Newcomer looking to jump into the scene.

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Originally Posted by CircleOfSnakes

I'm directly in Middle Tennessee, so Atlanta isn't painfully far away. I'm just worried about having a snake shipped, even if it isn't very far. Something about it is just unsettling. I'll check them out right now, though, and look around. Thanks.

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There is a guy that breeds snakes in Pulaski that posts on Faunaclassifieds.com but his name escapes me at the moment. A big caution about Petco or any other chain is that their ball pythons are most likely imported and it may be tough to get them to eat. They may be less than truthful about if it was captive bred or captive hatched or if it has eaten.

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Originally Posted by Argentra

Once they discover that the hides are good and safe they're un-pryable. :) Most new snakes don't seem to know what the hides are for, or aren't sure about the safety, so they avoid them. Every new snake I've brought home has spent the first week or two curled up in the corner behind the hides. Heck, my new adult Het Albino female is curled up in the center of the tub with her chin resting on her branch(in the store, she was kept in a medium sized acrylic display box due to lack of room) since she's so used to open spaces. Her tub is covered, tho, to make her feel more secure.

As for a thermostat, if you're short on money I would suggest you order a ZooMed ReptiTemp 500R rather than spending your money on a maddening dimmer. Trust me, I fiddled with dimmers and rheostats for months at first before discovering that the ZooMed stats are just fine for short term use. They typically run about $20-30 and do a great job keeping temps once you get everything dialed in properly. Of course, you'll want to save up for the good stats (Johnson or Herpstat) ASAP, but the ReptiTemp will give you peace of mind about temps until you can get a better t-stat. The best site I know of for those stats is ReptileSupply.com.

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I'm not so worried about it anymore. He really seems to be quite the happy guy, and the only one ever in the room he's in is me, and I'm not running through the sight of his cage constantly so he shouldn't get stressed out outside of his hide. I'm just surprised, after reading so much about freshly brought-home babies being so timid and stressed, that he's really the opposite. I guess I won't know for sure until he feeds (Sunday), but as far as his shyness and other signs of stress, there are none. He's incredibly friendly, and you'd think he's already been tamed. He's pretty active, especially now that I've turned all the lights off. So I'm excited, and relieved.

As for getting the temperature under control, I bought a dimmer for one, and I do plan on getting a thermostat eventually, when I upgrade his tub/move him to a tank when I have more funds. If I'd have read that post before I bought the dimmer I probably would have taken that route. The dimmer of course doesn't give me a temperature reading, so I just have to regulate it with my hand. Between the dimmer and the bottom of the tub I have a piece of cotton cloth, just to make sure the direct heat doesn't get too hot for his belly. Between that and the dimmer, the UTH is doing well. To get the temperature up a bit more, since I was clocking it anywhere from 80 to 82 degrees F on his warm side, I bought a clamp-light, and put it above the tub facing downwards on the warm, and a 75 watt nocturnal basking light, and it seems to be doing a bang up job keeping the temperature adequate, anywhere from 88+ (I've been having to turn it on and off because if I leave it on I don't know how hot it would eventually make the enclosure). Plus, it does a good job of keeping the humidity at a decent level. Because it seems that when my temperature is getting too low, the humidity is getting too high, so it evens things out quite nicely. I'm going to buy a lower wattage bulb, though, in hopes of being able to keep it on for longer than about 10-15 minutes at a time before having to turn it off. Very hands-on.

Hi,

How are you measuring his temps again?

I was just asking because of the "The dimmer of course doesn't give me a temperature reading, so I just have to regulate it with my hand. " comment. If you already have one the best solution would be to leave the probe from the acurite (wallmart $12 apparently and does humidity at the base unit too **is beginning to think wallmart should give the site commision** ) in the hot end hide and use that as your guide to adjusting the dimmer - bear in mind you will need to check very often at first or if your room temp varies a lot.


dr del

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Originally Posted by dr del

Hi,

How are you measuring his temps again?

I was just asking because of the "The dimmer of course doesn't give me a temperature reading, so I just have to regulate it with my hand. " comment. If you already have one the best solution would be to leave the probe from the acurite (wallmart $12 apparently and does humidity at the base unit too **is beginning to think wallmart should give the site commision** ) in the hot end hide and use that as your guide to adjusting the dimmer - bear in mind you will need to check very often at first or if your room temp varies a lot.


dr del

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I have a thermometer/hygrometer, but it isn't an Acurite. I've actually searched both of the surrounding Wal-Marts here and I've not been able to find one, so I got a Fluker's digital instead. Its only drawback is it doesn't have a probe, so I'm probably just going to end up ordering an Acurite online. To make sure the UTH isn't too hot I've just been laying my hand on it, and playing with the dimmer. I can feel the pretty significant changes, so I've kept it at what doesn't feel too hot, but will still give enough warmth to keep the temperature up and keep him snug. He seems to be staying ontop of it, too, not really going near the cool side of the tub.

