Shy guy?

Hey all so it has been 4 days since I brought my little BP home and he hasn't left the hide at all, even at night...I know a hidden BP is a happy BP but when I took away the hide he was really curious and moved to every corner of the tank even soaked in his water bowl for a bit :D but as soon as I replaced the hide he zipped right back in there :( Also, when I did have him out, he let me hold him a few times! He felt kind of cold to the touch, tank is sitting about 80 degrees right now with 55% humidity, is this normal for a BP? Oh and one more thing, near his rear, his skin creased weird almost like fat folds, what is that about?

Its normal for a BP to hide especially if you only had him 4 days. Leave him alone for a few days. How are you measuring the temperature and humidity?

I'm no expert, but everything I've read suggests that it takes at least a week or two--or more--for your new BP to adjust to his surroundings. When I got Nigel, I just wanted to hold him all. The. Time. But it wasn't fair to him to expect that, after being yanked from his place of birth, stuck in a tub, jostled around while being moved from one place to another, and put into a completely unfamiliar environment, that he'd be happy with some giant creature holding him.

It's good that he's not restless! As much as we like to look at them, the "hiding snake is a happy snake" phrase really is true in most cases. That's how he feels safe and secure.

I will say that 80 degrees is too cold for him. Is that the ambient temperature, or the temperature in the hot side of his enclosure? His hot spot should be closer to 90 degrees. We had a little bit of trouble getting our temps just right, and for a few days, Nigel was hiding on the cool side exclusively. I researched and found that since the tank wasn't warm enough, he was putting himself in a state of near-hibernation! We warmed things up and he was much happier.

Good luck to you and your new little (shy) guy!

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Originally Posted by Gerardo

Its normal for a BP to hide especially if you only had him 4 days. Leave him alone for a few days. How are you measuring the temperature and humidity?

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Thermo-Hyrdometer with probe in the middle of the tank half way between soil and screen.

What about his hot spot?

I honestly couldn't tell you, his hot spot is under a 100w ceramic lamp if that can give you an estimate

Is the lamp the only heat source?

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Originally Posted by SgtZabka

I honestly couldn't tell you, his hot spot is under a 100w ceramic lamp if that can give you an estimate

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Who could tell us?


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Originally Posted by Gerardo

Is the lamp the only heat source?

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Yes it is.

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Originally Posted by coldbloodaddict

Who could tell us?

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Haha, I mean I don't know the temperature for the hot spot I just know the ambient temp for inside the tank.

If it's with in your means, get one of these ASAP:

http://www.reptilebasics.com/412l-thermometer

Guessing at the temps in your BP's enclosure is a sure way to have them too hot or too cold.

Everything you are describing is completely "normal". S/he feels cool to touch because our skin is 90-95F. If you snake feels really warm, that's probably not a good thing... ;)

I strongly suggest checking out the care guide on the main page. You will want to add some sort of belly heat with a thermostat to control it. Normally a UTH (under tank heater/heat mat) is recommended for glass enclosures, but you can also use a number of other heat sources. Heat bulbs are fine, so long as they are used to up the ambient temp (which sounds good to me, if it is indeed at about 80F when measured with a digital thermometer).
Balls require a hot spot of around 90F - so about a 10F difference from the cool side to the warm side, with the UTH cover about 1/3 of the tank or slightly less.

As with what the others have said, balls can be finicky eaters and so many people say not to handle for about 3 consecutive meals, so they are feeding well before you start handling them (it can be a stressful time for them with all the new changes; they need time to adjust)!

Please check out that care sheet, and best of luck. Welcome to the addiciton! :)

Well he might feel cold because he is in a hide box with no heat under it. In there it might be cooler than the rest of the enclousure.

Sweet, thanks for all your help guys and gal'. I'll stop by the local shop tomorrow and pick up some extra supplies :)

I don't want to jack the thread, although I don't want to make a new one.. So i guess ill ask here..

I also just got a New BP and trying to figure out how to help him relax a bit.. He calms down after 15-20 minutes of just sitting out of his cage, although when we take him out or even open his cage he seems to get really nervous unlike our other BP...who will nudge me with her face if i stop rubbing her head sometimes or will come greet me when i open her cage..
Just need some advice to help him settle. Husbandry is fine, just would like him to get a bit more comfortable.

We just plan on doing what we did with our other BP and handle him often, not force him to do too much, let him be if we don't need him to be moved, etc.


Shifty

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Originally Posted by shifty11

i don't want to jack the thread, although i don't want to make a new one.. So i guess ill ask here..

I also just got a new bp and trying to figure out how to help him relax a bit.. He calms down after 15-20 minutes of just sitting out of his cage, although when we take him out or even open his cage he seems to get really nervous unlike our other bp...who will nudge me with her face if i stop rubbing her head sometimes or will come greet me when i open her cage..
Just need some advice to help him settle. Husbandry is fine, just would like him to get a bit more comfortable.

We just plan on doing what we did with our other bp and handle him often, not force him to do too much, let him be if we don't need him to be moved, etc.


Shifty

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stop messing around with him!!!!!!!

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Originally Posted by threezero

stop messing around with him!!!!!!!

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He hasn't been bother since we got him a few days ago. Giving him lots of time to settle into his new environment for a bit before we actually start handling him. But any other suggestions? lol

Shifty

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Originally Posted by SgtZabka

Hey all so it has been 4 days since I brought my little BP home and he hasn't left the hide at all, even at night...I know a hidden BP is a happy BP but when I took away the hide he was really curious and moved to every corner of the tank even soaked in his water bowl for a bit :D but as soon as I replaced the hide he zipped right back in there :( Also, when I did have him out, he let me hold him a few times! He felt kind of cold to the touch, tank is sitting about 80 degrees right now with 55% humidity, is this normal for a BP? Oh and one more thing, near his rear, his skin creased weird almost like fat folds, what is that about?

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I couldnt help but noticed you said hide. Do you have just the 1?


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Originally Posted by Shifty11

He hasn't been bother since we got him a few days ago. Giving him lots of time to settle into his new environment for a bit before we actually start handling him. But any other suggestions? lol

Shifty

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don't touch him, don't look at him resist the urge at least until he has taken one meal. i know its hard but messing with him right now would do more damage than good. just make sure temperature is set up and set it and forget it :)

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Originally Posted by SgtZabka

Hey all so it has been 4 days since I brought my little BP home and he hasn't left the hide at all, even at night...I know a hidden BP is a happy BP but when I took away the hide he was really curious and moved to every corner of the tank even soaked in his water bowl for a bit :D but as soon as I replaced the hide he zipped right back in there :( Also, when I did have him out, he let me hold him a few times! He felt kind of cold to the touch, tank is sitting about 80 degrees right now with 55% humidity, is this normal for a BP? Oh and one more thing, near his rear, his skin creased weird almost like fat folds, what is that about?

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Give him time to adjust and he'll be more comfy. Mine seems to be similar to yours. He'll just stay in his hide unless you take him out. Once he's out, he's all over the place.

Speak of the devil, my BP just came out and "lied" in his moss bed :D