Newbie from Toledo

Hello!
I'm 21, about to be 22. I have always had dogs and fish as pets as well as several parakeets over the years. I just got my first Ball Python a few days ago as an early birthday gift.

She's in a 15g tank that I used to keep fish in. I have a UTH and a heat lamp but no thermometer/hygrometer or thermostat YET. I will be getting these as soon as possible. Recommendations are welcome!!

I am using newspaper as my substrate because it seems easiest to me, but I am open to hearing opinions on what might be better.

I have 3 hides: The first is a grapevine that makes a sort of cave on the warm side over the UTH. She loves to curl up in the hollow part of the grapevine, so I went out to buy another grapevine to put on the cool end. It is hollow on one end for a hide and has fake vines over the other end in case she wants to hide in or climb on them. The third hide is a cork round (also on the cool side) that has room for her to grow into it. I want to line it with moss to make it more snug for the time being. She also has a large water bowl that is kinda in the middle toward the cool side of the tank.

There is also a decent sized rock for basking and shedding.

Here is a somewhat dark view of my set up.
http://25.media.tumblr.com/6954ef7d4...7dfo1_1280.jpg


This is my girl hiding in the cork round.
http://24.media.tumblr.com/b525ac99f...7dfo2_1280.jpg


This is a view from the hot side of the tank. You can see the water bowl in this one.
http://24.media.tumblr.com/227b08788...7dfo4_1280.jpg


And this is the warm side hide. The opposite side is hollow, so she can curl up under/inside the grapevine.
http://24.media.tumblr.com/216644b2f...7dfo5_1280.jpg

Oh! I almost forgot to mention (as if that wasn't already long enough), today is my girl's scheduled feeding day and she ate her dinner like a pro! I'm glad she's already feeling comfortable enough to eat!

My biggest worry is the unregulated heat pad. You would be best to go to your hardware store and get a lamp dimmer to cut it back.
This is a big worry for me because I have a rescued snake that I bought just to get her better from her massive belly burns.

I didn't know what to get for the heat pad, I will get a dimmer tomorrow after work. Thanks for the advice!

I did, however get an accurite thermometer/hygrometer from walmart when I saw them recommended on another thread. The probe by the UTH is reading just below 90, I hope that helps relieve some worry.

I have some questions: After eating, I know you aren't supposed to handle the snake. Why is that exactly? Just out of curiosity...
And will snakes typically pick one place to hide and digest for a while after a meal? I ask because up until eating, my girl was very active, but since I fed her, she's stayed in the cork roll. I guess she really likes it. I'm sure she was more active before because she was getting used to her new environment, but as this is my first snake, I don't really know what is typical behavior. I'm watching my girl closely to learn her preferences and behaviors.

Ok... I think thats it for now... Jeeze! I'm a blabber mouth!

Got the lamp dimmer!

My girl still hasn't moved from her hide since she ate. Is this normal?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Schaub

Got the lamp dimmer!

My girl still hasn't moved from her hide since she ate. Is this normal?

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'Sup Shaub, Downtown T-town here, Go Hens.

It is normal for them to set and digest. You snake is a lot slower than any other pet you mentioned in you OP. It eats weekly for instance. There is a great pet store on the East side called Pet Finatics, btw.

If you handle after feeding the snake can get stressed and vomit up the food. Which can cause problems for the digestive tract of the snake. At least that is what I was told by a few exotics shops in my area. You definatly want to get a thermosate asap to prevent the UTH from getting too hot as well.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by arialmt

'Sup Shaub, Downtown T-town here, Go Hens.

It is normal for them to set and digest. You snake is a lot slower than any other pet you mentioned in you OP. It eats weekly for instance. There is a great pet store on the East side called Pet Finatics, btw.

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Thanks for the tips! :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Drake Moonslayer

You definatly want to get a thermosate asap to prevent the UTH from getting too hot as well.

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I might be mistaken, but I thought that's what the lamp dimmer was for?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Schaub

I might be mistaken, but I thought that's what the lamp dimmer was for?

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A thermostat helps take the guess work out of the equation.

The t-stat takes your work out of the equation because it will automatically control the mat regardless of room changes.
The lamp dimmer will regulate the voltage running to the map back so that it doesn't reach maximum operation temps of around 130ish degrees. The nice thing about the dimmer is they are only between $5-$10 but the down fall is that if the temps in the room change it will not adjust the mat, you will have to. So you want this set up in a room that doesn't fluctuate temps too much.