New Snake Mom

Hi everyone! :snake:
New snake mom here. Never owned a snake before.

Klaus is my new approx 2 year old BP. Brought him home Thursday. He's Spider morph of some kind can't remember what the keeper told me at the shop. Super sweet silly boy. Doesn't mind being picked up. Not picky. Was eating live in the store and ate a F/T small rat for me on Saturday. He wouldn't strike it though I tried a couple of different ways then finally my Boyfriend suggested we just leave it in the tub with him for a few minutes and turn out the lights. Came back 5 mins later to him with the tail in his mouth then he finally decided that wasn't the right way and spit it out and turned it around. After dragging it through the water bowl, he ate it. :D

He's in a 36q tub with a heat mat, thermometer set to 95 because it wasn't even reaching 90 so I had to turn it up a bit. He has a water dish, 2 hides, a fake plant, repti bark substrate and a humidity box which he hates (every time he pokes his head inside he pops out and looks at me funny). He hasn't pooped for me yet from what I can see.

So! After saying all that, Do you think there is anything I am missing or need to do differently??

Also I just had him out and around his mouth and his pits I can see some black stuff. Do you think that is dirt or mites??? He didn't have it there when we brought him home so I don't know how it could be mites.

Here's my boy!
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/2pu0pdu.jpg https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/2whl2xc.jpg https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...com/al3mlv.jpg

What a nice looking snake! If you post a close up of what you think might be mites, the experts here could give you better input.

:welcome: He's a real cutie, and already eating, that rocks! Probably substrate on his face, but DO watch for mites...they are common in pet stores because
they get animals in all the time. It really would have been best to keep this new snake on white paper towels for substrate for a while, so that issues show up &
you can address them quickly...things like abnormal stools, or yes, mites! This way, mites can hide very well until their population literally explodes and I'm not
trying to scare you, but mites can & do kill snakes. You'd be surprised...so you must be vigilant, because one minute you don't see them, and the next day they
are everywhere, causing life-threatening dehydration/kidney failure/shock/heart failure, not to mention they spread diseases if the snake survives. Mites suck...
literally.

Don't give up on the humidity hide...he's probably just never seen one before, & just having it in the cage will help raise his humidity....but one of these days I
bet he'll surprise you & be in there. ;)

Very proud of you, btw, for offering him f/t prey...it's so much safer, and many snakes get noticeably calmer too, when they don't have to do battle with live rats-
ie. many snakes make better pets on f/t, assuming you aren't into being nipped, lol.

Congrats on your new snake, he is very cute. :)

Stunning snake. I love the pattern on the head.

Thank you all for your kind words!
I took some pics of the black stuff around his mouth and nose/pits so hopefully someone can help ease my worry. I hope it's just dirt.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/2cp53f7.jpg black specs around his mouth

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...com/oh8h2p.jpg not the best angle but the black specs are kind of inside the pits

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/2ducwzl.jpg you can see a little of the specs near his mouth and inside his pits

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/24c9wfp.jpg