Spunky or Cranky?

My 10yr old's courage is running on fumes he has been bitten so many times by his new BP he is beginning to legitimately fear the strike and jerk in false reactions, I monitor all the interactions closely so it's been tough watching his enthusiasm crumble to dust these past few weeks. This snake was the sweetest thing at the pet store: relaxed and curious, not so much when we got him home. I've done a ton of reading and watching vid's in the last month and spent a ridiculous amount for a set up for a baby $30 snake but it's all done proper (and I discovered later he would have been happier in a $5 shoes box, ugh!) and the only problem is this little guy's badass attitude. Chompy doesn't strike at me but he does strike at everything else and when I am handling him (he only lets me handle him quickly for feedings, I use a separate tank since I don't want him eating substrata and I can sterilize it) he strikes at everything that gets near me (I hope he doesn't bite me or my hubby will tie him in a knot! So we gotta get a handle on this aggression quickly!) and he won't let anyone else pick him up without them paying for it in blood, he doesn't mess around. He is so aggressive it's almost goofy considering his size, he roots around in his aspen shavings and when I start talking and opening the lid his little head pokes straight up like a freaking cobras super tense and super watchful I jokingly think of him as a Lesser Dwarf False Rock Python since I read that Rock Pythons have notoriously bad attitudes Chompy must have one somewhere in his family tree. I have no idea why he doesn't bite me, the talking seems ridiculous so maybe it's the perfume tastes bad haha?! He eats like a beast 3 fuzzies a week choking them down sideways if that is how he latched on to it, he started at 2 but I realized within a couple of days of having him home that he was actually emaciated when I accidentally ran across pictures of starving BP's.. seriously there should be more info and pics on what starving and healthy BP's look like! So long story short Chompy eats twice a week 1 Fuzz on Mon and 2 on Wed, let me know if this schedule is bad he seems healthier to me but I am a newbie! I am a helicopter mom so I happiest fussing and worrying and strangely Chompy seems to like me talking to him as I open and maintenance his habitat, he doesn't strike at me and when I am done he quickly slithers around to check out what I've been working on esp fresh water he loves to dunk his head and swim in it! So what the heck? He seems to love his set up but hates being held. I don't know that this info even matter but here is a best guess from someone internet educated about BP's: he(she?) is about 6 to 8 months old and between 15 to 18 inches long, remember how underfed he was and I have no idea for how long that went on but he had a triangle body shape, it's softened a lot but it's still there.

Any ideas for salvaging this friendship my son wants so badly? I've tried a few tips from the YouTube channels like this one because Chompy acts a lot like these little guys (they are almost his size too!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7DQssbM0uk but Chompy made it crystal clear to me he doesn't ball for anyone with our limited snake skills lol! Our policy has always been to leave animals alone if they don't want to interact but even I am having trouble distinguishing whether this is a matter of Chompy learning to trust people or us respectfully leaving him alone because he naturally just freaking hates being handled.

Oh and also I was curious if Chompy would enjoy a tree like set up to exercise/climb around on since he seems to crave heights in his nocturnal ramblings or would this be a dangerous falling risk?

Are you feeding fuzzy mice? If so, the snake is not eating like a beast, it's being underfed. At this age it should be feeding on large mice or rat pups. Of course, I don't know the snake's size, but fuzzy mice are much too small even for a BP right out of the egg.

Useful links for newcomers.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...Husbandry-FAQs
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

I have got to agree with Dennis, a fuzzy - even 3 a week - while likely better than what a pet store is giving him, is still far to small. Do you have a scale? A general rule of thumb is a prey item that is 10-15% of your snake's body weight. If weighing isn't currently an option that's okay, you can also offer a prey item that is approximately the same circumference as the widest part of the snake. Granted if he is under fed that still leaves you slowly working up to the type of prey he should be on but he'll start beefing up in no time. To give you some idea, if he is 8 months old, I have a 6 month old that is happily - and easily - slurping down weaned rats every 5 days.


