Just got my first snake, a baby ball python...few questions I have

Lets start with that the tanks looks like a 20 gallon and definitely not a 40.

Here's a great write-up how to set up a 20 gallon:
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=201740


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Nice looking snake! For feeding, start with mouse hoppers, nothing smaller. For f/t, heat the mouse to around 120F. Get an infrared thermometer gun to measure that and your surface temps inside the tank.

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thanks for all the advice so far...few more things I would like to ask and mention...

*my snake seems to like to burrow under the bedding on the cold side of the tank away from the heat lamp...could this mean the tank is too hot?

*as far as creating humidity...would you guys rec'd a spray bottle and misting the bedding a few times daily?

*could a snake this young really eat live small mice or should I stick with the frozen arctic mice and heat them up as rec'd by a few of you?

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Originally Posted by ArabianOak

thanks for all the advice so far...few more things I would like to ask and mention...

*my snake seems to like to burrow under the bedding on the cold side of the tank away from the heat lamp...could this mean the tank is too hot?
Could be... I would set a thermometer on the substrate under the lamp and see how hot it is. It maybe that it likes to hide, and the temperature under the substrate is what he/she really likes. Could be perfectly fine.

*as far as creating humidity...would you guys rec'd a spray bottle and misting the bedding a few times daily?
That will work, but will be cumbersome for you over time. Maybe try a slightly larger water bowl, or get a small bowl and put some sphagnum moss in it and wet that down a little. That will slowly release moisture and helps a bit.

*could a snake this young really eat live small mice or should I stick with the frozen arctic mice and heat them up as rec'd by a few of you?

Could/would/should... all different. If it is currently on frozen/thawed mice, my personal opinion would be to tell you to keep with the frozen/thawed. They are easy to store and cannot scratch or bite the snake. Many people feed live and don't have issues, but I know for me, i don't want to introduce the potential for injury to the snake if I don't have to. Aside from that, I don't have to worry about keeping live mice/rats alive until feeding day.

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Just my two cents....

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*my snake seems to like to burrow under the bedding on the cold side of the tank away from the heat lamp...could this mean the tank is too hot?

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The two main reason I see based on your setup are hides too big (it burrows for additional security, and hot spot too hot (not being regulated with a t-stat.

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*as far as creating humidity...would you guys rec'd a spray bottle and misting the bedding a few times daily?

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It's one of the option however depending on the bedding it can create molds, the best way to improve is to use a UTH instead of a light, use a bedding that holds humidity) , place the water dish partially over the UTH

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*could a snake this young really eat live small mice or should I stick with the frozen arctic mice and heat them up as rec'd by a few of you?

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They can take live right out of the egg.

There are a lot of things that need to be addressed husbandry wise for an animal that size.

Thanks gang...I ran over to the store and picked up a 30-40 gallon terranium UTH....it doesn't have any options to regulate heat though...I placed it under the tank and put the water bowl slightly on it to create some humidity. I also picked up a temp and humidity gauge...where should I place that in the tank? on the light side or on the darker side?

I will buy another hide tomorrow and keep chipping away. By the way, I filled the water bowl up with fresh water and he came slithering along to have a fresh drink almost immediately...not sure if that is a good sign or not...can't believe how calm and passive this snake is. Being my first snake I expected a lot more distrust, but I have been calm and slow and he doesn't seem to mind me at all. I hope that's a good sign too.

thanks...let me know what else I can do.

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Originally Posted by ArabianOak

...let me know what else I can do.

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Unplug that unregulated heat mat until you get a thermostat or rheostat to regulate it before worse happens.

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

Unplug that unregulated heat mat until you get a thermostat or rheostat to regulate it before worse happens.

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X2

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Got it...I unplugged it...I will pick up a regulator for it tomorrow. I put the humidity and temp gauge on the light side of the terranium...humidity a tick over 40% and temp around 82/83...

Hey congrats on your new pet! Ball pythons are the best, especially when they are little worms like yours:) the setup you bought sounds good, it's just a matter of using it correctly. A baby bp can happily grow up in a 40 gal, so long as you clutter it and give him a ton of hiding spots. I personally prefer heat lamps over heat mats. They distribute the heat more and are a lot less faulty!! It's completely normal for your bp to refuse food after only 3 days. Give him a week to settle in, these guys don't handle change too well. As for feeding size, aim for a rat or mouse the same thickness as the thickest part of his girth. No bigger. I know someone said don't go any smaller than a hopper, but this is entirely untrue. My guy had to start on mouse fuzzies, that's how tiny he was! I tried going bigger too soon, and he couldn't handle it. Regurgitated rodents are not something you want to deal with!


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