Being fair about PetSmart (and buying your ball python from them)

Poor thing T~T i wasnt trying to stress her i was just trying to get her weight. Which is correct, i tested my scale again on a 1lb thing of meat. So you think they lied about her feeding schedule???

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Originally Posted by m3gz

Poor thing T~T i wasnt trying to stress her i was just trying to get her weight. Which is correct, i tested my scale again on a 1lb thing of meat. So you think they lied about her feeding schedule???

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no but its petsmart and petco policy to only feed pinkies from what I understand, so while she may have been eating, she wasn't eating NEARLY enough for a BP.

Adding those to list then, about how many should i pick up for the next couple weeks you think?

and it isn't your fault, you are new to the snake game. BP's, as well as most snakes really, don't show affection. They tolerate us and come to learn that we are giant moving heat trees that drop rats from the sky. They eventually grow to tolerate the holdings and general humanly things we do, but can still become easily stressed outside of their preferred environment which in this case in her tank. BP's especially are nervous little noodles.

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Originally Posted by m3gz

Adding those to list then, about how many should i pick up for the next couple weeks you think?

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I would have a month or two supply on hand. Rodents freeze well if packaged right. Do you have any small pet shops or reptile shops around you? Buying from them is much preferred as I'd hate to see you spend 30 dollars on like 8 pinkies lol especially if she starts refusing meals and you have to throw them out. Petsmart's frozen rodents are so ridiculously priced.

I really didn't handle her much other than when i set up her tank, and tried to get her weight...they said give her 3-4 days to adjust before trying to get her used to me. I hate seeing any animal in pain :( is her belly supposed to feel bony btw? i just made it past page 23 of "ball python care and health" google search

There is one, but you should see the reviews on it...from what i hear their animals all die within a month or two....its sad really

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Originally Posted by m3gz

I really didn't handle her much other than when i set up her tank, and tried to get her weight...they said give her 3-4 days to adjust before trying to get her used to me. I hate seeing any animal in pain :( is her belly supposed to feel bony btw? i just made it past page 23 of "ball python care and health" google search

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when you hold them they should feel like...a tube of muscle haha. they should feel pretty firm in your hands.


I don't want to throw another suggestion at you as I can see you are getting overwhelmed here but you also might want to look into getting a sterelite tub for her down the line rather than a glass tank. I know you just spent the cash on all the stuff but the reason I suggest a 10 dollar plastic tub instead is the ease of humidity and heat requirements compared to a screen top tank.

You're not doing anything wrong, you simply don't know. Again, we were ALL new once. Try to take a deep breath, your snake will be fine. As Predator Keeper said, just get her in her enclosure and let her be. Don't touch the enclosure until it's time to make some husbandry changes and/or feed her. BPs are an extremely nervous species of snake and do stress easily, which would be why she is striking. It is simply defensive at this point due to stress. She will mellow out pretty quickly.
Try to get a few meals in her before handling her again. Obviously, if you need to move her to make adjustments in her enclosure you can, just keep it minimal.
Please don't stress yourself out, you're doing fine. You're at least on here asking questions and you seem to be eager to take advice and make things right for your snake. I truly believe your snake is in good hands and will thrive in your care once you've got the kinks worked out and you're a bit more educated. Just keep reading, keep learning, and don't be afraid to ask questions. We are here to help you and your animal.

I was told to go with the glass one because it gets really humid in the area we have her, im baking/cooking almost constantly its almost a sauna haha. But you think she'll be ok???

I appreciate you guys' help so much, I've had all kinds of companions and they thrive, but i haven't had a pet with a longer life span than 5 years, other than my dog of course. You guys (obviously) know FAR more than i do, so i would be rather foolish not to listen lol.

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Originally Posted by m3gz

I was told to go with the glass one because it gets really humid in the area we have her, im baking/cooking almost constantly its almost a sauna haha. But you think she'll be ok???

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glass can work don't get me wrong but that coupled with a light instead of a UTH is going to crush your humidity regardless of how humid your home is lol. Cover 3/4 of the top with foil to help with the humidity. She will be fine, take some deep breathes and let her be for a bit haha.