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First, feed in the enclosure. By removing the snake from the enclosure to eat, you are teaching it that handling time = feeding time, which makes it more likely that your snake will bite. If you don't want your snake to ingest substrate then put down a small plastic plate somewhere and put the feeder on that.

Second, your snake is underfed at 3 fuzzies a week. Try offering either one small mouse or a rat pup every five days for a few weeks, then bump to a rat weanling when he hits about 400 grams (you can weigh him on a kitchen scale).

Third, most snakes in tanks will rear back and look at what is approaching them from above, as this is the direction predators (birds) often approach. This is one reason I prefer reptile enclosures with doors on the front - you can bring your hand in from the front, or rub your snake gently with a hook before you put your hand into his home, which isn't as threatening and lets him know he's about to be handled.

Fourth, not every ball python is pet-quality, and by that I mean while most eventually outgrow their nippiness and defensiveness that is normal in a baby, there are some individuals that will never tolerate handling very well without a lot of work.

This is Morimi, my baby BP:

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12...a05bb978ef.jpg

She's eating adult mice (about the same size as Arctic Mouse small frozen mice from pet stores). They're a *smidgen* bigger than I'd like ideally, but the lump they leave is not outrageous, so she gets a couple days longer to digest them, and I expect her to outgrow that quickly.


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PS: as you can hopefully tell by the pictures, she's a little thing, in the 80-gram range.

I wear medium unisex disposable gloves.

(Edit for speeling)


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Sorry Dennis you sound a bit indignant and I don't blame you since apparently I am unintentionally starving the little guy, trust me I will fix that soonest! I just meant that he pounces on his food the second it hits the floor, but you pointing out that he is being underfed the way I am doing it is exactly what I needed to know! Temps and Humidity are all hard facts I can properly adjust even as a newbie but prey size and amounts are harder to grasp so I have to rely on what I am told until I am told differently. Now I am totally not using this as an excuse just an example on how vague all this feels to a newbie - the Husbandry FAQ even here never mentions that Fuzzies are too small even for hatchlings it only says "multiple smaller prey items are acceptable" which is also what many other Care Sheets say about feeding BP's so the whole topic feels pretty darned murky. So try not to get too upset with me all I can do is lay it out the situation as descriptively as possible and hope you guys can spot any problems and correct me!

Done and done! No more feeding box and his food will be getting a major upgrade :)

Going to get a scale today, although I have little confidence he will hold still on it lol I'll do my best, I thought weight was only tracked for breeding purposes so I was only tracking feedings, my bad! I love hearing that 10 - 15% rule - that takes all the mystery out of it which is a huge weight off my shoulders!

Oh my gosh Morimi is so cute, she looks so sweet and shy which is totally refreshing after all the blood and attitude over here haha!

If Chompy doesn't want to be a pet that is fine, in truth we are halfway prepared to hear it and accept it as a hard fact my son can always find another pet elsewhere and Chompy can retire fully into my care which he really is anyway so no problem.

Hi and welcome to the club! I have a girl that does nothing but try and bite me as soon as I open the lid! Shes just a big grump but none of my others seem to be a problem. When i want to move her out of her tub for cleaning i usually just bump her side and she calms down (only a bit though) since she knows its not food. But she is still really defensive. I make it a practice to bump all of my snakes on the side to calm them before picking them up. It seems to kill their feeding response. Also to keep mine on the scale i use a tupperware container and lid :). Just put the container and lid on the scale and zero it out. Then put the snake in the container pop on the lid and theres your weight.

