New Ball Python Owner

Hello,

My mom came home on Thursday with about an 18' ball python from PetSmart. On Sunday I fed him a pinky since they where outs of fuzzies at the store. i need to buy some more things for him, like hide and better thermometers. I have a UTH on the side with the hide that's only a tissue box. At night he's active moving around exploring climbing up on the thermometer. I have a water dis for him to drink in and soak in with our lamb over it to help humidity stay at about 50%. He's on freeze/thaw mice. I got some pics of him. Sorry if i posted this in the wrong spot.

http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/a...widestpart.jpg

http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/a...BPfullsize.jpg

http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/a.../BPcloseup.jpg

http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/a...hon/BPcage.jpg

Sorry for the bad quality i used my phone to get the pics. Any advice? I know i need two hides.

Try getting him a smaller hide. That will both allow you to fit two hides in there, and will help him feel more secure.

If you're having trouble with humidity (heat lamps tend to suck it all out), move the water bowl over the UTH. That, and putting some foil over the top (if you have a screen top) will make it easier to manage it.

Read the caresheet, and I suggest getting an Accurite to measure your temps and humidity. Walmart usually has them for $15. Get a thermostat for your UTH, you don't want it to go too high and burn your snake.

Get some of that paper that you attatch to the tank walls to provide scenery, or just blackout paper, and attatch it to both sides and the back. This will also help your snake to feel more secure.

Other than that, welcome to the forum!

Yup get him a not to big not to small hide

Well right now I have a tissue box in there looking for another box to work until i get to the pet store or order online for the hides and when i get a chance to get to Walmart I'm planning on buying that and a rheostat for the UTH, but it keeps falling off under the tank. She bought a snake kit for it.

Thanks for the welcome :)

Hi,

Have a read through the caresheet before you go shopping.

I'd pick up some of the aquarium backing Silver Demon mentioned to black out the sides and back of the tank with at the pet store. But everything else you need can be bought cheaper elsewhere. :)

Hides I would probably try and buy those saucers they sell for catching drips form plant pots and cut a single opening in them from rim to base and turn them upside down. Very inexpensive, easy to clean and ideal from the snakes point of view.

You can also pick up the foil tape in lowes etc that will hold the heatmat on the underside of the tank.

I would recommend a thermostat rather than a rtheostat though unless your house temps are extremely stable.

I would also recommend newspaper or paper towels for the substrate ( easier to clean and much easier to keep an eye out for things like mites, unusual faeces etc ).


dr del

Alright, how do you set a UTH to a thermostat? though is it a good thing he ate that early since i got him?

If he ate it's a pretty good thing. It means he has a strong feeding response at least.
To set up a tstat it's rediculously easy. Get tstat and uth, plug uth into the tstat, set your temps, place your probe and plug tstat into the wall. Hydrofarm makes a decent plug and play tstat. Easy to set, and affordably priced.

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Welcome to BP.net :colbert2:, pretty cool of your Mom to come home with a pet for ya :gj:

If you're stuck for a hide you can make one out of a smallish margarine tub! Cut a hole and make sure you smooth the edges of the cut so it can't cut itself. You can make two of these hides. Also the drip trays from flower pots can work, or even a small clay flower pot.

You should put something ruff like a drift wood or a smallish rock in the tank so that it can use it for shedding!

Its a great looking little snake and big up to your mom for bringing it home, I don't think many of us here where ever so fortunate! Its good that it ate, now just read the care sheets, look around the site and perfect your setup, then enjoy your new pet!!!

welcome and congratulations both on the new pet and having a mom who's cool enough to not only let you have a snake but actually bring it home for you. my mom still doesn't want me keeping snakes and I’m 35 lol. I think that even a fuzzy mouse is pretty small for the size of that snake. I think from the pictures it could probably handle even an adult mouse without much trouble and if I were you I would try to get it eating rat pups as soon as possible.