My first snake!

So this is my first time owning a snake or even a reptile. It's pretty awesome so far. He mostly just sleeps all day (I hope that is normal?).

Anyways, I have a couple questions and concerns. He seems a little cold, I don't know if that is normal or what not. My room does get cold over night, but I have two heat lamps, and two heat pads underneath the tank to try and keep him warmer. I also have coconut husk for the bed and a bowl for a hide rock, and I also bought a bowl for him as well, but it's pretty small so I am going to buy him a bigger one soon.

Second thing is that tomorrow is my first time feeding him. The breeder was able to get him to eat once a week, so that will be very easy for me. I bought a frozen hopper, but I was told that feeding them frozen is VERY hard. Does anyone have any tips for me with this?

I guess if I have any other questions I will ask them. I am just a worrier and hope I am doing everything right. I want him to live! haha


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I Just Got My First Ball Python As Well His name Is Hades. He Always Seems Cold Too and He Also Sleeps Alot But They Told Me They Do That Until They Get Settled. I Have Had Mine For About Two Weeks Now. Mine Was Only Eating Frozen Thawed Small Rats. I Usually Wiggle It Around A Little Bit Tith The Feeding Tounges And He Just Grabs It. I'm Pretty Excited About having Him. I hope you are toohttp://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php...type=3&theater[IMG][IMG]http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php...type=3&theater

Welcome to the group! I am sure people will give you plenty of advice on husbandry and feeding, all you need to do is ask. Careful with the lamps, they can dry out your enclosure, just monitor the humidity to make sure its staying up.

Feeding frozen thawed isn't all that difficult. Make sure it's thawed, then use a blow dryer to warm them up a little more. Then offer the food with a pair of tongs, do the death dance IE: wiggle it to get their attention, but to not force it to pay attention... you'll scare them that way.

You should see some interest. If they do not strike in the first five minutes or so I leave it there and close up the tub/enclosure, leave them be for awhile and see if they will take it on their own. Typically they do... though sometimes a new snake can take awhile to get accustomed to things and comfortable enough to eat. So don't be too stressed if he doesn't take the first rat. :)

Thanks for the quick feedback! Really helps a lot. I named him Skiba, by the way. :-)

Both of you, welcome to BP.Net :)

Being as you are both new owners, and new to the site, Id recommend starting off by going over this ball python caresheet and making sure your husbandry is correct, as well as everything else surrounding ball pythons.

As far as sleeping during the day, balls are nocturnal (sleep during the day, wander around at night) if your BP is moving around during the day, its generally a sign of stress and bad husbandry (I.E. Incorrect heat/humidity, insufficient hides)

F/T varies widely on the snakes preference, one thing I can not stress enough is make sure the food is thawed completely and warm enough (Put it in hot water for a while to thaw then hit it with a blow dryer) most snakes wont take if its to cold (I know mine wont) also heat the head area more, so the snake strikes that end more instead of the tail (to encourage eating head first and not striking your hand, seeing as how you should be holding the prey by the tail)

Hope that helps :D

Well first off congrats on the snake. As far as the temp of your snake it depends on your temps in your tank. You need to have at least 2 temperature gauges and 1 humidity gauge. 1 temp for the hot side and 1 temp for the cold side (this is where you water should be). Cold side should be between 78-82ish area and hot side should be around 88-93ish area, just to get an idea. Humidity should be around 60% and 70% during shed cycle. As far as f/t feedings, everyone has their own method. When I used to feed f/t before my girl stopped taking it was defrost the meal by putting it in the fridge the night before. Then warm it up before the feed in hot/warm water, dry it off (not all the way most will eat damp food), then offer it to your snake. Some people also use blow dryers to warm up the meal instead of water. Some people let their snake constrict and let it be and some play with the tail for like 15 seconds after the snake constrict so simulate a live rat. Not my cup of tea cause then you have to do it every time if thats what your snake gets used to. Do you know the age and weight of your snake. If you dont have a scale I would recommend that you buy a cheap food scale so you can monitor the weight of your snake and the food you offer in grams. As far as the hide goes, snakes like to feel the as much of the inside of the hide as possible. So dont get one that is too big or it may not be comfortable. If you only have 1 hide I would recommend putting it on the hot side and if you have 2 then put the other one in the middle somewhere so your snake can feel secure and regulate body temperature. Well thats it for my ramble. If you have anymore ?s then their are tons of far more experienced people here then me and they will help you out anytime. Again congrats on your first snake.

