New to ball pythons

I just got my first Ball python tuseday and she's great ^_^. Shes only about 14 inches long but veeeery curious. Ive owned lizards before ( the tank you see on top is actully my beardies cage), but shes my first snake. Just have a few questions about my set up and everything, want to make sure im doing it right :P

Here's her tank atm. I actully made it all myself o.O Im very proud, seeing as i had never used any sort of power tool before hand ha
http://img806.imageshack.us/img806/3550/1004283p.jpg

Its about 93 on the hot side, and 80-82 on the far cold side, with humidity rangeing for 40-60

and yea i know, the heat pad on the side isnt the best looking, but it keeps that side hot, and its too high for her to go and climb on and burn herself.

The store i got her from said they last feed her last friday, so im not exatlly sure when to try feeding her again seeing as im suppose to give her a few days to adjust to her new environment

Any advice would be great ^_^

Get rid of that little dial for measuring temps and humidity - they aren't worth a plug nickel and won't give accurate readings. Get an Accurite gauge with temp probe from Wal-mart (like only $12). A lot of us use these - can't go wrong there. You and your snake will be much better off.

I'm sure others will come by with other suggestions, but I wanted to get that out there asap 'cause you might find your temps aren't quite as spot on as you thought and that's important.

Congrats on your new BP! They are pretty great... ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Evenstar

Get rid of that little dial for measuring temps and humidity - they aren't worth a plug nickel and won't give accurate readings. Get an Accurite gauge with temp probe from Wal-mart (like only $12). A lot of us use these - can't go wrong there. You and your snake will be much better off.

Congrats on your new BP! They are pretty great... ;)

---

Second that!

Its usually good to let them be for about a week to adjust before you try holding or feeding. Congrats on the new addition! We'd love to see a picture of her/him.

There is great care info on the forum page. I'm sure others will help you out too. :)

This is the only pic i got of her as of yet xD
http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/5537/1004248b.jpg

and thanks :D ill make sure tog et a new temp gauge

Very nice! Congrats :)

You got yourself a cutie! Nice enclosure btw;)

:D i really hope to get a mojave someday, theyre such beautiful snakes

Awesome snake!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rex

:D i really hope to get a mojave someday, theyre such beautiful snakes

---

I have a huge soft spot for mojos too. Their not as loud or bright as everything out there but their still my favorite!:D Be warned: Ball pythons are addicting!

Nice set up! Congrats! :gj:

Ok, first, PLEASE remember that I am only trying to help you!

Your snake is very cute - but she looks quite skinny. Her body has a distinct triangular appearance. This may be because she's young, or it may be that she's not eating well. It may also be because the store was feeding her prey that was too small (common pet store issue). If that's so, she may need a larger meal - or more frequent meals. Make sure her prey is about the same size as her girth and maybe feed her every 5 days for a few months instead of every 7. Hopefully, she won't turn out to be a picky eater.

Next, your set up is really nice and well-thought-out, but it's a bit large for a baby BP. These guys feel more secure in a smaller enclosure. You can fix this by adding some more "plants" maybe along the back wall. This will provide her with more hiding places and she can move from one side to the other and remain hidden. She'll eat better if she feels more secure too.

Also, that uth on the inside is asking for trouble. She may not be able to reach it now, but she sure will in a few short months! Snakes can raise almost 2/3 of their body length off the ground without support. If she creeps up along that side, she could end up resting right on that heat pad - especially if she reaches the cord and wraps around that.

I'm not trying to be a downer! Your set-up is really great! I wish my BP had a naturalistic enclosure that nice! Her set-up is functional and it looks good, but not this eye-pleasing. These are just a few things I felt I should point out. I hope it's helpful to you and your new snake - enjoy her! ;)

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if she could even reach the UTH now. This is a photo of my little girl exploring; as you can see, hatchlings especially will get as much of their bodies off the ground as they want to, so long as they have something to brace against. It looks like you have a hide directly under it as well, meaning it wouldn't take much for her get up there. If you don't have one already I'd really recommend a thermostat for the heat pad if you want to keep it in there.

Otherwise, I agree with the others, it looks very nice! Just as Evenstar said though, a bit oversized for such a small girl.

I put some grateing over the heat pad, and added some more plants and things to fikll out the cage and she seems to like it better, though i tried to feed her last night and she wasnt haveing it :[

Im going to wait a wait a few days and try again, and if she still doesnt want any ill move her into my old 10 gallon tank, see if shes more comfertable there

Sounds good. How long have you had her now? If it's only been a few days, she may not be ready to eat - and if you're adding things to her cage that could unsettle her. Moving her might further unsettle her. I would give her time, leave her alone, don't change anything else for several days and try feeding her again in another 4-5 days and see what happens. Don't handle her at all in the meantime. Just leave her alone. Are you feeding live or f/t? If you've only fed f/t so far, you might try live this time. That might help spark her hunting instincts and you could go back to f/t next time if you want. Hope this helps! ;)

I only got her tuseday so shes pretty new lol

Yea im planning on not bugging ehr for the next week and trying again
I was feeding her f/t fuzzies, but the pet store had only fed her live pinkies

See, that's what I mean about pet stores giving too small a prey item. Hatchling bps can start off on fuzzies so a pinkie now is definitely too small. HOWEVER, she may be somewhat intimidated by the sudden change to the fuzzy on top of a new home. You might try giving her pinkies when you feed her next and maybe offer her 2 (assuming she takes the first one). And again, you might try live. Then switch to fuzzies next time. Just a thought!

shes cute! :)