Hello Folks Noob here w/a few questions & pix

Hi everyone ;
First off my names Rick I live here in San Diego
I bought my 1st bp a week ago . I was told its a norm and from the pix ive seen she is but her coloring I cant get it to come up correctly is more of like a dark maple syrup almost mahogany like ,thats why I chose it out of the others they had .
She is a strong eater , Ive got her in a 20 gallon long fishtank will this suffice for now ?? I want to get a nicer tank when the $$$ gets here . I also really want a albino but again the $$ has to add up :) One problem ive notice is ((SO FAR ) shes very friendly ,but when going back in the tank she curls up right away and almost looks like she goes into a strike pose ,almost looks like shes telling me I dont wanna go back . Ok so here goes my questions
1. They told me it was fed frozen mice ive tried 2 so far she strikes them then leaves them be Ive taken out after 2 hrs of sitting SHOULD I keep trying the frozens maybe leave them in longer
2. As i stated b4 its a baby yet and speaking of which I have a 4 y/o lil girl is it a good idea for the snake now to cheak each other out I saw somewhere that small fingers look like dinner to some baby snakes
3. She does like pinkie mice but heard feedin live contributes to the raising of a hunter/aggresive snake which I do not want w/4 kids .
I'm sure ill be firing more questions of & on thanks for your help
Here are some pix of my baby !

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...o/DSCF5033.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...o/DSCF5030.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...o/DSCF5011.jpg

Thanks For all the future help !!!

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Originally Posted by Bigboyindiego

1. They told me it was fed frozen mice ive tried 2 so far she strikes them then leaves them be Ive taken out after 2 hrs of sitting SHOULD I keep trying the frozens maybe leave them in longer

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Does she try and get them down or just strikes at them? Mine, if he struck the body of the mouse, he'd have a heck of a time trying to get it down right and sometimes just leave it alone. You can also try re-warming the mouse if he struck it and had the same issues as mine.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bigboyindiego

2. As i stated b4 its a baby yet and speaking of which I have a 4 y/o lil girl is it a good idea for the snake now to cheak each other out I saw somewhere that small fingers look like dinner to some baby snakes

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Mice and rats look like dinner to snakes, I believe that they can tell the difference. If your child is interested in the snake, I would allow her to touch it, but by no means would I let her walk around the house with it. My daughter really likes my snakes, but she's 8.

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Originally Posted by Bigboyindiego

3. She does like pinkie mice but heard feedin live contributes to the raising of a hunter/aggresive snake which I do not want w/4 kids .

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Being a strong feeder doesn't mean that it will be aggressive towards you and your family. I feed frozen/thawed, so I can't speak from experience, but LOTS of people feed live and have never been bit by their ball.

BTW, the 20 gallon tank will last a really long time, especially if she turns out to be a he ;) I keep my ball in a 10 gallon and he's eating small rats. He'll be going into a 20 gallon this weekend though.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and welcome to the forum!

well ppl here like to know all about the snakes setup before answering any questions. i've not been here long and i dont have my bp yet but i've learned alot here and think you will too if you stick around. welcome to bp.net.

Get a 10 Gallon Tank set it up with a heating pad and everything get the Heating Pad plugged into a Thermostat and keep the heating pad around 93-94 F put the Hide on top of the heating pad. Now the side with the Hide is your Warm End and should be 93-94 F on the heating pad now the opposite side is your Cool End so you will want that to stay between 78-82. All you need in the Tank is a Water Dish, Bedding, and a Hide. For the Bedding I recommend Aspen as it is very easy to use and change. For a Water Dish I recommend something that your Ball Python can fit into if it wants to soak. And for a Hide I recommend getting one that is a very tight fit and covers your Ball Pythons body so it is not exposed.

I also recommend getting 2 Thermometers and 1 Thermo/Hygro so one of the Thermometers will be laying on the glass were the Heating Pad is and the second will be on the Cool End suction cupped a couple inches from the Bedding, if not touching the Bedding. The second is a Acurite Thermometer/Hygrometer so you can measure Ambient Temps and Humidity at the same time, once you get one, suction cup it in the middle of the back glass wall. Humidity needs to be 50-60% and Ambient Temps should be in the Mid 80s or so.

Here is a quick summary of all the text above.

