New to ball pythons and need desperate help!

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Originally Posted by Mr. Marley

I'm so glad that I found this site. Thank you guys for all your help. I'm going to do this actually, I'm going to give him a while to settle in then i'm going to replace his hide with the cave, move all the moss to the cool side and make a lil bed for him, he loves the moss. do you think that I should just make changes today? or just leave him alone?

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Get every thing set up properly today and then do not disturb him or handle him for a week. And then try feeding AFTER that week is over. THis should have been done right from the start but you got some bad advice from the pet store, so not your fault. WHen you get a new reptile always wait at least a week before handling it so it can settle in and for bp's it is also best to get it feeding before you handle it as well. Because he didn't have the proper set up when you first got him just treat it like you got him today, get everything set up properly and then wait that week. I know it will be hard and you will want to handle him and might get worried about him but jsut leave him be.

Make sure the hides are as small as they can be. Snakes like to feel a tight space when they hide, it makes them feel more secure.

Make sure you get rid of the lights (they just dry out the tank) and get a UTH to warm the tank and have a thermostat or rheostat to make sure you can control the temperature and have a proper thermometer with a probe to make sure you are accuratly reading the uth temps. Place the probe directly over the UTH. If you don'tsecure it down she might also push it off the uth so watch for that. ANd don't secure it with tap as that could get peeled off and stick to your sanke no matter how well you stick it too the tank.

ANd abouty the eatting, bp's are naortious for going off food. Don't freak out if he doesn't eat right away. Just leave the mouse or rat in the tank over night and if it is still there in the morning throw it out and don't try again until the next week. If it isn't eatting and you try feeding it too often that will jsut put it off food even more.

I assume it is a hatching if it is only in a 10g tank. Is that trure or did the pet store get you to buy a tank for a snake that might be too big for it?

Well, today I feel a little more confident about the terrarium. I went to my local petsmart to check out some things and setup the tank a little better, not perfect but better. I have two hides on each side now, hotside with the cave and the cool side with the half log and mossbed with a tree. I also purchased a smaller waterdish as suggested to create more room. I am still using lights because for now its all that I can afford. The temps on the stick on gauge is reading about 87-92 during day (with 60w daylight) and about 85-87 at night(with 50w infared). Using my best judgement I also picked up a 50w moonlight blue bulb, I was reading that these are much better than infared (oppinions?). All in all I think hes going to like his new setup alot better! As soon as i get my next check I can purchase a thermometer and homometer and the UTH. I'm hoping he will be okay using lights untill I can purchase the tank heater?

Thanx again to everyones help! I feel alot more confident and secure about Marley and his current terrerium. :)

I'm also not sure how much he weighs or how long he is as soon as this week quarentine is up i'll get his measurements and put up pictures to fully determine my type of bp :D

"I was reading that these are much better than infrared (opinions?)."

I have a blue "moonlight" bulb. It's garbage. The red infrared bulb generates more heat.
But I don't have mine on a 10 gallon tank so maybe its fine for you. In my opinion, infrared is much better.

Hi,

You really need to get the acurite digital thermometer rather than the stick on ones - to be blunt using those bits of junk you really have no clue what the temps are where your animal is spending its time. :(

And that's where it matters.

I take it you cannot return the lights for store credit to pick up a reptitemp 500 and a UTH?

I hate it when stores sell people the wrong stuff. :mad:


dr del

Yea the tank came with the lights and everything. How much do the reptitemp 500s cost? like I said I will be purchasing the thermo and hermo next week when i feed him and hopefully the UTH untill then I'll just have to use the lights, I'm sure a 60w and 50w nightlite will be fine untill then?

Yea this pet guy gave my snake such a rough start and I feel so bad for him :( but hopefully after this week he will be a lil settled in and learn I love him :D

Reptitemp 500r is about the same as the one I suggested, but much harder to use and not really as trusted.

Use whatever light you must for now. Less visual light at night, if possible. Pet store might have a Ceramic Heat Emitter bulb, which uses no visual light, just infrared.

Heck I'd use the dimmer night light all the time if I could. I just don't think constant, direct, bright light, even if it's daytime is good for them.

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Originally Posted by stevepoppers

Reptitemp 500r is about the same as the one I suggested, but much harder to use and not really as trusted.

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I trust it just fine.. It is just harder to dial in the temp since there is no digital read out.

Yes, it's quite difficult to get it set right. I'm still pretty iffy about it. PurplePython has his fail and made a big stinkoo, and it's just got that reputation, y'know? I'd definitely have liked something even a little bit better.

Incidentally, I narrowed down my odd temp issues to substrate thickness and different hides, which held more heat. All's stable.