Yay!!! He's a major cutie! This is a great forum and had helped me sooo much (also a notorious worrier) with my first snake. He is healthy as can be and any time I have any questions I get quick and friendly advice from people who genuinely care about these animals! They've helped me through bad sheds, mites, heating and humidity problems, and feeding issues.
Congrats on your new pet, enjoy!

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Originally Posted by Saltcitysound

Anyways, I have a couple questions and concerns. He seems a little cold, I don't know if that is normal or what not. My room does get cold over night, but I have two heat lamps, and two heat pads underneath the tank to try and keep him warmer. I also have coconut husk for the bed and a bowl for a hide rock, and I also bought a bowl for him as well, but it's pretty small so I am going to buy him a bigger one soon.

Second thing is that tomorrow is my first time feeding him. The breeder was able to get him to eat once a week, so that will be very easy for me. I bought a frozen hopper, but I was told that feeding them frozen is VERY hard. Does anyone have any tips for me with this?

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How cold does your room get at night?

Personally I think 2 heat pads is overkill - you should only need one on the hot side and the other side should be his cool side so he can thermoregulate. Also for the lamps: one during the day to keep ambients up should be fine but remember to turn them off at night so he can have his day/night cycle.

I would even put him on a 5 day schedule and stick him on adult mice or rat pups: hoppers are too small for babies IMO but if he's a shy feeder for you at first (since he is still aclimating) a hopper wouldn't be bad to try out first. Feeding F/T is only difficult if you have a picky snake.

Also to add: make sure those UTHs are on a thermostate or at least a dimmer.

Well I just got a digital thermo and hygrometer and it's saying it's 66F in my room.
The tank now reads 68F and 71% humidity. The temp is still going up, but very slowly. I am going to feed him tomorrow, I just want to see if my set up works okay now. I just got back form Petsmart and bought a different lamp. I didn't know that the white bulbs caused stress, so I bought a red lamp. Hopefully it all works out quickly!

I suggest ditching both lamps (or using only the red one on a plug in lamp dimmer) and getting a UTH with a thermostat.

Edit: Welcome to the forum!! And congrats on your first snake :)

Congrats and welcome!! I would check out the Ball Python caresheet on this forum if I were you. Check out Kevin McCurley's book, "The Complete Ball Python" too.

I also recommend ditching the lamps and putting on an UTH with thermostat. Ball pythons do not need light, I see you switched out to a red one, but that will still dry out humidity. Seems like your issue isn't humidity though, so if you need it to help warm up the enclosure, continue to use it as long as it isn't sacrificing humidity.

What are you temps in your house? 68 seems a little cold! It's better to have the snake in a room that stays about 75-80, if you can.

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Originally Posted by Saltcitysound

Well I just got a digital thermo and hygrometer and it's saying it's 66F in my room.
The tank now reads 68F and 71% humidity. The temp is still going up, but very slowly. I am going to feed him tomorrow, I just want to see if my set up works okay now. I just got back form Petsmart and bought a different lamp. I didn't know that the white bulbs caused stress, so I bought a red lamp. Hopefully it all works out quickly!

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You definitely need to up your temps... A LOT! You want your ambient temps to be low to mid 80's. Cool side of your tank (measured on the floor, under the substrate) should be 80ish. The hot side (also measured under the substrate) should be 90-92. Not sure what you are using to measure your temps, but I wouldn't put too much faith in those little dial or strip thermometers. Dollar for dollar you can't beat an Accu-rite thermometer/hygrometer from Wal-Mart. They are less than $15 and are pretty accurate.

As far as f/t is concerned, like the others have said, make sure they are thawed completely, then place them in a bowl of warm water or hit them with a blow dryer (or heat bulb) for a few minutes, paying special attention to their heads. You'll want them to be 100-105 degrees. That said, balls can be one of the hardest snakes to get started on f/t. Some will take right too it, others will literally starve themselves to death before eating f/t. Keep that in mind because there may come a day when you'll be forced to feed live. Balls are notorious for this.

I'll also second that Daybreaker said. Hopper mice are going to be too small unless you have a very small hatchling. Do yourself a favor and get your ball started on rats. They are more nutritious than mice and your ball will very quickly outgrow mice. Switching to rats early on is usually a lot easier than when they are adults and have been established on mice. It really sucks having to feed 3-5 mice a week to a snake and even feeding multiple mice, your snake may not reach its full potential on mice. Pick a rat that is equal to 10-15% of your snake's body weight and feed it every 5 days.