Warm Side (Heating Pad.): 93-94 F
Cool Side: 78-82
Ambient Air Temps: 80-85
Humidity: 50-60%
Humidity during a shed: 70-75%

10 Gallon Tank with Aspen as the bedding and a nice Tight fit Hide and a Water Dish your Ball Python can fit in. Make sure the layer of Aspen is about 2-3 Inches thick.

Once this is all complete leave your Ball Python alone for 5 days and then try feeding it a Live Pray the same width as the widest part of your snake. Feeding live does not make your Ball Python aggressive you were told false information. I feed my 11 Week Old Male a Live Adult Mouse every 5 Days and he lets me pet his head which is very rare in a Ball Python.

When feeding move it to a Feeding Container lined with damp Paper Towels. And then put your Ball Python in and dump the live mouse in and wait. Don't worry the mouse won't attack your BP it doesn't know your BP is a threat. I wouldn't let young children watch unless they have witnessed a live mouse dieing before, it can be very sad. Its up to you of course but I'm just warning you. =)

Also I suggest feeding your BP every 5 days, it makes for a happier and healthier Ball Python.

Also how old is your Ball Python exactly and how big is it?

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

One reason that a BP will not eat is insecurity. They like snug, dark hides. There are many available on the market from rock caves to basic plastic box type hides. Or you can make them from cheap plastic bowls with an entrance hole put in them. The half log hides generally don't provide the snugness and security that Ball Pythons prefer.
Since you are using a 20 gal tank, you may need to add some fake vines and stuff to clutter it up a bit and fill in some of the open space. It will also help if you get something like black construction paper, poster board, or aquarium scenery and cover 3 sides of the tank. This will make the tank seem not so open to the snake.
When feeding Frozen/Thawed prey, a set of feed tongs or long feeding tweezers will be your friend. You can also use a cheap set of cooking tongs from Wal-Mart or the dollar store, and tongs will also prevent the snake from mistaking your fingers as food. Another way to prevent the snake from mistaking your fingers as food is to thoroughly wash your hands after handling rodents.
It is also important to make sure you thoroughly thaw and heat the rodent, so my first question is how did you thaw and present the mice to your snake?

thanks for all the helpful answers
I finally got tyson to eat a frozen mouse,I actually thaw the mouse in hot water for 10-15 minutes and after alotta twitching the mouse damn near right in front of it she took it after about 10-15 minutes .. BUT now ....it went down backwards and with a few pieces of substrate went with it abt 2-3 tiny pieces .
My tank is a 29 gallon long exactly I have a heat mat on left side w/a hollowed out log as a hide , also I have 3 pieces of bamboo , a rock water dish on the cool side along with a small black plastic tupperware pitcher that i made into a hide also on the cold side . above I have a tanklid screened and a 75wat heatlamp . Thats basically my humble abode in a nutshell .
Ok now for a few more noob questions :confused:
1. Im assuming this was its poop but i found what looked like the same thing as a rabbit dropping in the cage Is this snake crap :D sorry really dont know
2. The snake did swallow a few wood shavings is that ok
thx folks for all your help :gj:

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Originally Posted by Bigboyindiego

2. The snake did swallow a few wood shavings is that ok
thx folks for all your help :gj:

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If you see it starting to swallow some woodchips, you should grab them out if possible. If you move nice and slow, usually it doesn't bother them.

I've had my snakes swallow little pieces every now and then and never had any problems. I've heard that they don't digest as well but whether that is true or not, I have no idea.:D

Heat the head with a blow dryer so they know where the head is. The head is warmer than the body on a live mouse. Here is a care sheet so you can make sure everything is up to par: http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/...ewarticle&id=5
Congrats on the new snake and welcome to Bp Net!

Welcome to Bp.net, Rick! :)
I'm a snake noob as well. You'll learn a lot here--ask away!
:welcome: :bounce:
Shellie

In reply to your first post, feeding live won't make them more aggressive, some just prefer it. Our male likes live mice [he's strictly a mouser now] and he's not aggressive at all. Grumpy, but not aggressive, and he's always been grumpy. As for having him out with your kids, I doubt he'll bite any of them, but do watch him when they're touching him and when they're big enough to handle him make sure they don't make lots of sudden movements or anything to scare him. As you have him longer you'll be able to tell when he's grumpy from a shed and/or when he just doesn't want to be handled. Also, it's best not to handle them for about 48 hours after they eat. Idk if you knew that or not but I figured I'd say it.

He should be ok if he only got a couple wood shavings with his mouse. So long as it's not large amounts or done frequently, he should be ok. What kind of wood are you keeping him on? Cedar and pine are bad for bp's.

:welcome: to bp.net!

Hello Rick! I'm pretty much a newb too. I adopted an 11 year old Ball. He has eaten live mice his whole life (from what the previous owner told me) and is very docile. I've not been bitten for the three weeks I've had him. This has been through 2 feeds. He's shedding right now though so I haven't really been getting him out. I will have to though tomorrow so I can change his substrate.. :weirdface But I don't think that feeding live will necessarily do that. If there's another more seasoned herp here that knows better, correct me. :D

He ate its first full sz mouse I weiged tyson and he is at 180 g
http://i37.tinypic.com/155qi3k.jpg

i would recomend getting 2 identical hides.. so the snake does not favor 1 over the other... 1 warm side, 1 cool side... also if the tank seems too empty throw some crumpled up news paper in the so the snake will feel more secure. just dont put anything in the tank the snake can get cut from or stuck in.

Also the next time you feed, place a piece of cardboard in the tank that covers a good part of the substrate and feed over the cardboard.. that should greatly reduce any chance of your snake eating any substrate.. then after the snake gets its meal down... wait awhile then pull the cardboard out of the tank. just a tip i picked up on here! good luck

WELL since ive been doing so well ,I DECIDED to spring for a albino MALE ((also found out my tyson is actually a TARA )) I bought a male to hopefully eventually start breeding . WELL my first bp is now over 650 grams and eating veRRRRRRRrrrrry well . On xmas day I bought my albino from a breeder on line I received him like 2-3 days later I put him in the same exact tank I had my original bp in ((LOOK IN MY OLDER POSTS FOR SETUP ))) did not touch him for abt a week he weighed in at 83 grms when I received him I started feeding him live pinkys didnt touch him. Tried a frz/thw fuzzie a day later didnt touch it !!! Dropped the breeder a e-mail as to what she feed him and how. She stated she would drop in a hopper at night leave the mouse and snake alone all night and in morning viola mouse was gone !!!!! I really didnt feel safe doing this as ive heard of the horror stories of mice attacking snakes but I did stay up most of the night and the mouse literally was jumping A-L-L over the snake and snake didnt touch it !!!!
Took out mouse flicked it quickly behind neck to kill it used tongs to kind of twitch it in front of snake he struck at it squeezed it a few seconds then went back in his hide !! WITHOUT EATING IT !!!
iVE NOW BEEN OFFERING HOPPERS or pinkies every other day for a total of 3 weeks to no avail ...........
Ive heard sometimes the stress of shipping can freak out the mouse but its been 3 weeks another thing I'd like to add when i received this guy it was shipped overnight but thee breeder sent it in a very tiny box w/a heat pack box was sz of abt a large camera box and box was completely sealed NO AIR HOLES is that ok ????
So its been over 3 weeks and it still hasnt eaten he drinks alot but shows absolutely no intrest in eating .
I paid a lot for this lil bugger ,THIS may sound horrible but I cant afford to take him to a vet it took me this long to save just to get him . WHAT CAN I DO TO GET THIS LIL GUY TO EAT :rolleyes:
tHE BREEDER now has not written me back anymore so I'm probably not get a refund but My lil girl who I bought this guy for is really attached to him and I dont want him to die I have no idea what to do here Ive tried every thing I can think of ANY HELP wld greatly be appreciated!!!
You can see my setup here on my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/rick.ostrowski I have a picture the albino is actually lying w/its head on the mouse and sat there for 3 hrs like that I swear to god he fell asleep on it for cripes sake lol
plzz feel free to e-mail me also w/any thoughts bigboyindiego@yahoo.com THX AGAIN FOR YOUR TIME !!!!!

Pinkies are too small for a BP to eat, in terms of mice. Keep offering hoppers, I wouldn't go smaller than that.
One of my snakes would not eat F/T. I tried leaving him in a tub by himself, and within 1 minute of me closing the lid he struck the rat. He felt insecure out in the open.
I also got the rat to the point where it was MORE than room temperature, he seemed to like that.
If you can get ahold of some ASF"s maybe he'll take those.

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Originally Posted by shelliebear

Pinkies are too small for a BP to eat, in terms of mice. Keep offering hoppers, I wouldn't go smaller than that.
One of my snakes would not eat F/T. I tried leaving him in a tub by himself, and within 1 minute of me closing the lid he struck the rat. He felt insecure out in the open.
I also got the rat to the point where it was MORE than room temperature, he seemed to like that.
If you can get ahold of some ASF"s maybe he'll take those.

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sorry to sound ignorant but what is a asf !?!:confused:

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Originally Posted by Bigboyindiego

sorry to sound ignorant but what is a asf !?!:confused:

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African soft furred rat.

:D ahhhh thx !!

My son is 3 and he hold my male BP but I am always there. and he does not hold him for long and he always pet his tail never near the head of the snake

http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/v...e225/004-1.jpg

Well guys still no luck on the eating !!!! Ive tried everything I know how he still wont eat . hE IS WEIGHING IN AT 83 GRMS .The breeder has stopped answering my e-mails .So i think I paid for a sick lil snake or one thats got some eating issues !! The last email I received from the breeder she states that she would drop a mouse (hopper) in over night and leave it there the only thing I can come up with is maybe a mouse bit this snake and now he's shy ?!?!/ towards them !?!? He shows absolutly no intrest in any mouse ive brought to him hes struck 2x and thats about it !! The only question Ive got is at 83 grms how long can he go like this (without eating) b4 I really got to start worrying here hes drinking alot see him with head in waterbowl but food is still a no-go :please:

Heres a pic of the lil guy


http://i55.tinypic.com/24g60lk.jpg

Try not to panic just yet.

I had a little imported female who refused to eat on her own. She went almost 4 months without eating before I decided to force feed her or she'd die. She was only about 65 grams.

I have a few questions for you:

Do you offer food in the snakes home enclosure or move it ?

If you move it, stop. If you don't move it we need to dig a little deeper.

At 83 grams it's a tiny snake, and it may not like the enclosure you have it in. Some really want CRAMPED quarters. I'm talking the size of a shoebox cramped. If you can, try getting a much smaller enclosure, moving the baby, waiting a week and trying again.

Are you still offering pinky mice ?

Pinky mice are waaaay too small for a ball python, even as tiny as yours. Go with a hopper mouse, or if you can get it a pinky rat. Patience and persistence is key. Only offer food every 5 days so you don't stress out the baby even worse.

Double and triple check your temperatures and humidity. Some balls don't mind if things aren't perfect, some will fail to thrive if anything is off by [--] that much.

On another note, did you know that unless your female is het for Albino, breeding your new boy to her in a year or two is NOT going to make Albino babies ? They'll all look like mom, but carry the color for dad hidden in their genes.

I wish you all the best with your new baby, please let us know how it goes.

Gale

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Originally Posted by angllady2

Try not to panic just yet.

I had a little imported female who refused to eat on her own. She went almost 4 months without eating before I decided to force feed her or she'd die. She was only about 65 grams.

I have a few questions for you:

Do you offer food in the snakes home enclosure or move it ? Ive only fed him in the feeder tank i use for both snakes

If you move it, stop. If you don't move it we need to dig a little deeper.

At 83 grams it's a tiny snake, and it may not like the enclosure you have it in. Some really want CRAMPED quarters. I'm talking the size of a shoebox cramped. If you can, try getting a much smaller enclosure, moving the baby, waiting a week and trying again.

Are you still offering pinky mice ?
Nope have gone to live hoppers ,if he doesnt eat them I end up either giving them to my bigger snake or popping them behind the neck to kill them quick and frrezing them for later feedings

Pinky mice are waaaay too small for a ball python, even as tiny as yours. Go with a hopper mouse, or if you can get it a pinky rat. Patience and persistence is key. Only offer food every 5 days so you don't stress out the baby even worse.

Double and triple check your temperatures and humidity. Some balls don't mind if things aren't perfect, some will fail to thrive if anything is off by [--] that much.
I have now moved the lil guy into a smaller tank its 10 gallons has a hide w/heater underneath tank a waterdish and sml hide on cold side the temps have been 82-90 degrees w a hum of 59-70%

On another note, did you know that unless your female is het for Albino, breeding your new boy to her in a year or two is NOT going to make Albino babies ? They'll all look like mom, but carry the color for dad hidden in their genes.
My big female is het albino I was told by the breeder

I wish you all the best with your new baby, please let us know how it goes.

Gale

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Like ive said tried everything I can to this lil guy still has not munched yet !! :oops::oops:
will keep up w/it :please: