beginner, need help

Hello I just got a ball python and have been doing some serious research on them, I want to make sure he has the best possible life he can have.
I have a 29 gallon fish tank, ik these r bad for snakes because they dont do well with humidity, so I built a plastic top with holes instead of a screen which has helped with the humidity. I got him two identical hides one on the cold side and one on the warm side, his water dish I'd n the middle, and 8 have plants, branches, and other things in the cage for him to slither on.
I did a lot of research and found that a lot of ppl said to get a uth instead of a heat lamp so I got a uth, I thought it wouldn't b bot enough so I also got a heat lamp because the lady at pet Co told me she thought it would b a good idea. Well I plugged in the Mat alone and turns out it's too hot, the have a digital thermometer on the floor where the heat Mat is and it comes up 92-94 degrees. Which ik is too hot. But the cold side is too cold it's around 73 degrees. So how can I fix this?

92 for a ball is fine. Put the UTH on a thermostat though, so it can't get any hotter. I have mixed feelings about a 'too cold' cold side...as long as they have a side with adequate temps, is the cool side being 'too' cool a huge deal?

Ik a heat Mat temperature controller would help with the warm side to make it not as hot. But what about the cool side should i put a heat lamp up on that side? What wattage should i use then?
My tank is 29 gallons but it's not a wide one it's a tall one.

It sounds like you've done a fair bit of research, but somehow managed to miss the most critical piece of equipment to your snake: a thermostat. A thermometer will tell you the temperature (important), a thermostat will control the temperature (critical).

Here is a good thread on best practices when setting up an aquarium for a ball python: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...With-Pictures!

Take some time and really read through the above thread. There is a lot of good information on how to use a heat lamp and a UTH in tandem to regulate temperatures. Also, it gives pointers on how to overcome the humidity battle in glass aquariums.

Last but not least, :welcome:! There are a lot of really knowledgeable people on this site that are more than willing to help out. Congrats on your new :snake:!

Okay thank you. Yeah the hot side around the afternoon time can get as hot as 96 degrees in there, it worries me. I'm gonna go out a buy a controller for him as soon as possible. I thought about it yesterday and checked all the stores around and nobody seems 2 have one. Only online, I'm afraid by the time I get him one, he might die of heat or something

A heat lamp will dry it out....a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) on a dimmer might help boost it a little.

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Originally Posted by iPanda

I have mixed feelings about a 'too cold' cold side...as long as they have a side with adequate temps, is the cool side being 'too' cool a huge deal?

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Here is a good discussion and survey/poll from a couple years ago on how cold is too cold: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...low-can-you-go

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Originally Posted by Eric Alan

Here is a good discussion and survey/poll from a couple years ago on how cold is too cold: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...low-can-you-go

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Oh man!! Thank you so much!!! *reads intently*

Thank you so much.

I haven't actually picked him up yet, I'm letting him get adjusted to his environment first, and then i'll go from there. Is there any tips u can give me so that he won't strike me? I looked up pictures of their teeth, and talked to ppl they said it's like ripping off velcro and that it doesn't hurt too bad, I'm not afraid I'm just kinda like if it happens it happens, but I would rather it not.

Any tips you can give me with feeding him? I already decided im not feeding him live mice, I don't want him to get hurt, and I'm going to feed him in a separate container so he knows where his food is and won't mistake me for it. I read ur suppose to feed them at night also so I was planning on feeding him at night.

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Originally Posted by nicolerawr33

Okay thank you. Yeah the hot side around the afternoon time can get as hot as 96 degrees in there, it worries me. I'm gonna go out a buy a controller for him as soon as possible. I thought about it yesterday and checked all the stores around and nobody seems 2 have one. Only online, I'm afraid by the time I get him one, he might die of heat or something

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You may be better off building a thermostat yourself instead of ordering one. It'd be faster and likely cheaper. Mine is built from a standard wall outlet dimmer switch and I have a temperature probe wired into it which I have sitting right on the glass of the tank, directly over the UTH hot spot in the hide. Took about 10 minutes to assemble. That being said, my UTH is scratch made from heat tape; I'm not sure how much more difficult it would be to wire a probe and dimmer into a COTS UTH. You'd have to take the wiring partially apart.

