What's the biggest rookie mistake you've made?

So in the interests of poking some fun at myself, here's the most 🤦 thing I've done so far with our BPs:

When we got Sunny, our Pastel Vanilla Super Stripe, we let him settle before offering a meal. He didn't show any interest, so we left the mouse in overnight, and it was gone in the morning. Yay! A successful first F/T feed.

For his second meal, he didn't show much interest but did eventually strike at the mouse from within his hide and bring it inside. I thought everything had gone great, so we left him alone for the next couple of days - he's still pretty skittish.

Three days later, and I'm asking my husband why it smells like something died in our room. It was awful. And we couldn't figure it out at first! I thought it was something weird happening with our humidifier.

But nope. Turns out it was the very uneaten and decaying mouse from within Sunny's hide. Whoops. 🤢

Moral of the story: Always make sure the food is actually eaten, LOL.

Any rookie mistakes or embarrassing-in-hindsight stories you want to share?

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Way back when I first got my sunbeam snake I failed to use a thermostat with the under tank heater I had set up in her tank. Being a burrowing snake, I figured that if the substrate got too warm, she would burrow to another cooler end of her tank. I also didn't realize that the heat can build up to near oven like temperatures under 6in of eco earth. She ended up losing her tail tip since it was the thinnest part of her body and cooked the fastest.... thankfully she suffered no other burns but I feel guilty to this day every time I hold her and see the nub where the vet amputated her dead tail. :(

Needless to say, I use thermostats now.....

Thinking I was only going to have 1 snake.

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Originally Posted by BR8080

Thinking I was only going to have 1 snake.

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Truer words have never been spoken. 😂

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Originally Posted by BR8080

Thinking I was only going to have 1 snake.

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This.

Other mistakes:
Fed baby BP's pinky mice.
Shopped at Petco.
Bought tanks and heat lamps.
No QT led to mite infestation #1.
Not researching sellers led to mite infestation #2.

The biggest mistake I've done was not putting a blanket on this couch, it was scary how deep Crowley went in there. Haven't made that mistake again since then though.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...is-dc3shyz.jpg

Well, back when I first started out in 1999-2000ish I thought it was as easy as glass tank, water bowl, astroturf, heat lamp and....ugggh, HEAT ROCK!!

I also underestimated how tiny a hole a snake can fit through. I didn't have a proper enclosure and lost a Kingsnake. I figured "there's no way". I was wrong...

Forgot to put latches back in Miss Snow's enclosure one night. She could have been out all night and day. Found her the next night inside the stove where you keep the pots and pans. She was sitting there rather full (had eaten something) and happy of her new found freedom. 3.5 hours of total panic but thankfully she is healthy and happy today.

On my first snake setup I had an unregulated UTH, reptile carpet, aspen over the reptile carpet and heat lamps and a log hide. I'm lucky I didn't accidentally broil my poor snake.
Other mistakes are shopping at a Petsmart, not researching sellers and the worst one was not recognizing the importance of a thermostat.

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Originally Posted by BR8080

Thinking I was only going to have 1 snake.

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Still giggling at this response, thanks for the morning smile!!

My biggest Rookie Mistake: I thawed over 120 rats (all albino) at the same time and of the 120+, only 13 were consumed.

At the time I was living at home so I put the extra 100 white rats in my families refrigerator. It was my sisters birthday the following day so I left a note on the big pile of plastic wrapped dead rats 'Happy Birthday'-I knew it would totally gross her out. What I didn't know that my sisters fiancées parents were visiting later that day, and all they saw was a big white object in the fridge with a note and immediately thought I had gotten her a decorated cake. When they took it out of the refrigerator to take a look they saw the red eyes and when they realized what it was-dropped it on the floor in shock and dead rats and coagulated blood scattered everywhere.

All I heard were grown adults screaming in terror.

Anyhow, I don't thaw out as many rodents now at once. (I prefer live)

My now Brother-in-laws mother refers to me as 'The Rat Bastard'.

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Originally Posted by Lord Sorril

My biggest Rookie Mistake: I thawed over 120 rats (all albino) at the same time and of the 120+, only 13 were consumed.