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Originally Posted by starmom

Everyone says to avoid Petco for very good reasons. Inknsteel, your snake has mites...where do you think they came from?? I'd bet Petco since it's a new snake.... :rolleyes:

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hey starmom its me inksteels friend that works at petco they did have mites but he came up and i told him how it was to wait a lil bit till i see them clear up how long have you have bella now for man she awesome post a pic of her x marking


o and yes i did get rid of all the mites and anyone that comes in i refer them to this board for info and tell them to set up there enclosures a couple of days a head of time so they are ready to bring home a new animal and not stress it out messing with the temps

Pictures!

Setup:
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/n...Picture002.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/n...Picture004.jpg


Bazzel:
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/n...Picture007.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/n...Picture098.jpg

Very minimal at the moment, but I plan to expand upon it eventually and hopefully at some point he'll end up in a decked out tank that's actually pleasant to look at. :)

Also, update from a previous post: He's actually using his hides now. Well, one of them anyway. And he's still very slithery and curious, and hasn't balled up, hissed, or struck at me once. I'm really impressed. His first feeding day is tomorrow, and if his behavior is any indication of what I can expect, I will be relieved and happy for sure. And he'll be full.

Well, to my great relief... he fed! I tried giving it to him with tongs at first, but he was too preoccupied trying to slither out of his tub to be worried about it, so I sat it in between his hides and left for a little bit, and when I came back about twenty minutes later I found it halfway devoured. So it was fun watching him get the rest of it down. I took a picture, but the focus on my camera was messed up and it came out too blurry to really see anything in it. But oh well, at least we're both smiling happy now and it put me at ease about how I've been doing with him. :D

Hey guys, little update and a question.

He's been doing well. He finally figured out that both of his hides are alright to use, but he mostly stays in the cooler one. I fed him Sunday, and he's digested well, and he pooped Saturday night before I fed him.

The question is, how often do they drink? I've not seen him drink once, and his skin seems to be a lot "looser" than when I brought him home. He looks wrinkly sometimes. Not all the time, just by looking at him, but if you move him or if he's sitting on me and moves around his skin doesn't seem to be as tight as it was. His humidity is always between 50 and 60, if that has anything to do with it. To keep his humidity up, because sometimes it drops a bit too low, I'll dip my fingers into his water dish (with clean hands, of course) and drop a bit onto the newspaper, which of course absorbs it and helps a great deal with the humidity. Could that be why he isn't drinking? A spray bottle may be the smarter idea.

Any info. would be greatly appreciated. Everything is going awesomely, and I'd hate to screw it up now.

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Originally Posted by CircleOfSnakes

Hey guys, little update and a question.

He's been doing well. He finally figured out that both of his hides are alright to use, but he mostly stays in the cooler one. I fed him Sunday, and he's digested well, and he pooped Saturday night before I fed him.

The question is, how often do they drink? I've not seen him drink once, and his skin seems to be a lot "looser" than when I brought him home. He looks wrinkly sometimes. Not all the time, just by looking at him, but if you move him or if he's sitting on me and moves around his skin doesn't seem to be as tight as it was. His humidity is always between 50 and 60, if that has anything to do with it. To keep his humidity up, because sometimes it drops a bit too low, I'll dip my fingers into his water dish (with clean hands, of course) and drop a bit onto the newspaper, which of course absorbs it and helps a great deal with the humidity. Could that be why he isn't drinking? A spray bottle may be the smarter idea.

Any info. would be greatly appreciated. Everything is going awesomely, and I'd hate to screw it up now.

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I almost never see my bp drink, but he has always got plenty of water should he need it. I notice him go for a drink a few hours after eating, but thats it.

This wrinkliness you speak of, does he look a bit shiny? It could be the beggining of a shed cycle. You will notice a slight pink belly, a darkened shade to his skin, and eventually his eyes will go milky white/blue. After a few days of this (milky eyes), his eyes will clear, then he should shed.

Check this out for more detailed info:)

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=28794

I would have to agree that a spray bottle is a much better idea;)

I've seen Uli drink twice and it's SO cute :)

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Originally Posted by soy.lor.n

I've seen Uli drink twice and it's SO cute :)

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I know haha. My bp went for a drink the other night and my hubby was moving stuff around in front of his tank and I was like "Stop! I wanna see him drink! Dont move!"

Oh, I need a life haha.

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Originally Posted by West Coast Jungle

I think the big differnce between getting a snake at a pet store or a breeder is pet stores usually(especially this time of year) have CH or captive hatched snakes that basically were hatched in Africa and shipped here by the thousands and sold to petstores dirt cheap. Most of these animals are not established and have never eaten yet(they can go weeks/months without eating). In transit they usually pickup mites, ticks and stress related problems(RI, wont feed). My first BP came from a reptile specialty pet store. They swore it was captive bred and it turned out having ticks and mites! CB sure it was. Yes they lie to tell you what you want to hear to make a sale.

Most breeders wont let an animal go until it is established and has had at least four sucessful feedings. If you think shipping overnight is scary(it's not) think of what shipping 1000's of snakes from Africa in a crate. You can also get a het from a breeder which looks normal but carries the genes for a recessive trait (like albino or ghost) for about the same price as a normal. The breeder will also give you accurate info of when/what it is eating and solid husbandry advice.

