New Ball Python Owner, Need help and assurance.

So Recently I became a owner of an 8 month old female BP. She's been with me for almost a week now. I wouldn't have got her if it wasn't for my uncle who already has two of them and basically taught me what I know now of how to take care of her. His way of taking care of his will probably majorly differ from your advice so I'm kinda conflicted with what to go with, so thats why I'm asking for your help.

So far she's been really good. She hasn't hissed at all when I pick her up anymore. Mainly all she does is curl up under her bedding and rest, sometimes coming out to drink or just stare. Before I brought her home she was with my uncle while I got all the things I needed to care for her. I brought her home a few days ago and she's been doing fine. I already fed her once with no problem. She did look at the mouse for a few minutes but then struck down on it. After that I let her digest for 48 hours. Recently (as in just an hour before typing this) I took her out of her tank to handle her for an hour. She was perfectly fine, she loves to slither around me and try to explore the world, but I make sure she stays on me because I don't want her getting caught in my cushions. My uncle said that its good to handle her often so she gets used to it and myself. She's a bit head shy, which I'm working on. I gently run my fingers down the base of her neck but sometimes she just jerk back a bit. I want her to get used to being handled so she can became more relaxed. I cleaned her tank a bit before I put her back in. When I did she was moving around the walls for a bit before settling down. I guess maybe she wanted to see her clean tank?

Now, after seeking help from the r/Snake subreddit, I was basically told everything I was doing was wrong. I should not be handling her at all for a week and when she slithers around me she's actually trying to escape me. I was kinda shocked to say the least. She didn't seem stressed to me. I mean I know if they move around their tank a lot thats a sign, but I thought she was just checking things out. She rarely ever does that anyway. Heck, I ever touched her nose to mine while holding her and she didn't mind. I can tell she can be a little uneasy, but thats only because I haven't handled her enough yet. But now I'm being told I shouldn't be handling her at all, for at least a week. I don't want her to not get used to me after being held. If I just leave her in her tank for a week and then pick her up wouldnt she go back to being uneasy?

As you can tell I'm kind of conflicted with what I'm being told. My uncle says everything I'm doing is ok, she's just being curious and wants to explore, shes happy and it'll take time and regular handling to ease her. But then I have other people (on reddit) telling me I'm doing everything wrong and I should leave her alone for quite a long time.

Sorry for the long post, but I've been looking up all my questions here since I got her and I figured I could use some sound advice from some smart people.

The handling isn't like an extremely strict rule that you're breaking, but it is just recommended to not handle a new snake in a new enclosure until they take at least one or two (which is better) meals consistently. But if she was with your uncle in the same enclosure, same setup, and the ride home was only a few minutes or something, plus she already ate a meal with you... I don't think there's much of a problem!

If she ends up refusing a meal later on though, then you know to avoid handling her for a couple weeks until she takes a couple meals for you consistently.

If that's your only issue and your husbandry and equipment is all correct, sounds like everything's fine to me.

Please summarize the question

There's only really a few things that are set in stone and you should stay away from the subreddit. They hate anyone who doesn't think like them.

For husbandry, is the temperature on the hot spot and ambient temps okay? Does she have belly heat? (Heat lamps arent ideal for ball pythons) Does she have a place to hide? Is she shedding in one complete piece? (This one you'll find out soon and it is related to the humidity) Does she have water?

Those are pretty much the things set in stone. Im just running through the things in my head so Im sure i've missed one and im sure you've done most of these things. The week thing is generally what you do when you get a snek in the mail or an expo or anywhere that requires a long drive or was a stressful situation for the snake. If your snake is eating it's safe to say that everything is okay. A sign that she is stressed around you is if she feels hard to the touch. Ball pythons tense up when stressed or scared so yeah.

another to note is that the week of not handling thing is also sort of a reset button for any problems the snaje may have like not feeding. It isn't fool proof but it works sometimes.

all in all im sure you're doing fine.

