New ball python, simple questions

Thanks Jo, I never thought of them looking like tootsie rolls and now I am sure I'll never look at another tootsie roll the same way again....I love (loved??) them too :) :)

Hello and welcome. I am glad you found your way to this site!! It was one of the best things I could have done for my snakes, becoming a member here!! Like others have said, I would just stick with your 5 day schedule for now. As long as it is eating regularly he should put on some weight in no time. Good luck with your cutie pie there!! :)

I remember Monty had one poo the very day I got him (he still seems to love to wait until I have changed his newspaper before any kind of voiding!) then nothing for several months. He was on rat pups and so there was almost nothing he couldn't digest (no hair, nails, teeth, gut full of milk only and poorly mineralised bones). As the big chains seem to often have wild caught/farmed BPs it would probably be a good idea to take a faceal smaple to a vet when he does defecate to look for parasites - just don't worry that it may take a while!

Thanks for the welcome guys...

I went and got the other hide today for the warm side. I'm gonna have to get my self a thermostat here pretty soon (even though i check his temps constantly when i get back from class and whatnot). The only problem i've been having is my humidity is low... Its been like 45-50 and i had to put an extra water dish in to get it over 50%... the back and sides of the tank have cardboard on them now (mostly to block outside light since we stay up pretty late playing xbox) but it also helps keep some heat in.. I also just recently made one for the top of the tank to go over the screen (except where the heatlamp is) and covered the bottom with foil. I have a fish aquarium light that i use during the day that doesnt really create any heat, just makes it easier to see him, so i cut out a section for that to fit in the cardboard as well. Hopefully the new top piece will trap in some humidity? well see...

i still cant get his humidity up.. any suggestions? it seems like everyone else has the problem of too much humidity...

you can try and spray it down once a week(?) and that should help with humidity.

Hi and welcome!

It's funny b/c i just said this on another thread this morning, but I had a horrible time keeping up my humidity at first. The thing that worked best for me is to put a damp towel over 2/3 of the top of the tank. I was even able to keep it above 70% during his last shed cycle and it went great! The towel will dry out over time, and you should change it out for a clean one every couple of days, but it was really no problem. I usually check on him a few times a day anyway.

Another thing you can do is move the tank to another room- the humidity in my office (where he is now) is about 5% higher than the living room (where he used to be). After I moved him I don't have to do anything to raise it unless he's in shed.

Wet towels combined with the warmth of the cage is going to create a petri-dish effect. That towel is going to harbor alot of bacteria and mold, even if it's not visible. Air is being filtered down through that towel, and your snake is breathing that in.. Ick.

I would recommend either a piece of plexiglas cut to fit the inside of your screen lid(where the screen touches the metal) or cover the lid mostly with foil and saran wrap.

The towel is just not a hygenic solution.

Your problem is the overhead lamp. They suck humidity up like there's no tomorrow. You've covered part of the lid and that's going to help some but until you ditch the overhead light you're likely going to continue to have issues with humidity.