Should I soak?

that helps a lot.. i have a 20 gallon high glass tank with a screen top and a heat lamp that sits on top of the screen. i'l check out the humid hides, i dont know if i'l have room for it though. i'l definately try the wet towel trick. i know she drinks a lot, i see her a few times a week when she happens to be thirsty.. hehe interesting to watch them drink.. but she never gets in the water bowl just to wet herself.

i noticed when i soaked her that she really wasn't happy about the water.. i didn't want it to be too hot so it was prolly just a little over room temperature.. prolly around the same temp. as in the terrarium actually. is that normal [the disliking a bath] or does it just depend on the snake?.. being that some like to swim, some dont, and somtimes it just depends on their mood?

i think my python is a fast grower, i've had her for barely two months and i think she grew an inch or more already. as soon as i am able i'd like to get a bigger tank. idealy i will have a nice corner set up that goes from the floor to the ceiling.. but getting a set up like that will take more knowledge and money on my part, besides she's not gigantic yet...

Ball pythons are terrestrial and a floor to ceiling set up wouldbe pretty dangerous for them. It would also not give them the proper heat gradients for them to thermoregulate properly. If you are only using a heat lamp for heat, that is the majority of your humidity issues. Lamps leach humidity out of the air, and also don't provide the belly heat they need to properly digest their food. A heating pad will help with both the belly heat and the humidity issue. All heating pads should be put on a rheostat or a thermostat.

If you don't already have a good digital thermometer, WalMart has a good combo unit that measures the temp on both sides of the enclosure and humidity. The brand is Acu-Rite and it costs $14.98. It is in the outdoor thermometer and air conditioning section. The stick-on dial thermometers/hygrometers that you get at the pet store are not accurate and you could be cooking or freezing your snake. Temps on the warm side should be 94-95degrees and the cool side should be 83-84degrees. Humidity should be 50-60% normally and around 70% for a good shed.

If she is indeed a ball python, she won't get "gigantic". Maybe 4-5ft. If you want to start making an enclosure for when s/he is bigger, a 4'x2'x1' would be a good size, as that would give you 8sq ft of floor space. Tall enclosures are not suited for ball pythons or any other terrestrial snake as it makes them feel less secure and it is very difficult to maintain a proper environment for them. Also, ball pythons don't normally soak themselves. If they do, there may be a problem. Some of the problems associated with soaking could be mites, hides aren't secure enough, too hot, dehydrated. There are a plethora of things.

Just wondering, how is your tank set up? What types of hides are you using, what type of bedding? A good way to get humidity up is to use Con-Tac paper(cabinet shelf liner) on about 80-90% of the screen with just a hole for the lamp. Another option is to switch to a longer tank(20long) or even a rubbermaid/sterilite/iris container and your humidity and heat problems will be gone.

I would just keep your humidity high and wait it out.No need to soak really

Although.....Rebel my rescued/adopted ball python was said to never shed very well but this time i kept her humidity at 80% and soaked her and she shed pretty well exept for a small peice by her tail that i peeled off myself

(it was her first shed with me)

And rubbing and peeling wont hurt anything at all.

With Roxys first shed i saw her start and she was doing horrible so i helped her out by peeling some off and she was just fine.

yes i found out a few days ago how a lamp will dry my tank as well as the screen top letting all the moisture out.. >.< someone suggested putting a wet towel on top which i am doing every time i get up and go to bed, as well as putting some moss bought from the pet store in there and keeping it very damp all the time..

i plan on getting a heating pad but i am worried about leaving it on all the time and i dont know the first thing about setting it up with a thermostat or at timer >.<
i want to get an out-of-tank heat pad that i can attach under the tank to cover either the left or right side and not the whole bottom...

if i try to put contac paper on the screen top, how much space between the paper and the lamp should i leave for the cut out part? i dont want to risk a fire hazzard cause there was paper too close to the lamp.. it's a ceramic lamp, 60 wat max, currently with a red bulb.

my terrarium is a 20 gallon high.. i want to get a better set up but for now i cant afford it >.< ...
my substrate is bark. i'm leaning towards changing to the carpet or rug like material most pet stores sell.. i have a large water bowl and a wooden branch attatched to a base that sits up at an angle.. i have some fake plant vines attatched to the side that hang down, and there is a 'pet hammock' under the heat lamp where she can curl up under the light if she is cold..

