 months.

I can say hands down out of all the snakes I wouldn't necessarily say smarter, but the Anaconda and Retics were the most non-frightful which some would say is more intelligent because they interact more and settle down when comfortable. Balls generally jerk their head back when you go in their tank/tub, though I'm sure they have exceptions to this rule.

Of all the snakes I've dealt with I'd probably put my Rufous Beaked higher than any of them for the simple reason that if my hand goes in the tank they normally retreat their head but still watch. If I go near them and just gently tap the substrate then 2 of the 3 will come to my hand.

My littlest one will come up my hand when I'm misting the tank or if my hand just approaches the tank normally. I can't say this for any of my balls, though my Sable does like to come out when I open the tub if my hand goes nearby he jerks back. Of all snakes intelligence wise and me having little to no experience with them I would probably say Cobras or Black Mambas would be the highest on that list.
]]> Neal https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?87-Colubrids-vs-Boids-Intelligence Ughhh help me convince my mom!!! https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?86-Ughhh-help-me-convince-my-mom!!! Sat, 04 Jan 2014 15:05:09 GMT
Quote Originally Posted by Neal View Post
I'll never forget my first actual pet snake that I bought.

I was living under her roof and I wanted a snake, and her quick but decisive NO all but told me to drop it. So growing up I knew better then to ask my dad because I was 10x more likely to get a yes from my mother than my father. When I'd get in trouble for bad grades through elementary and middle school my mom would come to me with the report card and say we'll hide it from your dad. He would either forget about it, though I think one year he asked for it and my mom put it off all summer, when she finally showed it to him and he grounded me it was nearly the end of summer. While my dad was at work though my mom would tell me I was ungrounded and just be home before my dad got home from work. Now that may sound like I was spoiled but I was a momma's boy :P and still am. I'm very close with my mom and while I've turned out to be a hell of a kid, my own house and a great job for retirement, both of them couldn't be prouder.

So anyways rewind back to when I was 16? I saw a snake I wanted and I asked my mom a few weeks later and she responded we'll see, which meant no but she didn't feel like having me annoy her. So sometime that week I went to rite-aid and got one of those prepaid credit cards and loaded money on it. I ended up ordering a snake from online anyways and when it came in my mom had no way to say NO, because the snake was already here and I had spent money on it. We just didn't tell me dad until a few weeks later which my mom told him she said it was okay, which she didn't. She has always been terrified of snakes but has gotten a lot better over the recent years. Her favorite snake that I had was my Yellow Anaconda a few years back. She likes my rufous beaked but she's still sketchy of them because of the lack of color. She loves colorful snakes, and it's easier for her to get used to one she finds more attractive than not. She's gotten so used to snakes that when I flew to the United Kingdom she said she would care for my 3 rufous beaked since they live together and with being colubrids they digest faster and I didn't want to come home to find one eaten. Well I looked around to friends and stuff but the only person I could find that would take care of them wanted to charge me like $150, that was feeding & cleaning(I had my own food btw). I just found that to be absurd and I remember my mom telling me she would look over my snakes for me, but I didn't want to put that burden on her, so I was going to cancel my United Kingdom trip. I ended up making sure she was okay with this because of her not liking to feed them mice. Long story short I basically set a time that was good for me being +6 hours and her to feed them, I gave her step by step instructions and we would video on Yahoo so I could monitor everything. She even held some of them which I didn't know, but it wasn't an issue.

So long story short, my mom has finally come around after years. As a child she was deathly afraid of lizards because when she was a child either my grandpa or my uncle threw a cage full of anoles(green lizards) on her. So to this day she still has a fear of them.

Now on a positive note, she came to this past repitcon with me that was in December and enjoyed it. She wants to come to them all now.

EDIT:
So the morale of the story is try to get your mom involved in your snakes, holding and stuff. Taking baby steps and don't pressure her. Just let her see how you deal with them for awhile. It may take some time and some take longer than others, but once it works out, it's a lot easier.
]]> Neal https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?86-Ughhh-help-me-convince-my-mom!!! Ovy, building, laying? https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?85-Ovy-building-laying Tue, 24 Dec 2013 19:34:02 GMT
Quote Originally Posted by SlitherinSisters View Post
My first question is, are you absolutely positive it was her pre-lay shed? I have been fooled by building myself, it's certainly an easy thing to mistake sometimes.

I mistook this building for an ovy:


Then about a month later I saw this...


Another building picture




Your best bet is to look for the tail suck when you think you see an ovulation


Another tail suck


You could actually see her eggs/follicles during her ovy (she laid 4 eggs)




And finally, right before they lay, you can tell there are eggs near the end. This girl was 1,600 grams and only laid 3 eggs. They move the eggs down their body before they lay.


If you pick them up, you can see their prego bellies


They get the ridge back/tent look


And another female close to laying, notice the ridge back/tent look
]]> SlitherinSisters https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?85-Ovy-building-laying Some randomness w/ pictures https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?84-Some-randomness-w-pictures Tue, 24 Dec 2013 18:17:02 GMT I'm just bored so I feel like posting a pictures of some of my bikes, well two of them to be exact since I don't really have pictures of the other three anymore. Then some of my favorite snakes, which is where the randomness comes in at.

So prior to this '07 ZX-10R I'm posting I had a '01 GSX-R1000 and a '04 ZX-12R. Here are some pictures of my '07 ZX-10R that I took to a few days before selling it:






It was an awesome bike and of course I don't like riding stock bikes so I modded it. On the newer bikes you don't need to do a lot of the mods that I did because you can control all of it from getting into the ECU of the bike. I don't mess with three things on a bike though, them being: height, sprockets or swing arm length.

