please help

i JUST bought a baby ball python yesterday and i think its to small for its age although the guy didnt know the exact age he said its around 5 months old but its really small. so i bought it hoping i can take care of it better than he aparently can. the snake is the size of my fingers to my elbow. and very skinny. is this right? he said he was feeding it pinkies so i bought some and the baby ate 2 of them last night. please help! thank you!:(

I need pics to see the condition of the snake.

Pinkies as in rat or mouse pinkies? Mouse pinkies are WAY to small for a BP, hatchlings can take adult mice out of the egg. Rat fuzzies may be okay if your BP is insanely small (haven't seen a rat fuzzy in person though), but as mentioned pics are needed.

Pictures would help maybe take a couple photos of him next to something for scale, a sharpie, etc. And it would be a good idea to invest in a digtal scale that reads in grams. You can buy one at your local store for around $20.
Its important to record his growth rate in grams once a month to make sure hes gaining enough weight.
You can feed him every 5 days and see how he does. Until then pictures will tell if hes thin.
Good Luck

this is the only pic i have so far i dont really want to bother him or her yet but i can post a pic of the set up i have him/her in if that helps to...http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...93513509_n.jpg

ok, first off it looks like he is in shed so you will need to provide humidity levels between 60% and 80%.

he is thin, and small if he really is 5 months old (but I doubt that is actually the case)

You should weigh him and feed him rodents that weigh 15% of his body weight. (I would say mouse hoppers or rat pups at his size)

A pic of the set up would be greatly appreciated.

looks a little on the thin side but he looks very dry and possibly dehydrated.
Soak him in a half inch or an inch of warm water in a container (obviously one he can breathe out of) for about 15 minutes. This should help loosen some of that shed and help hydrate him. I would repeat a warm soak again the following day and then see how he looks.
And I would say that snake could eat rat fuzzies no problem, or mouse hoppers.

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Originally Posted by mues155

looks a little on the thin side but he looks very dry and possibly dehydrated.
Soak him in a half inch or an inch of warm water in a container (obviously one he can breathe out of) for about 15 minutes. This should help loosen some of that shed and help hydrate him. I would repeat a warm soak again the following day and then see how he looks.
And I would say that snake could eat rat fuzzies no problem, or mouse hoppers.

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if he is actually in shed this could actually be detrimental. I would focus on getting the humidity up, and then go from there.

No ball python will eat adult mice out of the egg, that's far too large.

Your snake looks a little on the thin side, I'd just feed him something a bit larger. Probably fuzzy rat or hopper mouse, though it's hard to gauge its size by your pic. Try to feed it something equal in size to the thickest point in its body.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

if he is actually in shed this could actually be detrimental. I would focus on getting the humidity up, and then go from there.

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detrimental in what way?

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Originally Posted by RobNJ

No ball python will eat adult mice out of the egg, that's far too large.

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I wouldn't say that, I haven't hatched one, but I did get one that was 3 weeks old and he was pounding adult mice already

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Originally Posted by mues155

detrimental in what way?

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If he is shedding, forcing him to soak will stress him out and could remove some of the oils necessary for the shedding process

Soaking him before a shed removes the natural oils he produces to shed on his own.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

I wouldn't say that, I haven't hatched one, but I did get one that was 3 weeks old and he was pounding adult mice already

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I'd like to know where anyone is getting 7-10 gram adult mice.

ive been afraid to pick him up or anything because i want him to be comfortable should i just pick him up and he ate really fast the 2 pinkies i gave him was it enough?

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Originally Posted by RobNJ

I'd like to know where anyone is getting 7-10 gram adult mice.

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My 3 week old weighed approx 100 grams and I fed him mice that weighed 15 which is a small adult mouse where I got them at the time

I was not saying that all BP's can but there will be some that are big enough.

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Originally Posted by janis

ive been afraid to pick him up or anything because i want him to be comfortable should i just pick him up and he ate really fast the 2 pinkies i gave him was it enough?

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for now, but next time feed him something a size or 2 bigger. I would go with a mouse hopper or a rat pup

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

If he is shedding, forcing him to soak will stress him out and could remove some of the oils necessary for the shedding process

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Bringing up his humidity with a soak I see more gain than a loss IMO.
Some of my snakes soak themselves in their dish while in shed, I never have anything but a clean snake shed. Ive never heard of anyone making a big deal out of soaking a snake before a shed...I guess it has been a few months since on the forums...things must have changed.

Regardless of what it just ate, it did just eat...give it a few days to settle in, if it's in shed, let it shed, and then....

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Originally Posted by RobNJ

Try to feed it something equal in size to the thickest point in its body.

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the humidity is at 60 should it be higher and to soak him i would have to handle him..is that ok i just got him?

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Originally Posted by mues155

Bringing up his humidity with a soak I see more gain than a loss IMO.
Some of my snakes soak themselves in their dish while in shed, I never have anything but a clean snake shed. Ive never heard of anyone making a big deal out of soaking a snake before a shed...I guess it has been a few months since on the forums...things must have changed.

