Re: bp wont come out of hide
Hey,
Yes, BP's are really shy little gentle snakes. A happy BP is one you almost never see in daylight and often rarely at night too.:)
Also once they have eaten they like to get peace and quiet to digest their dinner - think grandpa after Christmas dinner.:P
Did they feed it live (as in just drop a mouse in the box), leave a frozen/thawed mouse in the box, or assist feed by placing the mouse between its jaws?
dr del
Re: bp wont come out of hide
he took a live mouse and pre killed it then danlged it in front of her.. she quickly became interested and struck it. then while she was coiled around it he put her in the box i took her home in
from what ive noticed she hasnt even come out of that hide, not for water, not to check out the other hides or to even go over to the hot spot. i put her in the tank friday evenening. how long untill i can see that shes being active... atleast to go to another hide to regualte its temp
Re: bp wont come out of hide
it looks like your hides are the same, but are they? just to make sure she is not choosing comfort and safety over thermoregulating. i would give her a week like the doc said and do nothing but change her water and maybe some spot cleaning. by then she should start exploring her enclosure and such.
and as for drinking, i rarely see my ball drink, except after a meal or he may venture into his water before a shed. so don't be worried if you don't see her drinking. balls get most of the moisture they need from the food they eat.
Re: bp wont come out of hide
Sound like pretty normal BP behavior. Feeding and traveling is not a great idea. Most Bp's don't come out of their hides until night fall and usually stay in hides for days while digesting. They are very private snakes.
Re: bp wont come out of hide
its been about a week, its time to feed her and i see no attempt of her even leaving her hide yet. however she moved up to the top level of the hide. i insulated the screen and put background around the tank but i doubt she even noticed since she hasnt even left that one hide. should i be worried?
Re: bp wont come out of hide
have you been watching her 24/7? just cause every time you look in the tank she is in the hide doesn't mean she hasn't been out. snakes are very sneaky creatures, and in the wild don't come out in the open unless they feel they are totally safe. you being in the room, walking by, noise, vibrations, all of those might keep her in the hide. once everyone is in bed and things quiet down, then she probably ventures out a little.
a nice quiet, low traffic area is the best place to keep a ball python. and even then you won't see a whole lot of then basking in the open.
Re: bp wont come out of hide
That hide does not look very fitting for a ball python, not good at all. The fact that you have one whole side of the hide against the glass is not going to make your snake feel very secure which in turn can lead to any number of problems. A stressed ball is everything you want to avoid, they can get sick, stop eating, you name it. Making your snake feel secire as possible is easy to do and will save you a ton of trouble in the long run.
If I were you I would ditch that hide and buy two identical hides that are tight around your snake on all sides with only a single opening for your snake to get in and out. Having two identical hides will allow your snake to thermoregulate as apposed to sitting in the hide they like better. If you do that you will be off to a great start.
PS, the guy who let you take that snake home while it was still coiled around that mouse is an idiot. You're very lucky your snake didnt either spit it out before swallowing it or regurging it after it was swallowed.
Here is a picture of my setup. It's very simple but great for the snake.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...il152007-1.jpg
Re: bp wont come out of hide
that hide closes from teh outside
heres a link that shows what i mean
http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/reptile_den.php
if you still feel like its bad for her than maybe i will ditch it. i put two new hides to match on both sides and keep the magnetic one in the middle
Re: bp wont come out of hide
I'm just as new to BPs as you are. I got McGregor last Monday(the 16th) and I hardly ever see him except for when I get home from work and hes basking a bit then after about 20 minutes or so he's back in his hide. If I were you I would either get a new hide simply cause that one looks a little sketchy to me. At least put other half of it on so your Ball feels a little more secure.
Like I said I'm a newb but it looks like your tank is a bit cluttered. I could be wrong.... :2cent:
Re: bp wont come out of hide
Hey man, Just because your snake is in the hide does not mean it wont eat. Take some of your substrate and rub it on the mouse an hour or so before feeding time and throw it in the snakes cage. Your snake will smell it and most likely poke it's head out and go into feeding mode. For the first three weeks with my snake that is what I did and he ate every time. Again though, other than changing water and spot cleaning you should keep interuptions to a minimum.
I still think you should get two simple identicle hides, if for nothing else that hide is going to be a :cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r: to clean. You will see as the months pass that your going to want a simple setup to make disinfecting and cleaning easier.
For what it's worth just remember that once you get everything dialed in and the snake settles in a BP is one of the easiest (in my experience) pets to own and care for as long as you provide it's few needs.