At the time I was living at home so I put the extra 100 white rats in my families refrigerator. It was my sisters birthday the following day so I left a note on the big pile of plastic wrapped dead rats 'Happy Birthday'-I knew it would totally gross her out. What I didn't know that my sisters fiancées parents were visiting later that day, and all they saw was a big white object in the fridge with a note and immediately thought I had gotten her a decorated cake. When they took it out of the refrigerator to take a look they saw the red eyes and when they realized what it was-dropped it on the floor in shock and dead rats and coagulated blood scattered everywhere.

All I heard were grown adults screaming in terror.

Anyhow, I don't thaw out as many rodents now at once. (I prefer live)

My now Brother-in-laws mother refers to me as 'The Rat Bastard'.

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That last comment makes this the funniest thing I’ve heard in a while! :D

When I bought my KSB, was told by the pet store (lol) that there was no way he could escape because they lack the strength to push up the lid. And that a branch is OK for decorative purposes, but it would absolutely never be used no matter what because there is no chance he will ever try to leave the ground. Well, about 2 years ago, I went on a trip for a couple days and after I came back, wanted to take the baby out. After about 10 minutes of searching through the substrate (since he's ALWAYS hiding down there somewhere), it became clear to me that he was not in his tank. I frantically searched my room and house for 3 hours with no luck. Finally, after all that, I found him hiding under a small bag of substrate that was literally right underneath the small table his tank was on. Apparently he climbed on the branch and pushed up the lid to get out, as at the time he was waaay too small to reach the top from the floor. Branch came out and heavy books went on top until some heavy duty clips were acquired. Lesson learned.

Side note, to this day at least once every week or 2 I walk in to find him fully extended up to the top of the enclosure, with his head by the screen. When he sees me looking he'll always just freeze, thinking that if he doesn't move maybe I won't notice him being bad. He's such a cute little noodle :)

Wanted to hold Paarthurnax a bit before his feeding after I had finally gotten through the first 3 weeks of waiting and didn't want to extend the period another 3 days. Forgot to wash my hands, luckily I had good reflexes that day and didn't get tagged. Always make sure to get all that rat smell off now so I can avoid getting tagged for one more day!

Back when i first got Sterling I was told i “didn’t need a thermostat to regulate his uth “ I was ignorant and listened to one persons advice and poor sterling ended up getting really bad burn on his belly . He didn’t eat for over 6 months . I had to put non-medicated neosporin on him every other day and clean his cage every day for so long . I’ve never felt so upset with myself and I remember sitting there thinking hat he was going to die and feeling like a complete failure .


That being said he’s alive and well today burns all cleared up and eating like a maniac .

I have really bad anxiety with my temps though considering they still get belly heat I just get scared my herspats will fail . Never want that to happen again https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...31b1b1c95d.jpg


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Omg, too many to count! Let's see, HUSBANDRY, not getting a thermostat, not getting a freaking thermometer :rofl:Luckily nothing serious has ever happened to anyone though. Here's some stupid me from old posts-

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Originally Posted by GpBp

Is it better to get a baby or to adopt an adult? I thought maybe the older one could be more used to its previous owner and be harder to tame.

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Oh Izzy, oh poor, dumb Izzy... :D

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Originally Posted by GpBp

Could the lead from the mechanical pencil hurt him..?! :weirdface

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Opened his mouth with the wrong end of the pencil :rofl:

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Originally Posted by GpBp

Weigh..:confusd:

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Just didn't know weighing your snake was a thing :stupidme:

