a Few Newbie questions

i apologise to anyone who has had to answer these questions many many times before, i am new to keeping a ball python. i have a cb13 female who i have owned for just around a month now, she started hiding and eyes changed to the blue colour and her skin dulled slightly (as expected through research of an up and coming shed) then a week or so later (last night) i saw her begin to shed however she seemed to struggle a little in my eyes.... i have tried as best as possible to keep the humidity higher then normal by misting and giving her a larger house then normal half filled with sphagnum moss as well as her quite large water bowl. i checked her tonight and she seems to have managed to remove it all but she seems very scared of me and when i open my viv she has no interest in trying to escape (for a change)

now my problem is i have read too much into possible problems and being new im worried about her constantly.... her eyes seem to be back to the dark glossy black bead look they had before and i think she has shed everything (tail was perfect) but as i havnt found the head shed i cant tell if her nostrils and eyes have shed or not. im guessing the eyes have

can anyone show me a picture or explain how to be 100% sure she has done everything correctly? im sure im worrying for nothing but ive just sprayed the viv again just in case, and also is this behavour normal? ive read that if the eyes havnt shed correctly she will be a bit more defensive which is the main cause of my concern.

also how soon should i try to feed her? i only feed outside of the viv in a rub specifically used for feeds (notice my use of the 'rub' im slowly understanding the terms for things!) but as she is reluctant to come out i dont want to just grab her and frighten her.

once again i apologise as i realise these will be very basic newbie issues that u probably answer on a daily basis but i have read so many different opinions its hard to form a plan of my own at this point with my limited knowlege.

thanks for any replies :)

IDon't apologize for asking questions. I think most people would rather repeat themselves but make sure you have correct information.

Check this post about shedding:
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=28794

Just because your BP is hiding in her cave, that doesn't mean there's something wrong. It actually means the opposite.Happy snakes spend most of their time hidden.

The reason she might be a little bit scared of you is because you're waking her up and that's just her reaction. Try slowly raising her cave and gently touch her so she knows you're there. Then try to pick her up by scooping her up and not grabbing her from the top (hope that makes sense).

Most snakes will eat during their shed cycle but some will refuse so it's a personal call whether you feed her or not. I feed outside my terrarium as well (I house two Balls together) and sometimes I don't feed my normal during her shed because she just doesn't look happy. As time goes on, you'll be able to read your snake's behavior and base it on that. On the other hand, my Albino is a sweetheart whether he's shedding or not so I take him out and feed him.

One more thing I want to add: when I first got my Ball, I was a little scared of her. But remember, they're more scared of us than we are of them. Be confident but gentle and i'm sure everything will be fine.

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Welcome to the site!

Do a google images search for ball python stuck eyecap, there you will find a number of pictures of what you are looking for. If you can't see any stuck shed pin the snake and the eyes look normal I doubt that your snake has stuck eyecups.

There isn't any reason to feed your snake in a separate tub, feeding a snake in its cage won't cause aggression, and in fact feeding in a separate tub can actually increase your chances of getting bit.

What size/type of cage do you have?
What are you looking to heat the cage?
What are you using to measure temperatures?

Here are a few good threads to get you started:

Care: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

Cage setup: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...With-Pictures!

Cage Heating: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-Thermometers

You can feed right in the viv. I feed on the same schedule whether they are in shed or not... they've eaten every time. Some snakes will and some won't

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thanks for the speedy responses :)

im not so scared of handling her as such i just worry incase i handle her for too long or not enough etc, the first few weeks after she had settled she was out all the time and seemed to love it, when i tried to put her back she was reluctant as though she wasnt ready yet :D

however ive read so much about them it all gets confusing, i even read that 15 - 20 mins is max time to handle them but im pretty sure it would be different depending on temperature and personality of the snake (could be wrong of course)

i think im worrying too much too soon and need to give it some more time before i presume i know her routine and panick when its not what i had predicted.

another issue i just remembered is usually she poo's a few days after a feed but this last time before the shed she didnt (normal during shed i read) but she also hasnt been since.


What size/type of cage do you have? 3 x 2 wooden viv with a glass sliding front
What are you looking to heat the cage? i use a heating bulb that i have put in a cage hanging in the right hand back corner of the viv which is controlled with a thermostat
What are you using to measure temperatures? i have 2 wall mounted thermometers on in the hot end one in the cold, however i have now purchased 2 digital one il be fitting this weekend.

i also have a hygrometer (spelling unknown) for the humidity, she has plenty of hides and a fake plant thing i put together (she loves to sit on the leaves!)

i feel so stupid for worrying so much but i really do think that if u take on the responsibilty of caring for another living thing u should do everything to give them the very best care and attention, and if looking daft is my only punishment then im ok with that. who knows someday i might be answering some questions :)

I can put my cb12 around my neck and apart from moving around slightly he just lies there for up to half an hour. He doesn't seem to mind. I think a lot is to do with the snake themselves but there are rough guidelines there.

I try to limit bringing them out only once, my smaller ones maybe come out for a maximum of 15 minutes as I am trying to keep them established eating and I worry about stressing them. Everyone does differently though :)

Some BP's poo with every shed, some poo weekly some poo few and far between. Nothing to worry about :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by steelpunk

thanks for the speedy responses :)

im not so scared of handling her as such i just worry incase i handle her for too long or not enough etc, the first few weeks after she had settled she was out all the time and seemed to love it, when i tried to put her back she was reluctant as though she wasnt ready yet :D

however ive read so much about them it all gets confusing, i even read that 15 - 20 mins is max time to handle them but im pretty sure it would be different depending on temperature and personality of the snake (could be wrong of course)

i think im worrying too much too soon and need to give it some more time before i presume i know her routine and panick when its not what i had predicted.

another issue i just remembered is usually she poo's a few days after a feed but this last time before the shed she didnt (normal during shed i read) but she also hasnt been since.


What size/type of cage do you have? 3 x 2 wooden viv with a glass sliding front
What are you looking to heat the cage? i use a heating bulb that i have put in a cage hanging in the right hand back corner of the viv which is controlled with a thermostat
What are you using to measure temperatures? i have 2 wall mounted thermometers on in the hot end one in the cold, however i have now purchased 2 digital one il be fitting this weekend.

i also have a hygrometer (spelling unknown) for the humidity, she has plenty of hides and a fake plant thing i put together (she loves to sit on the leaves!)

i feel so stupid for worrying so much but i really do think that if u take on the responsibilty of caring for another living thing u should do everything to give them the very best care and attention, and if looking daft is my only punishment then im ok with that. who knows someday i might be answering some questions :)

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Is the heat bulb actually inside the cage? If so do you have a cage or anything preventing the snake from coming in contact with the bulb?

I'm guessing you are in the UK or continental Europe. If I'm right then I can't help much on recommended products as I'm not familiar on what is available to you or not, but there are a few members who might.

hi, yes the bulb is in the viv and then inside a protection cage :D

Before handling your snake, establish some sort of signal procedure. For instance every time I want to handle my snake, I tap a little on the top of his hide so he knows it's going to lift off of him. And then I rub him on his side somewhere to let him know he's about to be picked up.

yay tonight she was wide awake when i got home handled very well and fed too :D