How to change water when stressed?
Hi and thank you for existing! I've been reading about ball pythons for about a month with the intent of getting one and I did! She's a beautiful albino but unfortunately her first week with me has been pretty stressful. I had to change her enclosure two days after bringing her home. I went to a reputable store but had the newest employee with the best of intentions. He gave me the wrong age and sold me a 10 gallon. One of the more seasoned staff had me come back and exchange it the third day. It's a used twenty long with a sliding lid with built in latches that's a little hard to line up and makes a racket. The thermostat I picked up had a probe error so I had to have one mailed (jump start) to me so she still had to deal with noise on the fourth day. She would poke her head out and come out in the evening for a bit and drink water and stretch her jaw but since the fourth day she stays in her warm hide and doesn't come out; that was three days ago. I know to let her be and keep the stress down by giving her time to adjust but I don't know what I should do about changing her water. Even opening the lid causes her to coil and hide her head while in her hide. I love this little lady and want to do everything right. Any help/advice would be appreciated.
She's 5-6 months (I was a little concerned they weren't sure) 20" long but i have yet to weigh her and they don't weigh at the shop. After writing this out I feel like I failed her. I also think she may be going in to shed otherwise she looks healthy.
Re: How to change water when stressed?
First of all: Welcome to the world of ball python keepers!
You worry a lot :)
She'll calm down. Just change the water normally and try give her some space.
You don't have to be overly careful. Just leave her alone for the rest of the time.
Re: How to change water when stressed?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Caali
First of all: Welcome to the world of ball python keepers!
You worry a lot :)
She'll calm down. Just change the water normally and try give her some space.
You don't have to be overly careful. Just leave her alone for the rest of the time.
Opening and closing the enclosure for water or to clean up her mess is fine. When we all talk about leaving them alone we are talking about people that constantly want to handle them and also that think the more handling the better. There is a limit with Ball Python's as to how much they want to interact.. They are a solo roll and feel best let be.. I handle 2-3 times a week and that includes maintenance. It sounds to me like your girl is doing exactly what she is suppose to and the fact she came out at night is a very good sign. Usually a stressed Ball Python skates the glass during the day almost frantically as if it was trapped in a Bottle... Exploring in the evening or at 11pm looks totally different, that is healthy behavior.
Once my snakes are going into Shed Prep Mode i don't see them until the entire process is complete & that can be 3 weeks from start to finish. Most BP's also wont eat during this time.. They get a cloud over their eyes, skin dulls, then the eyes clear and the skin gets a bit loose and wrinkly.. Shedding can then start within the week after.. A lot of new keepers get nervous during all this. These little Guys & Gals know how to take care of themselves and as long as your environment "Husbandry" is within the recommended temps etc things will go just fine. I myself find as long as my Humidity is 58-64 they never have a problem shedding. Sometimes a snake that is a few months old coming from a Pet Shop has a bad shed the first time it comes into someones home. When this happens it tells you the Pet Store did not control their Humidity and sometimes not even the heat. I can walk into a handful of Pet Stores within a couple Miles here in NY and not one of them has thermostats or Humidity above 35-45%.
Take things one step at a time and dial it all in and you will enjoy your new addition. Congrats on the Noodle [emoji6]
Re: How to change water when stressed?
Welcome to the hobby! First thing I wanna mention, you're in your first week with her and you've already seen her drink? Lucky you! Also, ball pythons are naturally timid and shy, so opening the lid (which, according to you, makes a racket) should spook her. I mean, I've had Pylox for about three and a half months and she still gets spooked. So don't worry too much about her being stressed like Caali said. As for the actual water changing, just reach in there and take out the waterbowl, refill it, then put it back roughly where it was. Just make sure she's not overly stressed at the moment so she doesn't strike at you, ball python strikes are one hell of a shock!
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Re: How to change water when stressed?
Thank you for the detailed response. The humidity gets as low as 45% so I've started to leave a damp light weight linen over the top (changed daily) and now that all the thermostats and rheostats are in place and everyone here is so nice, I'm starting to feel better about the husbandry. I'll try to relax. Thanks again!
Re: How to change water when stressed?
Thank you for the welcome! I do worry a lot, I'm going pro soon. The only other reptile I've had was a bearded dragon. She ended up having cancer but I took the best care I could and she lived 7 years (hand feeding for the last two). I'm trying to relax and enjoy! She ate a mouse yesterday :D