And so so much more :rofl: I am still a rookie after all..:rolleyes:




oh and let's please forget this is a thing

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Originally Posted by GpBp

Hello! I was reading an article someone posted on this forum about a student flushing her ESA hamster (which is horrible :(), and it made me realize that ESA's don't need to be dogs/cats. I have horrible anxiety, and some other stuff I won't really get into, and I've been very stressed out for these last couple years. I feel the most comfortable in my room with my animals. There's something about them that just calms me down 100%. So, I was looking into getting an ESA. I read the website's article about snakes, and I thought about my Geno. I love him more than anything :love: I am thinking about registering him as my Emotional Support Animal. I know I can't bring him into public places such as restaurants/school/stores etc. that's not what I'm getting at. I wouldn't want to anyway. And I don't mean this to draw attention to Geno or myself in any way, shape, or form. Do you think it's okay to do? I don't even know if I'd qualify, but I'd really like to. Geno is a 2-year-old male pastel ball python. He's very very tame and has never had any behavior issues. Thank you!

https://www.emotionalsupportanimalco...support-snake/

(Feel free to move this if it's in the wrong place)

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I can think of a few:

- Thinking I was going to make easy money breeding ball pythons

-FAR too trusting of people on the internet

-Underestimating their ability to escape

-Not ball python related but buying a green iguana when I was not even a teenager.

buying a second BP. :oops:

boy that sure opened up the floodgates. ;)

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Originally Posted by BR8080

Thinking I was only going to have 1 snake.

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:: dead :: And so true!!

scape and setup the whole tank, and then remember to drill the holes for tubing and wires.

Sticking my hand into Cake's tub when I brought his first or second mouse home... :rofl: He was only 100g or so, so the bite didn't hurt at all to the point that I didn't even realize he bit me, until I looked down a few minutes later! And saw a couple drops of blood on my hand!

Second mistake is that on my very first f/t feeding of Cake, I forgot I had to thaw the mouse....... I left a frozen popsicle of mouse in his tub for a couple minutes and wondered why he wouldn't go for it. I gotta say, that felt very dumb and not sure there are many newbies who forget to thaw. LOL

Thankfully, I had no husbandry errors and never did for any of my snakes, and I'm always really proud of that :B *wipes sweat*

Not having a thermostat, not having a thermometer or hygronometer, offering a thawed but cold and wet rat, underestimating the escaping capabilities of a ball python.

I'll be honest, this was me less than a month ago. I've improved my knowledge and husbandry since then (thanks to all the helpful people on this forum) and I think I'm doing O.K :)

Thinking a ball python could perch like a tree boa. I'm so glad I caught Freddy mid air, it would have been a 6ft drop. :oops:

Went the cheap route and bought fish tanks for the snakes. The tanks were barely used until I switched to tubs.
Never underestimate that a snake cannot leave the tub, even when half of the holes are covered and all sides are clipped. My CP escaped TWICE.
If using tanks, spend the money for a lockable lid terrariums.
After spending years of using loose eco earth, I realize it is cheaper to use bricks, much cheaper.
Snakes will always attempt jailbreaks, no matter how secure the cage is, how big the cage is or how perfect the husbandry.
Feed live or continue whatever the snake's last meal was with its breeder. Switch to f/t later.
Don't trust every breeder too easily, especially the ones at Repticon.

Still learning...

Expecting a Royal to eat every 7 days ... I have two who will eat every time as long as it's every 10 days or more ..


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Originally Posted by redshepherd

Second mistake is that on my very first f/t feeding of Cake, I forgot I had to thaw the mouse....... I left a frozen popsicle of mouse in his tub for a couple minutes and wondered why he wouldn't go for it. I gotta say, that felt very dumb and not sure there are many newbies who forget to thaw. LOL

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Ok red, this is PRICLESS. It's called F/T, with the T meaning THAWED, hahaha!! Just playing!! :rofl:

You've certainly come a long way!! Hahaha, it's kinda funny, and a bit sad when I think about how little I knew at first.
Honestly though, this is a great example of us all being newbies once upon a time. Thanks for sharing!! It was both hilarious and educational and reassuring.

