adopted a ball python new here a bit scared

Hello

First id like to say ive always been a bit scared of a lot of snakes like if i see one in the wild i will usually stay away. That being said my brother has the sweetest most gentle snake and kinda dumped it on me cause he moved out the country. I have been playing with it a lot and i am really shocked to say that i really like him and want to keep him he will sit in my lap four hours and is really gentle and sweet.

He came in a 20 gallon tank with a heating bad and all that stuff i am a bit clueless when it comes to snake as i have never had one

He just got dropped off today and i was told he has been fed live mice is there any way i can change that and get him to eat frozen thawed mice? ?? I love the snake and all but i dont think i can handle feeding him a live mouse so i might have to rehome him which i really dont want to do so i am desperate here and was wondering how easy it would be to switch him?

Well, the first thing I recommend is the caresheet stickied at the top of this forum and linked to on the front page. You want to make sure the snake is being cared for properly, regardless of how your brother was caring for it. The caresheet is information distilled from decades of breeding experience, so it IS an authority. Some people just seem to ignore the advice.

After you get him set up, let him sit for a week, then try to feed him. He ought to eat weekly, 10-15% of his body weight if he's under 2000 grams.

I don't really know much about the conversion. It ought to be doable. I think most feed F/T.

yeah check out the caresheet first.
get digital thermometers to watch temps, walmart sales one called accu-rite that does two temps and one humidity that would be good put the unit itself in one side to measure the temp over there and run the probe to the other side and the screen will display the temps and humity all in one place, as far as haveing it eat f/t, thaw you one out and try it, remember to heat it up a little with like a blow dryer but dont cook the thing, this simulates the warmth of a live rodent and has almost always worked for me. oh and did i mention CARESHEET!!!! it will save your snakes life. good luck and happy herping, oh and watch out i started with one and now i have 22 lol

oh yeah another way to tell the size you need is you can go buy the largest part of its body, a pic and weight in grams would be helpful

thanks but a new problem the heating pad is not heating up? its still really cold? Not sure what to do?

how long has it been pluged in? if it is broke you gonna have to go get a new one asap

I vote Flexwatt. Even with shipping and the clips, it's far, far, cheaper. I bought from reptilesupply.com and they even put the clips on for me for free!

been plugged in about an hour? I am clueless not sure how fast they heat up ?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by stevepoppers

I vote Flexwatt. Even with shipping and the clips, it's far, far, cheaper. I bought from reptilesupply.com and they even put the clips on for me for free!

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if you do flexwatt you must also get a thermostat or dimmer, if you go this way i can help you there also, but personally for one tank id just get a heat pad. zoo meds have very rarely let me down

an hour is long enough its shot

Thermostats are recommended anyway. I've sat and watched my Zoomed reach 140 degrees.

would it be ok to wait until tommorrow?

Most likely.

my roomate keeps flipping out thinking the snake is gonna die so she puts the snake under her shirt thinking thats going to keep him warm???????? i didnt think we were suppose to hold the snake since hes in a new place

my roomate wants to use one of those hand warmers tonight also which get about 120 or so i am not sure how hot that would be through the glasss? anyways i told her the snake will be fine unti ltommorrow but she wont buy it and is freaking out

Ball pythons go missing for days at a time in cold basements and turn up fine. Heat packs will help, but 120* can burn. I'm sure it'll be ok at room temperature for a day, maybe a few. Though, I don't think there's anything wrong with giving it body heat while you can.

I read excessive handling of a new snake will stress him out more thus exposing them to more illness as it is. on another forum is that true.

But we're weighing body heat with it's stress level. I think it's body temperature is a bit more important.

I really don't know, though. I defer to a greater experience. That's because I also think it would do fine at room temperature.

Just make sure she doesn't try to sleep with it. If you're just going to run out and get a heat pad first thing in the morning, it'll be fine. If you don't already have a thermostat, you may as well order it along with the Flexwatt because the unregulated heat pad is just as dangerous as no heat source (and much more expensive).

ok thanks so much for being there u can tell we are both total newbies and dont know much

its just my roomate freaks out so much i dont know what to do, the snake is active in its cage right now and checking it out and just moving all over the place my roomate seems to think this means its "lonely" and wants ther to hold him again?!?!?! She wants the snake to actually sleep with her tonight with her cats and dogs because she thinks its what the snake wants, she is humanizing the snake and cant expcept the snake is not a cat or a dog

she said shes going to wake up every 3 hours to check on him tonight and shake the hand warmer to make sure its working

she doesnt get that a dog and a cat look like predators to a 3 foot snake and will freak it out and stress it she thinks that they will all live in some crazy happy family together on her bed sorry about the venting its just i dont know who else to tell this to

Wow, lol. Well, you've got all that right. It's most likely scared of the big smelly animals that keep picking it up. "Will it eat me?" I hear it's common for them to explore their environments for the first week or two, so I wouldn't worry about that unless it doesn't eventually stop.

I would look for some informative posts on ball python behavior for her to read. If she's going to be living with it, she really ought to understand that they DON'T LIKE handling. They just deal with it because they have no choice, and eventually learn that we won't eat them or anything.

Hi, im exotica s "roommate" and i would just like to say that i really dont appreciate you guys getting together and flaming me behind my back on some stupid forum for snakes when clearly you dont even know anything about snakes. you are wrong! he does like to be held, he hates it when i put him away! and i WILL sleep with him because it IS what he wants, I can tell!


Thanks for absolutely nothing.

Well, ok, but if you go to sleep with the snake out, it'll probably move away to some small, dark warm place away from any other living thing in the house and you'll have to tear the place apart to find it so it doesn't die from total lack of warmth or eventual starvation. That or you'll roll over and crush it or something. Ask anyone else and you'll get pretty much the same answers. I'm just the late-night parrot of the more advanced.

It's a bad idea...:colbert:

Ok you two.. NO one was flamed. When BPs are moved to a new place it is recommended they are left alone for a week to settle in. This is why you are being told not to handle it so much. A stressed out BP may not eat. If you dont think you will have this problem then fine. The moderators are not going to stand for you coming on here to hijack a thread when you were givin the advice you asked for..

To the above poster i totally agree with the other posters its just my roomate has a hard time believing things i say so i thought it would be better if she intereacted with you experts herself. She really is just out for the best interest of the snake and is very protective but i just cant get her to understand.

im sorry steven im just scared but you are right, i just feel so bad for him sleeping on the cold glass.

And you monica, dont you dare hijack my thread
this thread is about my snake and me, so therefor its mine tobegin with and i think you are the one hi jacking.


just saying.

Now. That being said. This forum is full of people with alot of experience. Most are on during the day which is why you are not getting many answers. Reading the care sheet is a good start. The snake will be ok until tomorrow. Then go to the pet store (since you cant get flexwatt delivered in 8 hours) and pick up a new UTH (under tank heater) which is 1/3 the size of the bottom of the tank. Pick up a thermostat which you plug the UTH into to control the temperature. If you do not use a thermostat it will get too hot. BPs will not move off an overly hot UTH and will get burned. Then run to walmart. Pick up an accurite weather station. Little grey unit about 4 inches tall, in the hardware section near the paint isle with the thermometers. Put the probe directly on the glass over the UTH. Put the grey unit inside the tank on the opposite end. This way you measure the hot side temp, the cool side temp, and the humidity all at once. It costs about $10 for it.

news paper or aspen chip for bedding. Paper is easier and cleaner. They prefer 2 identical, tight fitting hides. If the temps are too low, cover most of the lid with something. Foil, a towel etc.. If humidity is too low, spray daily or put some moist java moss in a small plastic container or a hide box for a humid hide.

It can be switched to prekilled rodents or F/T (frozen thawed. If a snake doesnt take F/T right away, there are a few tips to try.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wispurs

im sorry steven im just scared but you are right, i just feel so bad for him sleeping on the cold glass.

And you monica, dont you dare hijack my thread
this thread is about my snake and me, so therefor its mine tobegin with and i think you are the one hi jacking.


just saying.

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Since I was busy typing my "advice" and was unaware of your attitude filled reply. Then you and your snake just have a wonderful night.

Thank you monica. should i put his cage infront of the heater for the night on 80%? the glass really is very cold where he is lying and exotica doesnt seem to care but the guy said he can get repertory infection

no monica, please dont be mad, i didnt know you were going to help me. please just answer my other question, im sorry

The problem with it being right by the heat is it will end up being much hotter in the tank (ambient temp) then it feels to your hand. What is the temp in the room the snake is in? If its 75 or more then its fine. The glass is always going to feel cold even when its 80* in the tank. Simply raising the humidity in the tank will make it a couple degrees warmer. RI is not an instant thing but its good to try to prevent it. You also have no idea how long the snake has actually been without heat if the heat pad was not working for you.

also, can you tell me the tips about the frozen food, please?

ok, ill wait till morning then, i just dont want him to hibernate or get sick, but if you think he will be ok, ill wait it feels like its about 72 is in the room but i dont have a temp gauge. thanks again for helping me, I just dont want to do the wrong thing.

xoxo

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Foschi Exotic Serpents

go to the pet store (since you cant get flexwatt delivered in 8 hours) and pick up a new UTH (under tank heater) which is 1/3 the size of the bottom of the tank. Pick up a thermostat which you plug the UTH into to control the temperature. If you do not use a thermostat it will get too hot

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I've not seen a thermostat in a pet store and have heard the same from more than a few posters. I think the chances are that they won't find one, in which case, they may as well save the money and get the Flexwatt, seeing as they won't be able to use whatever heater they DO find at the pet store until the thermostat arrives.

That is assuming they can't find a thermostat. In that case, the Reptitemp 500R is the cheapest and will get the job done. It is bottom-line. I think a "good" one will probably run around $100. I use a Reptitemp and it's a ***** to adjust and fine-tune.

The heater should help. A layer of newspaper or something will keep the snake off the glass, which absorbs heat much faster.

Edit: Actually, Monica makes a good point about the heater making the tank too hot in it's struggle to heat the whole room. Use with caution?

Frozen rodent need to be thawed either at room temperature for a few hours or in hot water. In a baggie if you dont want it soaking wet. When completely thawed all the way through, warm up the head area very well with a blow dryer. Its best to use a pair of feeding tongs so you don't accidentally get bitten. Offer the mouse or rat to the snake. You may need to do what we call the zombie dance. Slow and slightly jerky movements a few inches away from the snake. Make it look like the rodent is alive. Sometimes it helps a picky eater if the mouse IS wet. It releases the scent more. An even pickier eater may need to be tempted by pre-scenting the room first. If it refuses a few weeks in a row, get some dirty rodent bedding from the pet store. Gerbil bedding works best. Set the bag, open, on top of the snakes tank a few hours before feeding. Feeding at night sometimes helps too. Just ask again if you run into any feeding problems.

omg monica thank god for u totally calmed my over protective roomate down and made her understand things from a new view god bless u! U totally saved my sleep tonight!

Tommorrow we will go shopping and hopefully get everything we need i had no idea about the temp and humidity checker nor did i even know anything about the temprature control thing that we can placeo n the heating pad to make sure it never gets to hot?

MY brother NEVER had any of these things for his poor snake! :rolleyes::mad:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by stevepoppers

I've not seen a thermostat in a pet store and have heard the same from more than a few posters. I think the chances are that they won't find one, in which case, they may as well save the money and get the Flexwatt, seeing as they won't be able to use whatever heater they DO find at the pet store until the thermostat arrives.

That is assuming they can't find a thermostat. In that case, the Reptitemp 500R is the cheapest and will get the job done. It is bottom-line. I think a "good" one will probably run around $100. I use a Reptitemp and it's a ***** to adjust and fine-tune.

The heater should help. A layer of newspaper or something will keep the snake off the glass, which absorbs heat much faster.

Edit: Actually, Monica makes a good point about the heater making the tank too hot in it's struggle to heat the whole room. Use with caution?

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There is one by me that carries them but they do run out often. The OP can also use a dimmer for the time being. OR can use a heat lamp combined with a black heat light for night, cover the rest of the top, make a humid hide to compensate humidity loss and order the proper equipment to improve on the enclosure later.

The care sheet is a great place to start but it doesn't tell you what to get and where to get it.

The thermostats most of us use can be very pricy but some are ok. Like this poster said, reptitemp is ok. There is also herpstat, helix and ranco. These are the three I use and prefer. Its best to find a digital thermostat so you dont have to guess at the temperature.

well this tread done we to ....... OP this is a snake not a dog it DONT sleep with you, if you want real hepl youll have to do what is said not what you feel is ok because you have no idea how to care for this animal, but if you want help we'll give it but not if you are not going to listen, if you wanna email me and ill help you.

This thread just got really funny. Is this for reals?

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Originally Posted by moravaguy

well this tread done we to ....... OP this is a snake not a dog it DONT sleep with you, if you want real hepl youll have to do what is said not what you feel is ok because you have no idea how to care for this animal, but if you want help we'll give it but not if you are not going to listen, if you wanna email me and ill help you.

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Well, you dont even make sense, so what makes you think im going to believe you know anything about snakes? a snake is also not a cat but my cat does act like a dog...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wispurs

Well, you dont even make sense, so what makes you think im going to believe you know anything about snakes? a snake is also not a cat but my cat does act like a dog...

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if............you........need.......help.......listen......to......it........... ..im.....sorry......you .......took.......on...........an...........animal..........that...you......know ........nothing.............about.............but........you..........did....... ...and.........asked..........for...........help............and.........when.... ....you.............got.......it.......you.........did...........not.........lis ten...........:rolleye2:


and.......the.......22................healthy.............snakes.............tha t........i.............have...............that..........are............in....... .....better..........health...........than.........you.......lets.........me.... .......know...............i..........know..............enough............to..... .......tell...........you.............that..........a............heat.......pad. ........dont.......work..............when..............it..................dont. .................heat..........up
i sure hope you can understand that now and get some common sense before you come on here trying to piss off the people you are trying to get help from

That doesn't help new people regardless of their attitude.

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Originally Posted by stevepoppers

That doesn't help new people regardless of their attitude.

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Agreed 100%

Well, sounds like the two of you have quite a bit of learning left to do. Please don't be afraid to ask more questions.

Monica gave some good advice.

I would also keep reading up about ball pythons. Ball pythons are not social animals. they do not enjoy the company of people or other snakes for that matter. They are happiest alone in a tight cramped hide box. Handling is for your enjoyment therefor it should be limited. I don't handle my snakes unless they are eating consistently. If they are eating, pooping, shedding and hiding during the day, I assume they are happy and healthy enough to tolerate short handling sessions throughout the week.

You will learn to understand their behaviors better with time. You will begin to notice when they are scared, mad, or happy. Constant roaming around the cage is not a sign of being lonely. It simply means the snake is looking for a way out because it doesn't feel comfortable yet in its environment. Having two, dark, tight fitting hides will help the snake feel safer in its new home :)

Here is a quick list of the basic things you will need if you don't have them already:

-2 identical hides. The dark "rock cave" kind are best. I use plastic cereal bowls with a small entrance cut in the side. I get mine from the dollar store, can't beat their prices!
-Water dish
-Thermometers and hygrometers. I like the accurite weather station from the home depot or lowes. it costs about $12 and measures temperature with a probe, ambient temperature, and humidity. This is the only thermometer/hygrometer you will need.
-Heating pad or UTH
-Thermostat. You absolutely need some way to control the UTH or it will get hot enough to burn. Thermostats are hard to find in pet stores so you will have to order one online. You can use a rheostat or light dimmer in the meantime.
-Substrate. You can use aspen, paper towels, newspaper, cypress mulch, reptibark, or eco earth. I prefer paper towels


Good luck you guys!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Well, sounds like the two of you have quite a bit of learning left to do. Please don't be afraid to ask more questions.

Monica gave some good advice.

I would also keep reading up about ball pythons. Ball pythons are not social animals. they do not enjoy the company of people or other snakes for that matter. They are happiest alone in a tight cramped hide box. Handling is for your enjoyment therefor it should be limited. I don't handle my snakes unless they are eating consistently. If they are eating, pooping, shedding and hiding during the day, I assume they are happy and healthy enough to tolerate short handling sessions throughout the week.

You will learn to understand their behaviors better with time. You will begin to notice when they are scared, mad, or happy. Constant roaming around the cage is not a sign of being lonely. It simply means the snake is looking for a way out because it doesn't feel comfortable yet in its environment. Having two, dark, tight fitting hides will help the snake feel safer in its new home :)

Here is a quick list of the basic things you will need if you don't have them already:

-2 identical hides. The dark "rock cave" kind are best. I use plastic cereal bowls with a small entrance cut in the side. I get mine from the dollar store, can't beat their prices!
-Water dish
-Thermometers and hygrometers. I like the accurite weather station from the home depot or lowes. it costs about $12 and measures temperature with a probe, ambient temperature, and humidity. This is the only thermometer/hygrometer you will need.
-Heating pad or UTH
-Thermostat. You absolutely need some way to control the UTH or it will get hot enough to burn. Thermostats are hard to find in pet stores so you will have to order one online. You can use a rheostat or light dimmer in the meantime.
-Substrate. You can use aspen, paper towels, newspaper, cypress mulch, reptibark, or eco earth. I prefer paper towels


Good luck you guys!

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This is some of the best advice I've seen on this thread.

Reptiles are wonderful, rewarding animals to keep, they just aren't like more conventional pets. They don't dote on attention like mammal pets do (even animals such as rats and rabbits enjoy the daily interaction they get with their owners).

Reptiles are very sentient animals and its very different from owning other animals. This is a new pet, and I can see you guys want to do whats best for him. There are some amazing people on this forum, I recommend reading the caresheet and browsing around the forum a bit. You can glean a lot of really useful info.

Welcome to BP.net :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by moravaguy

an hour is long enough its shot

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Can U try plugging it in into another socket ? Might have to trip the breaker

hey thanks all so much ok so today i bought a thermometer a humidity checker a book on ball pythons and one of those temprature control things along with a heating pad it all came to 75 dollars


oh well so just a quick question the man at the store said we pout the little point part of the tempratrue controller in the snakes house which is a log so it can control the temprature? well a lilttle piece of wire its conntected to is keeping the screen lid a bit open i hope the snake doesnt use that and push it so he can escape?

Put the thermostat probe directly on the UTH. Put the thermometer probe in the hide. (Log hides aren't considered secure enough.) Use the thermometer to set the thermostat. Get cage clips to hold the cage shut.

Pet stores aren't considered a good source of information.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Well, sounds like the two of you have quite a bit of learning left to do. Please don't be afraid to ask more questions.

Monica gave some good advice.

I would also keep reading up about ball pythons. Ball pythons are not social animals. they do not enjoy the company of people or other snakes for that matter. They are happiest alone in a tight cramped hide box. Handling is for your enjoyment therefor it should be limited. I don't handle my snakes unless they are eating consistently. If they are eating, pooping, shedding and hiding during the day, I assume they are happy and healthy enough to tolerate short handling sessions throughout the week.

You will learn to understand their behaviors better with time. You will begin to notice when they are scared, mad, or happy. Constant roaming around the cage is not a sign of being lonely. It simply means the snake is looking for a way out because it doesn't feel comfortable yet in its environment. Having two, dark, tight fitting hides will help the snake feel safer in its new home :)

Here is a quick list of the basic things you will need if you don't have them already:

-2 identical hides. The dark "rock cave" kind are best. I use plastic cereal bowls with a small entrance cut in the side. I get mine from the dollar store, can't beat their prices!
-Water dish
-Thermometers and hygrometers. I like the accurite weather station from the home depot or lowes. it costs about $12 and measures temperature with a probe, ambient temperature, and humidity. This is the only thermometer/hygrometer you will need.
-Heating pad or UTH
-Thermostat. You absolutely need some way to control the UTH or it will get hot enough to burn. Thermostats are hard to find in pet stores so you will have to order one online. You can use a rheostat or light dimmer in the meantime.
-Substrate. You can use aspen, paper towels, newspaper, cypress mulch, reptibark, or eco earth. I prefer paper towels


Good luck you guys!

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Thank you so much! Im printing this out.

Just want to say that I'm so glad you've gotten the help you needed, and good luck! I apologize for the rudeness by one of the members, haha. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wispurs

Hi, im exotica s "roommate" and i would just like to say that i really dont appreciate you guys getting together and flaming me behind my back on some stupid forum for snakes when clearly you dont even know anything about snakes. you are wrong! he does like to be held, he hates it when i put him away! and i WILL sleep with him because it IS what he wants, I can tell!


Thanks for absolutely nothing.

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um this stuff right here is bad enough that everyone should of been a little upset, its because of things like this people may be losing their big snakes, and then you get called dumb by the same person, why wouldnt you get angry?

Yes, it's aggravating when someone throws your well-founded advice in your face. It's totally understandable to be angry because of it. But that isn't going to help change anyone's mind. It just makes them more likely to go off and do whatever they want. They'll then ignore your advice simply to spite you for getting angry with them. It's more helpful for the person and their snake to be nice and state the possible consequences of doing things their way. Then it's up to them to listen, because you did everything you could at that point.

I wouldn't get angry because I'm concerned for their snake if nothing else and they definitely won't want to listen to an angry, rude person.