I don't want them breed! What can I do?

Sorry everyone, please don't get me wrong. I am not unwilling to make change for my balls. I love all my pets and I want to give them the best environment. I just ‘misunderstand’ my balls as ‘living happily together with a buddy around’. I have a smaller cage at the bottom rack for feeding them separately. I was reluctant to put one there because the tank is small (I asked the pet shop few months ago when I wanted to get them a new tank. The guy said this size (60cm x 30cm) is too small for my balls.) and I don’t have an extra hide to put in there. I can use this now but I still need to think of a solution as there is no space to put heating light on this small tank for winter as you can see in the picture. But to take all of your advice, I now put one down there. I will try to find someone to get them sexed as I really want to be sure if they are two boys or not.

Crazymonkee : Thanks for telling me that.... I have never thought these behaviours represent competition. I really think they love each other as buddies like my doggies do.

satomi325 : the tubs in the pictures are very nice!! I have never seen such a long tub here. I have big tub for moving home and keeping stuff but not as big and long as the one showed in the pictures. The bottom of the biggest tub I have is only 50cmx33cm floor size (but very tall). This one is already the biggest one I found in the household shop.

angllady2 : Thanks for your understanding. Yes, keeping reptile pets here is not as common and popular as in US : less than 20 shops sell reptile pets here in HK and only a few of them sell snakes, and as I know, only 2 animal clinics treat reptiles. Also because the apartments in HK are very very small compare with those in the US and UK. To match with the market, the tubs selling in the shops are not that big. I do think I will not be able to find two tanks of similar floor size but not that tall because when I bought the present tank, I searched for many shops and they are all very tall. No particular tank is tailored for keeping snakes but generally for all kind of reptiles. Only two shops said they could help me (sounded unwilling to when I asked) to find someone in Mainland China to tailor-made one, but as I said, the cost will be more than US$320 (not including delivery).

southwind: Is that really enough space for them to move around in each tub? I am now putting one in a small cage and will think about how I should set up two tanks or to get something else. I will take a look on the net to see if it's possible to buy the tubs online. Oh, I am not using UV light. They are Zoo Med Nightlight Red 100 Watts and 75 Watts. I use them in the winter, depends on how cold the day is.

Parysa: I will check online to get something suitable. I surely want to give them the best environment. I didn't know they don't like each other.

treeboa: It's ok. I am glad to have received so many replies. I have never talked to people on any forums about my balls. I got simple instructions from the pet shop long time ago when I bought my balls and that’s it. In these 12 years, they are always healthy, clean, eat well, shed well and grow well, so I have never thought that they are not happy. I haven't turned the under tank heater on as here is summer time. I clean the tank and the carpet once they wee or poo, but rarely use bleach. If this is related to heat, may be it was because of the heat from the sun. As I found them not eating, I wondered if it was because the room was too dark and not enough fresh air, I placed them in the small cage and put them at the balcony for fresh air and get some natural light & heat for three afternoons. If the reddish still not go, I will take them to the vet.

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...81648484_n.jpg

Snakes are nocturnal and actually don't care for a lot of light. And pet stores often give bad advice, even here in the US!! Glad you found the forum! :)

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Just want to offer a tip on what I do for hides. Do you have a plastic bowl that is just big enough to fit the pythons? You can use a soldering iron to melt a hole big enough for the snake to fit through, and now you have a sturdy, comfortable hide for about 2 USD. If you don't have a soldering iron, you can leave the bowl intact and just prop it up with a bit of bedding. That said, I would switch to a particle type bedding :)

Do you have any type of container store, or a shop for organizational needs? That would probably be your best bet for finding a suitable tub. Good luck!

OP, I see your situation, that really is too bad. However disposing of them sooner would be the best idea then, I'm sorry if it comes to that and hopefully it doesn't. Best wishes in your tough situation! slither and smile!

Ball pythons actually LOVE small spaces, they feel very exposed to prediters and insecure in large areas, they love hides that they barely fit into and can feel all the surfaces touching their body, that way they know for sure nothing is in there with them. Also they love belly heat, heat lamps suck the humidity out of the air.

Please have a look here http://www.bhbreptiles.com/main.aspx?Page=facility

Check out his videos as well, http://www.youtube.com/user/SnakeBytesTV?feature=watch

The guy who runs this facility LOVES his snakes more than anything in the world and keeps them as happy as he can, this page will showcase how he keeps his thousands of snakes happy with pretty much the same rack system I use.


I also used to be like you as well, I have a 40 gallon tank that I no longer use to house my snake(s)

Also its a lot better to just feed in the same tub, I have never had any problems and my snakes never strike at me (unless my hand smells like rat or they JUST ate and are still in hunting mode)

Crazymonkee: Thanks again. I do think pet stores in the US are more professional. :)

MootWorm: Thanks for your tip! I don't have plastic bowl and soldering iron. But I will go to see if I can get anything from the household stores.

