Adopted Ball obviously not cared for right. first time owner need help.

Okay. A bit of an intro since i'm new here. So, this is only the second reptile I've ever owned.
Taken care of injured wild lizards before but this is my second snake.
First was a baby corn snake that didn't know how to swallow her pinkies, she tried to eat them sideways.
Hubby was in the military at the time so we found her a home with someone more knowledgeable at the time, and I have been researching what i can in general in between rescue.
when we were living on acreage we put ourselves into rescuing wolfdogs.
Landlord was unreasonably terrified of snakes like murdered innocent garters.
Longstory short, we're in a big city now, in an apartment.
a HS friend got a ball python for her BF aprox a month ago.

I've named her Maisie for reasons.
PO(previous owner) caught them posting on a swipswap not even a month after getting her.
so i responded "awe why are you saying goodbye already?"
PO's excuse. they're too depressed to handle her daily.
blahblahblah they agreed to payments

I now have a snake of unknown age.
is aprox 50inches or longer
And weighs 1828grams appears otherwise healthy.
Has previously been fed 1 medium rat a month LIVE,.
ONLY heat source has been a cheap halogen 50watt bulb. And in an obviously too small 20gal long.

She now has an undertank heating pad for now.
And will get an upgrade in two weeks when I get paid again.


What I need.
She's not horribly underweight but she's not round, and her sides are soft and squishy almost.
Healthy ballpythons i've handled at breeders were round and firm.
I am not going to risk feeding LIVE
So I need some methods to transition her from LIVE.

then, how necessary is a separate feeding tank? because one has NOT been used previously.
also what does the feeding area need to be made of?
does it need to be another glass tank?
or can I use a storage bin?

What is the ideal sized tank? What brand is a good but affordable option?


I'm thinking I'm going to start feeding her every other week. Maybe medium fresh dead rat?
then graduate to every week till she's healthy weight then back to every other week?

I just want her to be healthy and happy.
thank you for reading sorry it's so long.

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Originally Posted by MoonSong

Hubby was in the military Thank him for his service :salute:

they agreed to payments How much are you being charged for this rescue?

Has previously been fed 1 medium rat a month LIVE You obviously seem to know that she was being fed too little. One small to medium rat a week will be just fine. Nothing wrong with feeding live. Ball Pythons are built for hunting, killing, and eating live rodents. In fact, they're experts at it

And in an obviously too small 20gal long That tank is NOT too small for that snake. Does she have hides?

She now has an undertank heating pad for now Please put the pad on a thermostat, or disconnect it until you can get one. Bad things can happen

I am not going to risk feeding LIVE I say again, BPs are weapons of rat destruction

So I need some methods to transition her from LIVE At her age and size, she may not switch, but then again, she might. There are several hundred threads on the Forum about switching from live to F/T

then, how necessary is a separate feeding tank? because one has NOT been used previously Not only NOT necessary, it can actually be counter productive. Feed her in her tank

also what does the feeding area need to be made of? Should be made of her tank

does it need to be another glass tank? Needs to be the same glass tank

What is the ideal sized tank? Nothing wrong with the one you have now

I'm thinking I'm going to start feeding her every other week. Offer weekly. If she eats, she eats. If she don't, she don't. Let her make the choice

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Live does have the potential to get dangerous. You could try pre-killed for a while? You do not need a separate feeding tank. Sometimes people say they'll learn to bite if fed in the cage, but this doesn't seem to be true. Its purely optional, it can be a little easier to clean. If you do want to use one any container that's safe for a snake will work. I use a plastic bin from petsmart.
You probably want about a 40 gallon tank. PVC cages are really popular.
Medium or small rats every week and then switching to every other week sounds fine to me. :) Good luck with your new snek!

Thanks for your service

I thought they needed belly heat opposed to light based heat?

