New BP Acting Strange?

A few days ago I bought a Ball Python at the pet store and he seemed very healthy and was just a few days old. I took him home and put him in the aquarium but he acted stressed and didn't move for awhile, but I assumed it was normal since he had just seen his new home.

I waited two days and he was wrapped around some pet store plants that were suctioned to the aquarium, this alarmed me since when I was 7 I had a bad experience with my gecko not getting enough heat in his tank in the winter. I opened the air screen and felt his temperature he was cold compared to when i first got him but the thermometer said 90° (which is normal) so I started thinking he might be getting sick. He looked and felt dehydrated and his skin was loose compared to before and the tank smelled slightly rotten.:confusd:

For my setup I have:
-10"x20" aquarium.
-Water dish.
-Cool hide.
-Warm hide.
-Heat pad (small).
-60 WATT heat lamp (I don't turn it off at night since it's the winter but I should probably get a night bulb to swap).
-Climbing plants.
-Tape (to hold down the screen since clips won't fit).
-Screen cover.
-Aspen shavings.
-Two wood pieces (to hold up the tank for air flow).
-Mist spray (once every other day inside the tank).
-Thermometer.

Please don't hate if I'm doing something wrong! This is my first time with a snake and I've done all the research i can.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...p-w-pics-*DUW*


This will tell you everything you need to know. If you have any tape inside your enclosure (I don't really understand if it's inside or outside), take it out. These "pet rocks" who don't do a damn thing when we're looking like to get into all kinds of crap while we're sleeping. If there's tape that it has any chance at all of getting to, it will end up with it stuck on it at some point and I hear it's quite a PITA to deal with, and it can hurt the snake.

Also, get a thermostat for your UTH so you don't cook the little fella.

The tape is just on the outside to close the top since the clips are too large and slip off. Yes, I probably should check the UTH more often since I was worried it might have gotten too hot, the gap between the aquarium and the desk is far so I'll just judge by feeling.

Edit: I see there are a few things I can do to improve the setup. I'm going to get a night heat bulb and another light for the day and some foil tape. If someone could answer why my ball python is behaving like this it would really be nice.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sogeking

The tape is just on the outside to close the top since the clips are too large and slip off. Yes, I probably should check the UTH more often since I was worried it might have gotten too hot, the gap between the aquarium and the desk is far so I'll just judge by feeling.

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I really wouldn't judge by feeling. A surface that is hot enough to burn your snake won't necessarily feel uncomfortably hot to you. If it were that easy, we wouldn't need thermometers or hygrometers either. We'd just hold our hand in there for a second and see if it's ok.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sogeking

The tape is just on the outside to close the top since the clips are too large and slip off. Yes, I probably should check the UTH more often since I was worried it might have gotten too hot, the gap between the aquarium and the desk is far so I'll just judge by feeling.

Edit: I see there are a few things I can do to improve the setup. I'm going to get a night heat bulb and another light for the day and some foil tape. If someone could answer why my ball python is behaving like this it would really be nice.

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I don't really understand what you're asking, that's why I kind of just ignored that part and discussed the tank set up. The only behavior you described is being still (which is normal behavior) and coiling on or around the plants (which is also normal behavior). If you're asking about why it would feel and look dehydrated, hopefully someone more knowledgeable will respond on that. It doesn't seem like a perfectly healthy looking snake would have loose skin after two days, even if it were dehydrated.

Hi, and welcome to the site! I'm fairly new to ball pythons as well, but I'll help with what I can and hopefully someone else with more experience can help with the rest.

Ball pythons aren't really active snakes, and a hiding ball python is a happy ball python. That said, I'm a little concerned by the fact that you said that he's only a few days old - has he had any meals? It seems really odd that a pet store would sell a snake that young to a first time snake owner. You said the tank smells rotten. Was everything well cleaned when you put it in? Is it possible he's gone potty, and the tank needs to be cleaned?

What type of thermometer are you using? If it's a dial stick-on thermometer, they aren't very accurate. A digital thermometer with a probe, or a temp gun will be much more accurate. How are you measuring humidity? With a screen top, you'll probably need to cover a good portion (like 90%) of the top to keep the humidity where it needs to be (around 50-60%).

As BrandiR suggested, I would definitely get a thermostat is recommended to keep the heat pad from getting too hot and burning your snake. I would also try to get a night bulb instead of a bright bulb, because I think that would stress him to have a bright light on 24 hours a day. And I'm pretty sure you can just use a night bulb day and night, so no need for two separate bulbs.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sogeking

The tape is just on the outside to close the top since the clips are too large and slip off. Yes, I probably should check the UTH more often since I was worried it might have gotten too hot, the gap between the aquarium and the desk is far so I'll just judge by feeling.

Edit: I see there are a few things I can do to improve the setup. I'm going to get a night heat bulb and another light for the day and some foil tape. If someone could answer why my ball python is behaving like this it would really be nice.

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Sorry, but I must have missed where you described his behavior? Unless you just meant him staying in the plants, which is just him being a ball python.

Hope that helps!

Young balls love plastic plants. Every pet store I go into has zero snakes in the hdies and they are all curled up on the side of the tank, clinging to the plant suction cup. It is quite funny to find a snake ball with four little heads poking out.

As for being still, what bumblebee1028 said is quite correct. They are very sedentary compared to other species. They are also very easily stressed and he may still be adjusting to the new enclosure. Generally I don't touch new acquisitons for at least one full week and only open the enclosure to refill water or spot clean. Check for tongue response next time you handle him. Wave your hand in front of his face, at a reasonable distance, and watch his actions. If he doesn't taste the air or follow your heat signature something may be amiss.