If you have the basic husbandry down and its eating and shedding fine you're doing just fine. People will tell you everything you are doing is wrong if it's not exactly what they do. Or it's been repeated by the Internet snake gods so many times everyone just follows blindly. There are a ton of Golden rules in the snake world you will learn can be broken. If you have a healthy feeding snake you're doing it right.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by redshepherd

The handling isn't like an extremely strict rule that you're breaking, but it is just recommended to not handle a new snake in a new enclosure until they take at least one or two (which is better) meals consistently. But if she was with your uncle in the same enclosure, same setup, and the ride home was only a few minutes or something, plus she already ate a meal with you... I don't think there's much of a problem!

If she ends up refusing a meal later on though, then you know to avoid handling her for a couple weeks until she takes a couple meals for you consistently.

If that's your only issue and your husbandry and equipment is all correct, sounds like everything's fine to me.

---

First of all, thank you all for your really good assurance and advice. I feel really comfortable with trusting you for this knowledge.
Well the way I bought her was we picked her up at an reptile Expo. Brought her to my uncles where she stayed for a week. She was in a plastic tub with a water dish and hide (Which she has now outgrown). The tub was placed in one of his snakes tanks. He said while she was there she was doing just fine. She ate her first mouse and everything was good. He even handled her for a while. When the day came to bring her home, we unfortunately needed to bring her on the car ride with us to pick up her supplies for her tank. There really was no other way as traffic back and forth was horrible. She was in the car for about a couple hours.
Now yes I know that must have REALLY stressed her out and I thought so. So when I got home I settled her in and left her alone for a while. She seemed pretty cool, only hissed once but after that never again. When I first fed her myself, she didnt take right away, so I dangled the mouse infront of her for a few minutes, then she took it. I let her digest for the 48 hours as well. About a could days later I had to clean her tub because of the condensation. I had to place her in her tank just for a few minutes while I cleaned it. Needless to say she loved her new plant, she finally got to climb on it for a few seconds before I put her back.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Seven-Thirty

There's only really a few things that are set in stone and you should stay away from the subreddit. They hate anyone who doesn't think like them.

For husbandry, is the temperature on the hot spot and ambient temps okay? Does she have belly heat? (Heat lamps arent ideal for ball pythons) Does she have a place to hide? Is she shedding in one complete piece? (This one you'll find out soon and it is related to the humidity) Does she have water?

Those are pretty much the things set in stone. Im just running through the things in my head so Im sure i've missed one and im sure you've done most of these things. The week thing is generally what you do when you get a snek in the mail or an expo or anywhere that requires a long drive or was a stressful situation for the snake. If your snake is eating it's safe to say that everything is okay. A sign that she is stressed around you is if she feels hard to the touch. Ball pythons tense up when stressed or scared so yeah.

another to note is that the week of not handling thing is also sort of a reset button for any problems the snaje may have like not feeding. It isn't fool proof but it works sometimes.

all in all im sure you're doing fine.

---

The temps seem to be ok, around the 85-87 range. If by belly heat you mean a heater under her tank, no not yet. I do have one but I haven't set it up because I don't have the proper cable to control the temp for it just yet. Right now she sits in her tub that sits in her tank. Sadly the hide I have for her is too big for the tub, but she does crawl under the bedding a lot and rest. As for shedding she hasnt shedded just yet. I was told she shed just before I bought her. And she does have water, I make sure at all times.

When I handler her she does tense up a bit, not alot just when I stroke certain parts of her body. I'm not sure if that isnt normal, but I would think so. Just a side affect of not being handled too much.

Below I have provided pictures of her current tank.

http://s32.postimg.org/cld4yz7lx/20160507_155735.jpg
http://s32.postimg.org/xxtto56bp/20160507_155805.jpg

Now you may be wondering why is she in a tub in her tank. My uncle told me to wait at least a month before I put her in the tank itself because it'll be too big for her. Sadly I cannot put her hide in her tub as it is too large for the tub and only squish her up and her waterbowl.

I am thinking I will need to set up a weekly schedule with her, I'm the kind of person that likes to be organized and if I follow a weekly regiment with her the process will go a lot smoother. If you guys are willing to help me figure something out I've be really greatful. I'll also need to know if I should start now on leaving her alone for a week or two. I'll hafta feed her next week and change her water dish, but other than that I won't handle her.

Oh I should probably point out Wednesday evening is her feeding time, so she'll be fed by me for a second time next week.

85 is a little low for the warm side imo, you want warm side 88-92 and cool side 78-82. You can make a hide out of a small card board box or anything. You want the hide to be snug when she balls up in it. So if your snake can ball up in the tub you should be able to make a hide to put in the tub. Also there should be a 1 hide on the warm side and 1 hide on the cool side. If you only use one hide she will always be in it and most likely wont regulate her body temp correctly. Also you need the 2 hides to be identical bc if there not she may chose the more secure one and not regulate temp properly. I always recommend the reptile basics hides bc that's what was recommended to me and my male now regulates his body temp and never was before. The hides I recommended are very dark inside and very secure, your snake would feel very comfortable in them.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

Just a little update, I made a little hide for her out of a coke 12 pack end. Its on the basking side of the tub so I hope she goes for it soon.
http://s32.postimg.org/plwvmx83p/20160507_173749.jpg

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stickyalvinroll

Please summarize the question

---

Do you ever do anything but talk down to people? If you don't have time to read the post, don't comment on it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Aercadia

Do you ever do anything but talk down to people? If you don't have time to read the post, don't comment on it.

---

95% of my posts are helpful or encouraging....

Another little update. She seemed to take to her cardboard coke hide, but she seems to be curling herself under it. I'm starting to think maybe I should just take her out of the tub and put her in the tank with her actual rock hide that is much larger but more sturdy. Then again I dont want to stress her though.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FeathersRuff

Another little update. She seemed to take to her cardboard coke hide, but she seems to be curling herself under it. I'm starting to think maybe I should just take her out of the tub and put her in the tank with her actual rock hide that is much larger but more sturdy. Then again I dont want to stress her though.

---

Just clutter the tank up and she should do fine. Also, tape some paper on 3 of the sides so she doesn't feel so exposed.

Sent from my SM-G900R6 using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jon14

Just clutter the tank up and she should do fine. Also, tape some paper on 3 of the sides so she doesn't feel so exposed.

Sent from my SM-G900R6 using Tapatalk

---

Exactly what he said. Putting paper on the outside of 3 walls will make her feel secure. As far as putting her in the bigger tank I put my male in a 48x26x12 enclosure and cluttered it up a little and I can tell he is happier and he now eats better. All bp are different so you may not see the same results as me. Defiantly use 2 of the same hides with an enclosure that open and big, lots of fake plants and stuff to. People that don't use hides or only have 1 hide have there snakes in a tub in a rack so they feel secure already. With regular enclosures like I said above they are more open and they need the security so another hide on the cool side helps them cool down there body temp without being exposed. If they don't have that option they may stay in the hot hide and never get the chance to cool down bc of the lack of security. If the rock hide you have isn't snug on your snake she won't feel secure either so if it's to big you may need to buy or make a snug fitting hide and wait until she grows into the one you have. Another option is if the rock hide is a little big you can stuff it with sphagnum moss or news paper to make it more snug. As far as the coke box one not being sturdy there's tons of things you can make hides out of, just be creative! Sounds like your doing a good job, more questions you ask and more advice you take the happier you and your snake will be!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by chrid16371

Exactly what he said. Putting paper on the outside of 3 walls will make her feel secure. As far as putting her in the bigger tank I put my male in a 48x26x12 enclosure and cluttered it up a little and I can tell he is happier and he now eats better. All bp are different so you may not see the same results as me. Defiantly use 2 of the same hides with an enclosure that open and big, lots of fake plants and stuff to. People that don't use hides or only have 1 hide have there snakes in a tub in a rack so they feel secure already. With regular enclosures like I said above they are more open and they need the security so another hide on the cool side helps them cool down there body temp without being exposed. If they don't have that option they may stay in the hot hide and never get the chance to cool down bc of the lack of security. If the rock hide you have isn't snug on your snake she won't feel secure either so if it's to big you may need to buy or make a snug fitting hide and wait until she grows into the one you have. Another option is if the rock hide is a little big you can stuff it with sphagnum moss or news paper to make it more snug. As far as the coke box one not being sturdy there's tons of things you can make hides out of, just be creative! Sounds like your doing a good job, more questions you ask and more advice you take the happier you and your snake will be!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