+1 to using a Tupperware for weighing. (This is the little girl eating weanlings) http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12...e81845f072.jpg

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Also because you may not have run across it yet - http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12...d54e1a86ac.jpg

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My female Ball struck at me any time I got near her cage, when I first got her. She wouldn't eat at all - not for over a month after getting her, completely ignoring the F/T mice I was offering. Finally I tried an adult live, just because that was the only live mouse size available to me - and she pounced on it voraciously. Took her over ten minutes to figure out how to eat it after she killed it, but when she got hold of the head it was done and over with - that mouse couldn't have run down her throat any faster, I think. She IMMEDIATELY had a complete change in attitude, as soon as she started eating regularly. She's 173g now, and eating an adult mouse ever six days. She's still more shy than the male, but she hasn't struck at me since then except when I was holding her and waving my hand around talking to someone - a fear strike at the motion. Before that, I was using a leather work glove to take her out of the cage, so that if she did bite I could let her chew on it without chewing on me, and learn that it didn't do any good. Amusingly enough, she never bit that glove, and it's no longer necessary.

Edit to add - I use this scale to weigh my snakes. It may not be big enough once the balls are larger, but it will still work great for younger snakes and my kings then. I really like it. http://www.amazon.com/Camry-Accuracy...+digital+scale

I understand blood and attitude, my Honduran Milk Snake was my juvenile delinquent for a while. He would bite and chew! But he finally outgrew it. Morimi is a sweetheart. She struck toward my husband and the dogs a couple times the first few times I had her out, but never actually made contact, and no grumpiness since then, even when the beagle scared her last night. Keeping my fingers crossed that at increase in food settles your problem child.

Don't worry if it takes some time for him to get larger prey down, especially at first. It can be a slow process, especially if they start at the tail end, or latch onto the middle and have to work around to the head - they don't necessarily let go and re-bite, they kind of chew their way along.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by mis909

Sorry Dennis you sound a bit indignant...

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indignant!?!. Not at all, I was just trying to be helpful. You just keep reading the BP.net forums so that your snake can be cared for in a proper manner and your son will have a positive experience with his new pet. Before long this will also afford you an opportunity to see what real indignation looks like. LOL.

The feeding topic seems pretty covered. If you has access to rats, go to just a single feeding each week. Multiples are fine but why do it when you have a choice?(rhetorical question) Most people only do multiples if the snake only eats mice and it'll be taking multiple adults, or they can't get the proper size that week so they feed 2 of a different size.

Scales are pretty useful though, and I wouldn't worry about one that has an 11 pound limit or the snake staying on. You put a big bowl on the scale and zero it out, then put the snake in the bowl, they stay just fine most of the time. Corn snakes would be more difficult to measure. And 11 pounds is 4989.52grams, it seems like a lot of scales have that limit and you don't really need more than that. If you had multiple BIG girls then maybe get a different one, but that's not something that creeps up on you. Just make sure you don't have one that has a low limit. I had a postage scale and it topped out at something like 100g, so not very helpful for balls.

With the striking I just think it's weird that the snake strikes at one person and not another. It makes me think there's a significant difference in how the snake is handled and treated between the two people.

Does your son stop handling him after he gets bit? I had a young BP that use to poop and pee every time O handled her. I would immediately put her back. After a few weeks I decided to not put her back after she pooped while handling. After about a week she stopped doing it. Your snake might just be using his go to move so he gets left alone.

Sometimes they're just cranky, too, I guess. Miqula's tub was holding too much humidity, so I just took her out to switch to one with more holes in it - normally I don't handle her within a couple days of eating, but I'd rather handle her than leave her in a moist cage. She struck at me three times while I was switching her to the other tub, and her own tail once. No bites, just grumpy nose-bumps.

Babies can take awhile to get used to handling, I would recommend getting some bigger feedings in for a few weeks, then start handling short periods every couple days. Make sure the snake feels very secure in it's setup, two tight hides, lots of cover, you can cover the sides of the tank if he's in a glass setup, double check your temps with a heat gun to make sure it's not too hot or cold-that could be an issue stressing too. Give it some time and hopefully he will calm down with age and time, most do. Have your son just sit on the floor and let the snake crawl over his hands, slow calm motions at first.