Well, this isn't just a 'newbie' mistake, but one we can all manage to do if not paying attention:

I was enjoying the company of my rosy boa one evening: while on the computer, my rosy was around my shoulders and then ended up in my shirt, making
me laugh both from her antics & my being ticklish. But it was in winter, so I knew she was enjoying the warmth as well as the exercise, so it went on for a
while...until all of a sudden there was this warm wet sensation running down my back...:O yup, she took a big dump that soaked the back of my shirt!
Such a trusting fool was I. :rofl: Oops! And not her fault either...no way to warn me.
I'm not saying don't handle your snakes, but do consider when they last fed & take a look for a tell-tale bulge above their cloaca...it can save you a cleanup! ;)

I engineered my enclosure with the heat lamp inside. I had purchased a cage for it but figured I would buy the snake today because he won't be big enough yet to get to it. So at the reptile show I meet Pi and he's so little. He fits in the palm of my hand with room to spare. He's perfect. No way he can reach that light. Everything's going good until he starts exploring and stretches out. I realize he can get to the unprotected lamp easily. I turn it off. Put him back in the container he came in. Back to Home Depot. I cut a 4in by 4in square. Buy some mesh. Secure light over mesh over hole Poor guy probably thought there was a massive earthquake.

Okay here’s a good one, early nineties. I just bought my first home, had a good job. Already had a couple of boas. But never kept any colubrids. Was really excited to have the opportunity to really expand my collection. Was at Lee Watson’s reptile swap. And fell in love with a California king. Which we all know made me want more. Next swap comes home a milk snake. One day I’m cleaning everyone, and decide hey for five minutes they should be fine together (both they’re cages needed cleaning) They’re well feed, it will just be for five minutes, they only eat snakes in the wild, yeah right. They’re together like 15 seconds when the king latches on to the milk. Well I got them apart and everyone was okay. But I learned one hell of a lesson, let me tell you. Not to mention the small stroke I experienced.

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Okay here’s a good one, early nineties. I just bought my first home, had a good job. Already had a couple of boas. But never kept any colubrids. Was really excited to have the opportunity to really expand my collection. Was at Lee Watson’s reptile swap. And fell in love with a California king. Which we all know made me want more. Next swap comes home a milk snake. One day I’m cleaning everyone, and decide hey for five minutes they should be fine together (both they’re cages needed cleaning) They’re well feed, it will just be for five minutes, they only eat snakes in the wild, yeah right. They’re together like 15 seconds when the king latches on to the milk. Well I got them apart and everyone was okay. But I learned one hell of a lesson, let me tell you. Not to mention the small stroke I experienced.

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Originally Posted by Sonny1318

.... Not to mention the small stroke I experienced.

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And now you repeat paragraphs too, lol...

But seriously, never trust a king OR a milk snake. Kings, usually being larger & stronger, are going to win. :O That was far too close!

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

And now you repeat paragraphs too, lol...

But seriously, never trust a king OR a milk snake. Kings, usually being larger & stronger, are going to win. :O That was far too close!

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I hope not. Yeah that’s a lesson you don’t need to learn twice. And considering it happened almost thirty years ago. I kinda know better now. Least I hope, Lol.

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Ok red, this is PRICLESS. It's called F/T, with the T meaning THAWED, hahaha!! Just playing!! :rofl:

You've certainly come a long way!! Hahaha, it's kinda funny, and a bit sad when I think about how little I knew at first.
Honestly though, this is a great example of us all being newbies once upon a time. Thanks for sharing!! It was both hilarious and educational and reassuring.

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Right?? :O Thankfully I only had a ball python who definitely wouldn't eat a mouse popsicle. If I had a ravenous boa or carpet python who actually might go for it, it would've turned out really badly!

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Originally Posted by Sonny1318

Yeah that’s a lesson you don’t need to learn twice.

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I have always loved this old picture and it almost applies to this quoted text.


https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...sons_thumb.jpg

Weeeell, I also nearly had a stroke the other day. It’s getting warmer here in Southern California, so when I got home, I went to my room to check on the kids. Although their heating elements are on separate thermostats, both enclosures were much hotter than normal (coolest area in both was 85 degrees!)

