Good morning!

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Originally Posted by Maybeka

In the evening this little snake comes out of the hidey and has been all over her enclosure.
Yesterday was a bit odd though, she was awake a lot and roaming during the day. She curled up on the cool side under the branch for a while, then back in her hole then out again a bit later.

And we were also wondering, we have not seen this snakes tongue, not once!
My son was looking at 2 snakes when he picked her, the other snake was shedding and it's tongue was going going a LOT, this one hasn't flicked her tongue one time since he got her, not even when there's a mouse in front of her face.

And he still cannot get her to eat though. My son has owned her now for a week (this past monday was a week that he brought her home).

Thank you !

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Hi And Welcome. I have a normal as well. When I purchased mine back in August I waited a week to feed. She didn't take it. I waited another week and she ate it. She has taken everything since. As for the tongue I have no idea. My girl flickers normally and more when stressed. It's good that she is out and exploring. Good luck with the feeds!!:)

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Originally Posted by Maybeka

We have covered 3 sides of the enclosure.

The heat on the warm and cool side seem to be staying at a good range, where they should be.

My son has a hide on the warm side, I honestly don't remember him having one on the cool side, i will have to look and if he doesn't i will make sure he knows to get one immediately. She does have a huge branch that she likes to hide under on the cool side and it goes down so she can hide under it. I do not believe he has a temp gun so i will tell him he needs to pick up one of those also. (my son is not a young child, he is over 18 and a college student).

Her water bowl is under the heat lamp.

When he defrosts the mouse (he has tried pinkies and xsmall mice) he will put it in hot water for 10 min or so until it feels warm, then put it in front of her face with tongs. When he does that she will turn her head and slither away completely uninterested. Last night he put it on the ground in front of her hide on the warm side (on a piece of slate rock that's there so she won't ingest bedding) and he left it there in hopes that she would smell it. When she came back out, she just slithered right across it like it wasn't even there.

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Okay, a few things.

Good on covering 3 sides.

You absolutely need 2 identical, or virtually identical, hides. One for the hot side and one for the cool side. If the cage is big, and the snake as small, I would probably have two on the hot side and two on the cool side.

Keep the water bowl on the cool side.

Please define "good range" regarding temps. Additionally, if you are just getting air temps, and not ground temps with a temp gun, it could vary greatly.

Are the heat sources regulated? I know it has been asked, but if not, it's a recipe for problems.

No BP should eat pinkie mice. See the chart on the second post of this thread for proper feeding sizes: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...=feeding+chart

That could be partly why she is refusing.

The mouse is being defrosted improperly.

Here is how you should defrost:

Room temp to warmish (not hot) water for as long as it take to fully defrost (up to 3 hours for a medium rat, much less for smaller prey). Feel the rodent, it should have no hard spots (except for bones) and no cool spots. Abdomen should be soft to the touch.

Either use a hairdryer to warm up the rodent, or, drop in hot water (tap water - not anywhere near boiling water) for 30 seconds or so. If the latter, dry and offer. If the hairdryer, offer immediately.

Offer on tongs, and without hitting the snake with it, wiggle a little in front of her. If interested, keep doing it gently and see if she strikes. If not, but still interested, you can leave near her (not blocking her hide) for up to overnight. Do not leave more than 12 hours.

Snakes will likely not eat prey that has been cooked at all (hot water for ten minutes will start to cook a small prey item), and if they do, it's not good for them.

They want raw and whole prey. However, warmed prey and wiggled prey simulates a live rodent and is more likely to interest the snake.

Get the cage right; temps, hides, humidity, etc. Then leave her alone for a while. Then offer food as described.

I understand you son is busy, and I am not being judgmental, but he should probably check out the site. I also understand you want what's best for the snake, and I apologize for the long answers, but this isn't our first rodeo.

If you follow the advice you are getting here, things should be fine.

Just curious, where did you get that snake? It looks a lot like a Cypress to me with the white highlights on the sides. If it is a Cypress I've seen them sell for $600 to $1,500. Maybe the guy who had it didn't know what he had? I'm not an expert on Cypress but from the photos I've seen it looks very similar, here's one below that recently sold for $1,000:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...d748bf2d8b.jpg

Yes my son is busy with school and college.... but he has definitely checked out this site. It was one of the first ones that popped up in his search engine when we were doing some research.

He has actually gotten a lot of his initial information on ball pythons from this site.

I’m new to snakes as well and got my first a few weeks ago. Maybe I have been lucky but I’d like to think I read a ton and researched my butt off prior to getting one. Other than getting an exo Terra which was given to me. I did what all the good folks here have suggested to you.

You must have a thermostat. Even if you go with an economy one to start and can’t swing the few hundred dollar ones. Get one !

you need to clutter that cage and get extra hides. Fake Plants can be had for really cheap and can totally clutter and fill in.

As mentioned Ned it doesn’t seem you are prepping the prey correctly.

First the size size seems off. No one mentioned this but you should also have the prey in a small ziplock bag and soak it in that. If you soak direct in water the prey looses all scent and gets washed out. Maybe that’s why. I leave mine in room temp to cold water for a solid hour. Then I get some warm water from the tap leave it there for another 15-20 min. Then I Hearn the head underneath my lamp for 30-45 seconds and offer.

My guy ate ate twice in a row for me I waited 5 days from getting him to feeding. He’s never struck off tongs. I just wiggle it by the hide and then leave it a bit away from the hide opening and he comes and gets it no problem.

Forgot ... the temps in the enclosure are staying right around 91 on the hot side during the day, and 80 on the cool.

Not sure if i mentioned the floor was aspen shavings with a little moss mixed in.
He does not have a heat pad underneath, but he does have a piece of slate rock next to her hide to warm up on if she wants to be out.

The type of thermometer that he uses is the digital kind that has the wire and you hang it on the side and the wire goes inside the enclosure.

I will tell him to stop and get another hide and look at the temp guns.

Another question though, you said to put the water on the cool side of the tank?
I have read several things that said the water should be on the hot side in order to help the humidity? That is also what we were told when we got her, to put it on the warm side..... so Am i confused here?

I hate to be a pain, but do appreciate all the information.

I could be wrong but especially in a tank like yours you need some heat under neath. Not sure if your heat lamp is going to heat the bottom that is why folks are telling you to get an infared heat gun. I got mine cheap on amazon $15. That way you can tell the temp wherever you point it. The prob style you have is only going to take the temp where the probe is nothing more nothing less. I was also told the Under belly heat helps with digestion.

Some people use radiant heat panels but those are in a pvc tank and it’s a different ball game then you have going on here.

Also just because you have a slate rock there doesn’t mean much. You have no idea what the temp is there. What if that thing is 110 degrees you don’t know and that could hurt or kill the snake. Not to mention there is no hide over it. The ball will never use it because it feels exposed and it just won’t do it.

I have two identical hides and one is over the under heat pad one is on the other cool side. My guy thermoregulates back and forth as he wishes.

Does yours climb towards the light or even have a way to. For about 5 -6 days my guy didn’t find the heated hide or like it at first. He would climb every night to the top of the cage to get his head and hang there. Since he found the heated hide he’s in heaven and is always there.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Maybeka

Forgot ... the temps in the enclosure are staying right around 91 on the hot side during the day, and 80 on the cool.

Not sure if i mentioned the floor was aspen shavings with a little moss mixed in.
He does not have a heat pad underneath, but he does have a piece of slate rock next to her hide to warm up on if she wants to be out.

The type of thermometer that he uses is the digital kind that has the wire and you hang it on the side and the wire goes inside the enclosure.

I will tell him to stop and get another hide and look at the temp guns.

Another question though, you said to put the water on the cool side of the tank?
I have read several things that said the water should be on the hot side in order to help the humidity? That is also what we were told when we got her, to put it on the warm side..... so Am i confused here?

I hate to be a pain, but do appreciate all the information.

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If the cool side is 80F, that will be plenty to cause evaporation of the water and raise humidity.

It's not bad to have on the hot side, but in a glass tank, it will evaporate quicker and you will just have to fill more.

Definitely get the temp gun and advise what the temps actually are, again, on the ground.

If it's reading 91F on the hot side in the air, it could be much hotter on the ground and not good for the snake.

I recommend UTH for ground temps and CHE for ambient temps.

Again, BOTH MUST BE REGULATED!

No problem with the questions, you are not being a pain, please ask as many as you need to feel comfortable and make the best environment and life for the snake.

Ok, my son goes to school right after work today so i am stopping on my way home to pick up:

1. A temp gun.
2. A small fuzzy mouse (or x-small)
3. Another hide.

When i get home i'm going to put in the new hide (hopefully something new won't stress her out more) then i'm going to try out the temp gun and then i'm going to take out the piece of slate rock and take a pic of her enclosure.

Now the big branch she has that's in her tank is pretty big, it actually goes from one side of the tank about 3/4 of the way across to the other side. To big? Should i remove that also? Do they need something to climb on?

thanks for all your help !

Hi yes, she does look a lot like that Cypress picture you put up, but i doubt it.

My son got her from a Petsmart. He felt bad for them being in this teeny tiny 12 x 10 (estimated) size enclosure.

We've never bought any critters from Petsmart, even his Bearded dragon came from a breeder. We have since been told Petsmart wasn't good to buy reptiles from, but what's done is done i guess...he did what he did. Hopefully we can give her a better life than she had there..... and that is why we are on this forum ! :P