New owner with a normal male (Atticus) progression thread

I notice that a lot of visitors to this site are new owners like myself. I thought I would start this thread to share my successes and failures, TILs, and stories about my baby ball, Atticus. This first post will be a little long, as I have had him for about a month now. TLDR: We're making progress!

Atticus was born 7/30/14, and I first met him at a reptile expo in Fargo, ND on October 4. My boyfriend and I had talked about getting a ball, and we even had a 40 gallon tank on standby, but Atticus was most definitely an impulse buy. The breeder put him in a little plastic tupperware container (which I thought was barbaric, not knowing that balls like to be squished), and off we went to Petco! I was officially part of the clueless new ball python owner club, and I was ready to parade him around in the relative warmth and security of my hoodie. The first lesson I learned is that a 40 gallon tank is much too large for a young python. The second lesson I learned was that even a $15 snake is a BIG investment. The third lesson I learned is that tanks are difficult environments to control. I started off with a 20 gallon tank, two hides, substrate, a water dish, generic Petco heat and humidity gauges, hoppers for feeding, and a UTH (glad we got that right at least). Once we got home, the tank was hastily assembled and we were off to the Oktoberfest party that we were by now several hours late to.

Atticus proved to be remarkably patient with us. Luckily, I found this forum sooner rather than later and was able to begin my knowledge quest. I began with the ball python caresheet:This, in my opinion is a MUST READ (see link below). I quickly discovered that I was making some big mistakes with my husbandry (fancy word for snake's overall care). My ambient temps were too low and the humidity was skyrocketing, even with a mesh top, and Atticus was beginning to shun his half-log hide. My guess is that it was too exposed and too hot; at this point I had not yet purchased a temp regulator for my UTH. The first changes I made were to add the temp regulator, buy a ceramic heat lamp, and exchange the half log hide for something more cozy. He seemed to appreciate the changes. During this time, we also had our first success. On his third day with us, Atticus ate two hoppers! What a champ :)

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...s%29-Caresheet

The next thing I learned was that ceramic (or probably any type) heat lamps DESTROY humidity. I went from 80s to 30s overnight, and I of course panicked like any good snake mom would. Thus began my second quest: finding a way to balance heat and humidity in a glass tank. I started with damp towels on the top of the enclosure. That worked somewhat, but it was tedious to constantly rewet them, and it didn't last long. Next began the twice-daily misting, which was a PITA. Occasionally I would spritz poor Atticus, and he did not appreciate it in the least. Next I tried covering the left and right thirds of the mesh top with aluminum. That seemed to help, and it eliminated the need to change out damp towels all day, but even with these changes my numbers weren't consistent. I changed the location of the water dish several times to see if that might help, but it was negligible. I finally found the Tropic Air Humidifier % Air Exchanger, and that's when things started to change (see link below). Now this system won't work for everyone, but it puts outs out humidity without fog and it's enough to offset the heat lamp. Now I don't have to mist anymore, and it exhanges fresh air, so I don't have to worry about ventilation. If humidity gets low or high, I can simply adjust how much of my mesh is covered with foil. It's helping a lot! I haven't run across anything on the forum about this product, so I welcome questions and feedback.

http://www.reptiledirect.com/tropica...gernopump.aspx

Overall, Atticus is doing well. He is now three months old, and he is a good eater unless we do something silly. For example, we found out that loud music (particularly with bass) stresses him out. I got a scale yesterday. Current stats are: 131 grams, about 21 inches long (I never realized how difficult it is to get them to hold still/straight), and a little over 3 inches around. We are going to be giving him larger food starting next week most likely. I've also ordered a digital temp/humidity gauge to see how it compares to the generic Petco ones. Updated pics of Atticus and his enclosure will be posted within the next few days. Our next big adventure will be his first shed with us. Fingers are crossed!

