What to expect the fist month of ownership?

Hey guys,

So I'm finally going to be receiving a baby 2015 female mojave in a few weeks, my first bp and reptile in general! I'm very excited and I've been researching since December. Right now I have a tank that is perfectly set up already and has been running for a while. (I do plan to switch her to a T8 when she gets bigger and I save some money) Hot spot at 92-93F (with digital probe reading, 90F with temp gun on surface inside of hide), and 80F ambient, 78-79F surface temps on cool side. There is a long reptiglo bulb that is mostly for aesthetic and viewing purposes, since I know they don't require any special lighting but I keep it on an automatic 12 hour cycle so that it simulates a day/night cycle since my room doesn't really have good lighting.

I'm using cypress mulch and without misting, the humidity tends to stay in the upper 40s to low 50s (I live in south FL so that may be why, I also have a deep and big water dish in there as well). I do plan to mist regularly though to bump it up in the 50-60% range, and of course I'll provide a humid hide with moss for when she sheds. I'm using the 'wet towel' method for now on the top screen to help it last through the day but I might do the duct tape + tin foil thing that I saw around here, not sure yet.

The dank is decorated with a lot of plants and cover to help her feel secure when she gets here. I can upload some pics later on if you guys would like to see!

I'm still extremely nervous though, I really hope she doesn't get sick or dies because of something I'm doing wrong even though I double and triple checked everything, and since i'm a complete novice to the hobby, I was hoping some of you could tell me what to expect or be ready for in the fist few weeks or months of ownership. I know not to bother her for a while while she adjusts to her enclosure for the first week. What was it like for you when you first started caring for your fist bp or snake in general? Feeding and maintenance and everything? Any tips and advice would be immensely appreciated

Thanks!

Congrats! Don't be so nervous, mother nature typically takes of thing but, have a herp vet in case you notice anything unusual. I can't really help on the tank note, sorry. I stopped using em when I moved my snakes to my dorm. Just keep her fed, humid, and handled, and you'll have 10 years of an amazing pet! [emoji1]

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Originally Posted by kriegsmom

Just keep her fed, humid, and handled, and you'll have 10 years of an amazing pet! [emoji1]

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You mean 20 or 30, at least!

But yeah, it sounds like you've got all your bases covered! I wouldn't stress.

I was personally super stressed until Atticus had passed all his milestones - pooping, eating, shedding in one piece. It didn't help that I bought him on impulse and so had to play catch up. You are way ahead of the game, and so the only thing that I can see potentially taking time is learning your snake's feeding quirks. Once you've got that down, they are quite low maintenance :)

I'm going to give you a list of things I freaked out about during my first month, and what I've learned since...

1. Sometimes, these guys just aren't going to want to eat for you. But it's pretty common and missing a feeding or two is not the end of the world and it won't hurt them.

2. That little brown spot on its belly is probably just that: a little brown spot, or a tiny piece of substrate sticking on your snake. It is most likely not scale rot or a snake belly invader from space hellbent on torturing you. Keep the enclosure clean and tidy and you won't have to worry about scale rot, and it sounds like you've already done your research there, so kudos. :)

3. They like to hide. A lot. This is good and normal. You will rarely see them roaming around, and if they are, feeding day is probably around the corner. If it's not, just double check your temps and humidity to make sure all is well.

4. For being so shy and timid, these guys are insanely curious. It's taken me about 15 minutes to type this out because my little python has tried to crawl down my bra three times, into my hair twice, and onto my laptop many more times.

5. If it jerks its head away fast, it was most likely just startled and wasn't actually trying to bite. My ball python has never actually bitten me, and only struck at me once when he got substrate stuck in his mouth and I wrestled it out (couldn't blame him there). Even then, it was the laziest, half-hearted strike I've ever seen out of a snake.

Thanks so much for the confidence guys, it really helps ease the anxiety of wanting to be as ready as possible! I should be getting her any week now, so here's a few pictures of my set up, see if there's anything I should change up or take note of that i'm missing:

http://i.imgur.com/n4UHthe.jpg
Here's the complete set up. The thermostat can go up to 95, but the thermometer prope on the inside of the tank over the UTH usually reads 91-93, and the temp gun inside the warm hide usually reads between 88-90. The lighting is mostly for aesthetic display and I have it running on a 12 hour timer, just to simulate changes of the day since my room is usually dark for most of the day.

http://i.imgur.com/yw5NHbA.jpg

Here's the warm side after misting. If I never mist, the humidity stays in the mid-high 40s. Misting bumps it up to 70-80 and gradually falls through the day. The decoration is just to "fill-in" the tank more and provide more cover so she won't feel as exposed, but i'm not sure if I should add more or not.

http://i.imgur.com/a1bPcHr.jpg
And here's the cool end. (I had just misted so the humidity reading on the Accu-rite hadn't had a chance to reflect the true humidity yet when I took the picture. I know the water dish is a bit big, but I've been told it will help maintain the humidity, and I won't fill it so much next time. I also switched out the cool hide from that tree stump one (which was open at the top and I felt it would make her feel less secure) for this pyramid looking hide. I think I might just buy another warm-side hide so that they can be identical, what do you think?

Also, this set up has been running for about 2 months now...should I do a full clean before she gets here or is it alright to drop her in as is? For full cleaning, is it necessary to get out every last piece of substrate? And what about the temperature probe-- I feel like un-sticking and re-sticking it on the bottom will weaken the adhesive that is attached to it...any idea how to secure it to the bottom and right on the spot the UTH is??

Thanks guys!

You may want to keep it in a smaller tank first, that seems overly big for a baby. Atm I'm forced to move my 2 month old out of his 20 long since he isn't eating.

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Originally Posted by Naraku

You may want to keep it in a smaller tank first, that seems overly big for a baby. Atm I'm forced to move my 2 month old out of his 20 long since he isn't eating.

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Maybe. The OP's tank is pretty good in terms of being cluttered with things to make the space feel smaller, and there are a few hide options. It really depends on the snake - she might be perfectly content in there, or she might find it too big and intimidating.

If that does become an issue, I'd recommend throwing in a couple more fake plants to make it even MORE cluttered, and if that doesn't work you could always keep her in a plastic shoebox-sized tub for a cheap temporary option until she grows.

Overall, I think you're very well prepared and things should be just fine. :)

You don't need a smaller tank. With all the hides, fake foliage and decorations, it will feel plenty safe.

Everyone hit all of the key points, I do agree the tank looks cluttered enough that she should feel secure but if you do have feeding issues then the 6 quart tub idea is a backup just in case.

Keep up the good work and use the search function, plus read all the locked threads (sometimes referred to as "stickies") on husbandry and care that you can, you'll find a lot of us had the same questions and we all went through the same learning curve too.
:gj:

Personally I think that your setup looks wonderful. Any baby ball python would be lucky to come home to that, IMO.

As for feeding issues, to quote Forest Gump, "You never know what youre gonna get." Ball pythons are individually variable in their response to new environments, settling in, and feeding regimens. I have had hatchlings that will take your fingers off during feeding if you get too close. They will literally eat anything that is furry and mildly resembles a rodent. Also have had babies that are picky about when they eat, time of day, color of rodent, type of rodent etc. You just have to be willing to possibly be flexible from time to time with them.

Don't get frustrated, its part of owning bps. Some owners are lucky and never have to deal with this, but if you own enough BPs, you will likely have to endure a hunger strike, or some related feeding issue. Just keep maintaining great husbandry and you give yourself much more potential for success.


Good luck and enjoy!

Very true, thanks so much guys. I do have a bit more spare fake plants, but they're a bit big to the point where getting in to clean might be more difficult and stressful for her since I'd have to move a lot of things around, but we'll see how she handles it, I'll keep a close eye on her when she gets here.

I do have a Rubbermaid tub, but it's a 17qt. I planned to fill it with some substrate and put her in there temporarily along with a hide while I do the deep cleans every month so she doesn't have to be out somewhere while I clean. It has black tinted sides and lid so although not completely opaque, it's not clear either. Is this alright or should I get a smaller tub just in case?

Do you think I should get another UTH to stick at the bottom of the tub while she's in there? I mean I'd imagine I wouldn't take more than an hour to clean the entire tank and all of its contents and put it back together. Worst case is I would have to move her in there permanently until she feels more secure and eats readily, but I'm willing to do that anyway.

Ahhh I'm so excited yet anxious! It's funny to think that just a year ago I still thought snakes were aggressive and not good pets and that I would never see myself owning one. Now it's about to happen and I just want to do the best job I can for her. I even have urges to get a corn snake at some other point in time, as well as eventually getting a BCI/BCC in the future if everything goes well!

I'm still in my first month of snake ownership and I have obsessively watched for each milestone, worried about everything from "will he eat?" to the finer points of humidity control. Thus far all things are going great, with the only thing remaining is for Professor Snape to actually drop his skin (he's currently in blue) So being a noob here, my "advice" is of a different sort. Try to remain calm in the knowledge you've done a great job in your research, and that this place is FANTASTIC for gathering information if you hit a snag.

If you weren't worried at all you probably wouldn't be very good at caring for your new pet. Obviously you will be GREAT :D

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Originally Posted by PocketPirate

Very true, thanks so much guys. I do have a bit more spare fake plants, but they're a bit big to the point where getting in to clean might be more difficult and stressful for her since I'd have to move a lot of things around, but we'll see how she handles it, I'll keep a close eye on her when she gets here.

I do have a Rubbermaid tub, but it's a 17qt. I planned to fill it with some substrate and put her in there temporarily along with a hide while I do the deep cleans every month so she doesn't have to be out somewhere while I clean. It has black tinted sides and lid so although not completely opaque, it's not clear either. Is this alright or should I get a smaller tub just in case?

Do you think I should get another UTH to stick at the bottom of the tub while she's in there? I mean I'd imagine I wouldn't take more than an hour to clean the entire tank and all of its contents and put it back together. Worst case is I would have to move her in there permanently until she feels more secure and eats readily, but I'm willing to do that anyway.

Ahhh I'm so excited yet anxious! It's funny to think that just a year ago I still thought snakes were aggressive and not good pets and that I would never see myself owning one. Now it's about to happen and I just want to do the best job I can for her. I even have urges to get a corn snake at some other point in time, as well as eventually getting a BCI/BCC in the future if everything goes well!

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The 17 qt tub is just fine to put her in while you are cleaning. You don't need to put a UTH under it, she will be ok. If you are spot cleaning as necessary, you really don't need to deep clean all that often. I find that doing some minor cleaning frequently is much better than waiting, and having to do a major clean.

I really wouldn't worry about having to put her in the tub permanently. Your enclosure looks pretty ideal. Seems like your temps and humidity are good. Definitely a ton of hiding spots and cover for her. Let her settle in for a significant amount of time before deciding on any other kind of enclosure. Even if she doesn't eat the first couple weeks let her be. A perfect enclosure takes time to get used to for a baby bp. These snakes are super prone to stress, so just be patient.

If you enjoy snake ownership, definitely think about a BCI! I transitioned to have mostly BCIs and I think they are wonderful. They are hardy, usually easy going, and don't have nearly as many stress and feeding issues. If you can accommodate their size, which in my opinion is very manageable, you will have a great pet.