Beginner ball python

Hi, I recently got a ball python about 1 month and a half ago and i have noticed that i have to go spray my snakes cage very often and it never seems to stay at a good temp. Every time i go in, it is about 30% and i spray it to 60% and about 20 mins later it is down again. I have a headlamp for night and day and it seems to lower the humidity a lot and i think that a lower heat pad will help better. My snake eats very well once a week but never seems to come out of his home. The only time he comes out is at night and he rarely goes out at night now. He is very active when i take him out, but i am afraid for his health because the humidity is so low and i go to school from 6:30 am to 4:00 pm and i cant do anything about the humidity. I also do not know what type of bedding to use. I have a bedding that is made of some type of pineapple residue so if the snake eats it it will not harm the snake. The bedding doesnt seem to hold humidity well but it may be because i am using a headlight not a heat pad. Thank You for your help i apreciate it!

Never heard of pineapple bedding but can you post a picture of the cage it is in or describe it in detail, that way we can better advise you what to do to fix it. Until then get a plastic tuber ware or box big enough for the ball python to fit in it comfortably, cut an opening on the side and fill it with damp sphagnum moss so he can retreat into it when he needs some more humidity.

Ditch the heat lamp and get a under tank heater (uth) and be sure to use a thermostat to control it. Lamps will suck the humidity out.

Im sorry but what is te easiest way to upload a pic? It says i am not allowed to upload the image of my snake's tank.

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Originally Posted by StevenV

Im sorry but what is te easiest way to upload a pic? It says i am not allowed to upload the image of my snake's tank.

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Upload to photobucket.com copy the IMG code and paste here

http://i962.photobucket.com/albums/a...IMG_0409-1.jpg
Here is my snakes current tank with the day light on.

Yeah, ditch the lamps... BPs don't need cycled/supplemental lighting, plus an under-tank heater is better for their digestion. And lamps just suck that humidity right out! The screen top will also dry things out, so consider covering it partially with foil or a towel. FYI: Tubs are much better for humidity, but the above is what you need to do with a glass tank. :gj:

On a side note (in looking more at your setup), you probably shouldn't have such a tall branch in the tank... Ball Pythons are notoriously clumsy, and with their heavy bodies a fall can be damaging. Just a thought - otherwise the tank looks good! ;)

Thank you very much i will try to get the supplies as soon as possible. And do you think i should take out some of the branches and replace them with something else?

Also, fyi, putting your thermometer up top is going to give you bad results, especially if you're using a heat lamp. The air temperature directly below the light could be close to 100 while the temperature where your snake is could be significantly lower.

You're going to want the thermometer closer to where the snake is going to be living.

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Originally Posted by StevenV

Thank you very much i will try to get the supplies as soon as possible. And do you think i should take out some of the branches and replace them with something else?

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I'd take them out, or at least lay them sideways so they can't fall far... you can fill the space with another hide, so he has two to choose from in different "climates." ;)

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Originally Posted by StevenV

My snake eats very well once a week but never seems to come out of his home. The only time he comes out is at night and he rarely goes out at night now.

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P.S. This sounds like perfectly normal Ball Python behavior. They are nocturnal and lazy, so hiding a LOT is actually a good sign - means they feel safe and secure. :gj: As long as he's eating, pooping/peeing, shedding (about once every 4-8 weeks), etc, I wouldn't worry about the lack of activity. Most of my BPs spend 99% of their time hiding, only coming out when they know it's feeding time... in fact they're all staring at me tonight, since tomorrow is feeding day. :rolleyes:

I have posted this in various threads over the past few months, so I am sorry if you have seen this elsewhere. Here is a run down of my set up. I had humidity probs at first until I got this. Now my humidity with almost no work is 50-60 percent and with only a little work 70 for shed.

1) glass tank 20gal with sliding and locking screen top. I use a 40watt daylight bulb (on a dimmer) during the day timed for 1.5-2 hrs on and 1 hour off depending on the day (I have my tank in a windowed room with the blinds shut 24/7). I also have a 40 watt moon light bulb on during the night at aboutthe same timed schedule. I also use a 20-30gal sized desert UTH on a hydrofarm thermostat. Aspen chip substrate.

2) I have foil wrapped cardboard (5 or 6) panels that I lay on top of the screened cover between the two lamps. They get slid and adjusted as needed to raise/lower humidity. Usually I leave them alone.

3) I have a Fluker's mini dripper in the tank dripping slowly into a ramiken filled with spahgnum moss. It gets changed weekly.

4) I have 2 plastic plants and a piece of mopani wood in the tank for decoration that I mist once daily.

5) I mave bits of eco-terra jungle moss spread on top of the aspen which gets dampened when needed.

6) When shedding I spray the walls/plants about 3-4 times daily, dampen the moss in the tank, and add spahgnum to once of the hides (He has never used it but it makes me feel better in case he wants to use it). I also turn off my day light to help keep the humidity in when I am not home during the day.

This is how I have my setup and have had 0 humidity and heating issues since. Just do your homework and use the forum search forum to find other similar threads.

BPQueen

thank you for all of your help i have remade his habitat and it looks great. He is out more often and is getting used to his environment. :gj:

http://i962.photobucket.com/albums/a...8/IMG_0412.jpg

Here is what his new cage looks like.

Looking good! :gj:

I cant really see from the pic but are those dial thermometers?

If so, ditch them! Take them outside and smash them with a hammer :D

seriously though, get digital thermometers. If you REALLY want to know everything thats going on temp wise, get 3 digital thermometers

Two with probes (one on the hot side one on the cool) and then get one with ambient air temp and a hygrometer (humidity gauge)

I run 3 thermometers in my tubs but thats because I have severe OCD and have to know every temp in the enclosure.

but you could just run with 2 and still be fine, one with a probe (on the hot side) then the ambient air temp/hygrometer on the cool side

Hope this helps :)

im more concered about humity during shed, so for most of the time a goood mist in the morning and evening is fine, you really dont want to keep the tanks humity high all the time, could cause some health issues. you def want to switch over to aspen or even cyress much could help out. for my 20gal, durning shed, once i see the eyes get cloudy i take a damp towel, fold it to the proper length, and place it over the screen opposite of the lamp...works well keeps humity around 75-80 for most of the day and night, repeat the process when the towel has dryed out.

Also a good idea is to cover 3 sides of the tank for more security. You can get the aquarium background and tape it to the outside of the tank (don't put tape anywhere inside the tank that a snake can get to - it is super difficult to take it out if it gets stuck to the snake). It also looks nice. :)

For humidity, you can use cypress bedding - it retains moisture better. Then put cardboard wrapped in tinfoil over the screen on the top of your tank leaving just enough opening for your lamps. You can get a bigger water bowl and even put small containers of damp sphagnum moss inside the tank.

Also, about the thermometer - you can get a temp gun instead of a stick-on therm. It's a bit pricey though but you can use it to point at any part of your tank to read the temp on that point. Or, for $12-$14, you can get the Accurite Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer/Hygrometer with probe. Walmart sells them. It comes with a wire that you can put on the substrate on the hot side (you should put a hide on the hot side for the snake, then you can put this wire under the hide). This would be the "outdoor" reading. Then you stick the unit on the middle of the tank to get the ambient temps on the "indoor" reading. Then it also measures your humidity on that same unit.

Hope this helps!

Get rid of the lamps & keep a damp/wet towel on top of the screen to boost your humidity. You may have to wet the towel every other day or so but it works allot better than spraying. Just cover part of the screen. The more humidty you want the wetter you keep the towel and the more of the screen you can cover. I keep it real wet almost dripping when mine are in shed.

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Originally Posted by kilabyte

Get rid of the lamps & keep a damp/wet towel on top of the screen to boost your humidity. You may have to wet the towel every other day or so but it works allot better than spraying. Just cover part of the screen. The more humidty you want the wetter you keep the towel and the more of the screen you can cover. I keep it real wet almost dripping when mine are in shed.

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I'm not a fan of the wet towel. The towel will smell after being damp the entire day. Perfect mold condo.

If you have the money, something that works really well for me is a Herpstat Humidity hooked up to a Repti-fogger on the lowest the dial will go. I too have a sceen top for one of my guys, and I used 3 layers of aluminum foil, and foil tape to cover all of the top with the exception of where the repti-fogger is, and another small vent for air flow. I have 3 digital combo Therm/Hygo meters, and the humidity stays at 55% until he is in shed, and I bump it. This is a bit expensive, but very low maintenence. Hope this helps.

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Originally Posted by anatess

I'm not a fan of the wet towel. The towel will smell after being damp the entire day. Perfect mold condo.

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I have been using the same towel for 6 months now & I have not had a mold or smell issue at all. Remember depending on your ambient humidity in the room the towel is going to dry out. Mold does not have enough time to grow. It's like leaving wet clothes out to dry. If your ambient temps are too low and you need to bring them up & your UTH is not enough you can use the lamp/s with the towel. I find it works great.