---

Again thank you guys for all the advice, I'm really feeling easier for it. Right now shes curled up under the coke hide under the red bulb. The temp is a little high so I lifted the lamp up a bit and opened my window. Theres not much else I can do so late at night. Tomorrow though my uncle is visiting to take a look at her tank. I'm thinking I'm just gonna go ahead and put her in there. It'll be less of a hassle than the tub. He gave her her rock hide and new water dish but I don't think he has another similar hide, at least not one the same size. I only bought one plant so far but I'll see what else I can do. Her rock hide might be a little bit too big for her, so I'm gonna stuff some wood shaving bedding in it so its more of a snug fit.

I think once I have her in her tank, things will be a little easier. As silly as it sounds, I'm just really nervous about not taking proper care of her. Everyone says they're so low maintance but so far its been a lot. Once I have her in her tank and everything, I'm planning on letting her rest for a week or so (expect for wendesday when she needs to feed) and see what happens next.

Your doing good! It takes a little time to adjust and make sure everything is working right but after that it won't be as much of a hassle. If you don't have a similar hide still put another one in for the opposite side your putting the rock. Its better then nothing. Just make sure she uses both but if you see her never using one then you will need to figure out how to get 2 of the same. You won't know till you try and it may end up she will like both hides even though there different. What were your temps at that made you open the window? If your using heat lamps or che you can get a $15 lamp dimmer at Lowes to dim them with so they will give off less heat.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

Right now the temp is around 87. I think I need a better thermometer than this sticker on the glass. I'm also actually going to get a dimmer cord in the near future as well. It was mainly gonna be for the UTH I have but I could get one for the lamps as well, it would make temp control a whole lot easier right?

Probably the final time I'm ever gonna handle her for a while will be when I move her into her tank. After that I wont disturb her until its feeding time.

87 is decent for warm side 88-92 for the warm side is ideal and 78-82 for cool. Yes dimmers will make it easier but you will need to adjust them if the room temp changes where as a thermostat automatically adjusts to change so make sure you still watch your temps close with dimmers. If you ever get the chance to buy a good thermostat you should do so, it will make your life easier and a more stable environment for your snake. Those sticker thermometers are junk. You need a digital thermometer with probe. Acurite is what a lot of people use. You put probe on hot side and then set the unit itself on cool side so that way you can get the hot side temp, cool side temp, and humidity all from 1 unit. You can usually find them at Walmart for around $12. Here is a link to one similar to the ones I use.

http://www.amazon.com/AcuRite-00891A.../dp/B001BO8CUE

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

Thanks! I found the same one of Amazon.ca ( I live in Canada so the shipping wont be as much). But I will definitely get that.

I do have a couple more questions to add on before I forget them.

1. Is it the daytime bulb is the hot side and the night time bulb the cool side? or is it vice versa?
2. How can I control the humidity?
3. She hasn't been very active at night. Is it because she still stressed or unhappy?

1. What is the average temp in your house? If its around 80 you don't need anything on cool side. If its colder than that in your house you will need another night time bulb bc when you shut off the daytime light the temp will drop and there is not suppose to be a night time drop. Since your not using uth right now I would put the night time bulb over the hot spot, some of the heat from that bulb will travel to the cool side. When you start using the uth you will use it as your hot side and then if your cool side is colder than 78 you will move the night bulb to the cool side and dim it down until you get between 78-82.

