New BP + Suggestions?

Hey guys. So I'm new to this forum and after looking at it for a few years I got a bp with my boyfriend last night. We have done some research and my father had 2 Burmese pythons but we were looking for your guys opinions. The couple we got the snake off of were getting rid of her after 2 years due to the birth of a new baby and not having enough time for her. They got her when she was around 2 so that would put her estimated age at 4. They don't know the breeder of her or anything related. Belle (the bp, not officially gendered) is a very calm and relaxed ball, especially while we were looking at her last night. She was relaxed the entire drive home and when we kept her out while setting up her enclosure.

She's apparently a little picky of an eater and normally is taken to a different tub to feed. We’re not sure if it would be safe to try and get her used to eating in her own enclosure instead of moving her and what not. The couple stated they had some troubles with her getting a little aggressive when they tried to move her back to her own enclosure after feeding.


The couple who sold her to us gave us her and her enclosure as well as a wooden support that offers space beneath for the heating pad. I've attached a picture of what we got. The enclosure came with a heating pad and lamp along with her 6 rats, two hides and a water dish. I was expecting thermometers to check the temperature but when we asked them they replied that they didn't use them and simply had the lamp and heating pad set up.

I'm going to head out today to get some thermometers while the bf is at work along with some basic decor just for aesthetic purposes. The cage is a bar top so I know humidity is going to be a problem so we plan to spray the enclosure once a day and maybe put her water bowl near the heating pad.

So, she was very calm and easy to handle while we were getting her as well as when we got her home and setting her up. When we put her back in the cage she was quite active (we assumed this was because she was due to be fed in a few days) and wandered around a lot. She was still up when we went to sleep but we woke up to her in her hide on the warm side. She got up for a little bit, stuck her nose out and then came out to investigate for probably half an hour. She's now back asleep in her hide.

We we were just looking for suggestions and opinions on her behavior to see if it's 'normal' and any other suggestions for the cage. We will hopefully get some more pictures of her later on tonight we just don’t want to disturb her right now. I tried to snag the couple pictures they posted of her on the ad but it was taken down shortly after we got her. We've attached the few photos we managed to get with our cellphones and hope they will suffice for a few hours.

We know young balls get get stressed moving but we’re not entirely sure how a young adult will take to the transition or if we should gradually and slowly move things into her enclosure.

Any advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We'd like to give Belle the best home we can.

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Welcome to the forum. This is a great place to get advice. It's helped me tremendously as a new snake owner as well. Is the heating pad one of those stick on under the tank heater types or is it an actual human electric pad (which is not that great). Also if the heating pad is not on a thermostat to control the temperature unplug it until you get one! Your snake could get badly burned without one!! You can get a great indoor/outdoor temp with humidity gauge at Walmart with 2 probes (Accurite) one for the cooler side and one right over the UTH pad.

Her active behavior could of just been exploring behavior. My snake did that too when I brought him home. try not to handle her for a week and let her get settled.

I would also feed her in her enclosure. I'm assuming it's frozen/thawed rats? Taking them out and feeding in a separate area is really stressful on them and cage aggressive behavior is rare in ball pythons.

A few little details. It is not suggested to feed snakes outside of the enclosure. You are risking more of a bite then are if you were to just feed her in her enclosure. Some people have success with it but its outdated and unnecessary.

the roaming is completely normal and it will be fine to introduce all items at once if you want. Your new ball python will need at least a week to herself as she gets used to her new home. It is best if you do not hold her or feed her until a week has past with her in your care.

you will need a thermostat for a heat pad. And thermometers are something you should have before getting a ball python... Just for future reference.

Also there really is no difference between bringing home a hatchling or an adult. I find that hatchlings are actually more bolder then adults.

Thanks for the replies guys. I knew that the lack of a thermostat was a problem and I plan to remedy that right away as soon as my classes (I'm a student and my boyfriend works full time) finish for the day. So she is due to be fed on Sunday, should I perhaps wait till the week after that to feed or attempt to feed her in a few days?

Also, yes, the rats are frozen small ones. They gave us two sizes, 6 rats she can eat and 4 that will be her next step up. In the two years they've had her she only bit once and that was when they were moving her to feed.

Shes a a very interesting girl. Absolutely gorgeous and very active. She's honestly the perfect snake for me and my boyfriend, I just want to make sure that her enclosure supports her well. The last thing I want is for her to get sick. I believe she had mites once due to a poor quality substrate and the old owners got rid of those and now have mite spray that they gave to us.

A 2 year old BP should typically be eating a medium or maybe large rat. One big food item will save you a lot of $$ instead of 4-6 smaller ones. HOWEVER, feed her what she's used to now. If she's due to eat this weekend, then go ahead and try.

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Originally Posted by CynicalWolf

Thanks for the replies guys. I knew that the lack of a thermostat was a problem and I plan to remedy that right away as soon as my classes (I'm a student and my boyfriend works full time) finish for the day. So she is due to be fed on Sunday, should I perhaps wait till the week after that to feed or attempt to feed her in a few days?

Also, yes, the rats are frozen small ones. They gave us two sizes, 6 rats she can eat and 4 that will be her next step up. In the two years they've had her she only bit once and that was when they were moving her to feed.

Shes a a very interesting girl. Absolutely gorgeous and very active. She's honestly the perfect snake for me and my boyfriend, I just want to make sure that her enclosure supports her well. The last thing I want is for her to get sick. I believe she had mites once due to a poor quality substrate and the old owners got rid of those and now have mite spray that they gave to us.

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I agree with BCS and wait a week from the day you got her to try feeding. You can use that time to research on these threads about feeding frozen thawed. Be patient and expect that sometimes she might refuse. Get a weight in grams (kitchen scale) on her so you can monitor if she is losing any weight. Make sure her humidity is between 50-60% and up to 70-80% during her shed. A good shed should be 1 complete piece. I had to cover 3/4 of the top of my enclosure with aluminum foil covered card board to up my humidity but I live in a low humidity area. I would also suggest getting a IFR temp gun to see what the temp is over the heat mat. Ideally it should be around 88-90% directly on the glass not on top of the substrate.

With all all that said you have a beautiful snake and she's lucky now to have owners that love her and want the best for her!