Unexpected development. New ball Python.

As some of you know, I had reserved a young carpet Python from a breeder and had set up a tub for her. I was at the petstore yesterday to pick up some more climbing branches when the manager said "hey you! Snake girl!" She then proceeded to walk up to me and pull a tightly balled, absolutely freezing baby ball Python out of her jacket pocket and hand it to me. This was actually a little funny, as one of my snake phobic friends was with me and his reaction was priceless. Apparently someone brought it in and handed it to her 5 minutes before I walked in. She said that since I am a regular and they don't currently have a space for it, if I took it home with me she would pretend it never came through the door. There was a lot of back and forth, but long story short, I have it. I brought it home and put it in the tub i had set up for the carpet yearling.

I planned to purchase another tub so I grabbed a heat mat and was going to order a second thermostat on one day shipping so that I could set everything up and still be ready for the carpet hatchling on Thursday. When I got home I had a bit of an argument with my roommates. They are dead set on a one snake rule, which I find extremely arbitrary for multiple reasons, but whatever.

Now I feel like an idiot because I have given up a gorgeous snake who is already eating f/t rat pups and who has know gender, heritage, and health, for another snake of unknown feeding habits, gender, heritage, and health. It honestly never crossed my mind that this would be an "or" situation rather than an "and" situation, but she? needed me and I have her? now so the point is moot.

This tub is taller than what I have used in the past and i am having trouble keeping the ambient heat up. The hotspot above the heat mat is staying between 92 and 94 degrees but the ambient temperature is only staying between 72 and 74. How can I safely raise it? I thought about getting the second thermostat and mounting my second heat pad to the back center of the tub to try and raise the ambient temperature but would like opinions as I don't know how well that will work. Heat rises, it doesn't go straight across.

Help would be appreciated and a bit of ridicule isn't undeserved.

http://i65.tinypic.com/2vakt34.jpg
http://i64.tinypic.com/2n7gkz8.jpg

Why not try to find a good home for this BP and stick with your original plans of getting the carpet python?

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Originally Posted by Rikoku

Why not try to find a good home for this BP and stick with your original plans of getting the carpet python?

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This. You can get the poor snake a few days of good care, and find it a home with someone who will listen to how it should be taken care of - then disinfect the tub very, very well and prepare for your carpet python.

Looks like a nice little mojave. Honestly, stick with your plan for the carpet and find a nice new home for the ball python. It might be an inconvenience but I wouldnt pass up on the animal I wanted just because you want to help another animal out. Could try the adoption section in the forums here.

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Originally Posted by Dragoon

Looks like a nice little mojave. Honestly, stick with your plan for the carpet and find a nice new home for the ball python. It might be an inconvenience but I wouldnt pass up on the animal I wanted just because you want to help another animal out. Could try the adoption section in the forums here.

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^ Depending on where you are located, someone here might even be able to give this guy/girl a good home.

I live in East Mississippi.

That may no longer be a viable option as I emailed the breeder last night and explained the situation. Judging by the lack of response I don't think he is very happy with me and I don't know how he would react to me asking him to hold her a few more weeks until I can place the Ball Python in an appropriate home.

It seems thin to me and I want to put some weight on it before it goes anywhere, and I would like to make sure it is healthy before I pass it off on someone else. It doesn't seem fair otherwise. She certainly won't be healthy if I can't get the ambient temps out of the low 70s though.

I still want a carpet Python, and I will have one. Eventually. Perhaps this guy or girl will convince my roommates that snakes are not baby eating monsters.

Back when my girlfriend and I were picking out BP morphs, she was dead set on some type of banana. She works at a pet store and there was a pied there that she had bonded with, she felt bad it was there and no one would buy it at the price they wanted, but she still deeply wanted a banana. She almost gave in and went to get it, but i told her that as much as she thinks she is doing the snake a favor, she should consider the fact that she may resent the snake because it isn't the one she fell in love with and that (as much of a jerk as I sound), she would be settling for something. She got a genetic stripe banana she wanted, and someone came and bought the pied a few days later, win win.

I sorta feel the same with this situation, you should probably find a home for the BP and get the one you've had your mind set on.

Get both and tell your roommates tuff !!
As for heat keep the hot spot around 32c which is just under 90f. Don't go above 90f. And then if it's needed put the other heat Mat on the other side keeping it at about 24-25c which is 75-77f. As long as your snake has those temps to go between the ambient temp does not matter.
If your really concerned then get a heat Mat that covers half of the bottom of the tub and has enough to go up both sides aswell which will heat up the ambient
92 -94 f is a little bit too warm.

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Originally Posted by Scottywelsh

Get both and tell your roommates tuff !!
As for heat keep the hot spot around 32c which is just under 90f. Don't go above 90f. And then if it's needed put the other heat Mat on the other side keeping it at about 24-25c which is 75-77f. As long as your snake has those temps to go between the ambient temp does not matter.
If your really concerned then get a heat Mat that covers half of the bottom of the tub and has enough to go up both sides aswell which will heat up the ambient
92 -94 f is a little bit too warm.

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This is what I would do. If you keep the snakes in your room then who cares

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