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

Ball pythons are terrestrial and a floor to ceiling set up wouldbe pretty dangerous for them. It would also not give them the proper heat gradients for them to thermoregulate properly. If you are only using a heat lamp for heat, that is the majority of your humidity issues. Lamps leach humidity out of the air, and also don't provide the belly heat they need to properly digest their food. A heating pad will help with both the belly heat and the humidity issue. All heating pads should be put on a rheostat or a thermostat.

If you don't already have a good digital thermometer, WalMart has a good combo unit that measures the temp on both sides of the enclosure and humidity. The brand is Acu-Rite and it costs $14.98. It is in the outdoor thermometer and air conditioning section. The stick-on dial thermometers/hygrometers that you get at the pet store are not accurate and you could be cooking or freezing your snake. Temps on the warm side should be 94-95degrees and the cool side should be 83-84degrees. Humidity should be 50-60% normally and around 70% for a good shed.

If she is indeed a ball python, she won't get "gigantic". Maybe 4-5ft. If you want to start making an enclosure for when s/he is bigger, a 4'x2'x1' would be a good size, as that would give you 8sq ft of floor space. Tall enclosures are not suited for ball pythons or any other terrestrial snake as it makes them feel less secure and it is very difficult to maintain a proper environment for them. Also, ball pythons don't normally soak themselves. If they do, there may be a problem. Some of the problems associated with soaking could be mites, hides aren't secure enough, too hot, dehydrated. There are a plethora of things.

Just wondering, how is your tank set up? What types of hides are you using, what type of bedding? A good way to get humidity up is to use Con-Tac paper(cabinet shelf liner) on about 80-90% of the screen with just a hole for the lamp. Another option is to switch to a longer tank(20long) or even a rubbermaid/sterilite/iris container and your humidity and heat problems will be gone.

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If you tend to keep the enclosure damp all of the time, coupled with the heat, it is going to be a breeding ground for bacteria, and will predispose your snake to scale rot. Humid and wet are different things. Humidity is the amount of moisture in the air, and wet is well, wet. The substrate shouldn't be damp. Humidity should be around 50%.

Heating pads are always supposed to be used OUTSIDE of the enclosure. Regardless of what type of heat it is, always use it outside of the enclosure and out of reach of the snake. Snakes don't know when they are getting burned, so it is our priority to keep them out of harms way. Setting a heat pad up with a thermostat or a dimmer is very simple. There is a diagram here: http://www.mgreptiles.com/dimmerwire.html and you can always talk to Matt, aka justcage, and he can help get you set up.

Also, with the heat pads, you may need two to get the gradiants where they need to be. If only one heat pad covers the entire bottom, then the whole cage will be the same temp. I use two heat pads underneath my enclosure to maintain temps of 95 warm and 83 cool. You can attach a dimmer to each heat pad if you need to and adjust the dimmer according to what temperature you need to heat pad to be.

If you can, I would stay away from the repti-carpet junk. It harbors bacteria and is very overpriced at the pet store. If you want to use carpet, go to Home Depot or Lowe's and get some indoor/outdoor carpeting. I bought a 6'x4' piece of it for only $6(for the leos). But, if you just got the snake, paper towels or newspaper should be used just in case abnormal feces start showing up, and it is much more noticeable on a white substrate. You can also more readily notice mites and such and begin treatment much sooner.

The con-tac paper should be about an inch away from the lamp. Also, how are you measuring your temps? That hammock doesn't sound like a good idea to me, as the snake can get too close to the light and may possibly burn itself. The temps at the level of the hammock may be over 100 degrees, whcih are much too high for a ball.

