New BP owner

Hello,
so I just bought a BP for my son for Christmas. I did research on them but still feel so lost. First of all the three stores I went to all had old big bp's and one of the stores had a young one, which is what I wanted because I need time to grow with the snake. But the bad thing about this baby was that it had burn marks on it's back. The store told me it's not that serious and I don't need to do anything about it. I am not sure about that it just looks so dry, I'll post a pic and you guys can tell me what you think. Second, how many days should I give it before I hold it? It's been three days but I get a different amount of days from each site. Also is mice or rats better to provide for food? What is a good temp? The tank ranges from 78-90(when the heater in the house is on).

Welcome! Please take some time and read a few of the link in my signature below (especially the first one)... :gj:

Thanks! Those are all the articles I have been reading today!:)

How much did you pay for a burned snake?

I recommend waiting 7-10 days before you start to handle the snake.

Young snakes are usually fed mice but the equivalent size rat can be used. I feed rats to my collection. Its up to you.

As far as temps go. I like the ambient temps to be 77-84 and a hotspot to be 88-90.

If the range you stated is the hot side I think we need to work on your setup to get it more constant. Pics and a detailed description of the cage, equipment, and application would help us help you more.

I paid 50 for him. Is that too much? And I am going to redo his cage today and try and post pics. Thanks

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by KZKK

I paid 50 for him. Is that too much? And I am going to redo his cage today and try and post pics. Thanks

---

I'd say $50 is kind of steep for an injured animal. Mine was just labeled as 'aggressive' at Petco and put up for adoption for free. $50 sounds about like the price for an uninjured normal BP at a chain store though.

I personally like the older, bigger ball pythons, as they are well past the nippy stage you get with some juveniles.:gj:

Aw man guess I should have posted on here earlier! They said he won't have the marks forever but somehow I don't believe them! It's kind of hard living in rural areas because we don't have much variety. If I knew what I know now when I bought it I prob would have just got a big one

Don't stress on his attitude. Don't let the snake think attitude will get him anywhere. If he's hissy and being a punk, throw on some leather glove and grab him calmly. If he strikes don't react. It is like when a baby cries. Don't let the baby know it works. Handle him calmly and let him know you aren't afraid of him and he shouldn't be afraid of you.