Im new at this...I have a few questions..

I recently Purchased Jafar the snake after researching how to keep a ball python for about 2 weeks.
I purchased a snake starter kit a ten gallon tank.bottom bark a light and a water rock thing very shallow.
I realize now I made a few mistakes the water bowl was to shallow for any real water,There was no hides..The guy at the store said he was
probably gonna shed soon because it was a little while since his last hes about one and a half feet long.


*Ive changed his water bowl to a bigger bowl at least big enough to fit 3-4 cups of water into.
*I installed a hanging branch for jafar to hang on.

1.Jafar seems sort of fat to start with I need to start weighing him and figuring out his intake
eventually so what kind of scale do I get first?

2.He hasnt eaten any of the Feeders I tried to feed him in three weeks.
I bought 2 pinkys for 2 dollars thawed them properly and he didnt want them.

*I got him a live small verry small mouse and he diddnt want it.I try every other day for two weeks.The tiny feeder died for some reason.
He was being fed had a room of his own in another tank and was hydrated.
*I picked up a medium size feeder mouse still not to big jafars butt is twice the size of this puny mouse.
Why isnt he eating I let him have privacy hes hydrated He has heat.


3.They(shop owners) failed to mention he needs a proper amount of humidity but I take responsability for not
learning this and most other things I failed to do.
******What do I need to have to make a propper temp
and humidity?San antonio weather can get to 100-105 degrees in the coming spring and summer.How does this work?
They failed to mention a propper temp...I read maybe between 75 and 85 is ok?does my central air/heat help in this goal temp?
Do i need a reptile heating pad also?I get paid two times this week and I can afford whatever he needs to stay healthy.
Any ideas guys any questions on what ive been doing for him???

:snake:

So far three/four weeks into having Jafar hes very Nice to me he loves to come out of the tank for a few minutes every few days slither into a bath bowl.He has a pinky and a small mouse on hand for whenever hes ready to eat..He plays around on his hang he has pep...Hes not aggressive..His eyes aren't looking cloudy so I don't think he wants to shed right now..

The questions above still stand I figure id explain his current lifestyle.

1. Get a food weighing scale from WalMart/Target, etc...
2. Unless he's a hatchling, pinkys are way too small...

Hard to tell from your avatar pic, but he should be able to take a rat pup or a smaller weaned rat...I'd avoid mice if he's willing to take rats...

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Originally Posted by sho220

1. Get a food weighing scale from WalMart/Target, etc...
2. Unless he's a hatching, pinky's are way too small...

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I Got him a Medium size mouse It doesn't look crazy enough to hurt him but I watch them both for aggression when I try to feed him.It is live I'm sorry.I don't want him hooked on hamsters or gerbils.I wonder what else...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chrisredfield003

I Got him a Medium size mouse It doesn't look crazy enough to hurt him but I watch them both for aggression when I try to feed him.It is live I'm sorry.I don't want him hooked on hamsters or gerbils.I wonder what else...

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Feeding live is fine. I agree with avoiding hamsters and gerbils...but how about rats???

He probably isn't eating because his temps aren't suitable and he is still settling in. He doesn't need to be fed in another tank. Do you know what the temps are in the enclosure now? You do need a heat source of some type, be it a lamp or under-tank heater (on a thermostat).

http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/...2356933734.jpg

Here is jafar maybe you get an idea of his size...I wonder if anyone can guess his age? because I don't know exactly.I plan on getting him anything that can help him grow healthy.I Need to know what to look for first.He has a heat lamp..
Ill get him a thermostat quick.What does it need to check for exactly?Humidity and temp?what type do I get?

Yeah im new also, and from what ive read, new snakes may not eat, and bps are notorious for not eating also. Keep your temps stable, water in the bowl, and offer food once a week, he will get hungry... heck he probobly is now, i think these guys probobly just like to stress us out haha

I figured he has stage fright so I covered his glass around him and hes in a enclosed area now with just view into the tank from the top.Hes in the tank with the mouse..Do I return the mouse to the pet shop?Is this possible to do?

