confused on feeding

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Monty

thats the thing i tried doing and once a week on the same day but he seems not to eat on the same days its weird he goes and eats on thursday on week and then next week wont feed until friday even when i give him food on thursday of that following week

---

If you want to stick to a regular feeding schedule, then he shouldn't even have the option of eating on Friday. If Thursday is your day...then just stick with it. If he refuses on Thursday....he gets fed again the following Thurs. That way, he'll always eat on the same day. It's up to you to be persistent and consistent...the snake won't do it for ya. :P

yea i know that but it makes me kinda nervous when he doesnt eat for one week. since the condition i first got him in wasnt the best he was dehydrated and didnt have a hid ein his cage and they had pine chips in the cage. i said can i see your ball python since it was the only one they had at the time and they said yea but he nipps at everyone whos tries to pick him up. as soon as i put my hand in the tank he crawled over to my hand and wrapped himself around my hand and the kid that was workin yes he was a kid no older the 15 i would have to say. and in my head at the time i was thinking he looks dehydrated.(mind you i still dont know his/her sex yet). and the kid was like wow hes been really nippy towards everyone. and me and my one friend who went with me looked at each other and was like yea its cuz of the way your keeping him. and the kid said that he was eating regularly which when i got monty home. i didnt feed him for the first week so he could get acclimated to the house and his surroundings i went to get food for him and he refused to eat so i was like ok ill give him another week he didnt eat and he was gettin worse. but the third week i had him he ate 4 pinkies and a fuzzy looked better and and then he started eating on a weekly basis for me minus a day thursday to friday and he doesnt like the hot end of his tank he stays on the cool end which i have at 82 degrees on the cool side and the hot end i have at 93 with a 10 degree diffrence at night on both ends. and he seems to stay on the cool side. i never see him drink or go "swimming" in the water dish but

i've read some place that bps get the water that they need from the food they eat. is this true? because he deffinatly dosent seem dehydrated any more and hes livelier than he was when i first got him.

he hates being in his tank unless its for sleeping or eatin other then that he rubs his nose against the glass until i take him out and even then half his body is still in the hide box on the cool end.

sorry wanted to give some back history of monty so you know whats goin on over here lol.

well thanks and i hope ive done everything right so far.

although i am looking into sterilite tubs and dont understadn the demensions i need for a python i have him in a 20 gallon tank right now and he seems to be out growing it fast.

well sorry to talk everyone's ears or should i say eyes off.

and thanks again.

I can understand your concerns. And its up to you if you want to feed on a regular day...or just whichever day you think he'll eat. Same-day feeding is just my personal preference for a number of reasons.


BP's drink water to hydrate. I'm sure they may get some hydration from their food, but that is NOT their source for water. They have to have fresh, clean water available at all times. (Which I'm sure you provide!) So you may not see him drinking, but I guarantee you he is.

yea i change and clean his water bowl at least 2 times a day. since the basment flooded and we had flys and mosquitos breeding down there. its dry not but still am being safe on not letting any mosquitos breed by changing his water twice a day but when i know its gonna be cold like in october ill go back to cleaning it once a day.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Monty

...although i am looking into sterilite tubs and dont understadn the demensions i need for a python i have him in a 20 gallon tank right now and he seems to be out growing it fast...

---

The size of a 20gal tank will be sufficient for a long time. I currently have a 2000 gram female, a little over 4ft, in a 20 gal tank. (She will eventually move into my rack system, but is currently quarantened). She does absolutely fine in the 20 gal tank. When I do move her, she'll go into a Sterilite 1960 tub, which is 34" x 16", only slightly larger than the 20gal.

Steve

ok so i shouldnt have to worry about a tub any time soon then i am assuming althought i would like to pick one up and get it ready just in case and i like the convenaince of the tub better than the tank easier to handle and lighter in weight so i can take him outside and do all my disenfecting outside instead of taking everything out inside the house and then taking the tank outside to disinfect to disinfect the tank and everything i use 1 part bleach to 3 parts water and then i hose everything down when im done to make sure the bleach and everything is washed away so no harm can be done to monty

If you want to use a tub, by all means do. I wasn't trying to discourage you from that. I just wanted to let you know that size wise, 20 gal should be fine for a good long time. I think a tub is probably a better option, easier to control temps and humidity, and easier to clean. That's entirely up to you! :)

Steve

o i understand u werent tryin to persuade me not to use a tub i just think in the interest of monty and me that a tub would be much better choice and ive read the diy on the site about using a tub but am still kinda confused on the process of which to make one into a suitable habitat for monty i mean i understand the drilling of the sides and everything but what about lights and things like that or do u not need one if your using a heat pad cuz i was just going to use a human heat pad on the low meduim setting