2. If your tank has a screen lid you need to cover as much as you can with aluminium foil or something the lights won't melt. Leave only enough of the screen uncovered to put your lamps on. This will help keep the humidity inside. You will want to mist the cage until you get a level of 50-60% humidity and bump up to 70 for shed. When you switch to uth putting the water bowl on top of where its at will help evaporate water into the air. The only thing is that glass tanks can be pain to keep humidity in especially with heat lamps but it can be done. Some people make home made foggers from humidifiers and put them on a digital timer, there are tons of YouTube videos showing how to do this.

3. It doesn't mean they are stressed or unhappy. Mine sometimes never come out at night either and sometimes they do. I don't necessarily think it means anything. Once you have had her awhile you will know her better and know when something is wrong but her not being active at night is nothing to be worried about. A lot of bp are pretty lazy and will hide and sleep all the time and might only come out a couple times a week or even just to eat Lol

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

I'm not really sure what the temp usually is, but during the summer it is pretty warm. I just ordered that thermometer you showed me so once I get it I can take proper temps of my room and her tank. If you saw from the photos I posted I have her daytime lamp on the left and her night time on the right. I only leave one on at a time. The daytime one is sitting right on the wood just above the mesh screen. The night time bulb is a little raised to not be as hot as the day time. Once I take a temp of each side I'll adjust the lamps and their power (when I get the dimmers) correctly to stay at the perfect temps at all times. And what your saying is when I start using the UTH I dont need a daytime bulb anymore, just the night one? The night one is already on the cooler side, if thats what you mean. I would susspect the night time bulb would be less warmer than the daytime one.


The top of her tank is a homemade wood base with a mesh screen that the lamps sit on/hang above. Its not a terrible big space, with one bulb on each side it prett much covers the whole thing.Once I measure the humidity I'll be able to change it if I need to. I'll probably use a spritz bottle to give her tank a little light mist. A little condensation on the glass isnt a bad thing right? The question is she just shed a few months ago and she's not showing signs of any shedding now. So should I still keep the humidity to the norm until she shows signs?

Ok I was just unsure. Because the only time I ever see her move around a lot was when I put her back in her tank from handling her. She would move around looking at the tub walls and then eventually settle down. I don't know if that was stress or just her being all curious. I'm sure when I put her in her tank she'll explore it a bit as she did once before. She does show stress signs for sure sometimes, this I know. And as much as I feel bad for stressing her out I really want her to get comfortable.

I suggest both lamps on the same side, so that the side with the UTH is always warmer. Or if the room get sunlight or ambient light, just use 1 red lamp for night and day.

http://i66.tinypic.com/67jbrk.jpg

I cant really have both lamps on the same side, the tank is a bit too small for that. Plus I don't have her UTH set up just yet either.

Once you get the digital thermometer you will be able to adjust your temps better. The thing is since your using the day time lamp as your hot spot when it turns off at night you have no hot spot. That's why the night time one should be your primary heat source until you get the uth running. You need the warm side to be in the 88-92 range 24/7 so if you have the night time on cool and the day time with the warm as soon as you turn off the day time at night you will have no hot spot anymore. Sorry for repeating myself. I would use the night time like I said as the hot spot. How many watt bulb is the night time? Is it red? The day time should be used to give her a sense of day and night not as a heat source do to the fact its not a heat source at night anymore.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

Well right now I have her daylight lamp on, because its morning. During the night (right around 9pm) I turn that one off and turn on her Red lamp night time bulb. I kind of alternative between them. Once I get a dimmer for the UTH what side should I put it on, the daytime bulb or night time red bulb side?

You should put the uth wherever you want your hot spot to be. Ok if your only using one bulb during the day and one at night then when you turn off the day time you should move the night time where the day time was. Your switching the spot that is getting heat which can be confusing. Then when its day again you move the night time out of the way and put the daytime on. If you just used the night time 24/7 as your hot spot you wouldn't need to switch them around every night. Is the room your snake kept in dark? If not then you don't even need the day time.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

Oh no my room only ever gets dark when its actually night time. During the day there is daylight because she is literally right across the room from the window. So your saying I don't need a daylight bulb? Everyone told me two bulbs (one day and one night) would be necessary. Even my uncle has two of them on both of his tanks.

