Size

Hey,
I'm new to the forums. I have a question to start off. My bp is almost 3 years old but only about 2 feet long. Is that normal?

No. That is incredibly not normal. Someone either lied to you about age or that snake has been severely underfed (though I would be inclined to believe that it might not have survived 3 years with as underfed as it would have had to have been to only be 2 feet long). How long have you had it?

I've had him for the entire time. From pet store to home. I feed him pretty much weekly but there are times that I skip a week or so :\ I'm trying to get on a better schedule. Such as weekly. I feed him adult mice and he takes them with no problem.

Here is a picture of him.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...lturff01/V.jpg

How many mice are you offering at one given time?

I've only ever offered one per feeding. Should I offer more maybe?

This is my first snake. So any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Billturff

This is my first snake. So any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.

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Glad you asked that.

Lets start here!

Explain your ENTIRE setup

How u heat it
What your temps are
How u measure ur temps
Cage size all that

And pics to

This may not be related to your first post as much but if u want advise the best advise any1 can give u is to make sure ur husbandry is 100% perfect.

Welcome to the site your in the right place.:)

That is not a 3 year old ball python, you were lied to at the petstore. To me that looks like a 3-7 month old ball python. Either way it doesn't look bad at alland looks fairly healthy from the picture provided.

my set up I use a 100watt heating bulb. 40gal terrarium with cedar substrate. log hide. twisty kinda driftwoodish thing with fake vines weaved through it. and a water dish. the temp is usually around 80degrees and humidity is usually around 40 or 50 %

I'll get some picutes up soon of the set up.

I've owned the snake for 3 years this June. thats what i dont understand about his size.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Billturff

my set up I use a 100watt heating bulb. 40gal terrarium with cedar substrate. log hide. twisty kinda driftwoodish thing with fake vines weaved through it. and a water dish. the temp is usually around 80degrees and humidity is usually around 40 or 50 %

I'll get some picutes up soon of the set up.

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Hmm well idk if a 40 gallong would be to big for him i think it may.

You should really not use a lamp under tank heaters are much better for ball pythons.

And umm cedar? :O:O:O:O that is TOXIC and can kill your snake!!!!

Also the log hide = crap. The sides are to open doesnt provide the proper security a snake needs. Not to mention you should have 2 hides one on each side so he doesnt choose security over comfort.

I'll make sure to make some changes ASAP!
First the cedar....then i'll get a smaller tank till he gets a bit larger.
I'll take care of the light and get a pad. and try out some different hides.

Any other advice as far as feeding and what I can do to get him to grow?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Billturff

I'll make sure to make some changes ASAP!
First the cedar....then i'll get a smaller tank till he gets a bit larger.
I'll take care of the light and get a pad. and try out some different hides.

Any other advice as far as feeding and what I can do to get him to grow?

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Well if you get a heat pad u need a thermostat. I know some people here are completely against using lights. I think lights are ok IF you can keep the temps up and provide them to thermoregulate. Grated belly heat IS better some heat is better then none.

The 40g i think is to big because people generally keep adults in smaller then that.

Also you need 2 TIGHT fitting hides :gj:

As far as feeding goes do you have a gram scale you can use?

Most people feed juvies under 500 grams like on a 4 day schedule. I feed every 5 days but as they get bigger you want to cut back to 7 days.

Also if u get a gram scale weight him and feed him 10-15% of his body weight if hes like under 1,000 grams

Btw dont take it as everything you do is wrong. I understand you have had him for 3 years and he is living and healthy but making sure his enclosure is perfect to what he needs is always better.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Billturff

I'll make sure to make some changes ASAP!
First the cedar....then i'll get a smaller tank till he gets a bit larger.
I'll take care of the light and get a pad. and try out some different hides.

Any other advice as far as feeding and what I can do to get him to grow?

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Go to rats if you can. The size of the food should be about the same size as the thickest part of the ball python. Or 15% of body weight.

Schedule: get one. Don't mean to sound rude, but you can't forget a week, for his health it's just not good to do.

