What to expect the fist month of ownership?

Personally I think that your setup looks wonderful. Any baby ball python would be lucky to come home to that, IMO.

As for feeding issues, to quote Forest Gump, "You never know what youre gonna get." Ball pythons are individually variable in their response to new environments, settling in, and feeding regimens. I have had hatchlings that will take your fingers off during feeding if you get too close. They will literally eat anything that is furry and mildly resembles a rodent. Also have had babies that are picky about when they eat, time of day, color of rodent, type of rodent etc. You just have to be willing to possibly be flexible from time to time with them.

Don't get frustrated, its part of owning bps. Some owners are lucky and never have to deal with this, but if you own enough BPs, you will likely have to endure a hunger strike, or some related feeding issue. Just keep maintaining great husbandry and you give yourself much more potential for success.


Good luck and enjoy!

Very true, thanks so much guys. I do have a bit more spare fake plants, but they're a bit big to the point where getting in to clean might be more difficult and stressful for her since I'd have to move a lot of things around, but we'll see how she handles it, I'll keep a close eye on her when she gets here.

I do have a Rubbermaid tub, but it's a 17qt. I planned to fill it with some substrate and put her in there temporarily along with a hide while I do the deep cleans every month so she doesn't have to be out somewhere while I clean. It has black tinted sides and lid so although not completely opaque, it's not clear either. Is this alright or should I get a smaller tub just in case?

Do you think I should get another UTH to stick at the bottom of the tub while she's in there? I mean I'd imagine I wouldn't take more than an hour to clean the entire tank and all of its contents and put it back together. Worst case is I would have to move her in there permanently until she feels more secure and eats readily, but I'm willing to do that anyway.

Ahhh I'm so excited yet anxious! It's funny to think that just a year ago I still thought snakes were aggressive and not good pets and that I would never see myself owning one. Now it's about to happen and I just want to do the best job I can for her. I even have urges to get a corn snake at some other point in time, as well as eventually getting a BCI/BCC in the future if everything goes well!

I'm still in my first month of snake ownership and I have obsessively watched for each milestone, worried about everything from "will he eat?" to the finer points of humidity control. Thus far all things are going great, with the only thing remaining is for Professor Snape to actually drop his skin (he's currently in blue) So being a noob here, my "advice" is of a different sort. Try to remain calm in the knowledge you've done a great job in your research, and that this place is FANTASTIC for gathering information if you hit a snag.

If you weren't worried at all you probably wouldn't be very good at caring for your new pet. Obviously you will be GREAT :D

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Originally Posted by PocketPirate

Very true, thanks so much guys. I do have a bit more spare fake plants, but they're a bit big to the point where getting in to clean might be more difficult and stressful for her since I'd have to move a lot of things around, but we'll see how she handles it, I'll keep a close eye on her when she gets here.

I do have a Rubbermaid tub, but it's a 17qt. I planned to fill it with some substrate and put her in there temporarily along with a hide while I do the deep cleans every month so she doesn't have to be out somewhere while I clean. It has black tinted sides and lid so although not completely opaque, it's not clear either. Is this alright or should I get a smaller tub just in case?

Do you think I should get another UTH to stick at the bottom of the tub while she's in there? I mean I'd imagine I wouldn't take more than an hour to clean the entire tank and all of its contents and put it back together. Worst case is I would have to move her in there permanently until she feels more secure and eats readily, but I'm willing to do that anyway.

Ahhh I'm so excited yet anxious! It's funny to think that just a year ago I still thought snakes were aggressive and not good pets and that I would never see myself owning one. Now it's about to happen and I just want to do the best job I can for her. I even have urges to get a corn snake at some other point in time, as well as eventually getting a BCI/BCC in the future if everything goes well!

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The 17 qt tub is just fine to put her in while you are cleaning. You don't need to put a UTH under it, she will be ok. If you are spot cleaning as necessary, you really don't need to deep clean all that often. I find that doing some minor cleaning frequently is much better than waiting, and having to do a major clean.

I really wouldn't worry about having to put her in the tub permanently. Your enclosure looks pretty ideal. Seems like your temps and humidity are good. Definitely a ton of hiding spots and cover for her. Let her settle in for a significant amount of time before deciding on any other kind of enclosure. Even if she doesn't eat the first couple weeks let her be. A perfect enclosure takes time to get used to for a baby bp. These snakes are super prone to stress, so just be patient.

If you enjoy snake ownership, definitely think about a BCI! I transitioned to have mostly BCIs and I think they are wonderful. They are hardy, usually easy going, and don't have nearly as many stress and feeding issues. If you can accommodate their size, which in my opinion is very manageable, you will have a great pet.