New ball python, need some knowlegde.

Okay so I just got today my first ever ball python, she's really beautiful and the old owner gave me the vivarium with the snake. One problem though, the enclosure is kinda filthy and it really needs to be cleaned. The condition of the vivarium is okay and all but yeah, it's just really dirty. Tomorrow I'll be driving to the store to get a container to put the snake in for when I clean everything and also I'll definately need a new mat. Now I have some questions though. I haven't tried to handle the snake yet because I'm not aware weather I should wait or not. Would it normally be okay if I would try to move the snake tomorrow to clean the enclosure? Another question, should I watch out for any signs or symptoms of certain conditions the snake may have because he's been inside a dirty enclosure for a while?

I may have more questions after but I'll let you guys answer these for now!

Thanks in advance!

Usually its not recommended to handle the snake for a few days while it settles in, but if the tank hasn't been cleaned in a while its probably important to get on that. As for symptoms the only one I can think of is maybe mites? I don't know too much about that.

Make sure you do not use ay regular household cleaners, as they contain oils harmful to reptiles.

The trusted pet store I go to regularly recommended a 5% vinegar solution for cleaning, which my local herp vet agreed works.

I have also seen reptile-safe cleaners in most pet stores, though those more experienced here would be better able to recommend one over the other.


Congrats on the new ball :)

Unless someone strongly advises me not to, I've pretty much decided that tomorrow afternoon I will try to take her out of the enclosure and put her in another container while I do a thorough cleaning of the whole thing. I'm also gonna throw out the old mat (it smells so bad) and switch to a substrate setup. Before I do all that, I'll go do some shopping at the pet shop because the enclosure is really boring right now, it only has a mat, an upside down plastic container with a hole cut in it as a doorway and a glass water bowl. I also need to get a heating lamp because the owner didn't give me one since he had his whole room heated. Can't wait to pick out all that good stuff that I'm going to use to pimp out the vivarium, I'll post pictures when everything is done.

I do have some questions though, first, how will the snake respond if tomorrow I try to pick her up and she doesn't want to be handled? (considering I haven't had her in my place for more than 24 hours)
Secondly, what kind of substrate should I use? If I have no response on this one I'll probably do a bit of research and also ask the people at the pet shop.

In normal circumstances I would do the recommended thing and wait a few days to try and pick her up but right now the enclosure smells (probably because of the mat) and also the glass is really dirty. Even the screen on top is disgusting for some reason.

Thanks!

I like cypress mulch for substrate. It hold moisture and is mold resistant.

As far as handling goes, every snake is a individual just keep the snakes head away from you just in case it tries to strike. Most ball pythons are very mellow and won't.

I would say cleaning the enclosure is important so I wouldn't hesitate to put the snake in a tub for a little while. Just make sure the top is secure.


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Is there a under tank heater attached to the viv? If not I would just take the tank, put it in the bathtub and scrub that thing with a sponge and some very mild dish soap, that doesn't have any added fragrances to it. Normally its standard to not disturb the snake for a few days when switching environments for it. Were you not able to hold the snake before you purchased it? How are you regulating temperatures? A picture or detailed description of your setup would help us get you on track with basic husbandry. Its incredibly important to know what all of your temps are.

I need to investigate if the under tank heater is removable or not, if it is, I'll use your method definately. Yes I was able to hold her but since it was in a different house, I was just worried about handling her too soon after moving her. About temperatures, right after waking up tomorrow I'm going to the store to buy all the necessities. It's a big store so I should be able to but if I can't find all the optimal things then I'll adapt but mostly -in the temperature/humidity departement- I'll be looking for a thermostat, thermometer, new undertank heating pad, hygrometer and a heating lamp.

Like I said before the previous owner kept a whole room heated so he didn't have a heating lamp to give me and when I went and bought the snake from him, stores were closed so yeah I didn't have any choice but to wait until tomorrow to get all the temperatures stuff. And anyway it's not even gonna be that colder than usual because my room is kind of hot right now. As soon as everything is installed I'll take a picture to show the terrarium as a whole and the temparature regulation setup.

So it sounds like you might not need both the heating pad and the heat lamp. With warm ambient temps in your room, I would only use a heating pad, you don't want to overheat the snake. Honestly you don't need a thermostat, however you do need a way to regulate the heat output from the pad. The easiest option is to pickup a lamp dimmer from any hardware store. The pad plugs into the pad and you can modulate up and down how much heat is put out. Instead of a thermostat, I would purchase an infrared heat gun to be able to accurately know what the temps are in your cage.

Also, don't remove the undertank heater if it's stuck on. I only put tanks in the tub if it has no electrical components attached.

Good idea on the heat gun. About the ambient temp though, it's not always hot, I live in Canada and it's the summer right now and today was a fairly hot day but yeah that definately won't be constant so I'll probably end up getting a lamp and just try to control the temp inside the enclosure.

Would it be a good idea to get two lamp dimmers maybe? One for the heat lamp and one for the pad?

Do you know what your ambient temps are during the summer? If you are at least in the 70s you should be fine with just the UTH, and limiting ventilation in the cage. You certainly can do a lamp dimmer for both an infrared bulb and the under tank heater. Just be aware that if you position the bulb directly above the UTH, you will be not only increasing ambient temps, but adding to the hot spot temps as well, likely pushing it out of the acceptable range. To avoid this you can offset the bulb away from the UTH so that it is just contributing to ambient temps only. Keep in mind though that with two heat sources you are going to be drying out the enclosure significantly, and will need to make sure your humidity is on par. Humid hide boxes, basically a Tupperware container packed with damp sphagnum moss works great.

I live in Canada too. I find it harder to regulate the temps in the summer than the winter. A thermostat is a better idea IMO for the UTH. The lamp can be put on a dimmer unless and until you decide to get a thermostat for that too. A thermostat that has two probes and two outlets so it can regulate both the UTH and the lamp is ideal. I don't know if you have any budget concerns.

A decent thermostat is going to run 100$+. Don't even bother with the pet store plastic zilla thermostats. They are absolutely junk. A lamp dimmer will do you just fine. You should be checking your temps with a gun frequently anyways. IMO a thermostat is overkill for a first time BP owner with only one animal. Spend your money on quality feeders or save it for a possible vet visit in the future.

Little update, yesterday, after a costly visit to the pet store to get some accessories for the enclosure, I cleaned the terrarium really well and then I set everything up. Now the smell is gone and everything's good. I had no problem taking her out of the enclosure and putting her back in even if it was only the second day she's been here so that's good.

I haven't seen her outside her hide since I put her back in yesterday around noon, not sure what it means but everybody seems to say it's normal and it means she's happy. Just as I was typing that she just came out, looks like a little bit of exploration.

I'll try and post a picture tomorrow of my setup but yeah I seem to really need both the lamp and the heat pad because the temp hasn't gone above 87 so far. I also need to mist alot like 4-5 times a day and I struggle to keep 55 on the hygrometer (using exo-terra forest bark fir bark).

The thermo-hygrometer sensor is located on the hot side about halfway up the eclosure, I put it slightly behind an artificial plant so I don't know if it's being obscructed or not but I need to test I guess. I opted for that since I didn't want to spend too much on a heat gun but I may end up getting one anyway...

Other than all that, tomorrow I gotta go buy another hideout for the cool side and then the "practical" setup will be pretty much done with, all I'll have to add after that is some more decorations.

Sounds good but I suggest putting the sensor at the bottom of the enclosure, under the hot hide since that is where your snake will almost always be. A sensor is supposed to be between the bottom of the enclosure and the UTH, outside of the enclosure.