Feeding a hatchling

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Egapal

The reasoning for this is that you are having a hard time keeping your temperature correct in a 55 gallon aquarium. Chances are pretty good you are going to have problems with humidity as well. Ceramic heating elements tend to suck the humidity out of the air. You would have a much better time keeping the temperature and humidity correct if you had a 10 or 20 gallon aquarium or better yet a non aquarium solution. Your ball python will not get 15 feet long. Other snakes will and those snakes have specific husbandry needs. Ball pythons do not need as much space as other more active snakes. Our concern as keepers needs to be on giving the snake what it needs prioritized like the snake would. Your ball python wants security. I can tell you from my experience that my snake will choose safety over proper temperatures and humidity. That's why I make sure that my snake feels safe in two identical hides one "warm" and one "cool". If you can keep your temp and humidity proper then sure the more space the better. Nine times out of ten you will spend a lot of time trying and failing to keep a 55 gallon tank proper and your snake will suffer.

---

So keep temps right and humidity right and all is well. I have a Zoo Med Habba Mist machine that is keeping the aquarium a little above 55% right now. That can be bumped up or down accordingly. The heating will be coming from under the tank asap. I didnt realize this would be a issue, (heating with ceramics).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cordell

So keep temps right and humidity right and all is well. I have a Zoo Med Habba Mist machine that is keeping the aquarium a little above 55% right now. That can be bumped up or down accordingly. The heating will be coming from under the tank asap. I didnt realize this would be a issue, (heating with ceramics).

---

No, the number one concern of your snake is safety. Your have to keep tight fitting hides and clutter up the tank. Baby ball pythons have many predators in the wild. Birds are one of those predators. Make sure your snake feels like it is not out in the open. This is much easier to accomplish with a smaller aquarium but if you insist on the 55 gallon then you should get some fake plants and branches that have been sterilized and whatever else you can think of. Make sure you don't have anything heavy that can fall on your snake and make sure that you don't allow it to climb too high. Ball pythons are bad climbers and will fall and can hurt themselves. After that then yes temp and humidity.

Quote:

---

Ball pythons are bad climbers and will fall and can hurt themselves.

---

For this reason I never keep "tall" tubs for my pythons. If they want to climb, they can do it in my hands where, when they lose their balance, I can prevent them from falling. ;)

My pythons do all their own stunts...I am merely the wire holding them up. ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Egapal

No, the number one concern of your snake is safety. Your have to keep tight fitting hides and clutter up the tank. Baby ball pythons have many predators in the wild. Birds are one of those predators. Make sure your snake feels like it is not out in the open. This is much easier to accomplish with a smaller aquarium but if you insist on the 55 gallon then you should get some fake plants and branches that have been sterilized and whatever else you can think of. Make sure you don't have anything heavy that can fall on your snake and make sure that you don't allow it to climb too high. Ball pythons are bad climbers and will fall and can hurt themselves. After that then yes temp and humidity.

---

As of now I have some fake ivy through out the whole cage, besides the water dish. I know that they know, they are prey right now, I deal with hatchling turtles and tortoises, they are the same way, they eat then bury. I will spruce it up a bit and post some pics. I only have 1 hide right now, didnt know I needed two so I will get a identical one, or two new ones.

thanks

Well I fed Slither again yesterday! This time she waited in ambush, my family gathered around the aquarium waiting for the mouse to head over to her, waited, and waited. It seemed the mouse smelled the snake! I had to take a stick and with the lid open sort of direct the mouse to the snake. Slither sat quietly, as soon as that mouse got close enough she was up and striking with a quickness! :snake: I guess my temps are OK as last time I had to hold her for 10 minutes for her to energize enough to eat! It was only 4 days between feedings, but I can see her on the prowl when I check on her in the middle of the night. She has this way of getting into the fake vines leaving only her head on top of pone of the leaves. Ambush mode! lol Slither has also gained a few grams in the week we have had her, she went from 61 to 74 grams inside of 7 days, we weighed before yesterdays feeding.