I also just removed the red lamp and moved over her daytime lamp to that side.

Keep in mind this might change once I put her in her tank, but her rock hide will basically be on the same side she is now in the tub.

No you don't need a daytime bulb unless the room is dark. They can go by are day night cycle. Since your room isn't dark her day time light will be the sun coming through window and night time will be when the sun goes down.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

But I should keep the daytime bulb until I set up her UTH right? So then once i set that up, Id put the UTH under one side of the tank, and then the red bulb on the other side? Or would I put the red bulb on the same side as the UTH?

It depends on the temp in your room and the wattage of your night time bulb. The night bulb should heat the hot side right now and some of the heat will travel to the cool side so you shouldn't need the daytime. Like I said it depends on your room conditions. You will use the uth alone on the hot side. You will only need to use the night bulb on cool side if your room is less than 78, if your room is above that than you don't need to use any bulbs.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

Oh my goodness this is all really conflicting. First I'm being told I need both bulbs, now I'm being told I only need one, or I don't them both. Both bulbs I have are 50W.

I was looking stuff up online and people are saying that using a dimmer for the UTH is a bad idea and I should use a thermostat to automatically keep the right temp. Can you recommend any good ones or a specific type I should use?

Recommend a Specific type of what? Yes it all can be conflicting but It all depends on the room temperature your keeping your snake in. Ik its overwhelming. Like I said it all depends on room temps. But you need your temps the same 24/7 and the daytime being shut off at night does not keep your temps the same all the time. The dimmer or thermostat with uth will help with all this. 50w Bulb may or may not be enough depending on room temp. Is there anyway you can get the average temp your room is? Also I used dimmers for a year, the bad thing is if they fail they could run the uth full power and get way to hot. I never had a problem but upgrading to a good thermostat was the best thing I did.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

Like a specific type of thermostat to hook up to my UTH so that if the temp in my room changes it automatically keeps the temp same to the UTH. I see people recommend using that more than a dimmer for it because with a Dimmer i'll hafta change it all the time. I ordered that thermometer you linked me last night and it'll be here in a couple days, so when that comes I can take temps of my room and the tank.

Btw I moved her daylight lamp over where her red night lamp was (which was over her little cardboard hide) should I keep it there or move it back to where it was?

If your only using the daytime right now than yes put it over her hide. Then tonight when you turn it off out the night one in the same spot. Thermostat depends on your budget. The best for your money IMO is the spyder robotics Herpstat 1. Then a little cheaper is the vivarium electronics ve-200D. The first 2 are dimming proportional which is the best you can have. Than a little cheaper is an on/off style vivarium electronics ve-100. If none of those are within price range your looking for than I hear the hydrofarm on/off works good for what it is.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

Oh my those are very expensive. I thought there would just be ones that are hooked up to cables that I can control with a dial or something. Should I just go with a dimmer then? I mean I dont wanna be super cheap but close to $100 is way too much. Aren't there ones you can hook up to the UTH and control?

Yes they are expensive but you pay for quality. Look at the hydrofarm on amazon. Its not that expensive and I've heard good things about them.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

Another option is the sct-1000 on eBay. You would need one that is 110v and one that doesn't ship from China. Then you would need a heavy duty extension cord and someone with basic wiring knowledge to cut and splice the extension cord and hook it into the thermostat

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

Ok so I just got off the phone with my uncle (Im seeing him later today). Basically he's telling me I'm over thinking everything and all the stuff and things you guys have been telling me is unnecessary. This is him talking, not me.
He has a really simple set up for his BP. He has a large tank, her hide one on end with the daylight lamp over it, a basking rock on the other end with the red lamp over it, water dish in the middle and some plants and logs. He also has the heating tape underneath as well with a dimmer. His setup is very simple and has worked for him for ever since he moved her to that tank. He says that I dont need to regulate the temp as much, the bulbs do just fine and the snake naturally regulates her own heat, she's not dumb enough to not regulate her own heat. Humidity is something I'll never get full right, but he says if she ever looks a little dry while shedding, just mist her tank a bit and it'll be fine.

