!!!new ball python owner!!!

I just got home from work and am gonna get a few hours of sleep but when I get up I'm going to buy my very first ball python...any last minute info that has anything to do with ball pythons our the raising of them woulda be appreciated...and also how much can i handle it...i want to handle it as much as possible...thanks in advance.

well, um hopefully you have everything you need for it & have done research on the care and keeping of ball pythons before you buy the snake...

cage
heat pad (U.T.H - under tank heater)
thermostat to control the heat pad
accurite digital thermometer/hygrometer (not the crappy dialog style round ones from the pet stores)
2 identical, appropriate sized hide boxes (one for the warm side and one for the cool side)
substrate

if you have all the above supplies and have done your homework on the snakes care requirements then your good to go.
in that case, congratz and welcome to the addiction. :D

oh and when your snake is settled please do take pics and show us what you've got...we here at bp.net LOOOOOVE pictures.

when u get ur bp,dont handle,look.or doing anything to her for a week or until she 1st eat.then u can handle her 2 time a week.it depend on ur bp.dont n=make it stress.just be patient.

Lets spread the addiction infection.

Yes i have done tons if research...in fact I have been tike by abreeder that I am reading too much and making it more difficult than it is and i have everything ineed and have had the rank set up for about 5 days to make sure the temp and humidity was where it should be...and that's all I can handle it I was told leave it alone for aweek then I can handle it 30 minutes everyday except for after it eats and in that car leave it alone for 24 hours ...thank you again

Sounds like you have it all together (not everyone starts out so prepared). We would love to have pics when you get a chance. I really do find being a snake owner very rewarding. Good luck and enjoy. :gj:

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Originally Posted by Justin Hatton

I just got home from work and am gonna get a few hours of sleep but when I get up I'm going to buy my very first ball python...any last minute info that has anything to do with ball pythons our the raising of them woulda be appreciated...and also how much can i handle it...i want to handle it as much as possible...thanks in advance.

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I started my Reptile addiction about 5 months ago but I just figured out yesterday some bp morphs have some defects just do some research on ur morphs health history before u purchase ur bp
For example all spiders have wobble it can be un noticeable to very severe and I have read that caremels have kink but im not very positive on that

Good luck and post some picks when she/he is settled in
oh btw welcome to the addiction :snake:

Congrats on your first Ball! Trust me, it won't be your last. ;)

It sounds like you're good to go for your enclosure, but as for handling, leave him/her alone for a week (like you know) and then after that handle him/her for only 10-15 minutes every other day for the next few weeks. That way, you don't stress her out too much in the beginning. After that you should have a good feel for his/her personality (ie. if she's skittish, adventurous, nippy, etc.) and that'll tell you more about how to handle.

Also, I'd wait 48 hours after feeding before you handle him/her, it gives more time to fully digest. :)

Where are you getting it from. If the answer is a pet store or craigslist please don't. As a rule these places have suspect animals at best and are not really good places for a first time buyer to buy from.

i bought from a small petstore...like a small family owned one i think...definately not petsmart or petco so i think im ok...and i just got him/her home and got her in the tank but its is all over it...it will go halfway into its hides then back out of them then explore the tank some more and looks as if it is trying to esxcape then itll go back in the hide halfway then back out...is this normal behavior and y wont it go all the way in the hide?...but either way i am super excited and will upload some pics soon i think it is just a normal ball but the guy at the shop said she might have a pinstripe gene but idk about the morphs and all that.

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Originally Posted by Justin Hatton

i bought from a small petstore...like a small family owned one i think...definately not petsmart or petco so i think im ok...and i just got him/her home and got her in the tank but its is all over it...it will go halfway into its hides then back out of them then explore the tank some more and looks as if it is trying to esxcape then itll go back in the hide halfway then back out...is this normal behavior and y wont it go all the way in the hide?...but either way i am super excited and will upload some pics soon i think it is just a normal ball but the guy at the shop said she might have a pinstripe gene but idk about the morphs and all that.

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It's either a pinstripe or it's not, and if you bought it as a normal chances are it is. If the store told you it may have a pinstripe gene, I'd say you might not be all set. As far as the behavior, if you moved to japan shipped in a box, and then placed in a home you've ever seen before, you'd explore right? That's all he's doing, just leave him alone, I'd say if he's not hiding or relaxing within a few hours then you should double check your husbandry. Pics would be helpful :)

ya likei said i dont know nothing bout the morphs...but he seems healthy and i watched it eat before i bought it so im not too worried...he was really active in the tank at the shop compared to the others as well which is why i picked that one...but i got some of the coconut hides from petsmart and he is about 12 to 18 inches long and a couple months old maybe...do you think the hides are too small?
and ya i guess your right bout the whole exploring thing.

Activity during the day is generally a sign of stress, if he was active at the shop during the day they probably don't have the best husbandry for their animals. They like tight fitting hides, saying how long he is won't help us determine if it is too big/too small. How many grams is he? If he can fit in the hide with all his sides touching the inside of the hide, it's a good fit. If the hide is too large they won't feel secure and chances are they won't use it. Maybe try blacking out the sides and back of the tank, it will help with security. I use black Con-tact paper from Home Depot.

I'm getting my first BP in a few weeks....will tag along to see how your doing.

Kevin Bullis

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Originally Posted by Justin Hatton

ya likei said i dont know nothing bout the morphs...but he seems healthy and i watched it eat before i bought it so im not too worried...he was really active in the tank at the shop compared to the others as well which is why i picked that one...but i got some of the coconut hides from petsmart and he is about 12 to 18 inches long and a couple months old maybe...do you think the hides are too small?
and ya i guess your right bout the whole exploring thing.

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Let him explore, and he should settle down soon. He might not know yet that the hides you put in there are "hides" for him, if he's used to another one. Let him explore and figure things out. :)
My girl Loki comes out at night and just tears up her tank, trying to pull down the fake leaves and knocking over all the plants. :D She occasionally comes out of her hide if there's a lot of noise or activity in my room; you might wanna check the volume of traffic or noise where you set him up.

My advice to you is: Do what everyone here is saying. Take things slow. You have a healthy ball, thats awsome! I wish I had that opportunity for me to have gotten a healthy one! I end up with rescues! lol. I just have a big heart I guess. Just remember, give the lil one some time to adjust to you & its surroundings. Make user your TV and Radio arent too close if you like to blast them I like do. lol. My lil ball doesnt like the TV up loud since his tank is right next to it now.

BTW xFenrir LOVE the name of your snake! lol. Loki is an AWESOME name! :D:P;) lol.

Usually not much difference between small pet store and big ones as far as where they come from. Most pet stores buy imported babies from wholesale dealers. The fact that they told you it may have some pinstripe tells me they don't really know what they are talking about.

He has settled down and is hiding behind the fake plants and the guy that told me he had pinstripe said he was a salt water fish guy...but the reptile guy said that he was wrong and didn't know what he was talking bout...i feel confident that this guy knows what he is taking about I an going to get some more stuff to clutter his tank more...ne one got some cool name that could be for males or females since I don't know what the sex is

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Originally Posted by xFenrir

Congrats on your first Ball! Trust me, it won't be your last. ;)

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i wish someone would have told me before i got mine lol congrats on the first ball :)