Thanks for all the help guys here is the latest update (long story short he is a happy boy currently in a mini food coma):

I have 6 fuzzies left, well 4 now, because I fed him 2 more today as a sort of emergency feeding even thought he just ate on Wed. The current plan is I am going to give him 2 Fuzz every other day til they are gone then try a proper sized prey items based off his weight. This feeding was very different than the others I put the prey in an upside down hollow log hide (he hates it as a hide so now it's his dinner plate) he seemed this repurposed item since at one point he was poking his head around through the holes with the 2nd mouse in his mouth. He zoomed straight for them but the second mouse he slowed down enough to think about how to eat it properly putting it down and readjusting his bite, at one point he even carried it off a bit so he could check it out in a less cluttered area. He was seriously thinking hard about how to eat it, like a kid struggling with table manners. After looking for a 3rd and not finding one he slept like a log which is also not normal for him, usually he is restless and twitchy, but I was able to walk up and look closely at him and the area and got no reaction at all! I'm not sure who felt better about him being so obviously blissed out, I am trying not to lurk but it's hard because it's so shocking to see him in a food coma.

I definitely have a steadier hand than my son, but only just barely, I stick my hand in assuming he is going to strike and brace for it as best I can so I don't traumatize everyone with a startled scream or yip if it does happen and I do the cleaning/handling very no nonsense wondering when the weird truce between me and Chompy will be over. My son is having trouble with the bites because he takes it personal, it's a violent rejection and so his feelings get smooshed like a bug, so he is waffling unable to decide where to pick up the snake and jerking back instinctively when he gets close trying to avoid a bite that he is clearly provoking. To me it looks like a vicious circle between an angry snake and a scared kid. Lately after a solid bite the kid is done for the day and I haven't been able to say to him to keep at it since the results aren't changing. But perhaps we have a light at the end of the tunnel if proper feedings calm him down!

I noticed that 11lb limit on some scales and was thinking, "Well if Mr. Chompy turns out to be a Miss Chewy that limit will come in handy!" because we have no idea what sex we are dealing with, it's good to know about the containers and zero'ing it out since I am so tech impaired I would be doing the math while my tech savvy hubby smirks at my 'cute' ignorance haha!

That feeder chart is awesome, yeah he's been eating fuzzies the 2nd smallest what a mess. The feeding schedule they explained sounded so freaking reasonable at PetSmart just like the set up they sold me, oh well at least he likes his digs and the food is about to stop sucking :)

Omg no idea why the title was a thumbs down when it's all thumbs up! Wrong button sorry!

Glad things are settling out! I actually hadn't even looked at the 11 pound limit - what I meant by it not being big enough is that the bowl that comes with the scale might be too small to put an adult ball python into, but it's perfect for the young snakes I've got now, and for my kingsnakes. I love it because it's quick and easy to disinfect between snakes, and works perfectly to store the scale between weighing by just turning the base part upside down inside the bowl and setting it in the storage bin with my spare tank furniture.

It's late but I am restless playing stalker around Chompy's tank (he's my first grandbaby!) so I just wanted to drop in with a BIG Thank You for all the help and quick update, and I wanted to double check on a few things:

Chompy's been super calm these last 24hrs, he ended up having 4 Fuzzies instead of just two because he sniffed around his new feeding log for so long I caved and offered more and he excitedly took them - he even played Anaconda in his water dish with one! I suspect this was a perfect amount to satisfy him since he hasn't returned to his feeding log since and he's been bumming around his enclosure in a real slow relaxed way hardly minding the kid faces smooshed against the glass jabbering at him. Total attitude turn around! He's eaten so well my husband commented that he looks like a completely different snake, yay!

He is 163 grams (don't know exact length yet) so I got him 18 gram mice which was the closest I could get to the 10% to 15% without moving on to something frighteningly huge compared to fuzzies, the package reads Large Mice and they seem slightly thinner than he is at his thickest point. I am honestly not feeling nervous about this new prey item because his head is so small, but snakes have been doing this for longer than we've been down from the trees so I'll have faith in nature! I had been thawing his prey in hot tap water in a little disposable cup, can I assume the same method using a larger cup to thaw the larger mouse-cube would be fine?