Honestly, it's my pleasure. I enjoy helping. I am FAR from the most knowledgeable person on this forum, but I have years of experience. I just recently got back into keeping snakes after many years away. A lot has changed in the snake game since the late 90's/2000 when I re-housed my snakes back then (rough patch in my life that lasted about 12 more years after that).

Your snake will be fine, and you will too. It is very clear that you are indeed concerned and want what's best for the snake. Keep asking, keep learning and all will be fine.

You'll notice some of the more experienced keepers with more knowledge will start chiming in too, they're probably just starting to wake up (it's 8:22 here in MA, been up since 3:30, couldn't sleep, uggh) so the east coasters will probably be on soon and the rest will follow as the morning hours approach the different time zones.

I highly suggest reading some of the "stickies" on this forum, much better than most of the crap you'll find on goggle searches. Anybody can post on sites google will link you to, but the stickies on here are written by educated snake keepers and only become stickies with admin approval (I believe that's kinda how it works anyway).

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Originally Posted by m3gz

There is one, but you should see the reviews on it...from what i hear their animals all die within a month or two....its sad really

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well..I'd go in and ask if they have frozen hopper mice or even rat pinks. They may be a bad shop but if they have frozen rats cheaper its always a better idea.

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Originally Posted by m3gz

I appreciate you guys' help so much, I've had all kinds of companions and they thrive, but i haven't had a pet with a longer life span than 5 years, other than my dog of course. You guys (obviously) know FAR more than i do, so i would be rather foolish not to listen lol.

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believe me I was in your shoes with more than one type of animal in the past haha. BP's are easy to keep once you nail down the husbandry requirements for them. It all seems overwhelming but soon enough you'll be waking up checking temps and humidity without a second thought haha. You'll start to be excited when you don't see your snake for days too hahaha.

Been up all night as well, watching the escape artist. And chatting with you guys trying to figure out just how badly i got screwed :P lol

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Honestly, it's my pleasure. I enjoy helping. I am FAR from the most knowledgeable person on this forum, but I have years of experience. I just recently got back into keeping snakes after many years away. A lot has changed in the snake game since the late 90's/2000 when I re-housed my snakes back then (rough patch in my life that lasted about 12 more years after that).

Your snake will be fine, and you will too. It is very clear that you are indeed concerned and want what's best for the snake. Keep asking, keep learning and all will be fine.

You'll notice some of the more experienced keepers with more knowledge will start chiming in too, they're probably just starting to wake up (it's 8:22 here in MA, been up since 3:30, couldn't sleep, uggh) so the east coasters will probably be on soon and the rest will follow as the morning hours approach the different time zones.

I highly suggest reading some of the "stickies" on this forum, much better than most of the crap you'll find on goggle searches. Anybody can post on sites google will link you to, but the stickies on here are written by educated snake keepers and only become stickies with admin approval (I believe that's kinda how it works anyway).

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I feel ya...PA here been up since 430 for work lol.

also agreed, read the stickies. great info on them.

I know you said the little thermometers dont work right, but should it be hovering at ~70% humidity?

...oh, and as far as glass goes, you will be fine with glass. All my snakes are in glass and are all healthy and doing well (my Cal King just shed a few minutes ago, perfect one-piece shed). However, I do plan to switch to PVC when I can. Unfortunately, it's a money thing right now. I've never had a PVC enclosure, but based on everything I've read, they are awesome. I personally like having the display style enclosures, so a tub and rack system doesn't fit my personal needs.

I also read all the ball python fact sheets and stickies on here already haha. have to do something to stay awake :P

The original kit i looked at was acrylic but i haddddd to listen to the girl afraid of snakes. Had a bunch of the bedding and heating supplies in it too.