Do rats come in different sizes also?What size would suit Jafar?

*What kind of Ball python is Jafar?
*What would I need to take a picture of for this to be figured out through the forum?
**Is it a he or she?
Without probing is it possible to determine the sex also?

From your picture, he/she looks like a normal. It isn't really possible to tell the sex of your snake just from a picture. If you could get a picture of you popping him/her, that might work but with you being so new to bp's, I wouldn't recommend you trying to pop it. Take him/her to an experienced vet or the likes and have them pop it if you want to know the sex. As far as prey size, your snake could easily take a rat pup. Also, I would personally ditch the glass tank and go with either a PVC cage or a rack/tub enclosure. Rack's use tubs which hold heat and humidity much better than glass tanks. They are also convenient if you are planning to add any bp's to your collection in the future. As far as heating goes, I personally like UTH's better than lamps due to the fact that heat lamps, or even just normal household bulbs used for heating purposes, will zap the humidity out of the enclosure which makes it extremely difficult to keep your humidity levels up. You can try putting a damp towel over about 2/3's of the screen top, but I live in Texas as well and I can tell you first hand, it's a PITA even with the damp towel. I would just a UTH if I were you and a good thermostat to regulate it. Don't buy one of the thermostats from a pet store as they are WAY overpriced and they are crap. Another member on here has a link for a good, inexpensive t-stat and I believe the brand is hydrofarm so you can google that. I also recommend thermometer which again, do not buy from the pet stores as you will pay WAY too much. Go to Walmart and get an Accurite digital thermometer. It measures 2 temperatures as well as humidity. And last but not least, get an infrared thermometer. It will allow you to measure the floor temps of your cage so that you can make sure you have a proper hot and cool spot and also that you are not burning your snake from overheating. Hope all this helps and good luck :D

ok, your biggest problem from what I can see is your tank set up.

This is the ideal Ball Python set up:

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_0455.jpg

2 hides (one on the hot side, one on the cool side. water dish in the middle. A digital thermometer with probe ($12 at Walmart also measures humidity) The thermometers/hydrometers sold at pet stores are crap don't waste your time or money on them. Also most pet store employees have no clue how to properly take care of reptiles. give this a read it should clear things up.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...s%29-Caresheet

Here is the thermometer that you should get

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

This is the scale I use ($15 at a grocery store you can also get them at Walmart)

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...t/f79cdeb5.jpg

This is how I would set up a glass tank (only thing missing is the thermometer I put a picture of above)

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...t/bd98c3f5.jpg

Notics how the Heat bulb is red. I recommend these bulbs as they can be left on 24/7 And should be Do not drop the temperatures at night)

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

You can secure the cage with bricks like this

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...t/423bb82f.jpg

This is a great site to buy supplies from (also where I get my black plastic hides cheap durable and my snakes love them)

http://www.reptilebasics.com/hide-boxes

So do you advise against getting natural looking setting like a hang or bark or dirt or grass?or a few fake plants?Also u have paper towels down?

You can go other way natural or minimalistic. generally I would advise to start out with a minimalistic set up then once you have everything stable and you have more experience you can attempt an naturalistic set up. (which are harder to keep clean and regulated)

Yes I have used paper towels in the past (and is what is shown in the picture) They are absorbent and makes it easy to keep track of your snake (things like mites/ are much easier to see on paper towels and it is easier to keep the cue clean because you just change out the paper towels when they get messed up. (along with a good/safe disinfectant like chlorhexidine or F10) Even diluted bleach will work but you have to let the cage air out before you put your snake beach in when using bleach.

other good cheap substrates are newspaper, butchers paper, and corrugated wrap. (nothing wrong with aspen/cypress mulch/other barks just never use cedar as it is toxic to snakes)

dirt and grass are incredibly hard to deal with I would advise not going that route. (tried it never again)

The most important thing is providing a secure environment with the proper temperatures/humidity. everything else will fall in line after that.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chrisredfield003

I figured he has stage fright so I covered his glass around him and hes in a enclosed area now with just view into the tank from the top.Hes in the tank with the mouse..Do I return the mouse to the pet shop?Is this possible to do?