Thanks for the help guys I'm learning alot! I've added foil to the back and sides of the aquarium with foil tape like it said to do.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInCA%2FNo
This is similar to what I have but I think it's zoo med or something and is stuck down near where the heat pad inside the aquarium.
Right now I'm not really in the position to be buying too much I had to get the aquarium from a friend just to afford him. Tomorrow morning I'll head out and get the night heat bulb and as for a thermostat I might have to order it online if I REALLY need it.

He turned around as if he was trying to bite me but luckily I learned about handling them just before so he didn't manage to bite me. It's strange I'm starting to think he's depressed because of the huge light shining on both of his hides it must be irritating to him being nocturnal and all. Right now I'll just stick my hand in and see if he follows it if that's what you were saying.

I faced a similar issue when getting my first snake. Instead of a thermostat, I played with the thickness of bedding above the UTH until a temp gun measured about 90*F consistently over several days. That was foolish. Not enough caution can be stated about unregulated heat sources! You can easily burn and kill your snake. If cost is an issue then skip the $100+ models and get a $20 in the meantime.

I waved my hand around trying to see if he'd respond but he didn't even look, instead he moved further back in a corner and continued staring up in the same direction atop his hide not even moving anymore even if my hand moved up and down. Hopefully nothing is wrong with him and he's just stressed but I was worried he might have something wrong with him pertaining to sensing.

Edit: Would you suggest I turn off the heatpad or the heat light overnight? I still don't have the night bulb and it's 6:58 PM so I can't get it now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sogeking

Tomorrow morning I'll head out and get the night heat bulb and as for a thermostat I might have to order it online if I REALLY need it.

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Do this the other way around, get the thermostat first. You can get one at Home Depot or Lowe's, somewhere like that. It doesn't have to be some fancy expensive one as long as it works. Once you have that, the heat pad can be left on all the time. You don't need to leave the heat light on over night as long as you have a functioning regulated heat pad.

But the heat pad is just on the small hide for it to warm up therefore it only heats up half the tank. I'll try to see how cold it gets with the lamp unplugged starting now, but if it goes under 75 I'll probably have to plug it back in unless he's directly on the heat.

I won't actually keep the light off though I just want to test this if I do get the thermostat first.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/AcuRite-L...SA1/100659740#


That is a cheap digital thermometer for you to use, sticks to the glass and you can easily read it from the outside.


you need a controller for your heating pad, regardless of how small it is. Temps on the glass can get in excess of 115 degrees, which is terribly harmful to your Ball Python. Don't discount the fact that your Python can push through the bedding and lay down directly on the glass.

Air Temp in my tank right now is about 82° degrees but the heating pad area has a temp of about 87° (1/2" - 3/4" of reptibark). And my basking spot is around 90° on a branch surrounded by plants.

Your humidity is important also. Low and High humidity can cause problems just as severe as over heating. Don't over look it.

Would I just put it on the right side of the tank closes to the heatpad? I do have something I can put there to check but I don't understand how that will exactly help.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/ma...-0429123p.html

The heat pad:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInCA%2FNo

I should tell you the snake seems really saggy/squishy and not lively it's kind of sad. I really think I just have to leave him alone but knowing his conditions aren't perfect it's hard to. I can't tell if he needs more heat or less and if he needs more moisture or less moisture.

Is he dehydrated by any chance and if so should I spray his body or place him in his water dish? I was told he was fed last Tuesday so he can't be hungry.

Sorry for the multiple posts can't edit old ones now and I can tell this entire thread is bothering you guys.:(

I found when I got my first snake,I had everything set ,but only took a month or so,before I found out exactly what works.

OP,it's not that complicated,just don't over think everything. Through reading here on this forum for a while before joining,ppl to tend to go above and beyond and make things out to be very complex and if your new it's over whelming when it comes to husbandry.

different seasons,will require prob diff watt bulbs,adjusting heat etc,little extra steps to keep humidity up. I recently had to move my tanksThin my bedroom due to the cold weather and although I turned my heat up,no rooms get as warm as my bedroom.

do your own expirementing,switching bulbs and watts etc...no one here can give a answer to what works exactly based on your set up,you have to figure it out yourself.

Although the basics like keeping humidity 40-60 on the regular and keeping a warm side of 86-90 and a warm spot of an avg of 90 is a must as well as bumping up humidity come shed time...it all depends on how you keep your room or home or where you live or what the seasons are like etc...

Dude,I'm reading all your posts and you are driving yourself crazy,lol....

here it's simple...

-keep a warm side of 86-90, don't stress the cool side,cause if you keep your hot side 86-90 your cool side will naturally always be 8-10 degrees cooler. So just worry about your warm side.

-keep your water bowl in the center of the tank,in between the cool and warm side.

-keep your heat pad on the warm side and set it at around 90-92 . UTH heats a sp,that's all it does,just heats one spot where the mat is applied .


- keep very wet rags ( I prefer to use like 3 rags and make them very wet) and keep it covering 75% of the top of the tank. That will help with you humidity,mist as often as needed. As long as u maintain 40-60 % humidity on the ye and 60-80% humidity during shed!you will be fine.

- set your hygrometer in the center of the tank,few inches up from the bottom.

this in basically how my set up is..they eat regularly and shed in one piece. It takes a bit of effort during shed time,but no big deal,only a few mins extra a day


its as simple as that man. Don't drive yourself crazy.

all I monitor is my warm side ,my hot spot and humidity. Not hard to do.

Thanks I'm calming down now.. . It's just hard getting such a small ball python and not knowing what you're doing wrong or what is wrong with it.