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yes but if they soak themselves then it is their choice. Providing a water dish large enough for them to soak is the best option IMO. Forcing a snake to soak can be a extremely stressful endeavor for a snake. While one that has been in ideal conditions may be able to handle this, one that has not might have a harder time.

He doesn't even look that dehydrated to me, mostly just in shed.

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Originally Posted by janis

the humidity is at 60 should it be higher and to soak him i would have to handle him..is that ok i just got him?

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60% is the minimum, I would try to raise it. I would avoid handling him at this point. I would try to find a tupperware or dish large enough for him to soak in and place it in his cage. Make sure the water level isn't higher than your snake while it is in the water so he won't drown. Let him soak if he wants to, if he doesn't don't force the matter.

i have a shallow bowl and a watering dish to is that enough or should i get more?

all you need is something that he can lay in (like a bath) do you have a spray bottle that you can mist the cage with?

i bought almost everything that had a picture of a snake on it at the pet store besides a heating rock i heard those could burn them..also when i held him at the pet store he was REALLY cold is that normal because he feels a little warm now????

and yes i have a misting bottle and his humidity is now at 75

no he should feel warm

Cold = bad

can you put up a picture of his cage?

or at least can you list what your set up is?

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Originally Posted by janis

and yes i have a misting bottle and his humidity is now at 75

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ok, that is perfect

i cant seem to get a picture through my phone yet but i have a 50 gallon tank i divided into about a 20 gallon i have aspen beddin and a water dish big enough to put 2 of him in. i have a water bown 2 hiding spots and a few rock. 3 temp gauges different kinds a humidity reading gauge and a red heat light on top also a under the tank heating pad

ok, there are a few issues, but nothing too bad.

1 the thermometers that are sold n pet stores are crap. they are inaccurate and will totally stop working in about a month or so.

This is what you want:

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...nt/photo-3.jpg

They cost $12 at Walmart and you only need 1 (it measures 2 separate temperatures and humidity)

2 the heat lamp is all you need at this point, the UTH should be unplugged as it can burn your snake.

UTH's need to be regulated by a thermostat. otherwise they get to around 110 degrees. this will burn and can even kill your snake.

There are a few good thermostats on the market, none of them come from pet stores. Overall most things sold at pet stores are overprices and aren't the best anyway.

Here are the 2 thermostats I recommend, but for now just unplug the UTH

Hydrofarms are sold on amazon for $30, they work ok but there are much better (this is the budget option)

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR..._bxgy_ol_img_b

Herpstats are the best, but cost more ($99 for the basic model) they are much more accurate and are what I use

http://spyderrobotics.com/

3 What type of red bulb do you have? is it just a standard light bulb or is it tis?

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...uctId=11147193

the red bulb is the exact same kind as the link you posted and wont the tank get cold if i unplug the under heating mat?

Ok, that bulb is what you want, what is the wattage of the bulb?

The UTH is too dangerous to leave unregulated. plus with a layer of aspen it isn't adding too much to the temperature of the tank

UTH's do not affect air temperature, they simply create a hot surface for your snake to sit on. this method of providing heat is called "belly heat" it is ver effective, but without regulation by a thermostat it can lead to tragedy.

On a side note, pet store employes usually do not know much about reptiles and tend to give out bad information.

i unplugged the mat. but i can go and get everything else i need for him/her later on today.i felt the bottom of the cage and it was just warm so i think hes ok till later on and his aquarium is 80 degrees right now but i dont want it to get to cold so are you sure the light is enough?

where are the thermometers?

The cool side of the tank should be between 78 and 82 degrees, while the hot side needs to be between 88 and 92 degrees.

What is the temperature of the room that your snake is in?

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...81265221_n.jpg

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...16567365_n.jpg

just wondering...can you over feed a bp or does it refuse to eat when he is full???

yes you can, but it is harder to do when they are young.

You should feed your BP every 4-5 days a rodent that weighs 15% of your snakes body weight.

He is pretty thin and looks dehydrated. There are very few hatchling babies that are small enough to need pinkies. I would find some fuzzies or even hoppers if you are getting mice. You want them to be a little thicker than the snake. You also don't want to overload his system by feeding him more than his body can handle. If he does fine after this feeding, try feeding him something about as thick as he is every 3-4 days if he will take it.

ok another question....my baby bp is still shedding after several weeks and he got everything off but his head id still shedding. his eyes are clear its just the skin around his head and neck kinda. anything i can do to help?

Can you get a picture of what's left? Honestly the best thing that you can do is make sure that the tank temperatures/humidity are correct that way next time he sheds (which shouldn't be too far off) things will go better.

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Originally Posted by janis

ok another question....my baby bp is still shedding after several weeks and he got everything off but his head id still shedding. his eyes are clear its just the skin around his head and neck kinda. anything i can do to help?

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Give him a good misting, leave him be for half an hour or so, and gently rub it off with a damp paper towel.

Feed him rat pups, get a good enclosure, UTH and water bowl. Provide the basic needs and necessity. :D