First handling... Found some things odd...help?

Today i tolk gypsy out for her first handling since bringing her home earlier in the week. I took her out and she did great no nervousness, she explored and chilled out. Well also today i made some changes to her enclosure. I added a second hide rock to her enclosure on the cool side changed her substrate to eco earth (im allergic to all woods) and added a branch for her basking spot.

Well here are my questions:
when i was holding her i felt some rough scales on her and felt some that were lifted from her body is this normal?

Also when i put her in back in her enclosure she went straight to the new hide hole and had her head sticking out. Wekl my question do snakes yawn? Because she had opened and closed her mouth a few times then curled up and i guess is now sleeping.

Just incase its relevant her temps are 85 on the warm end 75-78 on the cool end and her humidity is usually about 65.

Temps should be about 90ish on the warm end and 80 on the cool. Snakes do yawn and so do most other animals but that is probably what you saw. The scale issue may be caused by mites but could be other things too like rubbing. I would just do a mite treatment to be safe.

Everything looks good, just try bumping your hot spot up to around 90. And yes they do "yawn" I'm not sure if it's an actual yawn, or they are just adjusting their jaw. Mine does it all the time :) and the scale thing, it could be possible that she was trying to move and some scales has poked out? I'm not 100% sure. And yes they will stick their head out of their hide, mine does it to tell me she's hungry.

There are 2.scales on her tummy that lift up and jyst 2 or 3 rough ones on her body.
I will bump up her hot end temps.
She very welk might be hungry lol she eats tomorrow.
And ill get a mite treatment tomorrow when i go get her dinner.

How are you keeping the humidity that high? What are you measuring it with?

It can be a little lower. But that's great you can keep it there, especially for shed time. Over all you seem to be doing it right.

Check out the care sheet, http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

With a humidity guage, whatever there called. i keep a wet rag over a section of the tank that helps tons with humidity.


So now she just went from her cool to warm side and she started to burrow some thats perfectly normal right? Shes so cute i guess shes trying to make room in the other hole by digging so sjes half sticking out lol. Sorry im excited this is the first time shes moved since i got her. At least that ive seen.

I'm also excited about my new boy Draco. Today I went to hold him for the second time and he actually stuck his head out when I took his lid off! I was like awwww he's seeing who it is!

They can be burrowers. Remember they are nocturnal. Mine usually comes out around midnight to one and takes a little crawl.

so i should just not worry too much about the scales thing yet?

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Originally Posted by PorcelainxDoll

With a humidity guage, whatever there called. i keep a wet rag over a section of the tank that helps tons with humidity.


So now she just went from her cool to warm side and she started to burrow some thats perfectly normal right? Shes so cute i guess shes trying to make room in the other hole by digging so sjes half sticking out lol. Sorry im excited this is the first time shes moved since i got her. At least that ive seen.

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What kind of gauge? Analog thermometers/humidity thingys are terrible for accuracy.

I'd suggest going to Walmart and picking up an accurite thermometer. It will measure your hot side, cool side and humidity.