UTH, you need one (under tank heater) along with a thermostat (not thermometer, thermostat, biiiiiig deal, have to have).

Smaller tank, for his age maybe 30 gal if you can. If not, add more leafy things to make him feel hidden.
You need two hides, identical, on the hot side and the cool side.

He's too small to be three years, he should be almost full grown by now.

Good luck, welcome to the site, and read the care-sheets.:snake:

EDIT: Forgot the bedding, cedar is horrible. I suggest paper towel, newspaper, or good old fashion reliable aspen. Cheap and easy to clean.

Here, check out the caresheet. I think it'll answer a lot of your questions.

Make sure you also get a thermostat for the heating pad as they tend to go out of control. The cheapest is the Reptitemp 500R. Look online.

Provide a thermal gradient, about 92 hot side, 82 cool side. Measure this with a thermometer with a probe. Everyone recommends this $12 AccuRite that is almost always at Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, etc.

Feeding the snake 10-15% of it's bodyweight is recommended, so it may take a few mice. I think most people feed once a week.

I do currently have a thermostat in the tank with the gauge that reads the humidity as well.
What size tank would you recommend?
I'll probably just throw up a normal light just to brighten the tank up at times and use the pad for the majority of the heat.
I'll try and pick up a scale too. I feed frozen...well I thaw them out in warm water before hand.
What might you recommend for hides?
Should I maybe get ride of the twisty wood thing? lol

thanks steve i'll check into that also!
You're all very helpful!

Don't forget to get a thermostat to control the temperature of the under the tank heat mat, you hot side should be 90- 94 degrees, and your cool side should be 80- 85 degrees.

Another thing that I did not see mentioned, was humidity. Humidity is needed if you don't want to wind up with stuck sheds. Try to keep the humidity in the tank at 50- 60% on regular days, and 60- 70% when they are in shed.

Rats are a little bit better as far as getting them to grow a little bit faster, but the snake may not switch to rats right away, some can be finicky eaters.

I would not suggest spending the money on a smaller tank, if the snake is an established eater for you. I would however, suggest putting in some fake plants and trees to crowd it up a little bit, that would make the snake feel a little more secure.

Hides are very important, try to find something that fits them fairly tightly, but only has a small opening to get through, and you will need two, one for the cool side and one for the hot side. Having two hides is important, because snakes will risk staying where they feel secure, rather than what is better for their health.

And thanks for that info vince i'll see about the rats.
I agree I shouldn't skip a feeding I want him to be healthy :\

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Billturff

I do currently have a thermostat in the tank with the gauge that reads the humidity as well.
What size tank would you recommend?
I'll probably just throw up a normal light just to brighten the tank up at times and use the pad for the majority of the heat.
I'll try and pick up a scale too. I feed frozen...well I thaw them out in warm water before hand.
What might you recommend for hides?
Should I maybe get ride of the twisty wood thing? lol

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You your confusing a thermostat with a thermometer.

A uth hooks up to the thermostat and when the heat pad reaches the set temp on the thermostat it turns the thermostat off. This is to keep the pad from getting to hot and burning your snake. The zoomed pads easily get 120* thats is too hot.

I would say go with a 20g.

And get the acu rite digital thermometer/hygrometer

BTW you dont need a normal light. The light from the room is good enough.

Wood thing is up 2 u. One more thing u gotta clean

As for hides..Cereal bowls with a entrance cut out, kitty litter pans, terracotta pots. Anything u can tip upside down he can slither into and feel it touch all his sides

Also as mentioned before u could always leave him in it if u crowed it up. But thats up to you

Once again, thermostat or thermometer?

As they are nocturnal, you don't even need a normal light, and at night it may stress them out.

A lot of people use plastic bowls or the ceramic water trays that go under plant pots.

They're not climbing snakes and may fall and hurt themselves, so it may be a good idea to get rid of it, but I don't really have a recommendation on that.