Can you get a good snake from a pet store? yeah maybe but why take a gamble when a good breeder will give you an established animal for the same if not less. If I were you the only thing that would concern me about shipping is the added cost.

Hope this helps

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Super-awesome post :)
Buying from a respected breeder, with a great reputation, is the way to go. Shipping is no big deal when it's done by a reputable seller. For your first snake, I would search for a breeder that had stellar feedback and great references. The size of the breeder is not what matters IMO; it is their clientele's favorable opinion of them. There are breeders out there with 5 females, that I would buy from before certain mass-breeders. But there are awesome professionals out there as well that devote all of their time to these animals. The Feedback section of this forum is a great place to start looking ;) Most morph breeders always have some normals around to sell.

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Originally Posted by missi182

I almost never see my bp drink, but he has always got plenty of water should he need it. I notice him go for a drink a few hours after eating, but thats it.

This wrinkliness you speak of, does he look a bit shiny? It could be the beggining of a shed cycle. You will notice a slight pink belly, a darkened shade to his skin, and eventually his eyes will go milky white/blue. After a few days of this (milky eyes), his eyes will clear, then he should shed.

Check this out for more detailed info:)

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=28794

I would have to agree that a spray bottle is a much better idea;)

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He actually looks a bit more dull than a few days ago, but his eyes aren't milky or white. The wrinklyness almost makes him look underfed, but that's impossible because he'd eaten three days before I brought him home on Friday, and then again Sunday. Also, if you look at the pictures I posted before he looks fairly plump, and he doesn't look quite as plump at the moment. I need to get some more pictures. Thanks for the info though. If this isn't actually a shed I know what to look for when it does happen. :)

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Originally Posted by Ginevive

Super-awesome post :)
Buying from a respected breeder, with a great reputation, is the way to go. Shipping is no big deal when it's done by a reputable seller. For your first snake, I would search for a breeder that had stellar feedback and great references. The size of the breeder is not what matters IMO; it is their clientele's favorable opinion of them. There are breeders out there with 5 females, that I would buy from before certain mass-breeders. But there are awesome professionals out there as well that devote all of their time to these animals. The Feedback section of this forum is a great place to start looking ;) Most morph breeders always have some normals around to sell.

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I'm pretty satisfied with the shop I bought mine from, but if I decide to get another one I'll probably go with a breeder. If I do ever get another one, I want to get a female HET-something. So I can' think of a better way than the breeder route.

Oh I didn't know you got one :) I would just make sure that the store was clean (meaning, that the snake that you got does not have mites or internal parasites.) Some stores can carry reptiles with mites, because they have a higher turnover rate and also, some stores do not practice proper quarantine. But I wish you luck!

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Originally Posted by Ginevive

Oh I didn't know you got one :) I would just make sure that the store was clean (meaning, that the snake that you got does not have mites or internal parasites.) Some stores can carry reptiles with mites, because they have a higher turnover rate and also, some stores do not practice proper quarantine. But I wish you luck!

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I'm pretty confident in it. It's not a regular pack-animal pet shop that sells everything without a clue about them, it's an exotic reptile/fish specialty shop. They do a lot of reptile shows and things like that, and I think quite a few local breeders are affiliated with them. So I'm not really worried about parasites or mites or such. I do plan on taking him to the vet here soon just to make sure, and get a checkup.

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Originally Posted by CircleOfSnakes

I'm pretty confident in it. It's not a regular pack-animal pet shop that sells everything without a clue about them, it's an exotic reptile/fish specialty shop. They do a lot of reptile shows and things like that, and I think quite a few local breeders are affiliated with them. So I'm not really worried about parasites or mites or such. I do plan on taking him to the vet here soon just to make sure, and get a checkup.

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I love your optimism and confidence sadly a specialized store does not always mean that they know better.

There is a pet store specialized in reptiles close to me, the owners have 30 years of experience combined :rolleyes:

Long story short bought a beautiful banded male from there 2 weeks later it had mites when there hoping they would carry PAM (which they did).

When I went there I played stupid and ask about mites, well that they I learned that mites just appeared, just like that out of the blue :O and I was told it was just normal when you own reptiles to have mites :colbert:

I will not even go through their husbandry practices, again 30 years combined, specialized store, they breed some of their snakes, and others are supplied by some local breeders.

At the Repticon show they hab a tub full of BP and on the head of one of them was a HUGE tick (how do you miss that I have no idea) when told about it they took the BP out, remove the tick put the BP back with the other ready for sale :O

UPDATE

It's been a long time since this thread has been active, and everything has been going great. He's successfully shed, he never misses a meal, I'm getting him a bit more plump (because apparently, I found out from somewhere else, that he was a tad bit underfed when I got him), and his temp/humidity/happiness is all stable. He hasn't hissed, struck, bitten, or balled up on me once. He's 198 grams currently, I just weighed him today.

And now the obligatory pictures:

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/n...zelUpdate1.png
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/n...zelUpdate2.png
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/n...zelUpdate3.png
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/n...zelUpdate4.png