As this was the same day another forum member lost his boa due to an overheat, I quickly looked for my scrub to make sure he was ok. Tucked up inside his favorite dinosaur egg hide, he felt warm to the touch as though he had been basking. He recoiled from my hand, made a huffing sound, and wedgedhimself in further. That is his normal speak for, “don’t bother me right now.” I remembered the advice given on the forum that day of allowing the snake to cool off gradually. So I turned off the lamps and removed him from his enclosure. I set his hide on my bed with him inside and covered it with a towel for darkness. I also checked the Dumeril’s and turned off her light. I opened the front doors to her cage to let the warm air out and left her sleeping in her hide. I shut the door to my room and started doing chores.

I checked in several times, as I was folding clothes, etc. About the fifth time I walked in, I shrieked like a banshee and ran over to find my scrub in the Dumeril’s cage! It happened so fast, I didn’t even get the chance to assess the situation. I reached my hand in to grab him (which I NEVER do, but instinct wins!) and he bolted through the door hinge.

It it seemed like he had just gotten there, but it was hard to tell. She was half out of her hide, puffed up in protest and he just looked like he was trying to find a basking spot. I think I scared the poor guy, cause he just looked at me like, “why’d you make that scary sound?!” I’m sure he just saw the open door and was like, “that’s my old room! Waaait a minute. There’s someone in here! Why is someone in here?!”

Anyway, everything was fine and I acted like a lunatic. But talk about a rookie mistake 🙄

I'm glad nothing bad came out of that awful afternoon, Team Slytherin! I'd probably have acted like a lunatic too...I'm not big on "surprises"! :O

Buying more expensive snakes from box stores before knowing about local breeders.

Buying too many live rodents at once and then they grow up before fed, but at least I have breeders now so I don’t buy so often.

Not knowing how to treat for mites and check for mites pre-purchase.

Feeding mice instead of rats.

Feeding soft furs instead of rats.

Not knowing how to pop before making a purchase to make sure it’s the sex I wanted.

Buying feeders from box stores instead of finding local rodent breeders.

Forgetting to latch tubs.

Buying hides instead of cutting plastic flower pots.

Buying water dishes with and upward curve that got tipped over.

Buying tanks instead of tubs. Luckily they were repurposed for my geckos and dragons.

Knowledge is power and cost savings can become key with a bigger collection. BHB tips and tricks video for larger collections as a good watch.

Instant gratification and extra funds lead to mistakes that need corrected which could have been spent smarter and on more snakes. Ask a breeder if they will hold for a deposit so you can mull it over before pulling the trigger and someone else snatching it up from under you. Just be 95% sure so you don’t lose that deposit. Some will even hold with deposit or take payments prior to delivery ... for those $$$$ snakes.


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Last weekend I was feeding some colubrids. This usually involves me opening tubs and trying to throw food in their faces before they come shooting out. With some snakes, like my indigo, I leave the tub slightly opened because I offer multiple smaller food items and want to track feeding without too much interruption. I've been raising this mexican indigo for almost 2 years now and figured I had her pretty well pegged, she'd take at least a couple minutes to find all three of her meals and scarf them down. I always know when she's finished because she will suddenly rear up, very dramatic, then advance on me while striking at anything that moves - never quite satisfied in the belly, this one. I continue my feeding routine with some of my ground floor animals which are my breeder pits. An adult female bull snake had just snagged a medium rat when suddenly something shiny and black crosses my vision as it flies through the air. The indigo, having finished her meals in record time(talking less than 1 minute for 3 reptilinks), had broken protocol and slithered out quite stealthily. I can only imagine that having sighted the bull snake below(a good 4 times her size, mind you), this indigo couldn't help but launch herself at a meal that might finally satisfy the insatiable. Everything felt slow motion from the passing blur and I was reaching for the snakes before touchdown. Her aim was true, having latched the head of the bull snake before any of the rest of her body even hit the ground, but luckily I was a mere moment behind. I laid hands on them before the inevitable chomping and thrashing could cause any real damage to the bull snake and managed to peel the indigo off her prey without much fuss. The indigo was not pleased that I ruined her super sized meal opportunity and continued to give me the stink eye for the rest of the weekend. The bull snake received some shallow puncture wounds - maybe a little more damage than an enthusiastic male might cause during courtship - but being a typical pit, she didn't even relinquish her hold on the rat and continued her feed like nothing was out of the ordinary.

