Just some simple feedback would be nice!

Hello everyone,
I'm new to the site & to the world of snakes, I just got my first baby Ball Python 4 days ago. She (I don't know the sex, but I named the snake Ava) is VERY timid when I pick her up and handle her. I know the rule is 'wait a week or two after purchase' but I couldn't control myself! Everytime I handle her, she is ALWAYS in striking position. She has never tried to strike but because she has yet to eat, I wouldn't put it past her to send out a warning. I've tried feeding her twice now & she's just not about it! I have issues with keeping the humidity levels up in her tank aswell. I'm constantly spraying the tank walls and it'll get up to 50%-60% humidity but after 30-45 minutes, it drops to below zero again..I need tips please!

How do I ease her out of striking position when handeling her?

How do I keep the humidity up?

How do I get her to eat?! (I know new snakes are picky eaters but how can I ease her into a eating schedual)

Any information people can give will help me so just reply if you have any ideas!

Thank you,
- Justin.

Welcome to the site!

The first thing you need to do is get the cage heat/humidity into the proper ranges (cool side 80, hot side 90, 40%-60% humidity) then leave the snake alone for a week before even trying to feed. Offering food too often will stress out the snake and make a successful feeding less likely.

What are you using to heat the cage? What thermometers/hygrometers/thermostats do you have? How big is the cage? What substrate are you using? What type/size hides do you have. Can you post a picture of the cage?

Checkout these 2 threads to make sure you have the basics down:

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

Heating: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-Thermometers


How to post pictures: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...with-pictures)

Hi Justin,

It would be helpful to see your set up. That would be the first thing that I would start to look at to trouble shoot.
Husbandry is key in reducing stress, which will hopefully stop her being so "bitey", and will also fix the humidity and feeding issues.

Thank you for responding so fast you two! :)

This is a picture of her & her tank:
http://i46.tinypic.com/20iypna.jpg

When I got her, they said they just got the shipment into the pet store (don't judge me cause I got her at the pet store lol) & they haven't fed her yet so we are going on 11-12 days of KNOWN nonfeeding. I will wait a few more days & let her get more comfortable.

Under the hide, I have a heating pad and the water dish is the cold side. The thermometar is on the right side (via image) and the humidity gauge is on the left.

She lounges for the majority of the day & is VERY active at night. She likes to hang off the meters on the side of the tank! :)

She's too cool lol.

Anything else?

OK, a few major concerns.

1. Does your heating pad have anything controlling its temperature? (Without something to control the heating pad it can and will get hot enough to cause serious harm to your snake (130+ degrees))

2. Do you have any other thermometers besides what is shown in the picture? (Heating pads don't change the temperature of the air in the cage. This means that the thermometers shown in the picture aren't telling you how hot the floor of the cage is. You need to get a probed digital thermometer)

- Please read this thread on cage heating/thermometers/thermostats: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-Thermometers

3. you need a second hind, and really you should replace the hide that you have already with a better one. (These are the best hides: http://www.reptilebasics.com/hide-boxes)

One more question. What is the temperature of the room that the cage is in?

Pet store employees generally know very little about reptiles and the products that they sell are less than ideal, and in some cases dangerous. If you do not resolve some of these issues The vet bills will add up.

Aaron has got you on the right track for getting her set up. Check out those links. The way to get her to eat and out of striking mode, is to get her husbandry spot on, and leave her alone to settle in. She is just a baby and scared. Offering food to frequently, and handling her is freaking her out. Also, those log hides are terrible. Bps like dark snug fitting hides. And should have one on the cool side, one on the hot side. You can get these hides at Reptile Basics.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/12/marunaty.jpg


Also, you should go to Walmart and get an Accurite thermometer. Those stick on gauge ones are terribly inaccurate. And how are you controlling the heat pad? It has to be controlled a thermostat. Or else it can get hot enough to burn or kill your snake.


Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

My heating pad does NOT have anything to control the temperature (yet). Everything together cost nearly $200 as is, so I'm waiting till next paycheck to get that. (I touch the floor of the tank everyday to feel the temperature, and it's not been to hot)

I do NOT have any other thermometer besides what is shown in the picture (if you post a small list so I can get an idea of what exactly I need, that would help tremendously!)

