My first ball python!... I'm concerned

So I finally got my very first ball python Saturday, and I've already fallen in love! The pet store I got him from is one that I'm familiar with and felt safer going to than, say, Petco. They sold me the entire tank as well, so transporting him was simply a manner of putting his tank in the car, driving him home, and setting the tank up on its stand.

However, a few issues became apparent once he was all set up. The tank glass is very dirty and the screen top has unidentified gunk on it. He had recently shed and I could find his shed strewn around the tank. In fact, the tank in general seemed filthy. His poops hadn't been cleaned up, and I highly doubt that much cleaning is done judging by the fact that I have found TWO SPIDERS WITH WEBS COMPLETELY INTACT LIVING IN THERE.

Now, what really concerns me is that not only are there two spiders living in opposite corners of the tank, but when I lifted his hide to try to see if I had missed something while handling him at the store (god forbid, like mites) I spotted a small bug crawling up it. Now, I'm very new to keeping snakes, so I have never before seen mites and don't exactly know what they look like, but this thing was about the size of a gnat and black.

He eats Wednesdays so I was thinking I'd handle him Friday to see if there is anything I missed the first time. He seemed perfectly healthy at the store but the condition of his tank really worries me. I'm also planning on completely cleaning his tank (new bedding, washing the dust off of the fake plants, cleaning the tank glass), but I don't want to upset him while he's still getting used to not living in a noisy pet store.

The store that I went to is widely known for its fish, but they do keep other animals, and (I'd like to stress this) I felt okay buying from them since I've had good experiences on working with them. This comes as a total surprise to me that the tank was so dirty.

I would be devestated if it turns out my ball has health issues, or mites, or doesn't feel comfortable in his tank. It's only been a few days and I've already fallen in love with his little eccentricities and the way he came up to sniff/boop my hand while I was in there. I should probably also mention that he's pretty grown (around 2.5-3 feet, I think) in what looks like around a 100 gallon (my estimate) tank. He doesn't seem too scared of the space, so I'm fairly sure that the tank isn't too big for him. But I haven't seen him completely leave his hide, only stick one or both ends out of it. He also doesn't seem very sluggish or sick, he was actually quite inquisitive and sniffed around like a puppy after I moved him in.

If anybody could please give me advice on what to do or how to proceed (or even just how to clean his tank- it looks like a monster of a job) I would be extremely grateful.

grab a white towel/white fabric and run your hands along the snake or let the snake slither through the towel. does anything fall off and start running around? congrats, they're mites!

also, IMO i would clean that tank IMMEDIATELY regardless of the snake needing to settle. i would never let my snake live in the conditions your described for an hour even if it needs to settle. IMO i'd ditch the tank and get a tub for the time being. when it comes to cleaning/how to i'd wait for someone more experienced to chime in on how to tackle that job.

also, WELCOME TO THE FORUM!!!
:welcome:

Omg. I agree with the above. Everything comes out and washed. Spiders? That tank has never been cleaned I can assume. Wow, just wow.

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Thank you!

I think I'm going to start cleaning the tank step by step. I'm probably going to clean his hides (thus getting rid of the spiders :mad:), then wipe the glass down, then replace the substrate. Hopefully if I don't do everything all at once it'll stress him out a little less.

If he ends up having mites, I don't even know what I'll do. :(

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Originally Posted by cuprite

Thank you!

I think I'm going to start cleaning the tank step by step. I'm probably going to clean his hides (thus getting rid of the spiders :mad:), then wipe the glass down, then replace the substrate. Hopefully if I don't do everything all at once it'll stress him out a little less.

If he ends up having mites, I don't even know what I'll do. :(

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Do it all at once, that way you only disturb him once. Make sure you read the ball python care sheet and the stickies in the husbandry section on tank setup.

I throw hides, water dishes, plants in the dishwasher. Substrate gets thrown out immediately. I would not keep it in the house. Tie that bag up and take it to the trash bin. Disinfect the entire tank inside and out once everything is out. I can't imagine getting a tank in that condition. I'm sorry.

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for cleaning i use regular lemon-scented disinfectant wipes to clean everything. i use HOT water, then the disinfectant wipes, then wipe whatever i'm cleaning down AGAIN with water so there's no residue from the disinfectant left behind.

i agree with JodanOrNoDan: do it all at once. ALSO read the stickied threads on the husbandry section.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!

