New Owner of a BP

I got my first BP today, so I wanted to make sure I knew some more.

Is it okay if your BP won't eat for the first few days of being in a new cage? I have him set up in a (temporary) 20 gallon tank. I'm using cocunut fiber bedding with a large water dish and a hide. I'm keeping the heat mat on one side at 90 degrees farenheit and the other side around 80 with a UVB bulb. I've been misting a few times a day when I see the hydrometer is low, I heard it needs to be at 60%.

Am I doing everything right? I currently have around 9 reptiles, but have never owned a snake.

Also, don't worry, this pet is a "suprise", but I have done lots of research throughout a long period of time. I've always wanted a snake, and I'm aware of their life-span. I'm so excited to get started on the snake side of reptile-keeping! Any tips for new owners would be appreciated :)

BP's don't really benefit from a uvb bulb, as they are hiding most of their time. If you need ambient temperatures to stay up a little more then get a CHE. Also if you have a screen top on that tank, cover the top with tin foil, damp towel etc, will help keep the humidity up better. A second hide on the cool side will also help, identical to hot side hide.

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Also, don't handle him for the first few weeks, let him settle in and relieve some stress, atleast 3 successful feedings. Just spot cleaning and filling water bowls should be all the interaction he needs right now.

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So probably the first thing- do you have the heat mat hooked up to a thermostat? If you don't have a thermostat you'll want to unhook the heatmat to avoid burning you snake. You'll also want to check the caresheets on the forum

What kind hydrometer do you have? Those stick on analogue one's aren't that accurate so if you have one I'd get a digital one. Also get a thermostat if you don't have one, Jump Start is a good lower cost one or a Herpstat if you can afford one. A heat gun will help with dialing in tenps.

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Originally Posted by MD_Pythons

What kind hydrometer do you have? Those stick on analogue one's aren't that accurate so if you have one I'd get a digital one. Also get a thermostat if you don't have one, Jump Start is a good lower cost one or a Herpstat if you can afford one. A heat gun will help with dialing in tenps.

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I'm actually going out tomorrow to get a thermometer for him, so no worries. Also- I am using the stick-on thermometers/hydrometers. I'll change those ASAP (I don't know if I'll find any at my LPS. Do you want me to unplug the heatmat? I'll just put the UVB light over it for now, so he can still stay warm. I'll also get a ceramic bulb tomorrow.

Husbandry's good, you're doing a pretty good job maintaining it. Also, I agree with Timelugia that UTHs need some type of regulation, or else they might get too hot. A thermostat is fantastic, I've heard of people using rheostats too, you could hook it up to a thermometer and monitor it yourself (though that would be a massive annoyance), or if your UTH has a dial or something on it like mine does, that's fine. As for the feeding, ball pythons should be fed on a regular basis of every 5-14 days, depending on the size and age of the snake, and the size of the food item. The skipping should be pretty normal, ball pythons tend to not eat after being moved. Don't forget to feed appropriately sized rodents, and provide some hides (at least two like oodaT said) as ball pythons like to hide, both for security and (usually) for hunting.

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Yes, unplug it. You can use a dimmer to regulate the UTH until you get a Thermostat.

Also, if you do want to continue using the UVB bulb, it's usually preferable to put those on the hot side. Heat comes from sun, which emits UVB rays..... which equates the hot side of the enclosure. Only on for 12 hours, off for 12.

You will also need a thermoSTAT or DIMMER switch (aka rheostat) for the CHE. All heat sources must be regulated.

Ok, just got back from the pet store.

Sadly, they didn't have any ceramic heating bulbs or heatpad thermometers. I did get him a few new things, though. I got a smaller water bowl (which he can still fit in), a second hide, a climbing stick, and two frozen adult mice. I also changed the bulb in his tank from a UVB to one of those "Night" red bulbs (I know he can still see it), because the UVB wasn't getting hot enough. I'm going to order a heatmat thermometer off of Amazon today, but for now he has the light. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. I'm planning on holding him for the first time at the end of July, and I'll be trying to feed him every week. The employee at Petco told us it would take a bit for him to settle in and start eating, so I'm not really as worried as I was.

Just in case you are not sure where you can go online for decent items and deals.

Amazon of course
Walmart online (not in store)
Petsmart online
Doctors Foster and Smith
Reptile Basics
Reptile Prime (amazing substrate)

For frozen rodents:
Perfect Prey
Big Cheese Rodent Company


If you live in Canada then Cornel's world is your best place for a lot of supplies.


The only online experience I would avoid like the plague is petco. Slow processing and nail biting frustration when dealing with customer service. One tip however is that if you do see something you like online and have a petco nearby but the online petco price is cheaper, bring it up to a sales clerk. They should check it online and if cheaper give you the online price from their site.

Other places to look at if you eventually want to give the best options are:

Animal Plastics for enclosures

Spyder Robotics for thermostats

Acurite for thermometers and humidity gauges. Often their site is the cheapest online and shipping is fantastic from them.

You may want to purchase a hygrometer instead of a hydrometer unless you are testing specific gravity of some beer you are brewing. :8:

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Originally Posted by SDA

Just in case you are not sure where you can go online for decent items and deals.

Amazon of course
Walmart online (not in store)
Petsmart online
Doctors Foster and Smith
Reptile Basics
Reptile Prime (amazing substrate)

For frozen rodents:
Perfect Prey
Big Cheese Rodent Company


If you live in Canada then Cornel's world is your best place for a lot of supplies.


The only online experience I would avoid like the plague is petco. Slow processing and nail biting frustration when dealing with customer service. One tip however is that if you do see something you like online and have a petco nearby but the online petco price is cheaper, bring it up to a sales clerk. They should check it online and if cheaper give you the online price from their site.

Other places to look at if you eventually want to give the best options are:

Animal Plastics for enclosures

Spyder Robotics for thermostats

Acurite for thermometers and humidity gauges. Often their site is the cheapest online and shipping is fantastic from them.

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Thanks! I will definetly use some of those online stores in the future. I only use Petco's online store for UVB bulbs, because the prices are so low. Otherwise, I only go to their store. I might actually buy rodents online in the future, so thanks for that.

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Originally Posted by agl017

Ok, just got back from the pet store.

Sadly, they didn't have any ceramic heating bulbs or heatpad thermometers. I did get him a few new things, though. I got a smaller water bowl (which he can still fit in), a second hide, a climbing stick, and two frozen adult mice. I also changed the bulb in his tank from a UVB to one of those "Night" red bulbs (I know he can still see it), because the UVB wasn't getting hot enough. I'm going to order a heatmat thermometer off of Amazon today, but for now he has the light. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. I'm planning on holding him for the first time at the end of July, and I'll be trying to feed him every week. The employee at Petco told us it would take a bit for him to settle in and start eating, so I'm not really as worried as I was.

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I meant to say January btw