how do you get through to someone

a friend of mine got a baby ball python it weighs 90 grams(i think)
he has texted me he is trying to feed it every 3 days a mouse, he got it from a pet shop, i suggested taking the snake out of the 20 gallon tank and trying in a plastic shoe box, he did and the snake ate, but he hasnt tried any more he wants the snake to eat in the tank, i told him to feed once a week.

he then texted me the snake was in shed, took it 2 weeks to shed its skin and it came off in pieces, i told him he needs to get the humidity up, the snake was also sitting in the water dish constantly, he has a 20 long tank with a screen top and to heat lamps, i told him the heat lamps were drying the tank out so he laid a towel over half the tank....i suggested foil or plastic wrap over most of the screen but he says he knows what he is doing. but he doesnt even have a thermometer and humidity guage, i told him those were a must have.


he asked me what my set up was and i told him for the adult female she is in a 41 q sweater box with a heat mat her temps are 90 in the hot side and 82 in the cool side the humidity is 63%. the smaller male is in a 32 q sweater box with 90 hot and 84 cool and humidity 72%

how do you get through to someone

Just keep offering advice and try not to get frustrated. There is only so much you can do when someone is convinced that they know what they're doing. It sounds like security might be his first need, if the baby ate in the 6qt, but not in the 20G.

Send him caresheets, a book, and as Annarose said, keep being patient and providing the same good advice on how to care for the snake.

-Jen

I think it is easier to get through to people when you give really good reasons for your suggestions.

For example...

Ball pythons are very shy animals and in the wild they inhabit rodent burrows and termite mounds. They like the small confined space that touches them on all sides, it makes them feel like their body is protected. This is why we offer hides and use smaller enclosures for hatchlings. A small bp in a big enclosure can get very scared by the vast open space, especially when a giant human keeps swooping down from above. So this is why many people use small enclosures to start out with, then when the snake is older and more confident, move to a larger enclosure.


It is much easier to take this piece of advice than "The 20g is way too big, move to something smaller".


Also, it is the general consensus that you do NOT need to move your snake to a separate feeding enclosure, just FYI. Ball pythons are generally non aggressive and very rarely are they cage aggressive enough to warrant using another container for feeding. Honestly, it is just more work for you (moving the animal) and more stress for the snake (being moved/stressed around feeding time).

For the shedding issue, try to find a video of a ball python shedding correctly so your friend understands what went wrong. A lot of newbie keepers thing it is normal for the shed to come off in pieces since for many lizards, that is completely normal.


Keep calm and keep offering advice. Some people will take it, some people won't. If he thinks he knows better.. so be it. You can only do so much. I have a feeling eventually he will have more problems and come back to you begging for help ;)

Hey if the guy says he knows what he's doing but hasn't got the slightest clue about caring for BPs, he shouldn't own them. That's where a lot of great animals suffer or are in dire need of rescue. Poor snake but your friend needs a little tough love

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Send him the link to the ball python care sheet on this forum. :D

You could always just offer to buy the snake off him :gj: