New guy drops by and... Iggy!

Hey people! I'm new to the forums and new to Ball Pythons and reptile care in general. I live in southern spain where reptile care isn't as popular as in other places.

When I was a kid, I always wanted to get a cool pet, a big scary snake or a weird lizard but I never got around to owning one. Well, about a month or two ago this idea came back in my head and I started researching and such and decided on ball pythons.

I told my girlfriend about it and being the cool chick she is look what she dropped by my house on my 18th birthday:

Meet Iggy!
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e38/brunorod/Iggy.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...orod/Iggy3.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...orod/Iggy2.jpg
I know a normall BP doesn't seem like much in this forum but this is my first real pet, and it was such a wonderfull present! I named it Iggy after The Stooges frontman Iggy Pop.

Anyways I was researching BPs and wanted to improve the cage since the little guy would probably get stressed out in such an empty space.

Here's what I came up with:
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3.../terrario1.jpg

I added a water bowl that I change every day, some branches and a nice hide, pretty big for her size but also not too tall so she can feel secure.
Also, the terrarium came with a thermometer (located in the upper middel in of the back panel) but it's complete bs so I decided to add an external one that measures in and out temperatures so I can get a pretty good idea of the hot and cold sides. I might add some cooler pieces of wood in the near future also.

I have a couple of questions for you guys:

1st of all, I don't have any way to measure the humudity yet and the room seems like its lacking some. What I'm currently doing is spraying down the tank with water about twice a day. I spray down the panels to check if they evaporate and they do rather quickly. Any tips?

Also, if you check the pics, you can notice that Iggy's scales on the top of his head are either dried off or damaged. I'm kinda worried about this do you have any ideas what this could be? Should I really worry about it?

Finally, it's summer in southern spain and I have her in a room where there's no AC so currently the room temperatures in the day are about 86-93 and 77-83 in the night. I don't turn on the light much since it seems like it would fry the poor guy! Are the temperatures good for the snake? Should I do something else?

Finally, they told me to feed her on thursdays a mouse. But I've looked into it and there so many sizes! Can you guys help me decide what size of food she needs? I hope she's not too much of a picky eater! :)

That's all for now guys, she seems much more comfortable now that she has her hide, she spends most of her day in there.

Sorry for the long thread guys, that's all for now! Please answer my questions or comment whatever you want! :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by brunorod

Hey people! I'm new to the forums and new to Ball Pythons and reptile care in general. I live in southern spain where reptile care isn't as popular as in other places.

When I was a kid, I always wanted to get a cool pet, a big scary snake or a weird lizard but I never got around to owning one. Well, about a month or two ago this idea came back in my head and I started researching and such and decided on ball pythons.

I told my girlfriend about it and being the cool chick she is look what she dropped by my house on my 18th birthday:

Meet Iggy!
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e38/brunorod/Iggy.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...orod/Iggy3.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...orod/Iggy2.jpg
I know a normall BP doesn't seem like much in this forum but this is my first real pet, and it was such a wonderfull present! I named it Iggy after The Stooges frontman Iggy Pop.

Anyways I was researching BPs and wanted to improve the cage since the little guy would probably get stressed out in such an empty space.

Here's what I came up with:
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3.../terrario1.jpg

I added a water bowl that I change every day, some branches and a nice hide, pretty big for her size but also not too tall so she can feel secure.
Also, the terrarium came with a thermometer (located in the upper middel in of the back panel) but it's complete bs so I decided to add an external one that measures in and out temperatures so I can get a pretty good idea of the hot and cold sides. I might add some cooler pieces of wood in the near future also.

I have a couple of questions for you guys:

1st of all, I don't have any way to measure the humudity yet and the room seems like its lacking some. What I'm currently doing is spraying down the tank with water about twice a day. I spray down the panels to check if they evaporate and they do rather quickly. Any tips?

Also, if you check the pics, you can notice that Iggy's scales on the top of his head are either dried off or damaged. I'm kinda worried about this do you have any ideas what this could be? Should I really worry about it?

Finally, it's summer in southern spain and I have her in a room where there's no AC so currently the room temperatures in the day are about 86-93 and 77-83 in the night. I don't turn on the light much since it seems like it would fry the poor guy! Are the temperatures good for the snake? Should I do something else?

Finally, they told me to feed her on thursdays a mouse. But I've looked into it and there so many sizes! Can you guys help me decide what size of food she needs? I hope she's not too much of a picky eater! :)

That's all for now guys, she seems much more comfortable now that she has her hide, she spends most of her day in there.

Sorry for the long thread guys, that's all for now! Please answer my questions or comment whatever you want! :D

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Dang dude! Congratz! Is the reptile trade big in Spain?

Okay. First, congrats on the new snake. My boyfriend bought me my first one, and it's an awesome feeling.

To take up some space and make her feel more secure, you should get two, smaller, identical hides and put one on the hot side and one on the cool side.

As for food, get a small scale and see how much he weighs and take the scale with you (if possible) and try to get a mouse that is 10-15% of Iggy's body weight, or judge the size mouse by the largest girth of your snake.

As for the lamp, do you have an under tank heater (UTH) as well? or just the lamp? If you don't have a UTH, you should invest in one. Ball pythons use belly heat to digest. With a UTH, however, you also need to get a thermostat to control the temperature so Iggy doesn't get burned. Your lamp is going to KILL your humidity as well.

You could probably find a cheap hygrometer and if it turns out your humidity is too low, get a bigger (not deeper, but wider?) water dish (this might be wise anyways because your tank is so large for such a tiny snake). You could also place a wet towel ontop of the tank, or create a foil top (there's a sticky for them somewhere on here) by putting a few layers of foil on the screen top, taping it down, cutting a hole for ventilation and one for your lamp if you keep it.

Hope this is usefull and good luck with Iggy!

Humid hides are much better than having to spray, research humid hides and make one that suits your needs.

Congrats on the baby ball!

Hello and welcome!! :D Really cool to see someone on here from Spain!

First of all, I agree with the poster above me... you need two identical hides, one for the cool side and one for the warm, so he can regulate his temperature without sacrificing security.

Also, the other BIG THING that I noticed was that, at least from your picture, it looks like the heat lamp is inside the tank where your bp could come in contact with it. That's not good. It definitely needs to be OUTSIDE the tank or he could seriously burn himself :( on top of the screen top at the very least.

As far as humidity, you can find hygrometers for pretty cheap at any pet store or home & garden stores. Digital is obviously better because it's much more accurate, but even a regular analog one will at least give you a general idea of what your humidity is like. Until you get a hygrometer, I would say the misting is a good idea, and covering the top with foil or a wet towel will help too.

The dry scales on the top of his head are just what's left of an old shed that didn't come off properly. It's nothing to worry about, although you could try gently rubbing some water on the area and see if it will come off. If it stresses him too much though, then don't worry about it. It will definitely come off with his next shed (as long as he gets enough humidity this time around ;) )

Also FYI: heat lamps destroy humidity, so only use it when you have to. And it sounds like those temps are actually pretty good for a bp. Definitely buy an undertank heat mat though and some sort of rheostat/thermostat to control it. The warm side of the tank should be around 88-92 and the cool side should be 77-80.

Oh yeah, and from his size I'd say you could try giving him a rat pup or small mouse.

Otherwise, your tank looks great and congrats on your cute little Iggy!! :gj:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by blushingball419

Also, the other BIG THING that I noticed was that, at least from your picture, it looks like the heat lamp is inside the tank where your bp could come in contact with it. That's not good. It definitely needs to be OUTSIDE the tank or he could seriously burn himself :( on top of the screen top at the very least.

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Good catch, that's an absolute no-no that needs to be addressed immediately.

Thanks to everyone for the help!

@blushingball419: I'll get another hide for the other side. I got one just because I didn't know if that one was going to work.
About the lamp thing, it seemed kida wierd when I saw it and bummed me out when I saw it but since temps get pretty hot I just didn't use it. Also, I went to check on my snake on my second day with it and it climbed on the tank thermometer and then wrapped around the (turned off) lamp. Since it didn't have a hide yet, the thing was probably stressed out and trying to get out some way or another. I'll try to find a better tank top as soon as I can, until that time, I won't even touch the lamp. I'll also get a hygrometers as quickly as possible.

Thanks for all the comments everyone, I'm just trying my best to have a happy snake. She seems much more calm when I put the hide in. She hasn't been out of it the whole day. I took her out once just to check on her, she kinda crawled on the branches for abit, explored and then crawled back into her hide. As soon as I can get her the other needs, I suppose he'll be happy!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by brunorod

About the lamp thing, it seemed kida wierd when I saw it and bummed me out when I saw it but since temps get pretty hot I just didn't use it.

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Well, that's good! I just saw it on in the picture and started thinking fried snake :P

Another thing I should have mentioned is that if you just got Iggy recently, you should really leave him alone (no handling) for about 5 - 7 days to let him relax and get used to his new surroundings. I know it's hard, but your snake will be much happier! Since you've already been handling him, I suppose you can try feeding him this week if you want, but I bet he'll be too stressed to eat.

So yeah, get him a second hide, a heat mat + thermostat, and then let him relax for a week or so :D

I'd get a UTH before getting a hygrometer.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jfreels

I'd get a UTH before getting a hygrometer.

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That and a thermostat and block 3 sides of the tank so the snake feels more secure.

I am not sure I even own a hygrometer, I just know my humidity is good because my snakes shed in one piece.

Well, a couple of updates on Iggy:

I got him two hides now, same type as the other one but a bit smaller. I'll have to upgrade them in a while but they where like half a buck.

Today was feeding day so I went out to one of my city's pet shops and got a good size live mouse. It was kinda expensive, 2.5 euros so around 3.5 dollars. I might have to look for a better place. Anyways, I was unsure of what was gonna happen, he could have been stressed out from all the changes it's been through.

It's one of those moments where you don't know what to expect. I didn't want to handle him much before he ate his first meal so I didn't take it out of the tank to a different location but I will do so in the future once he seems more relaxed with his surroundings.

Dropped the mouse in and it inmediately caught the attention of Iggy. The mouse roamed around the tank exploring not even noticing the snake. When it finally became aware of Iggy it kinda stood still and the aproached it to sniff it and BAM! Iggy had it's meal.

I also noticed her eyes might be getting a bit greyish so she could shed soon. After noticing this, I gave the tank a good spray so it would stay pretty humid. I've also looked into humid hides and will probably make one once I get the chance.

I know that some people look down upon feeding live animals to our pets but really, the biggest reason why I wanted a snake was to experience a diferent experience, something that you don't get to see often and this experience was one of those moments. It's not like I get enjoyment from watching the mouse die but it's the law of nature, that's what snakes eat. I hope you guys understand my point of view.

Finally, about the UTH. I was unsure of getting it yet because I didn't have a thermostat to regulate it. I've found a tutorial to make a rheostat for 7$ in about 20 minutes so I will be getting the suplys tomorrow. After I build it, I'll feel secure about getting an UTH. I'll also probably get a temp gun so I can regulate all the temps.

That's all for now guys, sorry for the long post. If you got any other tips about caring for my snake, please post about it. I think I'm taking pretty good care of him, he seemed happy after his meal.

Here's the tutorial for the rheostat if anyone's interested:
How to make your own Rheostat for less than $7! Detailed instructions.

We feed live too. No big deal in the US. In UK, though, it seems to be frowned upon.

I feel better about it with my rats. The breeder rats are my pets. Their kids gets fed to the snakes. But, if the snakes don't eat, they get to live another week. My bp's have gone off-feed for several weeks - the longest was almost 3 months.

Have you tried looking at the garden stores for cheap thermostats? Like this one: http://compare.ebay.com/spid/4400865...mTypes&var=srf

They're only about $30 in the US.

Hello, and :welcome: to BP.net...

Bienvenido, Congratulations on your new Ball Python. Once you get an Under Tank Heater and dimmer you will also need to get a thermometer with a probe on it or a temperature gun to measure the temperature of the glass where the heater is. If you cannot find them at your pet store, there are a few members here from Europe who can probably suggest some websites where you can order them online. One of the Admins here, Dr. Del, is from the UK and can probably help. Also, if you remove the lamp, make sure you fix the hole so Iggy doesn't escape...

Hey guys, another update:

Here's how the terrarium looks now, I hope I'm on the right track:
[IMG]http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3.../terrario2.jpg[/IMG]

Added two identical hides but smaller than the old one. Smaller water dish aswell and added a cool mopani brach I bought at the local petshop after boiling it. Now as for the thermostat, I've been searching for one today but the only one I found came only with an inner sensor and I really preffer an outside sensor so I can just place it over the UTH. I decided to browse around ebay and here's what I found:
ATC-300A Thermo Control II - 50 euros about 70 bucks
http://www.my-messgeraet.com/images/...der/T03_01.JPGebay Link

ATC-210 Thermo Control II Pro - 65 euros about 90 bucks
http://www.my-messgeraet.com/images/...der/T04_01.JPG
ebay link
Chinese Mini Digital Temperature Controller Thermostat - 23 euros about 32 bucks
http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/1/2/6...5922166_tp.jpgebay link

Could you guys help me choose which one is worth it? The chinese made one is cheaper but needs wiring and I really don't know how to do that. It seems that the other two are just plug and play and they are specifically for reptiles.

Also, last question. My snake stays all day (and night) inside her hide (the right one). At this moment the whole tank is at the same temperature pretty much so I'd like to know why it never comes out of his hide. When I have pulled him out for feeding for example. He crawled around the tank for a bit and then went back to his hide. Is this normal? Is he just getting used to his new habitat? Please answer my questions guys, you've been really helpfull to me so far and I'd like to think that I'm doing some things right. Thanks for everything, and again, sorry for the long post! :D

Bruno

I'll let other people comment on the thermostat. Hope I can just send you a therm, a UTH, and the accurite! Not sure how much that will cost to ship to you. :confused:

A bp that is sitting in his hide all day long is a happy snake. :D I know, I know, it's so boring, but that's what they do. If they're cruising around a lot, that usually means something is wrong.

I'm not sure how big your snake is compared to the hide and such, but from my experience with tank set-ups, the more cluttered it is, the more secure the snake is. So, you can definitely use bigger hides and water dishes if your snake outgrows those.

Check out my tank set-up. This is a 20L tank. The far right side that you don't see is another hide that is exactly like the one on the left side. As you can see, it doesn't look like there's any room for the snake to cruise around at all. But, they go into those nooks and crannies. That's how they like it - at least that's how my bps like it. I took this photo because my snake decided he feels better about hiding under the hide than in it. :)

http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...s07/curly4.jpg

That's an awesome tank!

I'm still not sure about which one to get, does any one have any experience with any of these thermostats? Which one would you suggest?

Check this out! This is a good thermostat:
Thermostat ebay item

Is this too expensive for you?

The reason I posted this is because this is a pulse-proportional thermostat which is a better one than just an on/off thermostat.

Hi,

I've used the thermo-control 2 - the light controler section works on a wierd system where you set the number of hours you want the light on and how many hours you want it off.

But overall I was happy enough with the thermostat and liked the alarm function if the temp varies by more than the margin you set.

It does make an audible click when turning the heater on and off though so if you will be using the tank in your bedroom you might be better off buying a habistat if you can find one that will work with your countries electricity.


dr del

Just so you know, most young ball pythons never ever come out of their houses. Mine stays in there basically 24/7. I throw a small live mouse in with him every 5 days( he didn't eat for a couple months as a young hatchling so he's got to gain weight) He eats it, gets a drink, and goes directly back into his house. He only comes out for a drink of water and doesn't really explore his tank anymore since it isn't new to him anymore.


Make yourself a humid hide. I give one to all my reptiles.

Get a small plastic tupper ware container and keep the lid on. Cut a hole in the side and fill it with some moist moss(you can re-soak it and ring it out every couple of days.) If you notice he is about to shed, make sure you keep the humid hide moist, and if you get a better lamp set up, you can move the lamp over the water dish. But humid hides work great by themselves.