Ohhh that makes a lot more sense. Thank you all for your help. I just feel bad for him :( I've discovered a third spider and I haven't even begun cleaning!

Is there a certain time of day/night that will be less likely to disturb him? Should I put him in a tub or something else while I'm cleaning?

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Originally Posted by cuprite

Is there a certain time of day/night that will be less likely to disturb him? Should I put him in a tub or something else while I'm cleaning?

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i'd do it during the day when he's sleepy and sluggish. i normally put them in a tub (with holes!!!), just let them hang around my neck, or place a spare hide on the bed and put them there, but DON'T take your eye off of them for more than 30 seconds because they WILL try to explore!

Sounds like he's an older juvenile to adult snake in decent shape - you really don't have to worry too much at all about the stress for him to remove him for cleaning for a couple of hours. Young snakes get shipped in many cases, which is far more stressful. Put him in a tub with holes and clean away. Do it at a timing that's convenient for you, it's not that big of a deal. What is important is doing it ASAP though - being in a dirty home is far worse for him. All at once is definitely better than piece by piece. Using diluted bleach is a good option here - just make sure to rinse until bleach fumes are gone if you do.

Okay so I know you guys are telling me to clean ASAP and I kind of want to do it today, but I just realized I don't have enough extra substrate to cover the floor of the tank. Would it hurt to lay down paper towels or a puppy mat until I can go out and buy some?

Paper towel is all I ever use for my entire collection, and if there is a chance that the animal may have mites you will be better off on paper for the time being. For cleaning i use straight vinegar.

I would clean that enclosure IMMEDIATELY. I would also never buy a thing from a store that allowed an animal to live in those conditions. They should be ashamed to let something like that happen in their store, never mind let a customer leave with that.

A 100 gallon enclosure is HUGE. I don't know what you drive, but I couldn't even fit my 55 (4'L x 1'D x 2'H) gallon fish tanks into the car to be moved and needed a truck. If it's in fact 100 gallons you might want to consider a new enclosure all together.

PLEASE read through the stickies on this forum and get your new snake in a clean, proper enclosure.

...and since that store let you leave with a disgusting tank, I have to question what they sent you home with for equipment.
What are you using for heat? How are you regulating the heat sources?
What are you using to measure temps/humidity?

....oh, and yes, paper towels are fine for substrate. I use paper towels for my juvenile hognose.

For those of you that appreciate updates: I've finished making the tank squeaky clean!

In the process I've also figured out what to name him- Yamori. (I have a fat-tailed gecko that I jokingly named Snake, I google searched the most interesting names for gecko in different languages and it turns out "gecko" in Japanese is "Yamori").

I transported Yamori to a makeshift holding container, which he promptly tried to escape from. He soon gave up and curled up quietly.

The cleanup process was absolutely awful. Taking the decorations apart revealed wayyy more gunk than I was expecting. I also uncovered two spiders. I can only hope that the third one was scooped up along with substrate.

The tank is too heavy for me to move on my own, so I ended up giving it the equivalent of a very aggressive chemical sponge bath. By the end, I felt like I had just carried my mother through a marathon, and although results were satisfactory, there is still a light layer of grime in some places.

All in all, I'm feeling proud of the work I did today, but reading through this forum it's become apparent that I have a lot more to do. I had brought home one hide, a smattering of decorations, a water bowl, and a heat lamp. When I asked about humidity levels I was told "that's what the water bowl is for", and when I asked about temperature I was told "just keep the lamp on one end, you can turn it off at night". Since this closely resembles my gecko setup, where I have two lamps that I switch on and off to mimick day/night but allow me to keep appropriate temperatures, I thought nothing of it.

I feel so, so unbelievably sorry for my poor Yamori, who's clearly been suffering from terrible care. The next things on my shopping list are new hides, thermometers, a ceramic heat bulb or under tank heater, and a hygrometer.

I sincerely thank everyone that has helped me in making sure my new baby is as healthy and happy as possible.