I did not feel like trying to pry Atticus out of his hide, so I just put the whole thing in his feeding box. I dangled the mouse in front of the opening, and he struck immediately; it was very cool to see! I got a little nervous when he dragged it back into his hide to swallow, but it all went well and he came out to look for seconds :)

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...age_771301.jpg

Are you feeding him in a separate container? We found it stressed our baby ball out too much. She also seems to like the 'hunt'.


Molly & Steve
0.1 Normal BP. PRECIOUCESS
0.1 Normal Columbian BCI. LUNA

Quote:

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Originally Posted by calmolly1

Are you feeding him in a separate container? We found it stressed our baby ball out too much. She also seems to like the 'hunt'.


Molly & Steve
0.1 Normal BP. PRECIOUCESS
0.1 Normal Columbian BCI. LUNA

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Although it seems that people are more and more accepting of feeding inside the snake's own enclosure, I decided against it. I made this decision when I saw the blood and carnage caused by one of his refused feedings. This was the time he refused his mouse because of the not so good vibrations caused by our music. There was blood splattered inside the box, and it quickly started to smell like death/decay. I don't like the idea of that occurring in his enclosure. It's much easier to throw out a cardboard box and get a new one :) It may be different for people that chose a newspaper substrate that is easy to check and clean, but I use cypress mulch.

Eeeew! So did he regurgitate or just squeeze it? So far Prec is pretty neat about her meals. Strike, constrict and swallow. I'm feeding a large and a small live mouse once a week. I'm going to try f/t this week...again. So far she has refused to eat them. Last one she dunked in her water and went back to her hide. Frustrating SMH


Molly & Steve
0.1 Normal BP. PRECIOUCESS
0.1 Normal Columbian BCI. LUNA

I feed Atticus F/T. He constricted the mouse I offered him, so I went up to thaw another. When I came back, I saw that he had dropped the first mouse (but not, of course, before creating a bloody mess). He struck at the second mouse I offered, but made no move to grab it. It all makes sense in hindsight. We had a successful feed two days later, but I'm sure it won't be the last time that something random bothers him and causes him to refuse his food.

The issues tend to arrive once their full grow. A hungry 5 foot python can be a bit more to deal with when it comes to using a feeding box.

I did my first monthly cleaning/disinfecting yesterday. I washed everything with dish soap, rinsed, sprayed with a 10% bleach solution, waited a few minutes, rinsed, and then let dry. I was almost patient enough to wait for it to dry completely, but I admittedly baked some of the moisture off with the heat lamp. I emptied out the substrate in his tank and did the same dish soap/bleach treatment. It was a bit tricky to rinse without disturbing the UTH, but we managed. I had a bag of substrate ready to go once it dried, but I couldn't use it because it was completely damp. Luckily, I have paper towels in Costco-like quantity, so that is what I am using temporarily.

Atticus has apparently been taking lessons from his cat siblings, even though they have only met accidentally on the rare occasion. Just like they have to christen their clean litter boxes, Atticus decided that he had to christen his freshly cleaned cage. I like to think that it was his way of saying, "Thanks for all your hard work, Mom! Look what I made for you!"

One question I have is about the repti-vine he currently has. It seems very fragile, and I think the bleaching made it lose some of its integrity. The outside layer seems to be crumbling in spots, so there is repti-vine debris all over. I almost removed it today, but he was sprawled out on it with his tail curled around a plant. It was just too cute. Does anyone else have experience with this product, or recommendations for other fun snake perches? Here is a link to the product:

http://www.petco.com/product/10412/E...ngle-Vine.aspx

So after much waiting, Atticus has finally decided that it's time to shed. His last feeding was an adult mouse, and I think it gave him just the motivation he needed to grow! I started to get suspicious after not seeing him for a couple days, and sure enough, when I went to check on him, his eyes were cloudy and his scales were dull. I misted a bit before I put him back in his enclosure to up the humidity. I was probably a bit too generous with the spritzing, but I'm sure his heat lamp will compensate for my enthusiasm. I forgot to take a picture while he was out, and I didn't want to stress him out with another handling. Luckily, I managed to get a terrible picture of him inside his enclosure, so... enjoy, and wish us luck!!


