I got my first bp last week.. I have no idea what I'm doing! HELP!

So last week my co-worker gave us a ball python.. her family no longer could take care of it. My husband and I of course took her in. We're not really sure what to do with her. We've fed her she has water and we bought a basic tank for her and I'm doing all the reading I can but going to forums in the past have helped me a lot with other things. Someone please help! She's very friendly, not aggressive as far as we know. My 3 year old adores her and we plan to keep her for a very long time. I just need to be educated so we can take care of her properly. Thanks! :)

Definitely check out the care sheets on this site. It's just about everything you need to know.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...s%29-Caresheet

Welcome to the forum, and to the wonderfully addicting world of Ball Pythons.

This is by far one of the most information rich sites for care there is; so read, read, read, ask tons of questions and read some more.

By the way, it is considered very rude to come here asking for help without posting pictures of the snake who needs our help. ;) :P

Gale

It may be a little frustrating or over whelming for the first week or so, but once you get everything down it gets alot easier and alot more enjoyable. Here is a link that may help with setting up your tank. There are plenty of people here with a wealth of knowledge to help you out. :)

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...p-w-pics-*DUW*

Hello and welcome! What's your caging situation?

They're really easy to care for -- you need a warm spot (ideally a UTH with a lamp dimmer to keep the temp below 95F), a water bowl, fresh paper or aspen chips for bedding, and two cardboard boxes or packing tubes for them to hide in. Eventually you may want a moist hide when the ball python goes into shed.

They only eat every week or every other week, and they usually poop once a month, so they're easy to keep clean. Most of the work is in getting them set up and settled in to a new home.

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Originally Posted by angllady2

By the way, it is considered very rude to come here asking for help without posting pictures of the snake who needs our help. ;) :P

Gale

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Absolutely! :D Not only that, but it would help us to see your setup... then we can suggest any changes, like the substrate/hide/thermometers/etc. Welcome to the addiction!

hi welcome to bp.net...and this ball python addiction that everyone is raving about here, lol. :welcome:

yes, pictures are a must here!

that tank set up link vypyrz sent is an awesome tutorial on how to set up a tank :gj:.

here's my set up...(with my girl in it. dont mind her, she thinks she's a turtle! :rofl:)

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...sy247/nyx1.jpg

what i have:

warm side (left 1/2):
--- U.T.H - underneath terrarium (notice the left side is elevated? this gives the U.T.H some ventilation and keeps it off my dresser surface.)
--- thermostat (this controls the heat output of the U.T.H)- i have the zoo med reptitemp 500r. it's not digital and has to be adjusted periodically to keep the U.T.H's heat at a somewhat consistant level but i dont mind adjusting it so much. (there are a variety of devices used to control a heat pad and what works best for you is gonna be up to you.)
--- water dish - having a water source directly over the heat is a good way to create humidity which is a must with these snakes, especially when they're in shed.
--- (not seen in pic) wet hand towel over screen top - this helps create & keep in the humidity.
--- hide box

cool side (right 1/2):
--- hide box - (these should be identical so the snake does not have to choose security over temp. they should also be JUST big enough for the snake to squeeze into. they'd rather have to smoosh themselves into a hide then have one that's too big.)
here's an awesome example of an ideal set of hide boxes...

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...mhidebox-1.jpg

i got mine from reptilebasics.com

--- water dish - (having 2 of these helps with my humidity levels. i've played around with these to see when i get the best humidity so i know my claim is legit there. you'll really want something that is not easily knocked over. you'll be cleaning less spills going with something heavy.)

in between:
--- the accu-rite on the back glass is mounted using velcro. this gives me the humidity readings inside the terrarium.
this particular model

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...myaccurite.jpg

gives me the time on top, temp in middle (which i dont need cuz i monitor my temps with a temp gun) & humidity on the bottom (displayed as a %)

other stuff you'll want:

--- something to cover 3 sides of your tank. these snakes will stress out BAD if they feel overly exposed 24-7. i have a double sided paper background covering the 3 sides of my set up.
--- substrate -this will be your choice depending on what you think works best. i personally prefer the aesthetically pleasing look and am using exo terra forest bark (fir bark chunks).
if you go with a bark/mulch type substrate stay clear of anything with cedar. the cypress mulch from home depot/lowes pretty much all has cedar mixed in with it, sadly i learned that after purchasing a big bag of it and had to discontinue using it in my terrarium but was able to throw it down in my flower bed.
--- a temp gun - this is by far i believe the BEST way to monitor temps. the surface temps are really what you want to be watching cuz it's what your snake lays on.
(those round temp/humidity gauges are trash. they're notoriously inaccurate and basically only monitor the temp of the glass they're adhered to and even then they're still wrong.)

so there ya have it...

all that's left is for you to read up on whatever info there is here. i read the care sheet and asked a million questions. arm yourself with as much knowledge as you can pack in.
remember, here on bp.net, the only stupid question is one that goes un-asked. :gj:

and once again...
:welcome: