New python owner, with question

Hi,
I just got my very first ball python today and I am so psyched. I bought an all inclusive snake kit. It came with a basking light and black light. I have a question The cage is only 70 degrees right now. ( hes only been home for 4 hours) Should I leave the basking light on over night so he does not get cold. Tomorrow I will pick up an under cage heating mat but I am concerned about leaving just the black light on tonight

Also any other suggestions you have for me I'll take em
tmaggieb

Yes, leave the night time bulb on for now. They do not do well with bright white lighting since they are nocturnal.

What size is the tank? How big is the snake?

You need a light dimmer or a thermostat for the under tank heating pad.

What do you have in your tank, hides, etc.?

What is your substrate?

You also need a good thermometer to check your temps.

Thanks for the information about the thermostat for the heating pad. My tank is 20 gallons, My baby is small. He / She arrived at the store June 30. He has just graduated to fuzzies, My kit includes the tank, a ceramic hut / rock, ceramic water dish, and a thermometer/ humidity, It is reading 40% humidity and 70 degrees. I have Douglas fir bark as the substrate.

T

If that ceramic rock is a ceramic heat rock, get rid of it.

Also, increase the humidity to 50-60%, and strive to raise the temperature(s) as well.

Yes, the snake needs a hot spot of around 90-95. Thats the temp you want your under tank heating pad to be, with the cool side being in the 80-83 range. You NEED some sort of light dimmer because the heating pads can get 110F+ without being regulated.

That tank is also too big, it would be better to use a 10 gallon, but, you can make some sort of divider and put it in the tank to make it smaller.

Ball pythons like small, secure spaces to live.

And fuzzies are too small for almost any ball python, he should be eating hoppers or very small adult mice.

Tanks with lamps are going to suck all the humidity out of its environment so its going to be very hard to get the right humidity.

Most ball python owners keep their animals in sterilite type tubs with a hide or two, water dish, a heating pad/heat tape. Tubs hold heat and humidity perfectly.

Thanks

The ceramic rock is not a heat rock.

Another really stupid question. I have a Humidifying spray Tropical Mist. Should I use that or is plain water good.

T

Plain water is good.

I just picked up my baby and she is so cold. Her tank in 60 degrees. The basking light is off and the night time light is on. Any suggestions??

Where are you keeping her, its super cold in your house!

You can turn on the basking light just to see if it will get the temps up, or go out and get some hand warmers from walmart or something like that, or use a human heating pad for right now.

In the future, you need to be a lot more prepared, read up about the animal you want and set up the enclosure a couple hours before getting your animal.

If you are using those round dial gauges then you aren't getting an accurate reading of the temperature.

You need something digital to measure temps. I like to use the accurite thermometer/hygrometer combos. You can buy them at home depot, lowes, or walmart.

Until you can get your setup done properly, just leave the night time light on 24/7. The snake will be fine.

Also, you do need to upgrade your prey size or your snake will slowly starve to death. Hatchling ball pythons are offered hopper mice (larger than fuzzies) right out of the egg. After a few meals they move to small adult mice.

yeah... ditch the lights and use a under the tank heater works day and night..... find a thermostat or rheostat to control the heater.... hopper mice is a bear minimum size wise for food... really sounds like you should have done some home work before bringing an animal home

AkHerps

You are so correct I should have been more prepared. Hindsight is 20/20. But now I got Frankie Edgar and I will give 100% to make sure he is happy and healthy. He is in my office and it is about 75 degrees. I found a heating pad that is under one part of the tank. He has 3 hiding places. But he seems happy. He is exploring his new surrounding. So I guess he can't be that cold

Thanks for all the advice,
T

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tmaggieb

AkHerps

You are so correct I should have been more prepared. Hindsight is 20/20. But now I got Frankie Edgar and I will give 100% to make sure he is happy and healthy. He is in my office and it is about 75 degrees. I found a heating pad that is under one part of the tank. He has 3 hiding places. But he seems happy. He is exploring his new surrounding. So I guess he can't be that cold

Thanks for all the advice,
T

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I'm not trying to burst you bubble or anything but the cruising and exploring is actually a sign of stress. It is also completely normal for a new snake to do a lot of cruising for the first couple weeks until they get used to the surrounds and realize nothing it going to come eat them. A lot of new owners mistake the constant cruising for their snake being happy, and that usually isn't the case.

A lot of people get their first snake as a sort of impulse buy and then realize all the mistakes they have made. The same thing happened to me too :) The nice thing about it is you learn from those mistakes :) and once you get everything figured out, it is smooth sailing.

And this is the perfect place to get all the right info :D

I agree about the exploring thing. I only see my ball python openly cruising around if I put something new in, clean his cage, or pre-scent the room. The most moving he does on a daily basis that I can see is moving from one hide to the other, and somehow I hardly see him doing that. They really are a very shy type of snake, but friendly :)

You can use a lamp dimmer from Lowe's or home depot. I got mine for about 10 bucks. This is used to control the temps of the heat pad. You can also get the thermometer, the accurite one from lowe's for about 10 bucks. Thats where I went, and Alaska is probably a little more pricey.

The good thing is, you figured out what you need to change, and are going to take steps to do that.

It may seem like we kind of nit-pick and gang up a little sometimes, but we really mean well.

Take a deep breath, and make a careful list of all the stuff you'll need to pick up. There are ways to cut some of the costs if money is an issue, since I know a snake and supposedly complete setup from a pet shop wasn't cheap.

If you can, take the basking light back, your snake doesn't need it at all. Get a good under tank heat mat to replace it. A decent thermostat from a pet shop is a minimum of $50, but you can get by with a light dimmer for now for around $10. Get yourself an accurate digital thermometer, most of us like the Accurite digital weather station, which can be found with the indoor/outdoor thermometers at Wal-Mart. They are about $12.

You can by all means use your 20 gallon tank for now, just make sure your baby has several nice, snug hides, and maybe a fake plant or two. If you have a screen lid for the tank, you will have some trouble keeping humidity up, but there are ways around that, including partially covering the screen with foil or even plexiglass.

Since you just got your baby, it normal for it to cruise for a few days to even a week or so, then it should settle in nicely. Wait at least a week before trying to feed him or her. Once you get your setup all set, keeping your baby will be a breeze.

Best of wishes for you both.

Gale

I think you will need extra heat though since your room is only 75F. You may need a low wattage red night time bulb to keep the ambient temps up.

Here's the sticky for tank setup, if you have not seen it. It says pretty much everything that everyone is saying in your thread but you can keep this for future reference. Congrats on the snake and good luck! http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ass-tank-setup

After reading all of your responses and then spending over 2 hours surfing the other post I think I have Edgar's tank complete.

He now has 3 hides, I went out and bought an under tank heat mat, and a rheostat which is on medium, I put the day and night lamps are on timer control outlets and the tank has 2 thermostats. One just above the heat mat and one in the middle of the tank.

His tank humidity is between 50-55.

He also has a nifty new stand. I am so in love. Right now, being evening he has finally ventured out of his hide and roaming around.

I found out that Edgar is 4 moths old, and is 18 inches long, his head is the size of a dime and I will weigh him on Thursday when I feed him.

I have uploaded pictures in the members gallery. Go check it out and let me know if I got it right.

Tmaggieb

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tmaggieb

I have uploaded pictures in the members gallery. Go check it out and let me know if I got it right.

Tmaggieb

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Looking good. It just seems a bit too open for your wee one, so I'm thinking if you can cover 3 sides of the tank that would be cool. You can go from sweet-looking pricey ones to bare minimum el cheapo on these too.

Black construction paper would be very cheap. The background stuff for the fish tanks is also not so bad price-wise. You would tape them to the outside of the tank (just note that tape inside the tank is a no-no for a snake). This will prevent the snake from sensing movement 360 degrees around him. He only gets disturbance from the front side.

Also, if you can clutter up the space a bit, that would be great - like putting fake plants in there using suction cups or just wedging it into the screen top (no tape).

Here's my 10 gallon set-up for when my bp was a baby just to show you what I'm talking about:

http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l.../sunshine1.jpg
That light looks like it is inside the tank. That's not the case. It's just a reflection of the light on the tank. My lights are set-up just like yours but it is set at dim and only on during the winter when my house temps are 72. My house temps are usually 78 except on winter, so I don't need it then. The heat lamps are a killer on the humidity. I have to put damp sphagnum moss in the tank to keep the humidity up when I'm using the lamp - and that's after putting the big water bowl on top of the under-tank heater, and covering the screentop with foil.

Congratulations on your new snake! Only one warning - ball pythons are addictive! I bought one snake and 3 months later I have 3 snakes!

Good warning! I just bought my second, and getting two more with a rack in the next two months! BE WARNED! :D

you have been warned (of this addicting hobby)! :D