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Re: Need piece of mind.
Move it to a 10 gallon.
Put in a few pieces of crumpled newspaper.
Wait a few days.
Offer hopper, and good luck.
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Re: Need piece of mind.
You wanna make sure the hides are nice and snug too. If the hides are too big he may feel insecure but you could easily make a smaller hide with some dollar store bowls or stuff some paper towels/newspaper to make him feel more comfy.
As far as piece of mind goes, when I got my first ball he wouldn't eat the first three weeks. It can be normal for a new move.
Just keep the stress as low as possible.
Don't handle him unless necessary.
Keep him in a low traffic area away from loud noises.
You might even want to "blind" the front of the cage by taping some paper to the front.
Also, I don't know how often you are trying to feed him but when my ball was not eating I made the decision not to offer him food every day since I thought that might turn him off to eating even more.
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Re: Need piece of mind.
Increase the humidity. Use a smaller cage or add lots of cover (or both).
Make sure the hides are small--only just big enough for the snake to curl up inside tightly. Make sure you turn off all the lights at night--you can use a red light or a blue light if you want to see, as they won't disturb the snake. Daytime is sleeping time for ball pythons.
Make sure that you do not handle the snake any more than is necessary for cage cleaning. Don't handle it until it's started eating. If there's a lot of commotion in the household, put the cage in a low-traffic area. Consider covering it if you think there is too much foot traffic or people looking in on it.
After you make these changes, wait 3 days. Once night falls, and all is silent, offer him a live hopper mouse.
If he doesn't take it, I suggest you consult a reptile veterinarian. Sometimes imported captive-hatched baby balls aren't in very good condition, and it's important to determine whether the little one is healthy and just being a bit stubborn, or if it's actually quite ill and needs treatment quickly to survive.
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Re: Need piece of mind.
post your pictures please.
Are you using the analog or stick on type thermometers to measure humidity and temp? If you are they are EXTREMELY inaccurate. They can be off by 10 degrees or more in either direction.
What kind of hides are you using? If you're using a log hide that could be why your snake isnt using it. BPs dont generally do well with half log hides because they're too open. Try using a more appropariate style of hide, if you want something that looks nice there are little half coconut hides that my snakes love. Personally i use black plastic bowls i got from the party supply store, i soldered a door in them. They're affordable and pretty good if you've got more than one snake.
Check the sticky posts, theres a ton of good info in them :)
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Re: Need piece of mind.
I am using 2 flukers (sp?) digital therm//humidity combo. Currently, the snake is in my room, which is the lowest possible traffic area, because im gone all day with college and work D: . I think the hides might be too tall and was think about putting plastic to make them smaller or just replace them. As for live feeding, i have been looking for places on google and through forums where to by live in Nj (im like 5 min from philly so if you know a place).
This is my basic set up, but im getting a 10g from a friend so im going to clean it and then switch Etnie ( ya finally thought of a name :D) to the 10g
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/a...icktars004.jpg
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Re: Need piece of mind.
You need two identical hides and you need more stuff like plants or crumbled newspaperto clutter the tank. You don't need a smaller tank, I use a 20 gallon tank for my baby. It took him 3 weeks to eat and all he did was try to escape but he will settle in it just takes time. Mine wouldn't touch a pinkie but loved mice for the first few feedings then I switched to rats. You only feed once a week not twice a week. Don't handle him and completely isolate him until he is eating well. Just be patient, he will eat!
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Re: Need piece of mind.
I just found a place that sells more than just pinkies :D. So ill pick up some small plastics bowls and more fake plants. Im still going to switch to a smaller tank because it was free. Later when its all done ill post of the pictures of the new tank. Thanks for all the helpful responses everyone!
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Re: Need piece of mind.
okay, just got back and set up the terrarium. I didnt get a 10g but i bought a small half log (not for a hide but just to be in the tank). 6ft of vines (only used about 2ft), a hollowed tree thing, and two bowls for new hides.
http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/a...b/newbp002.jpg
This pictures doesnthave the side covers on the tank. And i might cover the front. Is it a Good or bad idea to help Etnie get used to his new enclosure.
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Re: Need piece of mind.
hey, so although u couldnt find the crumpled newspaper thread, the vines are good to add foliage and decrease stress in ur BP.
half logs arent usually recommended here, but since u still have ur original hides, it shouldnt be too bad.
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Re: Need piece of mind.
Hi, welcome to this forum and the world of BPs! I'm still pretty new, having gotten our BP only 2½ months ago, but I've been through what you're describing and have learned a lot on these boards.
I don't know if this is "the" newspaper thread you're talking about, but I started a thread about my BP's behavior that was similar to what you described, and it turned into a newspaper solution. Click here, starts at post #11.
Although I got my BP from someone else, they had bought it from Petco only 2 months prior and were still feeding it hoppers, which I discovered were waaaaaayyyyyyy too small. Our snake was so thin, it was shaped more like a narrow eel than a round BP, which it now is. Pinkies would barely be a snack, let alone a meal. I get the frozen mice from Petco/Petsmart, which ours has done well on.
Re. being out and not using hides, casual cruising at night (they're nocturnal) is normal, but doing so all day long isn't. Usually they're in their hides. And yes, covering the sides does help. :)
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