New Ball Python Owner-Help Appreciated!

Hello there, I'm Flip! I am a generally new snake owner, I had only owned one other snake before-a scaleless rat snake who I kept in a poorly locking tank in which he escaped and turned up...not alive three months later. I decided to get one a bit easier, and I got a handsome male pastel enichi ball python I call Asriel. I got him a month ago from an independent reptile shop, and I am unsure of how old he is. Here's his husbandry-

-16"x16"x23" locking terrarium
-150 watt CHE
-small 8 watt UTH
-coconut fiber bedding
-a half-log hideout (I'll be adding another hide)
-misting 2-3 times a day

He's had a mass of 103-106 grams since I've started weighing him. I notice that the terrarium is only in the low 80s, which is concerning.
Also, he absolutely will not eat. I've tried every week since getting him to feed, with no response whatsoever. No strikes, not even acknowledging the prey. The store feeds both live and f/t, but they said that they typically only feed small rats or large mice to their ball pythons. I tried out a pinkie as a trial run, which he refused, which I sort of expecting. I tried out a small rat then, warmed up and slightly..juicy, along with 'running' it around the terrarium and leaving it out overnight, with still no response. I'm getting a bit concerned and disheartened, if he still doesn't eat by the end of this month I'll be contacting the store for some advice. I'd rather not feed live (i'm also a rodent owner, I have hamsters and guinea pigs, so hearing the little shriek is disheartening. I know it's the food chain and all, but as a rodent owner it does hit a little too close to home) but if push comes to shove I'll consider it. He's not loosing weight/mass, so that's good I think?

Any help with feeding and any tips with adjusting the husbandry is greatly appreciated-I really need it!

Thanks in advance.

Hello and welcome! Sounds like your baby is stressed from husbandry, other keeps have their beeps in the same room as their rodents, so they can probably lend better advice on this ;).How are you measuring temps? Digital thermometers / hygrometers? Is there a water dish? Do you have a temp gun? Are you regulating his UTH with a thermostat? Is he in a high traffic // bright room?

You need ot measure the hot spot, and cool spot with a temp gun, and get something like an accurite thermometer/hygrometer to measure ambient temps. 75-82 ish is good for ambient temps. :)

Every beep is different, though maybe try a "cave" hide. Reptile basics make a great inexpensive hide, or exo-terra also make great hides.

From what I understand, Beep's don't hear like we do, they feel vibrations. ;)

Pinkies are too small for a BP, your little guy should be on a hopper mouse or adult mouse. How are you heating / warming up the food item?

Take a peek at this, good tips here :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSX79DpN2b8&t=566s

Oh also wanted to note, you'll get this sorted :) There are a ton of wonderful people here with way more knowledge than myself :)!

First thing that looks totally wrong is the half-log hide. You need small, tight, dark caves for them to hide in. The tighter and darker, the better.

Also, of major concern is that you don't mention a thermostat or any kind of temperature controls. How are you regulating and measuring the temperatures? An over heated python can be seriously injured or die.

If your beep isn't comfortable, too hot, or too cold, and feels insecure with nowhere to safely hide, it will not eat. Its survival is threatened, as it thinks it may be attacked by a predator or die of exposure to the elements. You need to give it a secure, comfortable home before it will eat.

https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/environmental-control-and-lighting/all-living-things-digital-thermometer-and-hygrometer-41435.html?cgid=500202

^That's what I currently have in the terrarium.
I do not have any thermometers regulating the heat sources themselves. Are there any ways to get some?

I'll change out the hide asap. Luckily I actually have a few around! Not specifically for snakes, but cozy enough. I thought there was something off about it, he only just figured it out, lol.

And yes, I have been warming up the prey. I fill a bowl up with warm water and float the prey in a plastic bag in it. I wrap the bag in a warm, damp paper towel before taking it out and offering. If he doesn't eat it when I'm offering, I leave it slightly in the UTH area so it's still a bit warm if he decides to have it while i'm not around.

I'm not in the same room as him all that often, but I'll cover up the back and sides with dark paper as I've seen suggested on other threads. I'll also be adding some plastic plants in there as well.

Cool you have some snuggly sized hides on hand :)! Covering up the sides is a good idea as well. I drape a hand towel over the top of my beeps tub just for extra comfort.

Oh yikes! Throw out the dial thermometer! they're in accurate and can come off and stick to your beep! Nab something like this instead!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And look into something like this for a temp gun:
https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Lase...rared+heat+gun

You MUST get a thermostat on your UTH and CHE immediately! If you're in the U.S. you can purchase a dimmer at Home Depot for the CHE and a thermostat for the UTH like the "Jump Start" can be found on amazon for a quick fix or if you're on a tight budget. I use a Vivarium Electronics VE-100 ($85 USD), and there is also Spyder Robotics (I think $99 USD) also make fantastic thermostats. Your beep could get bad burns and dehydrated without getting these heat sources controlled. And this could be the main source of his stress.

Once you get the thermostat for the UTH, tape the probe to the bottom of the enclosure on the OUTSIDE. I recommend aluminium tape. Then, take the heat mat and place it under the probe. You're making a probe sandwich between the bottom of the enclosure and the heatmat ;). You also want to make sure there's a little bit of clearance so excess heat can dissapate and not get trapped under the enclosure. With your heat gun, measure the surface temp of the enclosure BENEATH your substrate and over where the heat mat is. A good hotspot for the belly of baby is 88-92f. I'm not as experienced with CHE, though the are other keepers who are :)

A sidenote, sticky stuff in the enclosure is also a no-no as it will come off and potentially stick to your beep!