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Originally Posted by Timelugia

Live does have the potential to get dangerous. You could try pre-killed for a while? You do not need a separate feeding tank. Sometimes people say they'll learn to bite if fed in the cage, but this doesn't seem to be true. Its purely optional, it can be a little easier to clean. If you do want to use one any container that's safe for a snake will work. I use a plastic bin from petsmart.
You probably want about a 40 gallon tank. PVC cages are really popular.
Medium or small rats every week and then switching to every other week sounds fine to me. :) Good luck with your new snek!

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My concern with live is she does have some scales that look like she may have gotten injured before.

She has a hide. it takes up half of this tank and she's sticking out from under it.
I will try to get some pictures on my camera instead of my phone when I get home from work today

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Originally Posted by MoonSong

I thought they needed belly heat opposed to light based heat?

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heat is heat doesn't matter, however 10 watt heat tape could more than likely provide the same hot spot, not dry out the air (humidity is a struggle for many people), and can also be controlled better on a thermostat. Which you will want a thermostat anyways to greatly reduce the risk of therm being burned.

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Originally Posted by MoonSong

My concern with live is she does have some scales that look like she may have gotten injured before.

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As long as they don't look like they are actively rotting, there not much you can do about scars, they are what they are. Sometimes they eventually fade or disappear after multiple sheds, but not always the case.

I'm going to repeat what was said about the thermostat. If you don't have one then that is your first priority, as unregulated a UTH can get hot enough to burn your snake, and it needs to be unplugged until you get one.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

I'm going to repeat what was said about the thermostat. If you don't have one then that is your first priority, as unregulated a UTH can get hot enough to burn your snake, and it needs to be unplugged until you get one.

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A bigger enclosure is nice to have, and a freezer full of f/t rats that she's transitioned to, are also nice to have.

What you NEED is the t-stat! Your previous corn snake was different. Colubrids are better at sensing too much heat and avoiding burns. For some reason BP's just don't - they burn. A Hydrofarm will get you by. Can't remember how much they are (I bought mine off Amazon almost a year ago....I think I spent $40-something, but that might have been for both.) An upgrade Herpstat or Vivarium Electronics is nice to have (again), but if money is tight, just get the Hydrofarm, and you'll be fine.

Something no one has mentioned yet: the scars may be because she was chewed on, not necessairly bit (although, that can happen). Just keep an eye on her until she kills it. Never leave a BP alone with a live rat. Should do fine. I agree, however, I much prefer f/t.

Will the layer of woodchips not protect her from burn?

Will the heat from the halogen bulb be sufficient for a week and a half? (next pay period)

Our house is usually pretty cold.
She seems more content with the pad.

Would it work to have the pad on at night and the bulb during the day?

I will definitely be making sure her environment is suitable before worrying about upgrading the size of the tank.

She was supposed to come with "everything"

But i was also under the impression she was a lot smaller and that the tank was larger.

I will try and get a closeup of the scale that concerns me.
It's a tan color compared to the white ones that surround it.

sorry just saw the part about how much we're charged.

Not much 100$ for "snake and everything she needs"
doing payments since it's lining up with rent being due

I was planning on adding one to the family sometime this year but not this soon.
She came from an acquaintance.

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Originally Posted by MoonSong

Will the layer of woodchips not protect her from burn?

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No, ball pythons burrow, she will push the wood chips around.

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Will the heat from the halogen bulb be sufficient for a week and a half? (next pay period)

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It should be ok.

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Our house is usually pretty cold.

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In Florida? I thought you guys were warm this time of year.

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Would it work to have the pad on at night and the bulb during the day?

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No, a heat pad can get hot enough to burn in 10-15 minutes.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

In Florida? I thought you guys were warm this time of year.

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Which is why the house is cold inside lol.
My husband and roomate are from up north they keep it cold.


If the UTH is a nono I may be able to still take it back.
What would a better heat source be.


our electric company here is pretty high so husband is concerned about energy efficiency.

What is a good efficient heat source for her?