Do rats come in different sizes also?What size would suit Jafar?

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Rats do come in different sizes. it's important to know the right size. find a rat that is as big around as the snakes body at the widest part or a rat that weighs 10-15% of the snakes weight. never feed a meal that is too large. Jafar looks like he could take an adult mouse or a rat hopper.

get a scale and check this website out

http://www.ballpythonz.net/feeding.html

I just got a new snake. She is about 7 months old and I think she is a little smaller than yours. I use EcoEarth as a substrate, with a UTH on one side with a hide, a plastic plant behind that, and a heat lamp in the middle of the tank with a wide shallow water dish (looks like a rock) under that to help raise the humidity. With the water being warm though it's important to wash the water every day or every other day. On the cooler side she has another hide.

We have a rheostat to regulate the temperature of the UTH and the heat lamp, and a thermometer to keep track of what the temps are. It stays around 90 on the warm side and 80 on the cool side. Our thermometer is kinda crappy though, I think I'm going to get another one soon.

Anyway, about eating: When we got her from the breeder, she was eating live rat pups, but I don't have access to any right now so I started feeding her pre-killed adult mice. She wouldn't eat them in front of me so I tried leaving one in her tank overnight and she would eat it then.

It took her a little while to get used to people (and my dog) walking by her tank but she is more used to it now. We have 2 sides of the tank covered along with towels over the top. It has been keeping the humidity in better that way.

Hope that was helpful!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chrisredfield003

*What kind of Ball python is Jafar?
*What would I need to take a picture of for this to be figured out through the forum?
**Is it a he or she?
Without probing is it possible to determine the sex also?

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It's a normal, also pinkies are way too small for a BP that size.
Side note....why do you need to know the sex? If your planning on breeding ok. But if it's just your pet it doesn't really matter what sex it is. Why risk injuring from probing or popping if you have never done it. Or spend money at a vet.

I would never attempt to Prob or do any sort of procedure good heads up tho.I meant a professional sexing.I don't need its sex anytime soon or maybe ever.It was just a thought.

How can I find out where its from or what type of ball python it is?

it is a normal Ball Python, what do you mean where it's from?

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

it is a normal Ball Python, what do you mean where it's from?

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Oh I don't know I figure it was from overseas or maybe it had a sub ball python species of some kind I don't know.Just curious

well there are 3 options. it was wild caught in Africa, they found his egg in Africa and they brought it back here before it hatched, or he hatched from an egg that was laid by a breeder here in the US.

there a tons of "morphs" of ball pythons. these morphs are genetic mutations that change the colors and or pattern of the snake. What you have is the standard wild type aka normal Ball python. if you want to see other morphs check out this site

http://www.worldofballpythons.com/morphs/

*I say he for simplicities sake.

what is a propper red bulb wattage?

I've been told 75 watts was good but some may use something different.

For a ten gallon in a room that isn't extremely cold or hot a 75 watt infrared bulb should work.

Just read threw this post and thought I would give a little advice :)
He may not be eating because he doesnt feel secure My little normal guy was a dificult eater at best until I Covered 3 sides of his tank. I started with a nice looking aquarium background and then covered some cardbaord with foil tap and attached it all to the outside of the tank like so

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...83841836_n.jpg

This did 2 thing one it made my little guy feel a lot more secure. Secong it helped insulat my tank and stabilized my temps a lot. For humidity I purchased a peice of Plexiglass and cut it to fit the top of my tank and drilled a few holes in it like so

http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos...64496118_a.jpg

The foil tape also reflects some heat back in and my temps are great in a 69f room they hold at 79-81 cold and 89-91 hot. Hope this help you out and keep us informed on how he does