Once we get the temps, hides, and humidity, under control, you'll want to let the snake relax for about a week. Only open up the viv to change the water. No handling! And after that week, offer him a nice hopper ;).

Here's a most excellent write up by our own Deborah.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-hatchling-101

Those stick on thermometers are very inaccurate and you shouldn't put something sticky in your enclosure. A thermoSTAT is not the same as a thermometer. ThermoSTATS control heating elements to make sure that they don't overheat and burn your snake. Unplug your UTH until it is connected to a thermostat. Here's an affordable one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=i...d=KKN5B8TMQ60U

When you are done thawing the prey, hit it with a blowdryer for a few seconds to raise the heat signature. The temperature of the prey should be around 100F.

Also don't handle the snake for a few weeks until it has successfully taken 2 to 3 meals.

Keep working on your husbandry and he will be eating in no time! Love the Undertale name btw!

THERMOSTAT is a heat controller, THERMOMETER is a heat measurer. Both are necessary, but if you only have one, the Thermostat is the key, to control the temps, as all good ones have some sort of thermometer gauge built in.

Thank you all for your replies!! I have the Jump Start thermometer, the new hygro-thermostat and temp gun all in my Amazon cart, I'll order them asap. Quite cheap too, which is awesome.

which thermometer do you find works best with the UTH? Preferably not too pricy, and as someone with a massive fear of fire I'd rather one that won't burn something or scorch lil Asriel.

The jumpstart thermoSTAT (controls the heat of your UTH) that I linked you will work perfectly with your UTH. If you want a thermometer/hydrometer (to monitor temps and humidity) then I recommend an Accurite.

Alright, just ordered all of them! Got the Acurite thermostat, the Jump Start thermometer and the temp gun, along with some silk plants for his terrarium for extra cover. I'll let you know how it goes when they get here!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FlipsideRuffian

Alright, just ordered all of them! Got the Acurite thermostat, the Jump Start thermometer and the temp gun, along with some silk plants for his terrarium for extra cover. I'll let you know how it goes when they get here!

---

I think you're still confusing thermostats and thermometers. The Jumpstart is a thermoSTAT that you will regulate your heat sources with (you will need one for both your UTH and CHE). The Acurite is a thermoMETER you'll be measuring temps with.

Whoops, yes that's what I meant! The thermometer for the overall temp of the terrarium, the thermostat for regulating the temps of the heat sources. Gotcha!

When you get a bit more cash look into Spyder Robotics or Vivarium Electronics thermostats. The jump start is good to get you by at the beginning, though a couple bells and whistles and build quality can give you more peace of mind. I use the VE-100, it does have a cutoff feature if there's a power surge and they will beep when / if there's been an issue. I also like if there's a power outage, or if I have to rearrange plus, it keeps all your temp info, so when you plug it in, all you had to adjust is the time.

I'm not as familiar with the Spyder Electronics, though looks to also get rave reviews :).

For a rule of thumb, the stuff I spent the most money on was temp gun, thermostat, and heat mat.

Alright, everything came in and are working decently. The thermometer is all out of whack, maybe I set it wrong, I'll check it out later. The thermostat is hooked up, I guess it's working? I've never used one of them before so I don't know what's good and what's not. I used it for the UTH as you suggested, it's been going between 85-88 Fahrenheit. I may get a lower CHE as I feel it's too warm for him, but I want to consult you guys first before I get anything.
Ive put cardboard all around the outside of the tank, aside from the back (I ran out, when I get more I'll put it on) I left the vent on the side uncovered and a small window near the water bowl so I can see when a refill is needed. I haven't been going in the tank at all, aside from a quick mist-down. I added another hide but I feel it's too roomy, so I'll switch it out. I haven't been handling him at all, the last time I did was to weigh him, but he's been at a steady 106g so I've decided to leave him be.
anything else?

Not sure whats all out of whack for a thermometer. You dont set a thermometer you just read what temp it says the enclosure is. Your Thermostat can be set to 90. Thats way you get 88-90 temps on the UTH. Sounds like your getting things buttoned down.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thermostat dials are just a rough guide , I find ....
I keep taking the temps with digital thermometers and a digital temp gun then adjust the thermostat dial up or down accordingly ..


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Put that CHE on a dimmer or thermostat and you'll be fine, I picked some up at Home Depot for like 20 bucks. And is the probe for the thermostat between the UTH and the enclosure?

The thermometer is only staying at 70 or 71 degrees and 31 humidity, which I can say right now the tank is certainly not a room temperature. It's definitely in Fahrenheit, so I may be buttoning down like you said.

Yes the probe is between the tank and the mat. It was quite difficult getting it in there as the mat is attached to the tank's bottom, but I did it. The UTH actually goes between 85-90, just to correct that. At least the temp gun is working, so I'll try that out in the tank.

Well I might possibly have an answer as to why he wasn't eating-turns out he was going into shed!
I decided to just check up on him-not bothering him, just a tiny peek- and I noticed he had some okd skin on his head. He must've been stressed out that he had no place to safely shed (it took him two-three weeks just to figure out the half log hide) so hopefully the cardboard outside the tank, the new enclosed hide and the temperature regulating lowered his stress a bit. I won't be bothering him for the rest of the week. I filled up his water bowl and misted the tank down, so no more is needed currently.