A few questions

So today after getting home i found my bp pressed to one side of his tank to my horror his branch which he climbs on had fallen down, i do believe i have manged to get that sucker in the eco dirt so that wont happen again. So now i've notice he keeps most of his body in his hide and pops his head out and looks around.

(if this work picture of his tank)
[IMG]http://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/...07428226_n.jpg[/IMG]

Hiding is normal, if that's your question...? But I would exchange that half-log hide for something that's more enclosed in the front. They don't like being exposed and the half-log doesn't provide enough cover for them to feel secure in.

ah ok, on no my question was he keeps the most part of his body in the log but hes been poking his head out and looking around it seems.

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Originally Posted by BallJohnny

ah ok, on no my question was he keeps the most part of his body in the log but hes been poking his head out and looking around it seems.

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Might be hungry?? Depends on when you last fed him last.
But don't panic it could just be its personality!!! Mine will poke her head out, look around, then go back into her hide. Lol as you get used to your snake you'll notice it doing some funny stuff. :banana:

I hope hes hungry, that would be a good thing first time snake owner. Had him for about going on two weeks and he hasnt ate yet. Going to try to feed him in his tank this time seems that is the way to go with bps.

Oh yeah trust me, seeing your ball python eat for the first time feels AWESOME. It makes you feel accomplished. Best of luck :gj:

So what should i use for a good hide, and should i keep the log in the tank.

Second question, dont really have a humidity gauge i was just told to make sure one side of the tank stays wet is that a good idea?

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Originally Posted by BallJohnny

So what should i use for a good hide, and should i keep the log in the tank.

Second question, dont really have a humidity gauge i was just told to make sure one side of the tank stays wet is that a good idea?

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You need to look up husbandry on this site, it will give you all the info you need.
First the branch is for your benefit not the snakes, the animal could care less about it. And one side of the tank wet? No that's a good way to get scale rot. Go get a acurite gauge to monitor your temps and humidity. A simple set up is best for bps, reptile basics IMO have the best hides money can buy.

You can use anything for a hide or buy some online reptile basics sell nice ones, I'm currently using what Walmart sells as a salsa bowl its plastic I just had to make an opening, but you don't want to keep on side wet your snake could get scale rot or a respiratory infection from too much humidity, Walmart sells a thermometer made by accurite it has a probe and measures indoor and outdoor temp reading so for your tank hot side and cool side it also measures humidity, and if you have room you can leave the half log in there, and you need 2 identical hides one for hot side one for cold

I use reptile basic hides, they're AWESOME. But before them I used the rock ones from my pet store. Switch to the rock one soon, then maybe the reptile basics hides later. The log is bad for 3 reasons. 1. Your snake wont feel secure enough. ( not enough security=stressed out snake. Stressed out snake = a snake that won't eat) so yeahhhh I would ditch the log lol. 2. the log being made out of wood, very hard to clean. And 3. After a while the log will start to get all moldy and nasty over time whether it be due to washing, pee, etc.

And for humidity, get this.
http://i1055.photobucket.com/albums/...3/cebd8750.jpg

It measure your cold side, your hot side( it has a probe connected to it so you can measure your hot spot) AND it does humidity. And, you can just get it at Walmart for around 12 bucks. It's what almost everyone on here uses. It's a great little gadget.

It looks like everyone beat me to it :rolleye2: haha

wow that things awesome, what is the brand called?

The brand is "Acu-rite" in the outdoor section at Walmart.

While you're at Walmart getting that thermometer, pick up a digital scale as well (It'll run you about $20). It's much easier to figure out what size meal to feed when you know exactly how big your snake is so you're not over or underfeeding them.

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Originally Posted by Inarikins

While you're at Walmart getting that thermometer, pick up a digital scale as well (It'll run you about $20). It's much easier to figure out what size meal to feed when you know exactly how big your snake is so you're not over or underfeeding them.

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X2

And if you can't find one at Walmart, you can always just look on amazon.

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Originally Posted by Trackstrong83

X2

And if you can't find one at Walmart, you can always just look on amazon.

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X3 most wal marts don't sell them In the store, I'm guessing it has something to do with the high number of drug dealers buying them. We can get confused as drug dealers a lot with the items we buy, flex watt, digital scales to measure grams.....lol

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Originally Posted by Rob

X3 most wal marts don't sell them In the store, I'm guessing it has something to do with the high number of drug dealers buying them. Lol

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Oh Rob you have no idea!! You should have seen the guys face at Walmart when I asked for a scale that measures in "grams" hahaha

This is what your bp wants his home to look like...
http://img.tapatalk.com/aefdd6c9-33dd-56ad.jpg
These are the reptile basics hides. Bps don't care about all the "decorative junk", that's just for you. I understand it looks nice, they just don't need it. I would definately get more secure hides. Also I would try (dependant on snake size) try a live rat pup in his tank for food. He may not be eating because he doesn't feel secure enough. And a live rat pup, (that doesn't have its eyes open so it can't harm your snake) may be enough to entice him to eat. Good luck!

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

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Originally Posted by DrDooLittle

Bps don't care about all the "decorative junk", that's just for you.

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X2 also another thing to consider is how your going to feel about cleaning the entire enclosure and all those pretty things in there once they are covered in snake poop, and yes in case you have not seen your snakes poop, it will get as big as a dogs........it's almost comical.

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Originally Posted by Rob

X2 also another thing to consider is how your going to feel about cleaning the entire enclosure and all those pretty things in there once they are covered in snake poop, and yes in case you have not seen your snakes poop, it will get as big as a dogs........it's almost comical.

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Yupp, be prepared for the dookie. I'm still amazed at how much can come out of such a small animal. Lol

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Originally Posted by Rob

First the branch is for your benefit not the snakes, the animal could care less about it.

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You need to come tell my guys that LMAO, both of them are climbers, not a night goes by they are not either in the greenery or on there tree's :D

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Originally Posted by ExotixTowing

You need to come tell my guys that LMAO, both of them are climbers, not a night goes by they are not either in the greenery or on there tree's :D

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I also have a BP that won't use a hide, your always going to have snakes with different personalities. As a whole all the fancy stuff is simply there to be aesthetically pleasing to the owner.

Ya the reason i have the branch was because i was told they like to climb, he usually climbs up it at night. And as for cleaning up, have two boxers lol. Is there a better bedding to use than the eco dirt stuff. Sorry just went with a few things the pet shop i went to told me, figure i'd ask online to though for some second opinions lol.

Eco earth is okay, just depends on how big your tank is. I use paper towels in mine but that's just me. At the pet store I work at we use Repti-bark. It looks nice and you can just spot clean it every time they poop. It's really just up to you, depending on if you need a humidity a humidity boost or not.

I was told to replace the eco earth every 4 to 6 weeks, but if theres a stuff that i can just spot clean that would be pretty cool lol.

75 gallon tank

Most of them will climb a little when they're young. This behavior tends to decrease as they get gain in size.

Many keepers use Eco Earth, and some swear by it. There are many choices, each with both pros and cons. If you do a search on "substrate", you'll find quite a few threads on this subject.

So i was told to change out all the eco earth every 4 to 6 weeks is that a good thing to do?