WOW! This was a fun read. Nice story.

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Originally Posted by John1982

Last weekend I was feeding some colubrids. This usually involves me opening tubs and trying to throw food in their faces before they come shooting out. With some snakes, like my indigo, I leave the tub slightly opened because I offer multiple smaller food items and want to track feeding without too much interruption. I've been raising this mexican indigo for almost 2 years now and figured I had her pretty well pegged, she'd take at least a couple minutes to find all three of her meals and scarf them down. I always know when she's finished because she will suddenly rear up, very dramatic, then advance on me while striking at anything that moves - never quite satisfied in the belly, this one. I continue my feeding routine with some of my ground floor animals which are my breeder pits. An adult female bull snake had just snagged a medium rat when suddenly something shiny and black crosses my vision as it flies through the air. The indigo, having finished her meals in record time(talking less than 1 minute for 3 reptilinks), had broken protocol and slithered out quite stealthily. I can only imagine that having sighted the bull snake below(a good 4 times her size, mind you), this indigo couldn't help but launch herself at a meal that might finally satisfy the insatiable. Everything felt slow motion from the passing blur and I was reaching for the snakes before touchdown. Her aim was true, having latched the head of the bull snake before any of the rest of her body even hit the ground, but luckily I was a mere moment behind. I laid hands on them before the inevitable chomping and thrashing could cause any real damage to the bull snake and managed to peel the indigo off her prey without much fuss. The indigo was not pleased that I ruined her super sized meal opportunity and continued to give me the stink eye for the rest of the weekend. The bull snake received some shallow puncture wounds - maybe a little more damage than an enthusiastic male might cause during courtship - but being a typical pit, she didn't even relinquish her hold on the rat and continued her feed like nothing was out of the ordinary.

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My most rookie mistake was years ago when I was a kid. We had a pet king snake. She refused to eat one mouse so I left it in her enclosure for a month. She did eat others during this time but the mouse that lived in there the entire time just was not on the menu. I did not realize the dangers and stress it put on her. I do not have a clue to this day as to why she refused this particular mouse? I don't feed live if I have a choice now. Is much safer.

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Originally Posted by Skyrivers

WOW! This was a fun read. Nice story.





My most rookie mistake was years ago when I was a kid. We had a pet king snake. She refused to eat one mouse so I left it in her enclosure for a month. She did eat others during this time but the mouse that lived in there the entire time just was not on the menu. I did not realize the dangers and stress it put on her. I do not have a clue to this day as to why she refused this particular mouse? I don't feed live if I have a choice now. Is much safer.

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My bp had a 3 legged mouse he refused to eat. Id only leave them in the feeding tank for about 30 mins tops. (Usually takes him 5) But they would just hang out. The mouse would just be standing on top of him or sitting in the middle of his coils cleaning itself. It was ridiculous. Tried to feed him in between other mice he ate for a couple month before i gave the darned thing to a friend for his snake.

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Originally Posted by Apiratenamedjohn

My bp had a 3 legged mouse he refused to eat. Id only leave them in the feeding tank for about 30 mins tops. (Usually takes him 5) But they would just hang out. The mouse would just be standing on top of him or sitting in the middle of his coils cleaning itself. It was ridiculous. Tried to feed him in between other mice he ate for a couple month before i gave the darned thing to a friend for his snake.

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I hate it when they become buddies. Off to the next hungry one I say!


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Originally Posted by Spechal

I hate it when they become buddies. Off to the next hungry one I say!


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This happen to me the time Ramsey went off feed the first time ...well sorta, instead of the beep becoming friends it was my husband.....I bought a live rat and well it didn’t make it .... the little shiester escaped and tore through my closet in the reptile room and I was already drunk and home alone...my rage kicked in and I searched for it and found it well....it hit me and I snapped and tossed it out the garage like a javelin. Yes I was out of control....anyways back to the topic when I first got Ramsey I used a heat lamp
That was 200w and her basking side was 120....this was before this forum and me knowing what I know now...needless to say I quickly learned.


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