The good news is I don't think he has mites. The bad news is some of his shed got stuck on and there's what appears to be shed (it looks like scales) still stuck to one of his eyes. I spritzed a little water into his makeshift tank while I cleaned to try to help him a little bit. I will also be spraying the cool side of his tank until I can come up with a better way to keep humidity levels appropriate. Hopefully all of the pictures show up.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...2206e1d7b0.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...1136eb1c48.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...8d9b8431e7.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...158a01414d.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...5c5cd423d3.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...dd7a494e94.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...ecaa379b1f.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...281c07f755.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d40677522e.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...5ca2f8a93b.jpg

Also I'm not sure exactly how many gallons the tank is, bit it's 36 inches on its longest side.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...8ce67deef9.jpg

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Looks like a 30-50ish gallon tank?

Good for you cleaning all that. What a mess! I've only seen rat tanks with that many feces (and seeing as rats poop crazy number of times a day rather than once a week... :mad: )

Beautiful python though, he's so lucky to have a good new owner :)

Ahhh, turns out I'm awful at estimating xD

Yeah I was surprised seeing several months worth of poop, it never occurred to me that someone could just not care about an animal under their care :( My philosophy is if you can't give them your best, you shouldn't have them. I have two fat cats and a beautiful gecko that can attest to that :D

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Originally Posted by cuprite

Also I'm not sure exactly how many gallons the tank is, bit it's 36 inches on its longest side.https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...8ce67deef9.jpg

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You've got yourself a 40 gallon "breeder" tank there. In my opinion, a great size tank for keeping an adult BP. If you're sticking with a glass enclosure this will be a good forever enclosure for your snake.

I noticed you don't have a THERMOSTAT on your shopping list. It's the most Important thing you will buy. Running any heat sources unregulated can burn, or even worse, kill your snake.

Check out the stickies thoroughly and start yourself a shopping list. We're here to help...

Good job on the cleaning! It looks like he's in decent shape - could definitely use better humidity though. Paper towels are always good for a new snake for easier monitoring. Definitely look into what you need and absolutely get a thermostat! He's very cute and should appreciate his newly cleaned home.

Thank you! I've already caught him yawning (it was adorable). I'm going to hopefully buy a ceramic heat bulb tomorrow to start giving him consistent heat and a hygrometer so I don't spray him too often, (a thermostat if I can find one, but I'll probably have to order one). Speaking of, can someone recommend to me a good thermostat that won't break my wallet?

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First of all, what was the name of the shop? I live in the area so just wondering if it's the one I'm thinking it is.

Congrats on your new pet. My first concern, now that the tank is clean, would be getting the humidity better which will help him get the rest of his shed off and have good sheds from here on. The number one thing you can do to get humidity up in a tank like that is to cover as much of the screen as possible. When I used a glass tank, I cut a piece of plexi glass to the size of the lid just leaving a small gap for air but if your going to use the heat lamp(also terrible for holding humidity) then you can't cover where it sits so you'll need to leave that area just screen. You may want to look into an under tank heating mat and ditch the heat lamp. You should have a thermostat either way but you absolutely must have one if you use a heating mat or it can get hot enough to burn your snake. Other than those couple things, this tank will make a nice home for him.

Overall, it sounds like your giving him a much better life :)

It's called "coral reef". They have amazing fish. In fact, my sister used to breed fish and sell to them, and I have personally seen how excellent their service is. However, since they specialize in fish, that's the majority of the store. They have a back room of birds and rodents, and a back back room of lizards and one or two snakes. When I got Yamori, he was the only one. I'm assuming the person in charge of caring for the reptiles was simply too scared of the big scary snake to stick his/her hand in -.-

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Originally Posted by cuprite

Speaking of, can someone recommend to me a good thermostat that won't break my wallet?

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you've done a terrific job so far.
for a cheap thermostat: most of us use JumpStart brand thermostat from amazon (no link i'm on mobile) to hold us over a year or two until we can save up for the forever-thermostat Herpstat. the price is HIGH but are WELL worth the money and will last you a lifetime; can't say anything bad about the product or company.
you can also find rheostats/dimmers at a pet store or home improvement store which are inexpensive but work best in a room with a consistent temp.

Thank you! I'm completely lost and in unfamiliar territory right now.
I'll check the pet stores first then. If not I guess I'll have to wait for Amazon to ship it to me '\_(•.•)_/'

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Originally Posted by cuprite

Thank you! I'm completely lost and in unfamiliar territory right now.
I'll check the pet stores first then. If not I guess I'll have to wait for Amazon to ship it to me '\_(•.•)_/'

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no worries, you're with great company to learn here. 😀

Sounds to me like you're off to a good start becoming a great snake keeper.