Other things he told me two hides is not manditory, as long as I have the daylight lamp over her hide and the UTH under it too, she'll be fine. He has his UTD on a dimmer switch and tells me to just set it to low so its warm to the touch. The UTH I have is smaller than I thought it would be, only 4" by 5". So when I place it under the tank half will be under her hide and the other half will be just outside it.

Upon asking him about what you guys told me about handling he tells me to handle her as much as possible. Yes when I move her into her tank to let her settle in for a couple days, but after that just handle her as much as you can. Her slithering around me isn't her trying to escape she's just doing what snakes do. She'll naturally tense up because thats what they do. The more I handle her the more she'll be used to it.

He did tell me to just send back the thermometer that I just bought but I'm actually gonna keep it, just so I can regulate the temp at least. If things get to hot i'll just turn off a lamp or something.


I'm just typing what he told me, but I thought it would be helpful to you guys to know what he's been telling me on his side. I extremely appricate the advice you guys have been giving me. It's just been very hard having two conflicting sides to listen to. Don't worry I'm not being all " you guys give bad advice so I'm not gonna listen." You guys are giving me great advice and its awesome to have such opinions :).

Do what you think is best. Everyone's set up depends on the room conditions the tank is in. The digital thermometer is smart to keep. After you get the uth set up put the probe to the thermometer under the bedding right over the middle of the uth. Then dim it so it is around 93. Don't let it go over 95 bc burns can happen. But ball bp will take security in a hide that is 100 over a wide open cool spot or being to cold that is a fact and why people post pics of there bp with burns bc the tank is not set up properly and not regulating there hot spot, yes they are smart but like I said will chose security and to hot over cool and open. My advice as well as everyone elses is the experience we have had keeping bp and other reptiles. Yes a lamp dimmer will work. Like I said I used one for a little over a year before I dropped $439 on a Herpstat 6 to control 6 different set ups. Here is a link to the care sheet I would read it over.

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

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

Again thank you for your support and advice :) It really helped ease my distress. From what I take as long as I keep the temps ok, everything else will be fine. I'm gonna set up a schedule for her with her feeding times and handling times. Today she's moving to her tank so once shes in there I'll let her rest for a few days and then start from there.

Just another update so you guys know whats going on. I moved her into her tank today. In the near future i'll be putting more plans and a few twigs in there for her to climb on.
She doesnt want to go in her new hide though, she rather burry herself under the bedding (as shown below)
http://s32.postimg.org/5k2d854lh/snekt.png

When I put her in her tank she decided to look around at her new home, Climbing her plant and such. Didn't looked stressed to me at all.

http://s32.postimg.org/cfr74zog5/tum...f8jo1_1280.jpghttp://s32.postimg.org/770rkuvet/tum...f8jo2_1280.jpg

When you put the uth on you may have to make the bedding a little thinner or else the uth will have to be turned up way to high to get the top of the bedding at right temp so if she burrows she will get burned. For now its good though. Hopefully she adjusts well and continues eating. Good luck!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

I actually don't have the UTH set up right now. When I moved her she was actually pretty warm so I'm guessing thats a good sign. and the temp in the tank is pretty normal. I just wish shed move to her hide though, but she might soon. I'm gonna leave her alone for a few days and then by wednesday night i'll see if she eats.

I was just saying when you do put the uth on you may have to thin out the bedding a little bit, you don't want the glass underneath the bedding above the uth hotter than 93 but also want on top of the bedding to be at the lowest 88. You wont have to worry about it though until you get your uth hooked up but keep it in mind when you do. Yes, good idea leaving her alone for a few days. If she doesn't eat don't get discouraged but don't handle her until she starts eating again. With how she's acting I dont think you will have a problem!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

The UTH I have is a lot smaller than I thought, its only 4" x 5" so I'm not sure it can even get that hot. But I will test it out before I stick to the bottom of the tank. I probably wont be handling her till friday. Because wednesday is only a few days away and thats a good amount of time for her to relax before I feed her. And then friday is the 48 hours I leave her to digest.