I will get a new hide when I get my temperature control element.

& the temperature range in the room is between 75*-85*. I've been worrying about this as nobody really uses this room and I sometimes think it's too cold, but I've been gauging it.

& I know this bedding? I guess what you call it, is horrible for the snake as it can scratch her stomach. I have aspen bedding to change to this weekend when I clean her tank for the first time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MrTrippy666

My heating pad does NOT have anything to control the temperature (yet). Everything together cost nearly $200 as is, so I'm waiting till next paycheck to get that. (I touch the floor of the tank everyday to feel the temperature, and it's not been to hot)

Ok, in the mean time a cheap "Band-Aid" solution is to get a lamp dimmer from walmart or a home improvement store. They usually cost $10-$12 and will let you turn down the heat some.

I do NOT have any other thermometer besides what is shown in the picture (if you post a small list so I can get an idea of what exactly I need, that would help tremendously!)

This thermometer costs $12 at Walmart. it has a probe so you can measure the temperature on the floor of the cage over the heating pad, as well as a second temperature sensor and humidity sensor behind the screen. By placing the unit itself on the cool side of the cage, this single unit will tell you everything you need to know.

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

I will get a new hide when I get my temperature control element.

& the temperature range in the room is between 75*-85*. I've been worrying about this as nobody really uses this room and I sometimes think it's too cold, but I've been gauging it.

75 to 85 is actually perfect. As I said before your heating pad will NOT increase the air temperature in the tank. As long as the air in the tank is between 75-85 degrees no additional heat sources will be needed.

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So you need to get:

• A thermostat
• 2 identical hides
• A new probed digital thermometer

How thick is the substrate layer? It needs to be no more than 1/2" thick for the heating pad to be able to heat through it.

What type of heat lamp are you using? (Wattage/style)

Okay cool!

So when I get that thermometer, I put it directly inside the tank?

The substrate layer was evenly spread out when I put her in the tank for the first time. She's now managed to push it over so it's not as thick over the heating pad. I JUST took the picture a few posts above so that's how thick the substrate is currently.

For the day time, I have a 75 watt Zoo Med Repti Basking Spot Lamp bulb & for the night time, I put on a 75 watt Zilla Night Black Heat Incandescent Bulb.

Ok. In all honestly until you can get a thermostat I would just unplug the heating pad. your heat lamps will supply more than enough heat in the mean time.

Yes the thermometer will go right in the tank. The sensor probe will go on the floor of the tank right over the heat pad, and the part with the screen will sit on top of the substrate on the cool side of the tank.

Like so:

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_0452.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_0451.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...ps743950fd.jpg

If I were you I would remove the heat pad entirely until you have a thermostat. Just place your lamp on one end of the mesh screen for your hot spot and the heat will dissipate to the cool side too. The 75 watt bulb should be enough heat on it's own. Also you can just use the night bulb 24/7 instead of swapping them out. The natural light of the house is enough for the snake to know night and day. Constant temps are the important part. And swapping out bulbs seriously depletes their life span because they have to completely heat up and cool down so often.

I unplugged the heat pad & moved the lamp over the hide.

Thank you guys so much!

Also, how do I keep humidity?!

Either a different substrate, or a larger water dish, over/under your hot spot. You can put foil over part of your screen top to trap it on. You may have to mist.

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

I'll keep in mind the larger water dish, but I mist A LOT. Would an auto-mister be worth it to purchase?

& I have Aspen substrat I'm changing over too this weekend when I clean her tank. So hopefully that will help! Thanks!

Regular misting of the cage with a hand sprayer as needed is the simple solution.

Maintaining humidity comes down to 2 things. Trapping the humidity into the cage (reducing air flow into/out of the cage) and Storing moisture inside the cage that can be released into the air over time.