Make sure to regulate your heat sources, whether you run a CHE, bulbs or a UTH it must be regulated. Unregulated could be fatal, and it can happen fairly quickly.

Don't waste your money on a crappy, stick-on thermometer/hygrometer either. They are wildly inaccurate and you can get a good AccuRite from Walmart for under $10.

As for covering the screen lid. I've had good success using cardboard wrapped in aluminum foil. I just cut a piece of cardboard to fit the lid and cut a hole for the lamp. I then take my time and carefully wrap the cardboard in foil and tape it nice and tight. I kinda rushed one before and had to re-do it months later. It's just easier to do it well the first time, it'll last pretty much forever. The foil will help to keep the heat and humidity in, whereas cardboard alone will actually soak moisture out of the enclosure.

Once you've got everything set up and dialed in snake keeping becomes pretty easy and you get to actually enjoy the hobby and your new pet.

When you get your next snake (you probably will...snakes and tattoos, not may people have just one!, hahahahhahahaha) you'll be prepared and have your setup up and running and dialed in before the snake comes home and avoid these learning curve headaches.

Keep up the good work getting everything right for your new snake! :gj:

I'm supposed to feed him today.. Should I try it or let him be?

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Originally Posted by cuprite

I'm supposed to feed him today.. Should I try it or let him be?

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IMO i'd probably let him be for a couple more days but it won't hurt to offer.

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Originally Posted by cuprite

I'm supposed to feed him today.. Should I try it or let him be?

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Honestly, that's up to you. You'll probably get some pretty varied answers on this one and I don't know that there's a definitive "right" answer. It certainly wouldn't hurt to offer, but it wouldn't do any harm to wait either.

If it were me, I'd offer. If he eats, great, let him digest for a few days. If he doesn't eat, leave him alone for a week and try again next Wednesday.

Whatever you choose, just do your best to forget he's there for a little while and let him get settled.

Good luck! Keep us posted :)

Welcome to the thread. These people know their stuff! You're in good hands.

Id feed as soon as her behavior changes of trying to escape (if she has been). Scent for a while to get her rowled up, I would also do it after dark.

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In the first pic you posted, is your snake's belly pinkish/red or is it just the light refracting through the tub?


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All of the pictures I have of him and his belly are of in the tub. They all seem to have that pinkish tint. Why? Should I be worried? :(

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Originally Posted by cuprite

All of the pictures I have of him and his belly are of in the tub. They all seem to have that pinkish tint. Why? Should I be worried? :(

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it could be a burn or the beginning of a shed.

When I got him they told me he had just shed about a week ago... I guess I should start worrying

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Originally Posted by cuprite

When I got him they told me he had just shed about a week ago... I guess I should start worrying

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it's gona be okay! i'd check his belly out. from the pic it doesn't look so bad, but would you mind posting a good pic of the belly? it'll help us get a better idea of what you're dealing with.

Sure. As soon as I get home I'll get a closer look

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Okay so I did the best I could with him trying really hard to explore my bed. It looks more like a dusty light brown than pink, but I can see the pink tint slightly in some pictures (I couldn't really see it with my eyes). I tried some with flash and some without.

The great news is that I decided to try feeding him today, and I was planning on recording his strike but I wasn't able to because the second the mouse touched the floor he struck. He gobbled it right up and now he's contently sitting half-in his hide.

Also the bulb I bought yesterday suddenly isn't working anymore so I'm going to exchange it today and I bought some aspen to use as bedding once I change the paper towels out. I laid some seran wrap over top of half of his cage to try to keep some moisture in.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...c956eb67c7.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d79c538329.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...c58ecd6c35.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...2718d95e65.jpg

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congrats on the feeding!
i don't see anything in those photos that would make me worry; it could have just been the lighting. i'd trust your eyes.

I've never had to deal with any burns with any of my snakes, so not 100% on this one, but I don't see anything to worry about.

Belly looks fine imo, the cage was very dirty to start so maybe take a warm wet paper towel, make an O, and kind of wash her off. I use a non toxic reptile cleaner, and works great. Sometimes my girl likes to sleep in her poo.

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Agreed - belly looks good. Must have been the lighting in the other pics.


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