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Originally Posted by m3gz

Been up all night as well, watching the escape artist. And chatting with you guys trying to figure out just how badly i got screwed :P lol

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lol it wasn't a bad time, you got your normal bp for 39 bucks, not a bad deal. The other stuff...well that's petsmarts fault for being too good at taking advantage of new pet owners. I'd suggest returning what you can to be honest, like those dumb dumb dumb temp gauges haha I hate that they push those on people...that's a quick way to ruin an animal if the person just uses them and doesn't reach out to experienced people for help.

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Originally Posted by m3gz

I know you said the little thermometers dont work right, but should it be hovering at ~70% humidity?

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50-60% is good, bumping up to 70% is good for when they are in shed though

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Originally Posted by m3gz

The original kit i looked at was acrylic but i haddddd to listen to the girl afraid of snakes. Had a bunch of the bedding and heating supplies in it too.

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I'd wager that was an exoterra setup probably. Don't feel bad they are roughly the same as just using a glass tank...no better at holding humidity or temps at all. You'll be fine lol.

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Originally Posted by m3gz

I know you said the little thermometers dont work right, but should it be hovering at ~70% humidity?

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my guess is you are probably pushing somewhere about 85-90% if that gauge says 70%. I've done comparisons with those and real digital gauges, the analog ones you have are almost guaranteed to be 10-12 degrees lower than the actual temp and humidity.

I just like acrylic because its lighter than glass, easier to clean. Also....how does a snake escape a sock? I dont even understand whats going on at this point. I just found the little critter under my chair.

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Ouch, is that too much humidity?

Yeah, return what you can. That's what the employees are trained to do. Sell, sell, sell. They will get you the basics, but not the "right" basics.
Don't beat yourself up, and don't overwhelm yourself reading too much stuff. It's awesome that you read all the stickies already. I almost want to tell you to forget everything else you read, but that would be irresponsible. It's good to soak up as much knowledge as you can, just be careful to make sure you're learning from credible sources. Not everything on the world-wide-interweb is quality information. After all, Abraham Lincoln was quoted saying "Don't believe half of what you read on the internet."

XD nice try on my tired brain. But yea, i learned pretty fast to take what the internet says with a grain of salt, listening to a "rat breeding professional" almost had me kill my first pet rat.

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Originally Posted by m3gz

I just like acrylic because its lighter than glass, easier to clean. Also....how does a snake escape a sock? I dont even understand whats going on at this point. I just found the little critter under my chair.

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Ouch, is that too much humidity?

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haha they can get out, into or around anything you throw at them. they are masters of it. I had one sneak out of his tub to crawl up behind my female's tub. Only found him when I tried to slide her tub back in and hit major resistance lol.


it is too high but don't freak out, it's not going to kill the snake in a matter of days or anything lol. mine routinely spill their water and push the humidity to 99% lol.

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Originally Posted by m3gz

XD nice try on my tired brain. But yea, i learned pretty fast to take what the internet says with a grain of salt, listening to a "rat breeding professional" almost had me kill my first pet rat.

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Hahahaha, gotta be able to have a sense of humor!!!

Honestly though, just get your girl contained and safe for now and get yourself some rest too. Try the sock again, just wrap a rubber band around the open end or something. You might want to rename this snake Houdini or something too, hahahaha!!!

Oh great so i have another Rai on my hands. That rat was Houdini reincarnated. Good to know about the humidity, ill see if i cant get it lower. Started bread since i was up anyway so kitchen is like a sweat lodge.

i knotted the sock in the first place @~@ im not sure how she untied it. I hope she didnt ruin my favorite bulbasaur socks xD

If they can fit their head through an opening, their whole body can follow. And you'd be amazed how they can fit their heads into some tiny openings!

These are simply AMAZING animals!! Just wait to you have everything worked out and you can enjoy her once she's comfortable and acting "normal". It's fascinating to watch them explore, watch them eat, shed, etc.... The whole thing is some of mother nature's best work in my opinion. How these animals have survived thousands of years is awesome!! I mean, they have no limbs!!! Wait til you see the whole shedding process. And if you're lucky enough to actually see her shed, it's nature at it's finest!!