The first part is pretty simple, cover the screen top of the cage with something that will trap the moisture in. Aluminum foil, plastic wrap, and sheets of plastic are all good choices to do this, but anything that is moisture resistant and solid will do the job. You only want to cover 70%-80% at most of the screen though, as some air flow is necessary for your snake.

There are many ways to go about the second part. The substrate that you use is the first thing to consider. Mulch substrates like you use are excellent at holding moisture and are naturally mold resistant which is important as substrates like aspen which aren't will need to be changes more frequently when kept damp. Another good choice is Eco-Earth which is a substrate made from pulverized coconut husks and looks like dirt. This is what I personally would suggest you use.
The next option is to place a large(r) water dish in the cage. The more surface area the water dish the better (so short/fat dishes are best not tall narrow ones) The large surface area lets more water evaporate into the air which increases humidity.
If both of these don't do enough then more drastic measures can be taken but these are what you should start with.

An automister shouldn't be necessary for a BP cage unless you live in an extremely dry part of the world. Location makes a huge difference. for instance where I live the humidity ranges from 50%-95% most of the year. This makes things a lot easier for me as my house stays around 50%-60% humidity

Thanks Aaron for you HUGE help!:gj:

I covered the 'colder' side with aluminum foil & I will continue to mist the tank every hour or so. Lets hope this works! :)

Along with what everyone said, I've found it helps my sons tank if we place damp wash cloths over the tank lid. I struggle with humidity as well and mist a lot. Hopefully when winter is over that will all change!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Seanjackmc

Along with what everyone said, I've found it helps my sons tank if we place damp wash cloths over the tank lid. I struggle with humidity as well and mist a lot. Hopefully when winter is over that will all change!

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It never came to mind that the winter had anything to do with it! HAHA, makes sooooooooooooo much sense. I live in Vermont, so now that you mention it, it makes complete sense! :rolleyes:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MrTrippy666

It never came to mind that the winter had anything to do with it! HAHA, makes sooooooooooooo much sense. I live in Vermont, so now that you mention it, it makes complete sense! :rolleyes:

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Sorry if this is a double post, but winter and your heat can dry the crap out of your house. My throat hurts its so dry! Good luck I mist all day long.

- - - Updated - - -

also try a humidifier in the room, it has helped my son ball a lot

Try Cypress or eco earth substrate....both are reasonably cheap and AMAZING at helping with humidity....a bag of cypress from petco or petsmart should be $8-$14 and should last a few rounds of full tank cleaning/substrate replacement

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Seanjackmc

Sorry if this is a double post, but winter and your heat can dry the crap out of your house. My throat hurts its so dry! Good luck I mist all day long.

- - - Updated - - -

also try a humidifier in the room, it has helped my son ball a lot

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Yeah, mine hurts most mornings too, but it's a mixture of dryness & the fact that I sleep with my mouth WIDE open & it dries the crap out of my throat haha.

- - - Updated - - -

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OsirisRa32

Try Cypress or eco earth substrate....both are reasonably cheap and AMAZING at helping with humidity....a bag of cypress from petco or petsmart should be $8-$14 and should last a few rounds of full tank cleaning/substrate replacement

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Added to my list of things to check out when I go! Thanks :)

I've covered most of the top of the tank 60-80% & the humidity is staying! Thank you so much Aaron & everyone else!

This is why I like this group so much better than the others I have been involved in! Informative, respectful, experienced keepers. Not much "chest-thumping" in here! :rofl: In my experience, which is far from huge, many keepers find what works for them over time and trial/error. The BP.net care sheet is definitely the best out there!

There's some great people on here! Very helpful :) I can't complain lol. :D

My snake (Ava) is getting ready to shed & still has not eat'n. Should I try to feed her again? I'm thinking live food this time cause she doesn't even TRY the dead. :\ Any input?

Some BP's will eat during shed, while other won't. it doesn't hurt to try, but be prepared for a refusal just in case.

Alright, thanks Aaron! I'll try it anyway & should I try a live mouse?

A live mouse would be a good idea. If you can get ahold of one a live rat pup would also be good.

Thank you thank you! K, going to the pet store now! I'll update you on how it goes when I return :D :gj: