New, And a bit worried

Hello, I`m very new to Bp and my G/F bought one not too long ago, and i'm a bit worried that he won't feed. The tank that we got for him is too large, and we have trouble keeping it at the right temp. especially with the nighttime light, where it drops to around 69-72 F. so we have been forced to keep the day light on to keep the temperature up. we haven't tried to feed him yet because he was just starting a shed when we got him. Any advice?http://www.ball-pythons.net/gallery/...2/pict0030.jpg

switch out the day bulbs and buy a infrared heat bulb and run it all night to keep the temps up. you want a 78-80 cool side and 89-91 warm side.

you can also get a heat pad at pet stores to help with the warm side temps.

Cover more than 3/4 of the stop screen to help hold in heat and humidity.

So do you think that it would eat if we tried to feed it today or tomorrow?

it could possibly eat but with temps that low i wouldnt feed till they are up so he has heat to digest.

he has heat, at the moment its in the 86-90 range, i'm worried that the constant day light will make him too stressed

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Originally Posted by Kuro_Yamaneko

he has heat, at the moment its in the 86-90 range, i'm worried that the constant day light will make him too stressed

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like i said ditch the white lights, buy a red heat bulb and your set

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

like i said ditch the white lights, buy a red heat bulb and your set

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x2

If im correct they cant see the light right?

i do have the red nighttime bulb, but that isn't warm enough.

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Originally Posted by Kuro_Yamaneko

i do have the red nighttime bulb, but that isn't warm enough.

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You need to get Infrared bulb. the standard red bulbs waste heat.

http://img.diytrade.com/cdimg/700400..._Heat_Bulb.jpg

Your cage is kinda big would be hard to keep temps/humidity where they need to be.

Could always get a 150W and a dimmer to control it

i've never seen those, would a ceramic heat lamp work? i've only seen those in the stores near me.

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Originally Posted by Kuro_Yamaneko

i've never seen those, would a ceramic heat lamp work? i've only seen those in the stores near me.

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zoomed has infrared bulbs. 75-150W

I think the 150w is like $15

If u got a CHE that would work yes. But i seen them and their about $35-$40?

Screws in just like a bulb except no light, At least the ones i seen

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Originally Posted by f4n70m

Your cage is kinda big would be hard to keep temps/humidity where they need to be.

Could always get a 150W and a dimmer to control it

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this is the problem we're having. i suppose we will try to get the 150

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Originally Posted by Kuro_Yamaneko

this is the problem we're having. i suppose we will try to get the 150

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You try to cover the top to keep the heat in??

I like tubs. It dont look good as in like display but imo it seems better for the snake.

Ball pythons arent display animals anyway. Tanks suck for humidity, I played hell keeping it up. You can use a basking bulb they are around $10 for a 150 watt bulb. Your tank is too tall

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Originally Posted by bman123

Ball pythons arent display animals anyway. Tanks suck for humidity, I played hell keeping it up. You can use a basking bulb they are around $10 for a 150 watt bulb. Your tank is too tall

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I was stating that because it looks like their dank is used exactly for that. To put snake on display

well to be truthful, it's the only suitable enclosure we have, so thats what we use.
and i have great news, we attempted to feed him, and it went so well.
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...asters_021.jpg
we now have a happily fed ball. now we just need to solve the heating problem.

P.S.- in case anyone was wondering, that cage he's in in the pic is his feeding cage.

please tell me your not using what looks to be a all wire cage for birds/rodents.

If so WOW

If that is indeed his feeding cage, ditch all the bedding. It also looks wet and dirty in there. I would not use a wire cage even as a feeding cage (I feed in their home enclosure anyway).

How are you measuring temps? I only see those crappy liquid crystal things that measure water temp, then I suggest you get some digital thermometers with probes.

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

If that is indeed his feeding cage, ditch all the bedding. It also looks wet and dirty in there. I would not use a wire cage even as a feeding cage (I feed in their home enclosure anyway).

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Also if thats all you have why not just get a nice tub? :)

Would be cheaper then a CHE. Put a UTH + tstat on it. Ur temps and humidity shouldnt be a prob

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Originally Posted by Kuro_Yamaneko

P.S.- in case anyone was wondering, that cage he's in in the pic is his feeding cage.

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That could be why he dont eat? They told me u take em out his environment and put him in a new one he wont eat cuz he dont feel secure and will be stressed

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Originally Posted by f4n70m

x2

Also if thats all you have why not just get a nice tub? :)

Would be cheaper then a CHE. Put a UTH + tstat on it. Ur temps and humidity shouldnt be a prob

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first of all, i'm new to owning snakes, pleas don't use shorts and jargen, i don't understand them.

and we've never thought of using tubs, i always thought that was somewhat cruel, i know they like tight places, but i think they would appreciate a little more room. we are looking for a smaller cage though.

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Originally Posted by f4n70m

That could be why he dont eat? They told me u take em out his environment and put him in a new one he wont eat cuz he dont feel secure and will be stressed

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i never said he didn't eat. i was just worried he would be too stressed to. the
only reason he hadn't eaten before was because he was starting his shed when we got him. he was also fed three days before that.

Okay so if he is eating fine then what are you worried about exactly? I am just a little confused about your post now. You made it seem like he wasn't really eating, but he is eating?

Some bps are not as shy as others. Some do okay in larger enclosures and will eat anywhere. Some eat in shed, some don't.

Acronyms:
UTH= Under Tank Heater
CHE= Ceramic Heat Emmiter
tstat= Thermostat

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Originally Posted by Kuro_Yamaneko

and we've never thought of using tubs, i always thought that was somewhat cruel, i know they like tight places, but i think they would appreciate a little more room. we are looking for a smaller cage though.

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Cruel: I can see where you would think that it is, but your thinking like a human. Many many many ppl that are experienced and well renound ppl use plastic tubs. The reason being is its easy, inexpensive, and their bps are content.

Seems like you have alot of variables that can lead to alot of issues. If your so afraid of your snake being "constricted" because of the tub is small. Take him out and handle him for a few. Believe me, its better to have a tub setup correctly, than a tank setup completely wrong and a sick snake to boot.

No one here is trying to be mean or rude, just trying to prevent some issues we see that is basic enclosure techniques.

I would try a Ceramic heat emmiter

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Okay so if he is eating fine then what are you worried about exactly? I am just a little confused about your post now. You made it seem like he wasn't really eating, but he is eating?

Some bps are not as shy as others. Some do okay in larger enclosures and will eat anywhere. Some eat in shed, some don't.

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I was worried that he wouldn't eat because i read the care sheet on the forum and many of the reasons they gave for a ball to not eat were exactly what was happening. i.e. light to constant, improper temp, the enclosure is too large, or too open (glass), etc, etc.

that's what my concern was, but i am still concerned about heating, i guess i'll look into getting a tub.
my main concern is that we are moving soon, and the people we are moving in with are, lets say, less than desirable. I'm worried that they may try something with our bp while we aren't home. with the tank we have now, we are having a friend add a lock and hinges to it so they can't get in.
and before people say that we shouldn't move in with them, we have no other option at the moment. that's all that i'm going to say on that, so lets leave that alone.

I suppose the advantage to a tub is that it is easily hidden so maybe your future roomies won't see/find it.

Heating is pretty simple once you break it down. If you house is particularly cold (which I gather it is, you need a heat lamp to supplement the temps).

All you need is an under tank heater, a thermostat for the under tank heater, A red bulb so you can run it 24/7, and a good digital thermometer.

Ok Kuro....everyone is new and needs different degrees of help. Lets start with this. I too thought the bins were mean when I first started. But they are use to living in termite mounds....they like it like that. Really!!:D This would be a cheap cage and easy to maintain for you guys. Instead of a viv...they are more expensive...but make great show pieces.

You can get a 32 qt. long bin and that is great for an adult ball. Just line it with paper towels or newspaper. Now for the heating. If you get a bin a light will not work. You will need to get an under the tank heater for one side of the bin. This will need to be regulated by a thermostat. Thermostats can get a little pricey....but everything else is fairly cheap. Some ppl even use rheostats....I cannot tell you about those as I really don't understand them much. Ok...the under the tank heater goes on about 1/4 of the bin or the tank underneath it. You should set the bin on something were it can "breathe" underneath. An easy way to do this is just put a couple pieces of wood underneath each end. You can also get banna clips for the bin to lock the top down.....so the snake cannot push the top off.

Ok...now get yourself an acurite thermometer....Walmart or Lowes....$12-. It has a probe and will tell you the temp and the humidity. This is a great thermometer and very reliable.

As for feeding....feed in the enclosure.....they will not get enclosure agressive when you reach in when not feeding. This is like an old wise tale. They are much more comfortable and .....it is less mess and hassel. Also if you feed live be sure to watch until the mouse has been killed as they can attack your snake and do serious damage.

For the inside set up....as stated before use newspaper or papertowels. Get a couple of hides. One for the warm side and one for the cool side. Plus a big enough water bowl that he can soak in it if he so chooses.

Ok.....I think that is enough for now. Please feel free to ask any more questions you might have. Good luck!

I just reread your last thread. You can also typically fit a bin in your closet or under the bed. no one would really realize that you have it. Also if your house is cold a little space heater always does the trick for the air around the bin. ;)

my only problem with hiding it is that they already know we have it, and would go looking for him.

If the people you are moving in with would hurt your pet, I would suggest finding someone else to live with.

This whole thread makes me cringe.

I would agree. If their gonna go looking for it then no matter what u put it in they will find it if their looking.

Say they do find it then what? They gonna open it get scared then kill it?

Leave it alone and closed then cry at u later?

Ok...I understand you do not have an option. I am trying not to think about the type of ppl too much here. OYE.

Just tell them it died prior to moving in

I'm sorry for resurrecting this, but i thought i'd give everyone a long overdue update.
We did not move in with those people. we were saved last minute by a friend that was helping us move. we aren't there now because of reasons beyond our control. we have found a good place to live, and our BP's are now quite happy. we plan on building a rack for them, and getting a couple females by oct. at the moment, our smaller male is with a friend because of how long he went without food, and is now happily eating ASF's
once again, i apologize for resurrecting, but i just thought i'd let you all know that things are going great for our balls.