In truth Hecate was going to be a gift for my fiance (knowing id be the one caring for her) but i think im going to enjoy it more XD

Ok, I know its a total pain, but what i need to return and replace with other things are the lamps for a heating pad, the crappy thermometer thats telling me its 70% humidity even in the back room for a digital one, and a different hidey hole + mice, am i missing anything? Because honestly my brain is fried like an egg on a florida sidewalk

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Originally Posted by m3gz

Ok, I know its a total pain, but what i need to return and replace with other things are the lamps for a heating pad, the crappy thermometer thats telling me its 70% humidity even in the back room for a digital one, and a different hidey hole + mice, am i missing anything? Because honestly my brain is fried like an egg on a florida sidewalk

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I'm sure your brain is fried and your stress level is near maxed-out. Can't say that I blame you, it's been an adventurous, long day/night for you. It gets easier, I promise. You may still need a light or a CHE, depending on the ambient temps in the room where your snake is kept. I still use a night time light for the winter months because the UTH isn't enough for ambient temps to get high enough, it gets my hotspot where I want it and the light takes care of the ambient temps. I would get two hides, a lot of people like two identical hides. I personally don't have two identical in any of my enclosures, but I always provide two and my snakes use them both regularly.
As far as mice, I would try to find some frozen hoppers and buy a pack (PetSmart usually has Artctic brand in 6 packs) and start with that. Once your snake gets big enough that it makes sense to buy bulk, I would definitely do that if you have some freezer space. Just to give you an example, I paid almost $3/lg adult mouse at PetSmart until I bought bulk and paid $25 for 50 mice!!! That's 50 cents each as apposed to almost $3 each!!!

Also, PLEASE don't forget the thermostat!! VERY important to not fry your snake. You will want surface temps to stay below 95, some heat mats will hit 140 if not on a thermostat. And get a temp gun, this way you can check your surface temps accurately, get your thermostat dialed in and then just check daily. It takes time, patience and adjusting, but once it's dialed in you just need to check it daily to make sure nothing is malfunctioning.

thing is, i had a heat lamp, she just said it wasn't good enough :/ "you need a DAYLIGHT bulb as well as a NIGHTTIME bulb, or you could seriously hurt your snake"

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Originally Posted by m3gz

Ok, I know its a total pain, but what i need to return and replace with other things are the lamps for a heating pad, the crappy thermometer thats telling me its 70% humidity even in the back room for a digital one, and a different hidey hole + mice, am i missing anything? Because honestly my brain is fried like an egg on a florida sidewalk

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Yes to the heating pad, definitely yes to those thermometers, if you can get a different hide that is closed off except for the entrance for go it, if not just block the end of the log with something that isn't see-through. yes to mice.

You NEED a thermostat for all heating devices. No way around it. those heat mats can hit well over 100 degrees in under 5 minutes, that will burn your danger noodle quick fast and in a hurry. you can use a light dimmer from Lowes in the mean time until you get one, as petco and petsmart generally don't carry thermostats despite selling the mats.

on amazon they sell jumpstart hydrofarm thermostats cheap. These are on/off thermostats that can or can't be reliable lol. they work in a pinch and will definitely work in the meantime.

I suggest either checking out spyder robotics or reptile basics. Both the Herpstat's and VE's are great thermostats and you can get them fairly cheap with the lower end models.

the herpstat into and intro+ are between 100-110 dollars. sounds pricey but for that money you won't have to worry about burning your snake or your house.

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Originally Posted by m3gz

thing is, i had a heat lamp, she just said it wasn't good enough :/ "you need a DAYLIGHT bulb as well as a NIGHTTIME bulb, or you could seriously hurt your snake"

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some people believe BP's require sunlight exposure (UVB) like a lot of other reptiles. This is simply not the case as they can go their entire lives in the wild never having seen direct sunlight. I had this argument with an "exotics" vet the other week...he more or less shamed me for not having a UVB on my ball python, and I simply told him they are nocturnal, there is zero need for one lol.

yea i was looking at that ultratherm thing and the thermostats they have listed with it, its pretty worth it. And tbh i didnt know snakes were nocturnal lol. So...using this as notepad since its here, mice, heatpad, thermometers, thermostat. Why do i feel like im forgetting something important?