http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...7/pre-shed.jpg

Well, Atticus finally made it through his first shed, and I'm sad to say it was a rough one. He was doing very well at first, and his face (including eye caps) came off nicely and in one piece. After that, things went downhill, and he tired himself out before he was able to make much more progress. This morning I had him rest in a warm, damp towel for a while, and then I let him slither through a wet washcloth. This was not a quick process; I had to gently rub his belly scales to get them to detach and peel, and I was trying to be careful not to force them. All in all, it took about an hour, but we made it. He took a meal almost immediately after his photo shoot, so at least his appetite wasn't affected by all the handling! As far as the next shed, I'll probably try adding moss to his hide and/or mist more generously. As always, I am thankful to everyone that has given me advice so far. It's good to know that even if things aren't perfect, there is a solution to be found. Post shed pics below. I especially love his blushing, so I hope that continues :)



http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...7/img_2260.jpg http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...7/img_2262.jpg http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...7/img_2261.jpg

So here are a few pics of Atticus' current enclosure. He loves climbing, so we've tried to add a few things he can perch on. He's in a 20 gallon tank for now, but we will go a different route once he grows out of it. He has a ceramic heat lamp to increase ambient temp, and the Tropic Aire Humidifier and Air Exchanger helps keep the humidity stable. He has a UTH with a temp regulator, and heat/humidity gauges currently in the middle and warm sides of his tank close to the substrate, which is aspen. At some point I'll upgrade to a digital model that can monitor both sides simultaneously. He has a reptivine and suction cup vine for climbing/lounging, and some plastic greenery for no apparent reason (although where it is now helps to close off one of the sides of his hide). And I assure you, the lava lamp, Red Wings memorabilia, bird figurine, magic cards, and nerf gun are all essential components of this set up.

http://i.imgur.com/GYAvcE9.jpg?2

http://i.imgur.com/xUA7aQW.jpg?1

Atticus is doing well, and he's growing up so fast! He is now fourth months old, and over the past month, he has gone from 130g to 215g. I have to make sure to take pictures regularly so that I have something for posterity :)

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...age_948059.jpg

That face though!

Updates on Atticus!

He is now 6.5 months old, and he recently weighed in at 390 grams. His last two sheds have been perfect - I have started putting damp paper towels in his hides twice per day to keep humidity up once I notice the cycle starting. For food, I got lucky and found a local pet store that carries f/t jumbo mice, and he seems to be liking the change - he gets really alert when he sees it. And it must be true what they say about behavioral reinforcement, because he even seems more interested in seeing me now that I've started giving him bigger mice :) The feeder I gave him yesterday was 42g, so I'm expecting a growth spurt soon, as well as an enclosure upgrade.

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...age_241386.jpg

Atticus is doing great! He's 588 grams, and he generally eats 2 adult mice per week. Sadly, jumbo mice are hard to come by, and the next size up at the pet store (small rat) seems too big. I have been feeding him in his enclosure, and that works well. I'll try to get him to strike the first mouse, but sometimes I'll just leave both f/t mice with him overnight. "Whatever works" is my new motto.

I still haven't upgraded his enclosure. He's so good at squishing into his hide that it is always a shock to see how big he is! Here are some pics. He has kept the blushing that I love so much :)

http://i.imgur.com/ZJnHjpm.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/EOluH16.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/sM6Szeu.jpg

It's crazy how they don't seem to grow all that fast but then all of a sudden one day you notice how big they've gotten and it's such a warm, fuzzy feeling! :) He looks beautiful and healthy, you should be a proud snake momma!

Thanks! We have definitely come a long way with the help of this site. And I am a very proud snake mom. Sadly, not everyone wants to see pics of my "baby." I've been unfollowed on Facebook a few times :)

Great thread and what an adorable boy.

He has now officially been outside. The texture of the grass weirded him out at first, but he recovered nicely and explored until he found a rock to attempt to hide under.
http://i.imgur.com/WhR3TSZ.jpg

He is getting big!