LunaTheBp: I do hope there is no egg.... I feel bad if I have to dispose them. I love to see babies... but I know I am not able to keep more, and rarely have people here can take care of such a long life pet.

southwind: I really didn't know they love staying in dark and small space. When I saw those kinds of snake keeping environment, I thought the snakes were suffer as they don't have space to move around and always stay in the dark 'drawers' . Thanks for the links and the videos. Watching him made me want to fly there!!!! I heard about reptiles exhibitions in the US, and I hope I can have chance to go in the future. I am thinking... I should have gone up here to ask for advice earlier so that I wouldn't buy such a big tank but something suit my babies better. I use both belly heat and heat lamps in the winter. We don't have central heating at home, I worry that if I don't use the lamps, it would be too cold for my snakes. By the way, how do you keep your snakes warm in every single tub? Do you put heat mat underneath each tub?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by feimui

Crazymonkee: Thanks again. I do think pet stores in the US are more professional. :)

MootWorm: Thanks for your tip! I don't have plastic bowl and soldering iron. But I will go to see if I can get anything from the household stores.

LunaTheBp: I do hope there is no egg.... I feel bad if I have to dispose them. I love to see babies... but I know I am not able to keep more, and rarely have people here can take care of such a long life pet.

southwind: I really didn't know they love staying in dark and small space. When I saw those kinds of snake keeping environment, I thought the snakes were suffer as they don't have space to move around and always stay in the dark 'drawers' . Thanks for the links and the videos. Watching him made me want to fly there!!!! I heard about reptiles exhibitions in the US, and I hope I can have chance to go in the future. I am thinking... I should have gone up here to ask for advice earlier so that I wouldn't buy such a big tank but something suit my babies better. I use both belly heat and heat lamps in the winter. We don't have central heating at home, I worry that if I don't use the lamps, it would be too cold for my snakes. By the way, how do you keep your snakes warm in every single tub? Do you put heat mat underneath each tub?

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I dont have any heat tape under any of my tubs. They have their own room and I keep it about 80-85 degrees in there. So far I havent had any problems with any of them.

Yes if you don't have a rack system you'll need to heat each tub separately. You could use a space heater in that room to bring up the temps

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by southwind

Ball pythons actually LOVE small spaces, they feel very exposed to prediters and insecure in large areas, they love hides that they barely fit into and can feel all the surfaces touching their body, that way they know for sure nothing is in there with them. Also they love belly heat, heat lamps suck the humidity out of the air.

Please have a look here http://www.bhbreptiles.com/main.aspx?Page=facility

Check out his videos as well, http://www.youtube.com/user/SnakeBytesTV?feature=watch

The guy who runs this facility LOVES his snakes more than anything in the world and keeps them as happy as he can, this page will showcase how he keeps his thousands of snakes happy with pretty much the same rack system I use.


I also used to be like you as well, I have a 40 gallon tank that I no longer use to house my snake(s)

Also its a lot better to just feed in the same tub, I have never had any problems and my snakes never strike at me (unless my hand smells like rat or they JUST ate and are still in hunting mode)

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Dont feed in same tub if the snakes are cohabiting. That's just asking for trouble! Sorry I just saw this and had to comment

I can see you are trying to make the best of a situation we here in the US can fix easily. I commend you for that, really trying your best.

While the bottom tank is a little small, it will do for now. Here we can find all kind of cheap, easy options to house and care for our snakes. There I am sure you must try a lot harder. If any stores around you sell large plastic bowls or small buckets cheaply, these can be modified into decent hides with patience and a sharp knife or if you can get it sturdy razor blade.

For heat, while it is best to use heat under the tank or tub, lots and lots of people just keep the temperature of the room the snakes are in at the correct level and they do fine. In summer I am sure it is easier for you to keep the room around 85, but this is also a consideration when your weather turns cold. If you normally let the room they stay in get cool in the winter, you may need to invest in an extra heat source before then.

Keep in mind they are going to be less than happy with these sudden changes for a little while, just be patient. Over time, they will adapt to the changes and I truly believe be much happier. And once they have a few weeks to adjust, they may even start eating again without too much fuss.

I hope we can help you with this situation. I have to admit, I am kind of surprised at how helpful we have been. Although we don't mean to, sometimes we can be pretty harsh to new people who don't do things "our way", and I am very pleased we have not come across as rough as we sometimes can. I think we have honestly tried to help you out as best we can, and so far no one has come across as mean. I don't think. I am glad you found us, and I hope you will stay for a long time.

Gale