Temps and Humidity are an all day long battle with a large aquarium type set up, the glass seems to suck the heat from everything and the screen at the top ensures desert-like conditions... is this something where we will eventually find a balance or do I need to start over with a Rubbermaid shoe box lol? I spent hours running around town shopping for him today and unfortunately only about half the things I got him are working as they should, my biggest complaints are: the zoo med super large under tank heater made zero difference at all. I can't seem to get the temp to nudge 90F with out turning the cutie into snake jerky, 85F is the max day time for some reason, and all the timers I have tried for the day/night lighting system have been complete garbage, 5 sent back and I still have 3 to return. Omg I have more wires and wet towels hanging off Chompy's damp/drippy tank than dead mice in my freezer, what has my life turned into? You guys make it look so simple and tidy on YouTube videos and the posted pics!


I just have to get this off my chest as because this is a Parent PSA that I wish someone had told me beforehand (by grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me preferably) and I think it should be stickered to the forehead (for a week minimum) of everyone considering a BP for the first time: Snake keeping is pretty hard if you suck at technical/electrical things and if you do things the "PetSmart" way using their tidy top of the line snake set ups you'll make yourself a wonderfully expensive mess and have yourself a seriously unhappy (if not seriously sick) pet snake!

I'm anything but an expert - however, I keep my little slithers in tubs. 12.2 quart, I think - right around there. I'm actually fighting to lower the humidity in them right now, and I live in norther Nevada - the high desert. Of course, part of that is because I have small tubs (my snakes are all young), and I have cat-food size water dishes, in case they want to play in them. I use un-printed newsprint paper from newspaper end rolls as cage liner for my ball pythons, since it's wonderfully easy to clean up, and neither of them seemed comfortable on the aspen shred I use for my kingsnakes.

The more I think about it the more I like the idea of moving Chompy to a plastic container where he will be consistently comfy and in the future getting a very low humidity snake for the glass tank like a Rosy Boa (a snake for me this time, I just might be hooked despite how bumpy it's been!) and have them on opposite feeding schedule so one is usually available to be handled the kids are crazy about Chompy even if he bites them. But getting Chompy happy comes first!

Just be sure the bin latches securely. Miqula is only 173g at her last weighing, a few days ago, and she's already been trying to figure out how to open the lid - and she can move it a little, even though it latches down at both ends, so I've started putting a weight on top to ensure she doesn't push it up enough to get her nose out and end up getting hurt.

If you're having humidity problems and the tank has a screen lid, you can put aluminum foil over part of the screen on the outside and place the water bowl under the foil side. It should help a ton with keeping in humidity. Start with 2/3rd covered and adjust from there based on your humidity. As for the heating...I may have missed it, but how are measuring it, where are you measuring from, and what type of substrate are you using?

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I'll try the foil, I admit I was sort of avoiding testing that method even though I read about it on another recent post because the damp towels add a lot of needed moisture. Right now I am using the gauge that came with the whole set up it looks like this http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Econom...rds=hygrometer but I have this one on order from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER but let me know if there is a better pick I'll go with that one. The one I currently use is down at snake level in the middle of the tank and for substrata I am using 2 - 3 inches of Aspen shavings with a reptile carpet/mat under it.

It sounds like you are really getting a handle on things for Chompy. :)

On the handling front I would suggest explaining to your son that he is biting more out of fear than anything else. Since the bites don't really hurt much it ( hopefully ) will help him to react with "aww I'm not trying to hurt you" rather than "my snake is being nasty"

It sounds odd but the more confident he is the less he will make the movements that make the snake insecure. :weirdface

I find having something moving in their field of vision can distract them away from biting the hand holding them - the tv seems to work for most of mine oddly.

The good news is they tend to settle quite quickly. Tell him to try avoiding bringing his hand down from above ( like a predator ) and more scooping them from below.

