Very New Ball Python Owner

Hey everybody out there.
Last week I bought my first Ball Python ever! Im really excited but am also quite nervous as I have never owned a snake or any other reptile for that matter. I have a few questions and concerns, which i am sure this forum has seen this a million times but you know I just want to do whats best for Nagini (Her name) LOL. Like I said I have had her (not confirmed her but I just call her a her) and she is definitely a juvenile she's fairly small still. I bought her from a Pet Store, and they had her on a regular feeding schedule, so I actually fed her on the 3rd day I had her. I did feed her in the enclosure because I didn't want to stress her out by picking her up, but feeding in a separate enclosure is what I plan on doing from now on. She ate like a champ, so I wanted to know if this was a good thing. She has not pooped since though its almost been a week and this concerns me as I am not sure how long it should take her to poop. Another thing is since she is fairly small I only have a 10 gal. terrarium, but plan on building her a large one that will be a lot nicer for when she gets bigger. I keep her warm side in the high 80's low 90's and the cooler side about 80-82. I have one hide, when I bought it i did not realize how big it was until i put it in the terrarium, and the way i have it is that half is on cool and half is on warm. As I use a screen top, I have a heating pad on the far right, so this is the hotspot, and a 60W bulb in a heat lamp that goes sort of more in the centre but it seems to be keeping the temps just where i think they should be according to many forums out there that I have read. I would like some opinions on this set up if somebody out there is willing to comment and let me know what they think. One big questions I have, is I really really want to handle her, but Im not sure the tell tale signs of a stressed BP, and am wondering if its wise, she NEVER comes out of her hide, I have not slept in the last 2 days I had a campout outside her terrarium watching for her to come out and she will not come out. When I lift her hide she is always in the exact same spot curled up, and she looks like she is pulsing a little (I assume this is her breathing.) Yesterday my roommate was giving the terrarium a spray for me, and she was spraying near the snake and she instantly looked like she was going to eat her hand, no hissing or striking but she looked exactly as she had when i threw a mouse in the tank last week, just like she was going to eat it, so maybe her feeding instinct kicked in I am not sure. So should i try to handle her now, I really want to get her used to being handled or should I give her another week to settle in? I really just want what is best for her. Although I want to handle her whether she likes it or not I just don't want her to hunger strike on me, (which I have full expectations of) and am not sure if she's happy. So any opinions on anything I have mentioned in this post would be very very much appreciated! :cool:

Cheers

Give her another week to adjust. Do you have a thermostat to regulate the UTH? If not get one asap. You dont need to build them BIG enclosures BPs like smaller enclosures. A good rule of thumb is 1 square foot per foot of snake.

Here is a caresheet if you havent already seen one:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...thon-CARESHEET

Hello, and :welcome: to BP.net...

Congratulations on your new little friend. To address some of your concerns:
- Snakes will, on the average poop about every 2-3 weeks, but it is not uncommon for them to go a little longer, especially if they are getting ready to shed.
- Your temperatures seem fine. It is best to have 2 identical, snug hides. One on each side of the enclosure.
- Since your snake has already eaten in the enclosure, I would recommend sticking with what you know works. Sometimes, moving them to a separate feeding bin can stress them out, but if you want to try it, and the snake eats, and you are comfortable with it, then go ahead.
- Don't get a bigger enclosure for when the snake gets bigger. Get a bigger enclosure when the snake gets bigger. An enclosure that is too big can also stress out a Ball Python and cause them to refuse food.

Here is a link to the caresheet for reference:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

My new BP didnt' poop for 5-6 weeks and that was with regular weekly feedings!! We think she was very underfed from pet store. And from what I learned the young ones use up a lot of their food to grow.

I second the part about two smaller hides. Mine likes small one from reptilebasics.com the best (and I've tried many :(

Heating pad?? or "under tank heating mat"? Just concerned if your using a regular heating pad?

Also, the "experts" here suggest No handling until she's had at least a couple meals. (and you know not to handle for 48 hrs. after eating? let her digest)

Ours was jumpy- sometimes still is. But it was explained to me, when they are so small, they are the smallest in the food chain and think everything is out to get them. This will improve as they grow.

Be patient- I was the same- wanted to handle her all the time. But I think it took 6-7 weeks for both of us to figure each other out. Eating regularly, A good shed, A good poop, Good temps, good humidity and now we're both happy. :)

Thanks for the replies. The heating pad doesn't appear to be too much of a heating pad, it came with a kit, and its like a rubber material and i can hold it and its only warm to the touch but Id like to get a better one, but i do have a thermostat on order anyways! I think I am going to go with the 2 hides, Im going to pick those up shortly, but feeding in enclosure, I have heard a lot of mixed feelings about this. If I continue to feed her in her enclosure, my biggest concern is that she will think my hand is food when I go to pick her up. Is this true?
-As far as leaving her for another week, I would like to make sure that she won't develop unfriendliness are they okay to go a few weeks without handling without getting used to being left alone? I assume its fine as I know a lot of people who wait 2 weeks, but I have had others tell me that I should be picking her up ASAP and keep it consistent so she gets used to you. But I personally feel I would like her to be fully comfortable with her living environment before I go picking her up. Another questions, I fed her live, thats what she is used to eating, what are the true downsides to this? I have heard it is not recommended by some and others say its the only way to go as you have a better chance of her taking the food.
-thanks for clearing up the pooping situation, i thought they should poop within a few days and I was starting to worry.
-A question on this, is it ok if I feed her before she poops? or will she get a tummy ache lol?

I would not be surprised if the pet store was underfeeding her as well. They did not seem to know a whole lot, in fact I had to reach in and grab her myself as they guy was too afraid to even go near it as she was in with about 7 other baby BPs. Also he told me to use a 100W heating bulb for a 10 gallon tank, and when I brought the stuff to the counter there was a fellow snake owner who was like umm, this will cook your snake! But apparently she was fed on the same day of each week but she seemed pretty hungry when I fed her, she had the mouse killed and eaten in less than 10 minutes. So who knows, I think ill feed her once a week for now, unless somebody suggests otherwise. I still can't get over though the people at the pet store, they had about 20 babies split between 2 small 15 gal. max terrariums and 2 sub adults and they did not have hot or cold side whole temp. was sitting at 80. I really wish I could have bought them all to rescue them but I had a hard enough time convincing my fellow roommates to let me have one LOL i could not imagine bringing home multiple!

I strongly recommend a thermostat or at least a dimmer to control the UTH. Your body temp is 98F, so, even if the heat pad only feels warm to you, it could be well over 100F. Another thing to consider is that when the pad is mounted to the bottom of the cage, if the substrate level is too thick, it can trap heat underneath it, causing dangerously high temps along the glass. If the snake should burrow or push the substrate aside and reach those high temps, you have a potential for a burn. If you are using one of the wood type substrates, it should only be about 1/2'" to 1" thick.

A good feeding schedule is about every 7 days. Make sure that you are feeding an appropriately sized prey. It should be about the same girth as your snake, at the widest part of her body. If you have a scale to measure their weight, the prey should be about 10%-15% of the snakes weight...

I do have a thermostat on order, although she never really sits where the heating pad is, but I really do not want to burn her, I am using plantation soil for substrate and its not too thick but i have noticed she likes to borough and she hasn't moved from this borough that she has made in almost a week, but I have only recently started using it as I have a screen top and I found it hard to get the husbandry correct. I plan on feeding her every friday. And the pet store in which I bought her has the perfectly size feeder mice, they were perfectly sized, just a teeny bit smaller than her widest girth. Im just concerned that feeding in her enclosure will give her bad biting habits.

We were told at the pet store to feed ours in seperate container as well (by a woman who has had a BP for 3 years) but after reading all the comments here, and watching our snake eat several times now, I can't imagine moving her some where else to feed her.

First of all, as soon as she smells the mouse, her behavior is completely different then any other time she's acted "cautious" when someone reaches in her tank (with the mouse, her tongue goes crazy and she starts searching for the mouse right away- we feed F/T)
Also, I would be more afraid to pick her up & move her after eating. She still seems a little to "fired up" and I wouldn't want to put my hand in there then. (nor risk moving her while digesting- some here have said, just slight noises have made their snakes reguritate their food)

Finally, there has been a few times our snake did not eat right away. She wanted it dark in her tank, and she just hung out, hovering over the mouse. If she wasn't in her tank, im not sure how I would have managed to get her back in, in that mood.

Granted we've only had our snake a few months- we have fed every meal in the tank. She goes in her hide right after. We Leave her alone a couple of days to digest, except changing water, etc. Then get her out for 10min. to 1/2 hr. (they say start with only 5-10 min. in beginning) pretty much every day, until its feeding day again. She hasn't shown any sign of our hand being food when we reach in.

Good luck- its been a fun learning process for me. :)

I had a cornsnake before i got my ball python, so I was used to feeding outside of her tank (ingesting substrate could harm a cornsnake) but after much research everyone on here says that theres no reason to move your ball python to a new spot to eat. A little substrate wont hurt a ball python. I've had absolutely no issues of being bit or stuck at during feeding time, he's a pretty accurate aimer when it comes to food. :D

If you're worried about getting bitten while he's eating, get some feeding tongs. Some of my girls hit their rats so hard a piece of fur will actually fly - you'll never see me just holding it up with my bare hand! I feed all 27 of my snakes in their tubs and have zero issues reaching in to get them when it isn't feeding day.

I'm not worried about being bit while feeding I am definitely not holding a mouse with my bare hands, she did strike the mouse pretty hard when I fed. Also I fed her live so i just dumped the mouse in and let her do her thing. I was much more worried of her biting me while not feeding. I personally like the idea of feeding in enclosure Im sure its much easier for her and I'd like doing what is best for her :D. I have never owned a snake so I am fairly nervous of reaching in and grabbing her for the first time but once i have done it once I will definitely be much more relaxed. :cool: I am going to try feeding F/T though I don't want the mouse hurting her and have heard live mice can spread parasites although I'm not sure how a dead mouse would differ in that aspect other than the fact the mouse was frozen.

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Originally Posted by BPnewbie1

I am going to try feeding F/T though I don't want the mouse hurting her and have heard live mice can spread parasites although I'm not sure how a dead mouse would differ in that aspect other than the fact the mouse was frozen.

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Just make sure you thaw & warm up the mouse properly. The snake wont be interested if its not warmed.

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Originally Posted by BPnewbie1

I have never owned a snake so I am fairly nervous of reaching in and grabbing her for the first time but once i have done it once I will definitely be much more relaxed.

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I was there about 2 weeks ago. No worries about that. If it makes you feel better, grab a gardening glove. It can help boost confidence which isn't a bad thing at all. Touch it on it's side so they know you're there, and simply pick it up.

It wasn't until my snake uncoiled and was moving around the second time I held her that I was more relaxed.

I DID IT, I thought I would just give her another week but randomly decided to pick her up, and she didn't even care, she was curled up in my hands for like 2 minutes then she was all over my arm she was calm and she actually tried to prevent me putting her back she kept trying to slither back up my arm. I'm so glad I did because she is so awesome :D I'm not sure why I was nervous now ! I just wish I could carry her around with me all day :( thanks for all your opinions!

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Originally Posted by BPnewbie1

I DID IT, I thought I would just give her another week but randomly decided to pick her up, and she didn't even care, she was curled up in my hands for like 2 minutes then she was all over my arm she was calm and she actually tried to prevent me putting her back she kept trying to slither back up my arm. I'm so glad I did because she is so awesome :D I'm not sure why I was nervous now ! I just wish I could carry her around with me all day :( thanks for all your opinions!

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They aren't so scary huh? Ball pythons are the calmest snakes. I mean, their primary defense mechanism is to curl into a ball! How frightening! My best advice for initially picking up a snake is to pick it up with confidence. I poke or stroke my snakes to "wake them up" and then pick them up within a second or two. The only time I have been bitten was when I was removing an uneaten rodent from a tub. It happens, but don't be scared about being bit. It's more surprising than painful. Nibbles from my cat hurt worse then snake bites.

No It was great! I was actually having a pissy day but when I held her it cheered me right up. Now I am a bit worried about a bite but I've been pierced so I'm sure I can handle it :gj:

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Originally Posted by BPnewbie1

No It was great! I was actually having a pissy day but when I held her it cheered me right up. Now I am a bit worried about a bite but I've been pierced so I'm sure I can handle it :gj:

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A piercing is like 1000000x worse than a snake bite. You probably won't even get bit for a very long time. You will learn the snakes behavior and what looks like a strike pose and what doesn't.

Thats good to know lol. What I thought was really funny actually she appeared to be attracted to the colour green, maybe I'm misunderstanding as I am not even sure they can see colour but when ever she saw my bright green bag she went straight for it and just stared at it, and my roommate was wearing the same colour green shirt and she did the same thing. I dunno but it just seemed like she was pretty intrigued.