wanted to post today

haven't had the chance to post since i first got my ball... ive been so so busy trying to buy a new car. .. grrrr its frustrating
but bo bo is doing wonderful.he is a GREAT eater he is eating live though (cant get to eat frozen or anything) but each and everytime he eats perfectly, he knows as soon as that little scary mouse (im scared to death of them) goes in his cage and he is on the case..lol
. ive only had one bad poo mess to clean up.. my hubby woke up and as soon as he looked in the tank he was like "what the hell?" hahahaha

my temps and humidity are staying constant im at 78-83 on cool side and around 100-105 on warm side. humidity stays approx 50-60 percent.. right now i have it at 90 percent because he is going into his first shed.. i see light splotches appearing on his head here and there.

im am STILL a bit scared of him.. today is the first time ive really truly handled him. and my hubby got him out so i can clean the cage and he was nervous and jerked away from him a few times.. so i put his log on my bed and let him hide while i cleaned then i held him a few moments before putting him up.
the main thing im so scared of is being bit... i dont know the signs of a strike and i dont know the signs to look for so when he is squirming around and moves his head to fast it frightens me. .. but ill get there.. at least i can tolerate holding him now. even if its only for a few moments.. but i LOVE to just sit and watch him for hours

anyway sorry this is so long.. but i just wanted to update those who helped me out so much in the beginning.
thanks to you all i would have drowned if it wasnt for this site.

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Originally Posted by toddsbabygirl

my temps and humidity are staying constant im at 78-83 on cool side and around 100-105 on warm side. humidity stays approx 50-60 percent.. right now i have it at 90 percent because he is going into his first shed..

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If Your warm side temps are that high you need to bring them down to about 90-92....

Temps that high can possibly cause burns or what is basically a seizure.

100* is way too hot. That is enough to burn your snake. 90% humidity is way too high. Shoot for 70% humidity during shed.

What do you mean by light splotches? That is not a normal indication of an upcoming shed cycle.

Eventually you will learn the signs of an impending strike. Unless your snake is curling into an S shape and hissing at you, there is nothing to worry about. If you are worried that he might be getting ready to bite, poke him on the nose and he will probably just ball up. Thats what I do to my snakes. :P

http://ball-pythons.net/modules/Sect...warticle&id=59

That caresheet offers great pointers.

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Originally Posted by toddsbabygirl

the main thing im so scared of is being bit... i dont know the signs of a strike and i dont know the signs to look for so when he is squirming around and moves his head to fast it frightens me. .. but ill get there.. at least i can tolerate holding him now. even if its only for a few moments.. but i LOVE to just sit and watch him for hours

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Here are some links to threads with some different pics of what the different "S" positions look like. There is still another thread, in particular, that I am looking for, I just haven't found it yet, but these should help for now...

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...osition&page=2

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...trike+position

I suggest you just let him go ahead and bite you. Just try to make sure you don't pull back. Once you get the first one over and done with you will feel silly for worrying in the first place. Ball python bytes really do not hurt. They have small teeth. This is one of the reasons they make great starter snakes.

Im 6' 230 lbs and will the first to admit that I was terrified to get bit and for 8 years I was lucky. No bites. Then one day one of my large females struck and bit me on the top of my hand where the skin is thinner . If I hadn't have seen it with my own eyes I might have missed it and wouldn't have noticed. Now I know the bite was my fault so I was fine with it but I tell you , I felt really relieved once it happened.
Now I know what your thinking. I may not be as big as you or I'm a girl and I'm more sensitive to this sort of stuff so here's an example from the other end of the size spectrum.

My girl friend. My girlfriend is my opposite. Fought all her life to try and reach 100 lbs. Her hands are skinny without the meat that mine have. She was terrified of getting bit. She is very sensitive to pain. But i kept telling her just get it over with. You'll feel so much better. Well guess what. That same girl that bit me got her two. Only this time she had grown since she bit me.

My girlfriend couldn't comprehend how something so visual really just did not hurt enough to worry about. Funny thing, the next day when she tried to show off here battle wounds (the teeth marks including where they broke the skin) she couldn't. They had already healed over.
i hope my true life story helps you out.
John

oh ya i also wanted to say this. if you can take the hit without reacting. your ball will be a little less inclined to bite you when it realizes that it doesn't get it point across that way.
John

Baby balls don't hurt, but when the females get up around 2000 grams, they do tend to leave a mark(and maybe a few teeth too).:gj:

Jim Smith

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Originally Posted by bads15

oh ya i also wanted to say this. if you can take the hit without reacting. your ball will be a little less inclined to bite you when it realizes that it doesn't get it point across that way.
John

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That is 100% untrue. Rats and snakes are the complete opposite. A snake isn't that smart to know that. With a rat if you get bit and pull your hand then the rat picks up on that if it bites you, you go away, that's why people kill rats when they get bit. Please do not say something if you are not 100% of it being true. Not trying to be rude or anything, but somebody had to say it.

EDIT:
I do agree that the bites from a baby ball won't hurt, you honestly won't even feel it, the shock of it happening is what scares most people.