Another option would be a plastic set-up until you can get a more suitable enclosure. You could get a longer, shorter tub that would be safer for the snake. Plus, tubs only cost in the range of about $6-$12. They hold heat and humidity well, and most are fairly translucent. My iris tub is very see-through.

Hope this cleared some things up for you. :)

that diagram really doesn't help me any. it's just a bunch of scribbles and isn't very explainatory.. i'l have to research it on my own or something, maybe when i have more time. anyway, the tank is not damp all the time and it certainly is not wet. and i am not that ignorant i'm well aware of what the two mean. the substrate is never wet, and the only dampness it gets is when i spray a little water in to dampen the bits off moss i'm using to keep moisture in there. it is dried out within a few hours though. like i said the heat lamp is a 60 watt max lamp, the hammock is no where near close enough to even reach 80 degrees let alone 100. i can hold my hand directly under that lamp and not feel anything even remotely close to hot. hence why the hammock is there. otherwise she wouldn't be able to go to a warmer spot if she's feeling the need to. the temperature in the tank ranges from 73 to 80. i've had her for two months now and she hasn't changed health wise so i'm fairly confident that while these currently are not the ideal conditions, they are not harming her.

i'm certainly not going to switch to plastic not after all the money i spent setting up that terrarium, besides a plastic box would certainly be less homey for her. she's not being kept for venom extraction cause she's not poisinous, she's not part of a big breeding facility.. so i dont see the need to do something like that to her.

at first you said not to use carpet substrate because it harbors bacteria.. i dont see why it would be any different with something meant for the home as opposed to in a terrarium... carpet is carpet, fibers and all.. they could both harbor bacteria could they not? and why would the pet stores even use carpet like that if it can become so easily harmful? that doesn't sound logical at all...

WOW .... Ya know, if you don't want to hear what people have to say, do ask for help. And if people do take the time to try and help you by answering your questions or giving suggestions based on their experience, at least have the courtesy to just say "Thanks, but no thanks" or nothing at all if you don't agree instead of responding in an argumentative fashion.

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Originally Posted by vkahri

that diagram really doesn't help me any. it's just a bunch of scribbles and isn't very explainatory..

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Really, works well for a lot of people ... maybe it's just you. I'm sure if you gave Matt a call, he could explain it in a way that you could understand.

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Originally Posted by vkahri

i'l have to research it on my own or something, maybe when i have more time. anyway, the tank is not damp all the time and it certainly is not wet. and i am not that ignorant i'm well aware of what the two mean.

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I don't think anyone called you ignorant, but you did say in a previous post ....

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Originally Posted by vkahri

as well as putting some moss bought from the pet store in there and keeping it very damp all the time..

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The "very damp all the time" was what Becky was responding to and is not a good idea for a ball pythons enclosure.

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Originally Posted by vkahri

i can hold my hand directly under that lamp and not feel anything even remotely close to hot.

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Well, since your hand is 98.7 degrees, the air around it could be over 100 degrees and not fell "anything even remotely close to hot".

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Originally Posted by vkahri

the temperature in the tank ranges from 73 to 80.

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Your temps are way too cool. Ball pythons need to be kept at 82-84 on the cool side of the tank and 92-94 on the hot. These are the temps that their bodies need to function properly (digestion, immune system, etc) because they are ectothermic.

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Originally Posted by vkahri

i've had her for two months now and she hasn't changed health wise so i'm fairly confident that while these currently are not the ideal conditions, they are not harming her.

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How do you know that they are not harming her? Because of their extremely slow metabolisms, it may take more than a couple of months for the effects of bad husbandry to take their toll on a ball python to the point where they externalize symptoms.

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Originally Posted by vkahri

i'm certainly not going to switch to plastic not after all the money i spent setting up that terrarium,

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Well, that's a great attitude. The health of an animal in your care should always be more important than not spending a few dollars to prove a point. What if the stuff you bought with "all the money" you spent gets her sick and you have to spend a couple of hundred dollars at a vet's office? The few bucks it would take to upgrade her hides would seem trivial then.