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Originally Posted by predatorkeeper87

some people believe BP's require sunlight exposure (UVB) like a lot of other reptiles. This is simply not the case as they can go their entire lives in the wild never having seen direct sunlight. I had this argument with an "exotics" vet the other week...he more or less shamed me for not having a UVB on my ball python, and I simply told him they are nocturnal, there is zero need for one lol.

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If BPs required sunlight, why do they spend almost their ENTIRE lives buried and hiding during the day, sometimes for several days at a time?!?!?!?! I can't believe a vet told you that, especially an "exotics" vet!!! That is reptile 101 in vet school, or even just for reptile keepers. m3gz learned that snakes are nocturnal in one night of cramming, this VET couldn't learn atht snakes don't need UVB light in 6 years of school?????

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Originally Posted by m3gz

yea i was looking at that ultratherm thing and the thermostats they have listed with it, its pretty worth it. And tbh i didnt know snakes were nocturnal lol. So...using this as notepad since its here, mice, heatpad, thermometers, thermostat. Why do i feel like im forgetting something important?

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infrared temp gun

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

If BPs required sunlight, why do they spend almost their ENTIRE lives buried and hiding during the day, sometimes for several days at a time?!?!?!?! I can't believe a vet told you that, especially an "exotics" vet!!! That is reptile 101 in vet school, or even just for reptile keepers. m3gz learned that snakes are nocturnal in one night of cramming, this VET couldn't learn atht snakes don't need UVB light in 6 years of school?????

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infrared temp gun

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what I think happened was he pursued an exotics portion of veterinary care on his own after going through vet school, kind of a general overview more than species specific...I have no doubts he's a good vet, but an exotics vet he ain't lol.

That and clamps! Thanks xD.....how am i gonna get to the store when she keeps escaping

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Originally Posted by predatorkeeper87

what I think happened was he pursued an exotics portion of veterinary care on his own after going through vet school, kind of a general overview more than species specific...I have no doubts he's a good vet, but an exotics vet he ain't lol.

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No, he ain't. But even a Vet with a common practice should know that. I mean come on. If animals are your life and your livelihood, I would think you would know basics. And that's pretty basic. I mean, you have a practice, you see "exotic" pets, know a little something. It's a BALL PYTHON for crying out loud!! The most common pet snake in the world! It's not like I'm showing up with a random Boomslang or some other rare pet snake.

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Originally Posted by m3gz

That and clamps! Thanks xD.....how am i gonna get to the store when she keeps escaping

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Maybe put her in the container she was sold to you in, put that in the enclosure? Depends what they sent her home with you in.

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

No, he ain't. But even a Vet with a common practice should know that. I mean come on. If animals are your life and your livelihood, I would think you would know basics. And that's pretty basic. I mean, you have a practice, you see "exotic" pets, know a little something. It's a BALL PYTHON for crying out loud!! The most common pet snake in the world! It's not like I'm showing up with a random Boomslang or some other rare pet snake.

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believe me lol I wanted to argue with him until he called the police but I tipped my cap, took the antibiotics he gave me as my little BP at the time had a massive eye infection, and left lol. I found a new guy who while not as thorough as I think I'd like is still miles ahead of the other fellow. He's at least treated BPs, boas etc and while a little oldschool still knows the species much better.

Halfway home she wormed her way outta the airholes in their little travel box x.x she was on my neck the rest of the way, freaking out my mother-in-law.



I used to want to be a vet, but im squeamish, and i cant handle seeing an animal die.

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Originally Posted by m3gz

That and clamps! Thanks xD.....how am i gonna get to the store when she keeps escaping

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I would put her in a tote with a locking lid if you have one, with a blanket or something to hide under. Then stack something extremely heavy on it.

come to think of it, i may have an old box from the coffeepot...dont think theres any holes in it...brb

I would use a Tupperware or something with a lid that can be sealed. Poke a few pinholes in it if need be... Just saw PredatorKeeper beat me to the punch