Warm the frozen thawed either with a hair dryer (some do) I put in a ziploc and place in the sink in warm water. You can feed him in the same enclosure (but if you have aspen or coco fiber I would do it in a sep container so they dont ingest the bark) and there really is no time that will affect their eating. They are active at night so thats probably the suggestion.

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Originally Posted by nicolerawr33

I haven't actually picked him up yet, I'm letting him get adjusted to his environment first, and then i'll go from there. Is there any tips u can give me so that he won't strike me? I looked up pictures of their teeth, and talked to ppl they said it's like ripping off velcro and that it doesn't hurt too bad, I'm not afraid I'm just kinda like if it happens it happens, but I would rather it not.

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The best advice for not getting bit? Don't put yourself in a position to get bit. :) I know it sounds like stupid advice, but honestly, it's the best I can give.

Think about the many situations that would make your snake stressed. Would getting moved from one home to another make you stressed? Would too high/too low of a temperature make you stressed? Would a giant hand reaching in over the top of you "to attack you" make you stressed? Long story short, life is pretty stressful for them when they first come home with you. It's your job to help them get over this by removing yourself from the equation (which isn't easy - I know).

Personally, I leave mine alone for a few weeks other than to feed them or clean up after them. During this time, the only thing I'm doing is making sure their husbandry is up to par - temps are right, humidity is dialed in, etc. Once they've settled in, then just be mindful - no sudden movements, observe them (to see if they're in shed, etc), try to not smell like food. As long as you're mindful of yourself and them, they tend to be pretty predictably lazy. There's a reason why they're known as the pet rocks of the snake world. :P

Yeah he has aspen in his cage right now.

Okay thanks yeah I've been trying to leave him a lone as much as possible, the only time Im putting my hand in his cage is to give him fresh water, pick up his droppings, and if he knocks over his thermometers to pick them up. His breathing is a little faster at some moments, I read that they can do that when their stressed though

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nicolerawr33

Any tips you can give me with feeding him? I already decided im not feeding him live mice, I don't want him to get hurt, and I'm going to feed him in a separate container so he knows where his food is and won't mistake me for it. I read ur suppose to feed them at night also so I was planning on feeding him at night.

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I've gotten good at using the search function - enjoy! http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...tside-the-cage

TL;DR: The idea that feeding your BP inside the enclosure will lead to aggression is a myth.

Here's another thread that I have bookmarked that talks about defrosting and feeding frozen/thawed. The method I use is in post 11: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...=1#post1765983

Not bothering it while it is digesting makes sense. I can easily switch to something other then aspen so he can eat in there.

I second to just feed in cage....easier, better for them, and they don't mistake you for food. Just wash your hands before handling them and you'll be fine.

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Originally Posted by nicolerawr33

Not bothering it while it is digesting makes sense. I can easily switch to something other then aspen so he can eat in there.

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I wouldn't even be too concerned with this. Many people with large collections use aspen (some chips, some shavings) with good results. It drives me nuts when people use the "comparisons to the wild argument", but it's not like there are BPs laying down a placemat before meals in Ghana. :D

Yeah i guess that's true, I just would hate to c aspen getting stuck in his throat or something

I agree with feeding in the cage, it is completely fine. They won't become aggressive from that, especially if you are going into the cage and changing things and taking him out to handle him. They know it's different when they smell the rat/mouse, lol.

For a good and reasonably priced thermostat, look into the Hydrofarm. It is what I use and it's worked flawlessly for me.

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR.../dp/B000NZZG3S

For getting the cool side up to temp, what I did was add a ceramic heat emitter bulb to it and have it on a dimmer so I can control the heat it puts out. Locally the best prices for them were at Petsmart.

60W CHE

http://www.petsmart.com/supplies/hea...t=pfm%3Dsearch

8.5" lamp with built-in dimmer

http://www.petsmart.com/reptile/heat...pfm%3Dcategory

Hello!
I am a new BP owner myself. People have been telling me to not pick him up until he has had two or three meals. A feeding BP is a comfortable and happy snake! In fact, the only time my BP struck at me was before her first meal. After that, she was still tense for about two months but now she is completely placid when handled. Also, get a thermostat for your UTH. I use the Hydro Therm Jumpstart and it works great. Since I keep my house cool, I have a ceramic headlamp to keep the ambient temp 75 degrees. I have that controlled with the Zoomed HydroTherm along with my humidifier. Both of them are on Amazon. By having these two controllers, your snake's environment will be easy to control. Hope this helps and congrats!!!