I'm glad to hear you're getting a different thermometer - those little dial ones are garbage. 😝 I don't have any experience with the one you ordered so can't give an opinion on it. I personally use an acurite indoor/outdoor thermometer from Walmart that is only 12$. Since it measures humidity and temps from 2 places it can monitor your hot side and cool side both at once.

As for the substrate - I'd say pull out the repti carpet. Some people like them some people hate them. Some people have had bad experiences with them. From the standpoint of heating and sanitization, it's working against you. I would also say you can reduce the amount of aspen you're using. I would suggest around an inch.

Is your hear mat regulated with a thermostat?

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I'm just going to address your tank issues. I also use a glass tank with screen lid. Here's what is working well for me. I use the forest floor cyprus mulch for substrate (ditch the aspen). It's really moist at first then dries out nicely. I covered the back and sides of the tank with insulation from home depot. I also put this on 1/2 of the screen lid. It's called Reflectix insulation and comes in a roll. It's very easy to cut to fit. all this keeps my humidity at 40-60%. When he went into shed, I put a wet towel on the screen portion which bumped the humidity up to 80%. He had a perfect shed. The insulation darkens the tank and makes them feel secure as well as keep it warmer. (It's pretty cool right now in my house). I'm doing this until he's big enough to move into a permanent PVC enclosure. I also use the accurite thermometer mentioned above and it works perfectly. Hope this helps some

I'll admit, I did end up moving a couple of my BPs from my original glass tank (a huge Exo-Terra) to tubs, and now keep most in a rack. This was more for their sanity (they were extremely nervous) than the humidity. For the most part, I stabilized the humidity by putting a moist towel over the top when I left and not using any heat lamps, only a ceramic heat bulb and a heat mat.

The big key to getting my temps right was getting a good thermostat. I now have 3 of the Herpstats (two Herpstat 2s and one Herpstat 4). These thermostats will actively monitor the temperature and provide proportional power to your heating elements to maintain temps. This is a no brainer compared to thermostats that just turn elements on or off. My CHE gets to 126 degrees at full power and the heat tape gets to 120, both too hot for my snake, which means that an on/off themostat will just have to turn them off pretty rapidly after turning them on, leading to fluctuating temperatures. The Herpstat (or any proportional thermostat) can apply anywhere from 0-100% power and keep giving maintenance power to maintain the correct temperature. They also happen to be on sale right now until December 11th (I just got the Herpstat 4 and love it!). The only difference between the models is how many "channels" it has. If you have an overhead heat element and an UTH, you'd need the Herpstat 2. If you plan on getting more snakes, just spend the money now and get the Herpstat 4 for room to expand (wish I had done that from the start). I got mine from GLKHerp as they charge the least shipping: http://www.glkherp.com/

Anyways, you don't need to give up on your enclosure if you like watching your snake. Eventually you may want to move to a PVC enclosure which will make it much easier to maintain the temps and humidity while still having a nice large environment with good viewing. There are lots of options when it comes to PVC enclosures, but the least expensive seem to run around $200.

Also, as far as heat mats go, for glass enclosures I like to use the Ultratherm pads as they have more even heat than the heat tape (flexwatt) and don't get as hot as the zoo med pads (which if yours is not reaching 90, something is wrong with it or the thermostat. Mine reaches well over 100 degrees). The Ultratherm pads can be found here: http://www.reptilebasics.com/ultratherm-heat-pads

So I know it sounds like a lot of expensive options. Herpstat 2 is $176 and I think would be the most useful thing for making your life easier and your snake happier. If you don't want to spend that much money, I'd order the Ultratherm pad for $15 and use that with your on/off thermostat and get a ceramic heating element if you haven't already and also use that with an on/off thermostat. I have been able to get a glass tank stabilized with that method as well, it's just not quite as easy.

As far as feeding goes, try out a rat as they will be much more useful in the long run instead of feeding multiple mice. My coral glow is about 188 grams and easily eats rat pups all day.

I'm by no means an expert but you could try a thermometer with probe, I use acurite thermometer/hygro combo(you can find at any Walmart in the home/garden area for 12ish dollars) with a probe that's placed right above the under the tank heater. Uth's won't really raise the ambient temp in the tank they just give the snakes belly heat and with the probe you'll be more able to monitor the hot spot temp right above the uth and then regulate it with a thermostat or even a lamp dimmer(still need to keep an eye on the temp and adjust accordingly but it still works). Covering the screen with tin foil like mentioned above works great to keep in humidity and then use a spray bottle to mist the substrate inside to raise it to the desired amount. I usually have to mist once every day or two to keep it up in my tank. I use a a ceramic heat emitter to keep up my ambient temps around 80 and it works well with my uth keeping the hotspot on the floor at about 91-92.

We mixed Cypress and aspen together for our glass tank and it worked wonders for humidity, if you're still looking to keep the glass cage~

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dr del - Chompy was just a little defensive, definitely being careful about us, but not aggressive like he had been so I explained he is very much still a baby but even so my son was completely freaked sticking his hand in so I did the pick up but aside from a couple times they startled each other like the snake wedging his head between fingers then deciding to panic or a random sneeze from the kid. Over all it went smooth til the end there was a minor event (read next paragraph haha) but no damage done to anyone and despite that I got the vibe that they both parted on pretty good terms!

Yeah the dial one really ticked me off when it was reading between 60% and 80% with my hyperactive micro management but Chompy still shed in chunks and strips. Dang, I just finished a major clean too, I'll take out some litter and the mat later tonight since right now Chompy is feeling stressed from my son holding him while I worked: he peed all over my bed and not just a little, if I hadn't seen it happen as I walked in I would have accused my son of blaming the snake! It looked so weird and intense I actually told my son to stop squeezing him lol I guess I should be grateful it wasn't a turd!

No regulation on the heat mat yet, it's been so chilly in the tank that I blew off buying the item that might turn off the much needed heat. Just to give you an idea of my technical handicap, my husband just checked and ALL the outlet/timer switches I bought yesterday are all DOA today, I'll just keep at it lol eventually something falls through the cracks and works! But more seriously I am taking your suggestion to heart and I am putting in an order for a temp regulator so cross your fingers the package doesn't arrive on fire haha if it does I'll have someone else order it because I did notice cleaning that under the shavings and carpet the pad does get very hot on the glass even if it is barely getting through right now. I have foil on the screen and it seems to be holding humidity really well so that is great news, crossing my fingers and holding my breath for a good solid shed next time around.

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Omg I have more wires and wet towels hanging off Chompy's damp/drippy tank than dead mice in my freezer, what has my life turned into? You guys make it look so simple and tidy on YouTube videos and the posted pics!

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As for wires and such, I know what you mean. I also went with a glass tank with a screen lid, (I hadn't found this forum yet), but I have everything stable and working. Here's a pic:

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...1379_thumb.jpg

Starting in the left side of the wall:
Thermostat that regulates ceramic heater, thermometer/hygrometer combo monitoring the hot side, thermometer for just the hot hide, the two in the middle are both ambient, then another hygrometer for the cool side, and finally the thermometer for the cool hide.

In the tank:
The two flower pots are on the warm side, one is dry and one is filled with moist sphagnum moss, there is a hollow u-shaped log that only has 1 opening behind the water dish and fake plant, then on the right side there is one of those zoo med rock caves for a hide and another hollow log behind that. The branches let him get closer to the light to bask if he wants, and also clutters up the empty air above him so he feels more secure. The sides are also covered with black craft foam-board on the outside, and he has a LED strip that is not too bright and on a kitchen timer so he has some sort of photo-period (but this is more for me than him).

To help with humidity:
I use forest floor cypress bedding, a large water bowl, and if you look closely, there is a much smaller plastic container hiding in the 'root' decoration that is full of water. It is under his other heat lamp and the evaporation helps with humidity. The top is covered in foil with two 10 inch holes for the lights. Whenever she starts to shed, I'll add a damp towel under the foil (he hasn't shed yet).

