Newbie here

Hello everybody,
I got my first ball python. She is a spider and her name is MJ. I have been looking at all the stickies, trying to get everything right for her. The guy at the reptile shop said she is a year old, but he also said it is a male but the Vet. probed and found to be a female. I got a 36x17 viv set up for her as per Glass tank setup. her hot hide is 90 degrees and her cool hide is 81 degrees, ambient is about 81 also. All ran by a herpstat.
She took her second meal for me today, she eats F/T small rats. No problem. But then instead of going to the hot hide like the first time, she went to the water bowl and slept in the water for hours. I got the temp gun out to check the temp of the water was 80 degrees. She is in the hot hide now, but can this cause problems right after a meal??

Thanks for all your help.

First of all :welcome:

Personally I doubt soaking in the water bowl will cause any issues as far as digestion is concerned. I have 3 Bps and one of them spends quite a bit of time in the water bowl and I have yet to see my other 2 ever in the water. They will thermoregulate to aid in digestion by moving from the cool side to the warm side. I wouldn't worry. ;)

If Im wrong...Im sure someone with more experience will chime in :rolleyes:

Good luck with your new addition....opps I meant addiction :P

welcome....

bob rarely ever gets in his water bowl, the only time he did was when he had mites....those have since been taken care of and never seen him in it again.

I agree not much to worry about.

Am trying to figure out how to post a pic.

I have been looking for mites and just haven't seen any (yet)
I guess she just felt like soaking.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...0175_thumb.jpg

Thank you

Sounds like you have a good set up and temps look right.

Sounds like you're off to a good start. Good temps and a great looking snake that eats for you. :)