Now this is my new bike that I picked up a week or two before Thanksgiving. I was so annoyed because every time I went to go pick it up the rain wouldn't agree with me. So finally after waiting like two weeks I was like you know what, screw it. So I did the 2 1/2 hour drive in 25 degree weather to go pick the bike up. On the way home it had warmed up to 29 degrees, but let me tell you how cold it was on the way home. I was frozen with purple hands/feet from the cold. I immediately pulled it into my living room where I could start to disassemble it soon so I can do the mods and upgrades that I need. So the only pictures I have are the ones my mother took when I was stopped to warm up or get gas and then she's got a few of me driving it somewhere. Well here is my current bike, it's an '11 ZX-10R which 831 miles on it.






Yes, I was decked down. I had two pair of sweatpants and the blue jeans on, then I had a shirt, a sweater, a wind resistant jacket and that leather jacket on. The gloves were water-proof and did the best they could, but what I failed to think about were the shoes I was wearing were mesh on the top so the wind bit right through those and two pairs of socks didn't help much. Then I had something that goes over your face and your neck to cut the wind out which really helped.

Here is one of my Rufous Beaked which are my favorite snakes. I'm not quite sure what he/she is doing but I had to take a picture of it. Don't pay attention to the gauge as I only use that for reference. 82-84 degrees is actually 87-88. I more or less use it to keep track of the humidity.



Then one morning coming home from work I walked into my bedroom and saw this which I thought was the most adorable thing.

]]> Neal https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?84-Some-randomness-w-pictures Most time-efficient method/system for cleaning Sterilite tubs? https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?83-Most-time-efficient-method-system-for-cleaning-Sterilite-tubs Wed, 23 Oct 2013 12:27:06 GMT
Quote Originally Posted by Rickys_Reptiles View Post
Well, it's been said before, but apparently not enough people are paying attention to it. F10 SC is not a cleaner. If you do not clean the tub first, you're wasting your time.

Me:

-Put snakes into bags.
-Dump out all the coconut husk (I wear a mask when I do this, it can be dusty)
-Clean the tubs using lysol wipes
-let dry
-then I spray each tub with a F10sc solution (approx 8ml:1L of water)
-Let the F10 sit for 15 minutes
-Dry
-While I am doing this I also spray the rack with the same F10SC solution and let it sit for 15 minutes. Then I use a swiffer type of mop to dry the rack shelves top and bottom as best as I can. Then I let it dry (doesnt take long in the hot room).
-Put new husk in
-Put snakes back in

I spot clean daily, and do a proper clean (as above) once a month
]]> Rickys_Reptiles https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?83-Most-time-efficient-method-system-for-cleaning-Sterilite-tubs <![CDATA[Wow, it's been a while.]]> https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?82-Wow-it-s-been-a-while Thu, 22 Aug 2013 02:53:50 GMT Geez, it's been at least two years since I've posted anything here. Actually I kind of just plain forgot about it. I should probably post a few things here and there. I'm still at the same job, currently working 10 hour days on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays but then I have the rest of the week off. It's the first time in amost a year that I actually have some time off on the weekend. I've been riding my motorcycle in every day now for the past three weeks. I picked up a new jacket and pants recently and they're very well armored but HOT. I wore them to work today and was swimming in sweat by the time I got here. I think I'll like them though later on in the fall. Well, that's about it for now, don't want to start off again with too much. Makes it more difficult to keep up with it. ]]> MarkS https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?82-Wow-it-s-been-a-while Stuck Shed = Soaking https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?81-Stuck-Shed-Soaking Mon, 22 Jul 2013 04:18:51 GMT Snake Soaking Before Image: http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t47/enzoleya/Isis/IMG_0003_zps0ddd303b.jpg (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/enzoleya/media/Isis/IMG_0003_zps0ddd303b.jpg.html) During Image: http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t47/enzoleya/Isis/IMG_0010_zpsd23b04c1.jpg ... Snake Soaking

Before


During



After (30 minutes later)
[/QUOTE] ]]> SlitherinSisters https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?81-Stuck-Shed-Soaking The solution if you are using a tank! https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?80-The-solution-if-you-are-using-a-tank! Thu, 18 Jul 2013 12:56:59 GMT
Quote Originally Posted by Rickys_Reptiles View Post
Ok, I've been listening to the same question about covering a Ball Python tank for FAR too long, so I'm going to chime in. This is regarding Ball Pythons in aquariums. I've heard people say to "cover the tank partially with..." a wet towel, plastic wrap, foil tape, your mother in laws granny panties.... All decent, but ugly solutions.

Here is a better one! go to your local plastic shop and ask them to cut out a piece of PVC/X for you to the same size as your tank. Then have them cut out a circle that is 2" larger in diameter than your heat lamp (which will leave approx 1 " spacing all around). As well, have them cut (3) 1" holes on the other end. Place this plastic on top of your LOCKED grill lid.

The heat will warm the air on the 1 side of the tank, which will cause cooler/fresher air to be sucked in through the holes on the other end. This will help to keep the tank full of fresh air, while still keeping it sealed off enough to maintain heat and humidity. If you find that you're still having humidity issues then go to the store and buy a reptifogger. Fill is with distilled water and put it on a timer. Run the hose into 1 of the 3 holes. Set the timer to turn on as often as you need to in order to keep your humidity. Maybe once a day for 10 minutes, maybe once hour for 2 minutes.

]]> Rickys_Reptiles https://ball-pythons.net/forums/entry.php?80-The-solution-if-you-are-using-a-tank!