Random Questions....

Hello everyone, I just recently registered and even though i do not own a bp yet i plan to by the end of this week. Sorry if you have answered these questions before, i know you guys probably do it all the time. So i apologize in advance for being a newbie.

I've done my homework on bp's and i just have these final questions:

1. What would you recommend to be the best time of day to feed?
1a. What should the conditions of the room be when feeding?

2. In a bp's waterbowl, what should the temp of the water be? (i spoke to a vet and he told me it should be cold)

3. Would you recommend me to buy a mister?

4. Do i need to by a device to measure humidity? (the vet said no on this one)

5. Where would you recommend the placement of accessories (i.e. hold/cold side) such as waterbowl, hide box, etc. ?

6. The vet i spoke to recommended using Aspen shavings, would you agree?
(yes i have read the care sheet on this website for bp's and know that newspapers are cheap and easy. i would like to get something more attractive looking and natural though)

7. As I am back home from college for the summer (where the snake i want to get is), and the bp's i have seen here are much different. The bp's i have seen are in PETCO stores. The majority of the snakes are extremely aggressive and stressed, striking at anyone that tries to pick them up. The ones at the local pet shop back at college are the opposite, being docile and sometimes shy....and how i've read they should be. Why is that? I can think of some things off the top of my head (their mis-treatment) but i'm curious to know what you all think.

8. Are their any suggestions/precautions/knowledge you could pass on to someone who is buying a pet snake for the first time? Anything, that you wish you knew before buying your bp or pet snake?

Again, i apologize if my questions have been answered before. I have not owned a snake before, but i am looking to give one a new home soon. I was thinking about purchasing it from a local pet shop, close to where i live. It's a baby ball python, born about over a month ago (still eating fuzzies).

I appreciate all the help/tips/knowledge you can give me and any questions you answer for me. Thank you so much.

I think I replied to this same question at HerpCenter.com. I remember posting a very long and drawn out response :) I can definately copy and paste and post it here if you want me to, or you are welcome to just read it where it is.

Oh yeah! Welcome! Glad to have you here! :-D

Not sure who your vet is, but you should ALWAYS have a humidity monitor in your tank, humidity is very important to BPs.
I'm running out for a bit, but I'll try to get back to you soon with a longer response. :)

1.I would most def buy a device to measure humidity...you cant just guess on those things.

2. I feed my girl at 12 in the after noon, some people feed them at night becuase thats the only time they will eat, you will have to get your bp to figure that one out i guess

3.the waterbowl temp in my tank is room temp i keep it right by my light.

4.buy whatever sex snake you want, boys do stay a little smaller if thats what you mean.

5.I have my water bowl on the warm side with a hide and on the cool side i also have a hide

6.I use eco earth in my bp's cage and newspaper in my (soon to be ) corns cage i have never tried aspen shavings.

7.maybe the ones from petco are wild caught and maybe thats why they are aggressive or they are very pissed off and simply want to be left alone

8.make sure you feel comfortable feeding mice to your snake, i was blind sighted when i bought my snake and i didnt think about how i would be killing a mouse a week (you dont have to worry about any of that killin stuff if you feed frozen though)and always ask the seller if the snakes are wild caught or captive hatched.....OR wild caught captive born, sometimes those refuse to eat (the wild caught and wild caught/captive born)

1. at night
1a. quiet, dark
2.room temp is good
3.depends on how your humidity goes. you might not need one.
4.definatly. a hygrometer. get the digital thermometer/hydrometer combo
5.a hide on each side, water bowl anywhere
6.i use astro turf. but hey, as long as it aint pine or cedar, whatever floats your boat.
7.either little or no handling, that and mixed with pour treatment.
8.make sure its you cant see its backbone and no mites

First of all .. Welcome to our little corner of the universe! Glad to have ya around :)

Now .. on to your questions:
1. This is a matter of personal preference. Some people feed during the day, some at night. I personally wait until my guys/girl come out to try to feed them. Sometime around 10 pm is usually when i try to offer food. Bp's are notoriously picky eaters. I have one that will not eat unless he thinks he is alone. I accomplish this by covering his entire enclosure with a dark towel. As far as what the room should be like, only testing will tell. Some eat for and audience, some dont. Every bp is different.
2. I usually try to provide tepid ( not warm to my touch, but not cold either ) water. I figure that its gonna be as close to the cage temp as possible after being in there for a couple of hours anyway.
3. Misting is not necessary unless your humidity is not high enough. A good range is somewhere between 50%-60% unless your bp is in shed and then i ususally try to bump it up to somewhere between 65%-80%. As long as you can maintain a good humidity in your cage, you shouldnt have to mist at all ( be it from a mister or a water bottle ).
4. You definitely need a device to measure humidity. A good many of us use the Acurite dual thermometer/hygrometer available at Wal Mart in the housewares section. Its digital and a great herp tool to have. The dial ( analog ) temp gagues are notoriously inacurate.
5. You need a hide per side. I just put them at either end and monitor temps on both ends. My water bowl goes in the middle. Its all a matter of personal preference and how you want to set up your enclosure.
6. You can use aspen shavings, but i would not feed on them. Any loose substrate has the potential to get ingested and cause any number of potential problems for your bp. I use newspaper or paper towels just for ease of cleaning, but i have used cypress mulch with success in the past.
7. Petco = imported and mis cared for bp's ( usually not always ). That is usually the case, however some people here have had ok experiences with Petco. I wouldnt support the importing of animals that are readily available as well started captive bred individuals.
8. Just make sure you do your research and know what you are getting into before you make the leap into herp ownership. Feeding, proper temps, and proper humidity are the three big ones that i would have read up more on before i got my first bp.


Dont be afraid to ask any question. We're more than willing to help :)

yes i did post the same questions at herpcenter.com

I wanted to make sure i got enough information, because i only got a few responses over there

I was suprised that i got like 5 replies in only a couple of hours....thanks for taking the time to answer my newbie questions

I have done a lot of research on bp's and i think i'm ready to get one. I was extremely suprised to see this other person use pine shavings, when posting their pictures. I know all the do's and don't for bp's.

thanks again.....i will post pics on her and the herpcenter website.

I will be keeping up with these forums and posting updates

Glad to hear you doing your research before getting your BP!!! Hope to see you around the boards!

Welcome! Looks like everybody covered your questions. Good luck w/your new BP and make sure you keep us posted on how it goes. :D

UberAlice,

I'm currently a junior at Texas A&M, and I spoke with Dr. James Johnson of the Large Animal Clinic on campus. He was recommended to me from the local Pet Shop. I have not met him in person, but when searching I found a few articles about ball python care. I'm not saying that he is the best person to speak with, but Texas A&M is known for having one of the highest rated vet schools in the nation.