Goodnews is I called the petstore i got the heating mat from and I can still exchange it will go tomorrow after work.
But what type of heating bulb would be the best for heat and energy efficiency?

The heat mat is great, you just need a thermostat. Hydrofarm from Amazon is the cheapest. . .I think $29 right now. Any heat lamp will be higher wattage than a UTH, I think they're usually 10 or 15 watts, can't beat that. So if energy efficiency is a concern the UTH is best.

You don't need to hurry with the new tank---it's not an emergency, but I do think you'll want to upgrade. I have a 700 gram BP in a 20g long, and there's just no room for anything. 2 hides and a water dish? Haha, no way that's going to fit. I have the smallest water dish possible and it still doesn't really fit, plus he tips it over all the time. Can't imagine a big girl like that in a 20g long. You can find leaker tanks cheap from craigslist or other classified ads. No reason to pay for a new water-tight tank if you don't need to.

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Originally Posted by MoonSong

My husband and roomate are from up north they keep it cold.


If the UTH is a nono I may be able to still take it back.

You need the UTH, but not without a thermostat


our electric company here is pretty high so husband is concerned about energy efficiency.

Seriously? If the house is kept that cold, then a UTH won't even move the needle on your electric bill


What is a good efficient heat source for her?

The UTH is the best source. But it has to be regulated

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Originally Posted by MoonSong

Goodnews is I called the petstore i got the heating mat from and I can still exchange it will go tomorrow after work.
But what type of heating bulb would be the best for heat and energy efficiency?

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Get a CHE. They're more efficient than any bulb in my experience.

Ultimately you'll really want to go with this...

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...e-Basics-*DUW*

After all is said and done, it's the least expensive way to control your BPs environment.

Okay I misunderstood.

UTH is unplugged.

As far as house temp. I'm a florida native anything in the 70s is cold to me.
I usually turn the AC off when his brothers not home.
he's the one that will turn the AC down cold but we pay the bill.

Anyways thank you for the advice I appreciate it.

I will order a thermostat as soon as i get paid next week.
Going to get her a small-medium rat this week and see if she'll eat since I don't know for sure when the last time she ate was.


As far as her eventual tank upgrade I'm going to keep researching what would be best for our space and home family/other pets etc.

My niece and nephew stay with us for weeks at a time during the summer so I definitely need a locking lid so they're not harassing her when they think we're not watching. They're very sneaky kids (so they think)

I'll take some pics of her scale that concerns me tomorrow

Set the house HVAC thermostat to 78*F. He'll adjust and your electric bill will decrease a lot. I'm also from "up north" (and in the mountains, deep snow, ice, etc. etc.); acclimating to heat takes time but it can be done. Ceiling fans help too.

For energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness a UTH beats a bulb or CHE easily. Not only does it draw less electricity, you aren't replacing it every few months. Just get a thermostat.

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Originally Posted by MoonSong

But what type of heating bulb would be the best for heat and energy efficiency?

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bulbs are the least efficient, heat mats draw little power and when they are on a thermostat, it will further reduce the power to regulate it.

Thanks for the advice I have a thermostat on my amazon shoplist just waiting for payday.
Got her a medium rat today got her to eat fresh killed.
took some puppetry via tongs on my part but she's got him down.

No she needs to be left alone for a minimum of 2 days right?
i wrote down 3 to be safe.

The minimum, that I've been told, to wait after feeding is 24 hours, but I think a lot of people go with two days. I give mine pretty close to two days before I mess with them.

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Originally Posted by MoonSong

Thanks for the advice I have a thermostat on my amazon shoplist just waiting for payday.
Got her a medium rat today got her to eat fresh killed.
took some puppetry via tongs on my part but she's got him down.

No she needs to be left alone for a minimum of 2 days right?
i wrote down 3 to be safe.

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I would have held off feeding until you had reliable heat as they need it to digest. I wouldn't handle at all at this point.