Mistakes we've all made...

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Originally Posted by ShaleneRafuse

Not finding this website before purchasing my bp, also buying him from a pet store. General unpreparedness.

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X2 First snake was from petco Also thinking I didnt need a T-stat and over handleing. Also thinking I could do with only one snake :)

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

Buying a really poor quality T-stat (zoo med 500r)

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+1...

After going through about 3 cheap thermostats purchased from chain pet stores, I finally gave in and bought a herpstat. Now I know what people mean when they say "you buy quality, you get quality".

Not finding this website and sooner and taking the advise of Larry and associates at Critter Barn for the first six months that I had my first ball python first month I had my second. They say to feed them a mouse as big around as the biggest part of their body every seven days. Among other things that contradict the members of this amazing forum. Since being on this forum i've learned that it's better to feed a rat (more protein etc) big enough to give them a good sized bulge every five days until they hit 500 grams. They even said (I asked them a couple weeks ago) if they've heard of ball-pythons.net and say they learned from experience and to take everything you guys say with a grain of salt. While i've heard from a member on here that Larry is an idiot and to take everything he says with a grain of salt. He doesn't even use grams in breeding he just looks at the snake and decides if it's ready. I think i'll trust you guys rather than the man who thinks he can learn by lots of experience without much actual research.

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Originally Posted by evan385

Not finding this website and sooner and taking the advise of Larry and associates at Critter Barn for the first six months that I had my first ball python first month I had my second. They say to feed them a mouse as big around as the biggest part of their body every seven days. Among other things that contradict the members of this amazing forum. Since being on this forum i've learned that it's better to feed a rat (more protein etc) big enough to give them a good sized bulge every five days until they hit 500 grams. They even said (I asked them a couple weeks ago) if they've heard of ball-pythons.net and say they learned from experience and to take everything you guys say with a grain of salt. While i've heard from a member on here that Larry is an idiot and to take everything he says with a grain of salt. He doesn't even use grams in breeding he just looks at the snake and decides if it's ready. I think i'll trust you guys rather than the man who thinks he can learn by lots of experience without much actual research.

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I had a very similar experience. The place where I purchase my rats has bunches of BPs in one tank, most with stuck on shed- in a glass tank with no hides and one heating lamp over the tank. I looked for a thermometer and hygrometer last time I was there and I didn't see one at all... How can you trust people like that? and they really seem to be almost deliberately un-helpful. (I mean, I don't think you can be that unhelpful without trying at it...)
But they do have a giant selection of all kinds of rats and mice of all sizes... they just can't tell me what I should be feeding my Jackson for some reason. I am so glad I found this site, it has been really great!

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Originally Posted by blueberrypancakes

I had a very similar experience. The place where I purchase my rats has bunches of BPs in one tank, most with stuck on shed- in a glass tank with no hides and one heating lamp over the tank. I looked for a thermometer and hygrometer last time I was there and I didn't see one at all... How can you trust people like that? and they really seem to be almost deliberately un-helpful. (I mean, I don't think you can be that unhelpful without trying at it...)
But they do have a giant selection of all kinds of rats and mice of all sizes... they just can't tell me what I should be feeding my Jackson for some reason. I am so glad I found this site, it has been really great!

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Wow really? Critter Barn isn't that bad, they have each snake in their own tank and have the right husbandry and for the most part their snakes seem to be very healthy. Actually he saved my first snake's life when I got her (she had mouth rot, pneumonia, she was dehydrated and had multiple bite wounds. I think it's just the little things that they're stupid at mostly feeding and not weighing but they like to slow grow their snakes.

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

Buying a really poor quality T-stat (zoo med 500r)

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x2, almost lost my first 4 snakes thanks to a cheap stat.

I made a ton of mistakes when I first got mine. My BIGGEST mistake was that my first was pretty much an impulse buy.

When I was in my second year of college I did a ton of research and even bought a few books because I REALLY wanted a pet and I thought I could convince my landlord that a snake wouldn't violate the no pet clause in my lease. It didn't work, and I ended up getting goldfish. My research completely shifted to the point where I could tell you tons about goldfish and their care. I still really wanted a ball python, but I had forgotten 99% of what I had read. 2 years later, I graduated and moved to Wisconsin. I got rid of my fish before I moved, I didn't think they would survive the trip so I had an empty 29gallon tank.

I happened to go into a local pet store for dog food and left with a ball python and the crap they told me I needed. My poor girl lived in horrible conditions for about 4 months before I realized I was doing something seriously wrong. She constantly had bad sheds, she looked skinny and just didn't seem happy. I re-read everything and realized it was all seriously out of date, I have books that were published as far back as 1985 I think is the oldest.

Thankfully with the help of the internet I could improve her tank conditions. I now use racks, which I wish I had known about when I started, and things are 1000x better for her. She's almost at 2000g right now and she's been breeding for me. :banana:

Looking back, I can't believe a lot of the mistakes I made when I got my first girl. Finding this site was what helped the most though. :)

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Originally Posted by Mike Cavanaugh

Thinking it was possible to have just 1 pet ball python.

:)

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:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Thinking the lid was on "good enough".

I had time to do more research on the BPs before picking them up, since they weren't a spur of the moment thing. I had been obsessed for a few months before my boyfriend bought me Edgar as a gift. XD

I did, however, screw up pretty bad with the frilled dragon. I got him at petco because I was worried the family that was banging on the glass trying to get him to frill would buy him. So he was a total impulse buy. Silly me, I took the advice of the Petco employee selling me the lizard and basically set him up as a bearded dragon! I mean, calcium sand and a 40 gallon long for an arboreal lizard!

But, he's in a home-made enclosure now with plenty of climbing space, so it turned out ok. :)

Thinking 1 night of no thermostat control in my cooler incubator while JUST using a 60 Watt light bulb as heat would not be a bad thing...115 degrees @ 6 am became a sad moment in my life. What made it hurt, was that I was just 4 months into BP's...knowing I had to wait 2-3 yrs for my 1st clutch... and I lucked into an adult female normal to mate to my 8 month old pastel...and I KILLED the 7 eggs. I got this years set up ready 1 month later...NOT making the same mistake again ! Also, now have 10 total BP's and looking toward 2013..should have 3-6 clutches...so I better know right from wrong :)