rescued snake...ned advice please

If you want the super low maintenance option for cheap, you can move your little guy to a plastic tub (there's a picture above with that accu-rite). The reason this is better is because the plastic tub with the plastic lid with a few vent holes will hold temps and humidity much more stable than the 10gallon glass tank. The tank you have right now will be too small for him in a year and a bigger one (at least 20L is recommended for an adult male) would be more expensive than a plastic tub. The plastic tub will also provide a much better feeling of security for the snake.

So, to accomplish this, you can buy a Really Useful Box (RUB) from Staples. A 4.0L (8"x12"x3" high) cost $5.99 and the 9.0L (8"12"x5"high) cost $7.99. The height of the box does not really matter much because the snake is terrestrial. Those boxes are big enough for your snake until it reaches 20" long. After that, you can move him to the 33L or 50L RUB (24"x15"x5" or 24"x15"x8" respectively) which is a good size for an adult male.

I suggest the RUB versus the Sterilite because the RUB comes with an escape-proof lid and is a thicker, more durable plastic. Some Sterilites are flimsy enough that the snake can push up part of the lid. There is the silver-clip sterilites that are escape-proof as well, so you can use those too.

With these tubs, you don't have to have a hide - but you can also put one or even two in - if you prefer. I currently have 70gram babies in the 4.0L RUB with 2 small hides (just enough for them to curl under with the sides touching their body) plus a water bowl on top of aspen with a heat mat on the underside of the container (stuck to the outside) covering 1/3 edge of the floor-space. I put aspen in it as bedding and the humidity pretty much stays constant at around 55% which is what you want.

So yeah, you can spend some money on a dimmer at Lowe's or a Reptitherm or similar proportional thermostat at PetSmart to make sure your heat mat doesn't go beyond 95 degrees.

You don't need the branch or anything else in the RUB. Put the RUB in some corner of your house that doesn't get much traffic and your snake should stop being nippy in no time... well, unless he's hungry or in shed...

Hope this helps!

First of all a big congratulations to you as a first time snake owner, a rescuer with a lot of heart, and as someone combating fear of snakes. When you go, you go all out! :D

As I understand your posts, you are doing quite well with him so far. Even if he didn't have a hide at first, he does need at least one, preferably two. The cheapest and easiest way is to pick up either a small clay flowerpot or my personal favorite, dark colored cereal bowls from the dollar store. Make sure what you choose is just a little bit bigger than he is when he's balled up.

It's no surprise he's a little freaked out, you would be to if you'd been through what he has. It is possible he is in the last stages of shedding, if you don't know for sure what you are looking for, you can miss it. You've been given plenty of advice on temperatures and thermostats, so do invest in a thermometer and a thermostat as soon as you can.

I think you will find once he's got a safe place to hide, and possibly sheds, he'll be a lot less crabby.

Take your time with going from live to f/t if you can. If he's eating live and you can handle that, let him stay with live for at least another month or so until he settles in, then you can try f/t. You'll find lots of helpful information here on switching by doing a forum search. All but the tiniest ball python babies can handle a small adult mouse, so he should be fine with one adult mouse every 5 to 7 days.

Best wishes with your new baby.

Gale

ok guys, just got back from lowes and petsmart, got the table lamp dimmer and thermometer thingy and got him two small hides. ive set it all up as i was told. is it normal for baby balls to sleep a lot? hes not as active as he was at first just kinda balls up a lot and hisses lol. man hes creepy. anyways thanks for all your help guys. it ism uch appreciated, the last forum i posted in i got no help. all i got was people yelling at me for getting a snake when i know nothing about them and i am scared of them. ummm HELLO i didnt GET a snake, i FOUND one lol. so thanks

Ball pythons are not super active normally. If he's just sitting around, he's acting pretty normal then.

Good for you for taking him in. If you decide you still don't want him, I'm sure you'd find him a good home. But I hope you do keep him, because you're obviously a pretty darned good person!

Now that he has a hide, he is going to go in one and just chill. give him a few days to a week and he will probably shed and then be all better. And if you ever have any other questions, just ask. :)

Babies are a little more skittery than adults, especially if his previous owners never held him or tried to tame him down. My baby still hisses a little bit every time I go to pick him up.

Just don't hold him too often, but he will probably feel safer with two hides like you got. I hold my hatchling snake maybe 2 times a week, 3 at max.

i thought about getting rid of him, but as creepy as he is i think he has been through enough so he has a forever home here. maybe that is his problem? i was taking him out prety often and holding him, so i should leave him be and only take him out couple times a week?

You only have to handle him a few times a week. Ball pythons are super easy to care for, and are quite lazy bums, so the fact that he's hiding all day is totally normal.
You're awesome for offering him a great home even though you're afraid of him! However, I bet soon enough you'll warm up to the little guy and maybe, one day, become a ball python fanatic like the rest of us here.. :P

Since he's in a new home and he's young, hes going to be very scared.

Give him a week or so to get used to his new home and take that time to adjust to having a snake. I know leaving him alone is hard since he's a new pet, but you ave to force yourself to just observe for a bit.

After that he should calm down a bit and become more comfortable. I'd say leave him alone completely for no less than 5 days and on the 5th day offer him some food. If he eats he's doing well.

Kudos to you for rescuing the snake though! :)

I would start by taking him out once every few days barring a daily check and water change) and eventually work up to being able to handle him daily (except for 48 hrs after feeding and during shed). I try to keep it under an hour a day but sometimes i keep mine out longer. you may find him to be creepy now but the fact that you took him in and are caring for him leads me to believe you will soon b like the rest of us and wish you had more of them. really they are a pretty cool pet and you found one of the best snakes to get over your fears.