New Owner Questions

Today I finally picked up my first BP, he just arrived at the store and it was on sale so I couldn't resist.

Questions:

#1 I use a heating pad on my BP's tub and I need to know other ways to heat the cage without melting the plastic.

#2 Are there any ways to know what sex it is without probing it?

Thanks to anyone that responds. :)

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1. Do you have a proper thermostat to regulate the heating element? If not unplug it immediately or it will get too hot and burn your snake.

2. Yes you can pop them but only should do it if you know what youre doing. Otherwise you can injure the snake.

If you put the heat pad on a thermostat or dimmer, you should be able to prevent it from getting so hot that it melts the plastic.

In order to sex it without probing, you'd need to pop it, which I don't recommend if you're not already experienced with the process. It may be best to take it back to the pet shop to see if they can sex it for you.

-Jen

The Heating pad has been on the tub for the past 5 hours without melting it and I felt the plastic and it seems to be right because the snake sits right over it.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by CCarr33

The Heating pad has been on the tub for the past 5 hours without melting it and I felt the plastic and it seems to be right because the snake sits right over it.

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You need something like a thermostat or at a minimum a dimmer to control how hot the heating pad gets!
An unregulated heating element can and will burn your BP.
Going by touch or the fact that your new BP is just sitting there in the heating pad is only going to end badly for you and your new snake.

For something that is inexpensive check this one out Hydrofarm thermostat
And as Mike recommended unplug your heating pad until you can regulate it.

Its not even hot to the touch on the outside of the cage, and its built for thin plastic cages. Its nothing fancy and I asked if I need a thermostat and they said no. It is the smallest one ZooMed makes.

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Here is a thread about a test another member did of exactly how hot an unregulated heat pad can get.
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...regulated+heat

Also, congrats on getting your first BP!
And I hope you know we aren't trying to be rude or mean.
Just trying to help you get everything setup properly for you and your new BP.

Edit: Also here is a link to the BP care sheet we have here if you haven't had a chance to see it yet.
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...s%29-Caresheet

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CCarr33

Its not even hot to the touch on the outside of the cage, and its built for thin plastic cages. Its nothing fancy and I asked if I need a thermostat and they said no. It is the smallest one ZooMed makes.

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Congrats on the new ball!
Although you don't think the heat mat is hot, it can definitely be too hot for a snake. Just remember that humans are 97 degrees so we wouldn't be able to feel any warmth unless its around that temp or higher. And at that point, it would be too hot for your Snake. All heat pads need to be regulated by a thermostat. Even if the packaging says it doesn't. Zoomeds and other petstore heat pads can reach up to 130 degrees unregulated.


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