Advice for a New Owner

That is great that you gave her a new home! I can't wait to see pics of her. So great that she started eating again as well :) Welcome to bp.net!!! Everybody here is very helpful, and you will see familiar faces everyday. Which is great for me.

:welcome:

1. you will need a thermostat or rheostat to control the temp of the uth. You can pick up a levitron lamp dimmer at home depot for about $8. to help you keep the hot side at 92-94*.

2. a digital scale for weighing snake & prey items.

3. your girl is 7 years old and should be eating a lg small or med rat every 7 days.

4. Prey items should be 10-15% of your snakes body weight. (2-3 smaller prey totaling this is better than 1 large prey item)

It's wonderful to read that she's eating for you. These snakes tend to have an undeserved reputation as being difficult feeders. Certainly some of them can be rather picky, but the majority seem to do quite well as long as their owner understands this species and their particular needs.

Now that you've got her eating just remember what worked and keep repeating it step by step. My experience with ball pythons and the advice I was given as a new keeper always indicates that these snakes do very well with routines. Do the same thing over and over, simple steps for feeding, cleaning, handling and they seem to get used to it nicely. Once they "get" that certain things will happen and that those things present no danger to them, they usually settle in beautifully and become just lovely snakes to spend your time with. :)