Now that you mention it I did mess up a bit getting him mice instead of rats, I was too focused on the size rather than the type ~sigh~ two steps forward one step back! Np I'll get it right next time :) My husband has been super tolerant of my frivolous spending so even though it's on sale I am going to wait til after Christmas and go for a Herpstat 4, he hasn't said anything because I am having fun with this project but I should chill a bit before it breeds bad feelings. Thanks for that suggestion I am going to take it at a slightly later date anything to cut down on my worry time and up my sleep time is a good thing, no more sneaking around and checking the numbers.

Definitely ordering some Cypress! I am going to get some Reflectix tomorrow morning first thing when Home Depot opens, I would love to keep him in this set up because this guy is super entertaining to watch and I don't think he has a shy bone in his body which is nice because nothing is worse than an animal constantly terrified of you. My son jokes that he is like a Honey Badger - Chompy don't care! Oh I stick it to the outside right? Does the lining have to be facing in because my son picked out a background image he would like to use, so could we do glass/picture/Reflactix?

I think I am going to do what you do Crowfingers with the multiple water dishes, I saw corner ones and remember wondering if I should do one on each side and I shook it off teasing myself for trying to Feng Shui a snake habitat, apparently it wasn't such a dumb idea! And that is a ton of gauges and meters on your wall, if I had seen that before getting this BP.. we wouldn't have a BP we'd have a goofy parakeet! What I really want to know is which one fires the Death Star, sorry couldn't resist because it truly does look formidable to a newbie :)

Oh yeah I was snooping on a Tarantula forum (I really wander in my reading!) about acrylic builds because I suck at carpentry and the guy said something about 5mm thickness minimum or the undermount heating will melt and warp.. well cross that bridge if I ever get to it but yeah cool stuff!

I thought you may find this useful for future reference. For regulating the heat mat - a light dimmer switch is an adequate stop gap until a thermostat can get there. They usually run 15$ at lowes. You'll need to dial them in so to speak to get the temps in an acceptable range if you choose to use one. If you're not looking to spend a ton on a thermostat off the bat there is a 30$ one you could order through Amazon.com from hydrofarm. They are pretty reliable.

Cypress mulch was mention - I personally don't have any experience using it, but have heard good things. I imagine before making any switches you'd want to use what you've currently bought and aspen works well and is something I have experience with. As someone mentioned earlier, now that you've got it holding humidity better if you start seeing it drop because the wood is getting dry you can spritz it with some clean water. When you do start seeing temps go up, remember the snakes can burrow and will sometimes. The thermostat probe needs to be between the uth and the tank so moisture doesn't mess with the reading but an internal tank reading with a thermometer will help you dial in the internal tank temp. At the glass on the inside should never get hit enough for your little guy to burn himself, while enough heat needs to come through for the surface of his substrate to reach high enough for a good basking spot temp at the hot spot. A lot of info to take in, I know, but once you've got it all down it will be worth it. http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12...2d515ec8e4.jpg

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I think I am going to do what you do Crowfingers with the multiple water dishes, I saw corner ones and remember wondering if I should do one on each side and I shook it off teasing myself for trying to Feng Shui a snake habitat, apparently it wasn't such a dumb idea! And that is a ton of gauges and meters on your wall, if I had seen that before getting this BP.. we wouldn't have a BP we'd have a goofy parakeet! What I really want to know is which one fires the Death Star, sorry couldn't resist because it truly does look formidable to a newbie :)

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Lol that death star comment made me chuckle - The reason for all of this; I'm a newbie too ! I've only had Mashadar since the 24th of October. He's my first snake ever :)
After finding this forum, I realized that the snake I wanted so badly came with a lot of very specific things, sooo I figured when I have a problem I'd need to know why... now I can say exactly what every corner of his cage is reading. This is far more monitoring than the long-term people worry with, I even have a clip board under the tank that I record everything down on then enter into spread sheet later ;)