I've seen recommendation for a 20 gal. long tank for an adult ball python. Tubs are supposed to be the easiest to maintain and best for the snake's security. I think if he eats ok and you can provide the right conditions, there's no need to go that far.

guys guys guys,and ladies i got three balls all the same age and well lets just say spud web vs shaq.when my wife gets home i try and post photos so i wont say never. by the way ur snake looks good..

He's undersize for sure. Don't panic--in the wild they're equipped to deal with a wide range of feast and famine, so he'll come up to size if you increase his intake.

But you do want to increase his intake. Try offering more than one mouse per feeding, or switching to larger mice. If switching him over to rats, try leading off with small mouse, then following up with a rat pinkie or fuzzy.

When offering more than one, ideally you want to wait until just after he's swallowed the tail of the first mouse, and drop the next food item into view as soon as he flicks his tongue. ("Pounding" I think is defined as putting the next one in his mouth before he's quite finished with the tail, and letting the swallowing reflex take over?--I know this technique works really well, but I don't like doing it with my animals. I figure if they're healthy and they really don't want to eat more, then they probably have their reasons.)

Also, do know how often he's been shedding? That should give you an idea of his growth rate. For comparison, my animals shed about once every two months... a little more frequently in the summer, a little less frequently in the winter. But basically every two months.

If you're not recording his meals and sheds on a piece of paper, now is as good a time as any to start. You can get a digital kitchen scale at Target, too, to record his weight---make sure it goes down to 100 grams, and up to at least a few kilograms.

Tank size is fine. I've heard of animals staying small because their tank was tiny... but 40 gallon is pretty much perfect for an adult animal.

And I'd keep the twisty wood if you don't mind cleaning it--my animals like to climb in the evenings, and I'm a big softie about letting them have their toys if they clearly enjoy them. ;)

Wow lots of great info. Thanks everyone. I'll start recording his shed cycle and how often I feed him as of now. He doesn't shed that often :\ and for the most part he has a hard time shedding. Could be due to the humidity levels in the tank. I feel like a bad parent to be honest. But thats why I came on here to learn more to be a better one. I'll take everything you all said into consideration when I transform his environment. Hopefully I'll see some great improvements soon :)

Here are some pictures of my current setup. Keep in mind I haven't changed anything yet. I'll get some more pictures once I do.
I had fed him his second adult mouse today since yesterday. Is it alright to feed twice a week? I was thinking of doing Friday and Saturday.

Front View
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...1/100_5792.jpg

Top View
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...1/100_5795.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...1/100_5798.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...1/100_5799.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...1/100_5796.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...1/100_5797.jpg

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Originally Posted by Billturff

Wow lots of great info. Thanks everyone. I'll start recording his shed cycle and how often I feed him as of now. He doesn't shed that often :\ and for the most part he has a hard time shedding. Could be due to the humidity levels in the tank. I feel like a bad parent to be honest. But thats why I came on here to learn more to be a better one. I'll take everything you all said into consideration when I transform his environment. Hopefully I'll see some great improvements soon :)

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Yes its because of bad humidity. Keep in mind low humidity can cause respiratory infections.

Cover up the top of them holes with some type of board or foil. This will keep ur humidity in the tank.

And why would you feed Friday and Saturday?

What would be the purpose of that? Feed him the amount of food he needs. Wait 5 days feed him again. You NEED to give him time to digests his food before you have him take more

Also them dial gages SUCK they can be WAY off

Someone had mentioned making another food offering. Guess I misinterpreted that.
I'll cover it up asap.
The gages were a petco recommendation lol i'll get something better real soon :)
again thanks for the advice and help

High humidity causes RIs not low......

So what should the ideal humidity be around?

by now your probably like holy @#%$ thats gunna cost alot of money! lol but put it this way once you spend this money for a complete/safe setup , you only gotta spend less than 5 bucks a week so its not that bad after this.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gabrial

High humidity causes RIs not low......

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I think you should recheck your facts

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=118950

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Billturff

So what should the ideal humidity be around?

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50-60 and around 70-75 for shed