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Originally Posted by vkahri

besides a plastic box would certainly be less homey for her.

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I've kept ball pythons for 25 years and I can tell you with great certainty that she will not care. As long as it is a tight small space where she can feel secure, she will do fine. After that, the most important thing is being able to keep it clean.

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Originally Posted by vkahri

she's not being kept for venom extraction cause she's not poisinous, she's not part of a big breeding facility.. so i dont see the need to do something like that to her.

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Whether being kept at a breeding facility or as a pet, wouldn't you want to do everything you can to make sure an animal in your care has a healthy and safe environment to live in?

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Originally Posted by vkahri

at first you said not to use carpet substrate because it harbors bacteria.. i dont see why it would be any different with something meant for the home as opposed to in a terrarium... carpet is carpet, fibers and all.. they could both harbor bacteria could they not? and why would the pet stores even use carpet like that if it can become so easily harmful? that doesn't sound logical at all...

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A ball python enclosure is not the same as your home .... it is smaller, less ventilated, damp (according to your moss statement above), kept at much higher temps, and has a wild animal living on it .... there is a HUGE difference, and that difference increase the chance of mold and mildew thriving in those "fibers and all" a lot more than they would in your much cooler much more ventilated, dryer, home.

Good luck getting people to help you, you're off to a great start!

-adam

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

WOW .... Ya know, if you don't want to hear what people have to say, do ask for help. And if people do take the time to try and help you by answering your questions or giving suggestions based on their experience, at least have the courtesy to just say "Thanks, but no thanks" or nothing at all if you don't agree instead of responding in an argumentative fashion.

Good luck getting people to help you, you're off to a great start!

-adam

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dude your acting like i said "these suggestions are all bullcrap, your stupid and out of your mind!"
argumentative fashion? god i dont recall being spitefull.. i dont recall suggesting that the answers i was given were stupid, or something. If the scribbles dont help me then they dont help me. sorry for being honest but that's what it looks like to me not a diagram.

and i havent done the things i've done so far blindly.. they were suggested by other snake owners when i asked about what things would be best and what things would not be best. I dont know anymore about how good their information was than i do about how good this information was.. so please excuse me if i didn't just get down on my hands and knees in praise.
obviously i've been getting different advice from places so i'm stating my thoughts in an attempt to get more information..

not someone jumping down my throat like they have a problem with me. i didn't do that here. no one called me ignorant but i used that term because honestly if you dont know something than you are ignorant about it. i am not ignornant about the difference between damp, wet, humidity etc. i dont know how you read it but i wasn't being sarcastic or spitefull man.

actually if you took that much offense to my response you didn't have to respond with more advice anyway.

and just because you think i dont appreciate the advice, thankyou anyway.. i'm gaining some knowledge which i can compare to other sources and along with it, aggression!

Man... I'm with Adam on this one. A little courtesy goes a long way. I'm a noob myself, but when I ask for help I take everything I can get my hands on. Regardless if it's "you're doing this wrong" or not. Adam and Becky have helped me quite a bit in my short stay here thus far. If you're doing something wrong, wouldn't you want to know about it? I mean, that is why you asked... isn't it? Pride shouldn't get in the way of good husbandry. Not trying to start a flame war or anything, I just think a little appreciation goes a long way. These people are VERY knowlegable, one would be wise to heed their warnings.

thanks for the post i wanted to edit mine but cant.. not allowed to.. that is just down right weird. >.>

it's not pride it's frustration.. and stress.. sorry for comming off sounding like i did.

i just have a lot of crap on my mind and some of what i read made me feel like i was being condescended or something. *shrugs*

i'l go about it silently for a while, i dont have to ask for help to get it damnit all..
you guys are gonna think i'm all helpless or lazy or something like i cant go research a little on my own.

man i do suck.. i go now. toodles.