I might not get a second hide for the other side of the tank UNLESS I find a really good and cheap one.

I wouldn't take advice from your uncle. Take a look around the forum. There are a ton of pics and stories of ball pythons with burns, they cannot understand that a heater is burning them and will not move if that is happening. It is up to us to provide proper heating and caging and regulate temperatures. A respiratory infection or injury will cost you more than a quality thermostat to fix and may cost your snake it's life. Knowing your temps and keeping your temps stable is of utmost importance to your snakes health. A temp gun is best to get accurate readings where your snake is, don't rely on stick on or probe thermometers, read at the heat source, snakes will move aside bedding and get to the bottom. Warm to the touch to you could easily be hot enough to burn a snake, you need to know the temps.

I hope your uncle doesn't mean a heat rock by "basking" rock, bps don't generally bask in the open. They are shy and inactive, secure hides and enclosed spaces is what they like. Fish tanks are hard to keep humidity right, poorly sized for a terrestrial snake, hard to heat without sucking all the humidity out and far too open for a ball python, that is why they are not recommended although they can work with some effort they aren't designed with reptiles in mind. The right substrate and heating method will help a lot and there's plenty of threads with aquarium setups and advice to run them best.

Well I kinda cant see how I shouldn't take his advice when he clearly knows what hes doing. He's had his BP for almost 3 years and it's doing just fine. What your probably referring to are people who have seriously no idea how to take care of them. I have taken the advice others have been giving me on here but if you've read my earlier posts I'm getting conflicted opinions. Most of the people are are breeders and such so of course the setups they have are very different. Mine is just a regular pet, so is his. If he sets mine up like this I really shouldnt worry.

Also you're kinda late on telling not to get a thermometer with a probe. I've already ordered the one I was shown earlier and I'll be using that to keep track on the temps. Humidity is something I'll probably never get exact, but I know if she looks dry I'll just give her a little mist. I will however make sure she doesnt burn herself. Before I even place the UTH i'm gonna test it to see how hot it gets. With it being so small it probably won't even get that hot. And if it does i'll just set it.

Also, you don't even have to pay for a second hide for the cool side, you can just make one. I made one for my new (had her a week so I understand what you're feeling!) ball python out of a box of wine. I just cut it to the size I needed and stuck it in and my ball loves it. And you can make a hide out of anything, super easy and cheap and works just as well as the store bought ones. I'm sure your ball would appreciate a second hide [emoji4]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

But arent the hides supposed to be similar tho? If I make one out of a box it'll look very different from her other one.

I'd go for similar size but I don't think it really matters what it looks like. My balls been changing between both of hers and they're different so I think it'll work if they are same sort of size


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ball pythons do get burned by unregulated heat sources, it's actually a pretty common problem (Google it sometime :/). Some people might be inclined to say "they won't be dumb enough to just sit there and get burned" but it happens. Whether this is because they don't feel the burning or if they're choosing security over thermoregulating, I don't know. What I do know is that a thermostat is important. Did you order a Hydrofarm? Yes, some BPs can go years with an unregulated heat source and never get burned, but then again there are those who get left for 10 minutes with an unregulated UTH and get burned. Not worth the risk.

A probed thermometer is OK, it's just a little more complicated. You shouldn't use anything sticky in a snake enclosure (if it gets stuck to them it's bad news). So you have to stick the probe on with hot glue or something else that isn't sticky after it dries. If you ever get a chance, a temp gun isn't expensive, and it's useful for a lot (I like to use it to see how warm the rodent is before feeding).

For humidity you can cover the top of the tank with foil or plastic wrap. This usually keeps the humidity about right if your water dish is large enough, and if you have to mist it'll keep the moisture in longer.

If your snake is eating regularly, shedding all in one piece, and doesn't get sick, you're probably doing just fine. If any of those things aren't going well, then it's time to rethink your setup and practices.