Finally got my first noodle!

Hey everyone. I got myself my first ball python finally. I've always wanted one but just never went through with it. I found a super sweet female. I think she's just reg normal but I'm a noob so I'm not sure. I'm just working on getting the husbandry all dialed in now. She was admittedly neglected as the owner went to college and she was left with the parents. The setup she came with had great hides but there was no other source of heat other than a bulb. The first night was only 65 degrees and less than 30% humidity. I got some heat pads and have her warm hide at 89-91 and the cold side was 79 with humidity at 50-60%. I'm still playing around seeing how everything reacts. She's a lot more active now that she's not freezing. They were feeding her 3 live feeder mice every 10 days. I fed her 3 on Thursday and she eats like a champ even being in shed. I'm sure she's way past ready to step up to bigger prey but I'll worry about that later. I don't want to change to much at once. She seems to be settling in great and is always easy to handle and goes exploring when I put her down. The only real concern I have now is that I got her on Tuesday and she was already shedding and she still has the eye caps. I've been trying to keep the humidity higher and spray her with warm water a few times a day to hopefully help with that. It came off in pieces and se's got a bit stuck in a couple spots behind her head. Everything else looks new and those bits and the eyes are all that's left but I thought the whole process was only supposed to take a few days. Any advice with that would be greatly appreciated.

Sweet. Pics are a must and thermostat is a must but more experienced BP people will give you more advice.

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Had to cover the screen almost completely to get the humidity to climb. She likes to leave her head poking out of the hide now. It seems like it just her getting more comfortable.

Get the lamp on a thermostat. That looks like a UTH on the side. I don't know if I'd use both. I use a lamp in the winter and the UTH in the summer. To raise humidity add another water dish. I'd completely clean that enclosure from top to bottom with new substrate. Disinfect all the furniture. I use a tub with holes drilled in it for mine to hang out while I'm cleaning. Noodle looks good. Congrats.

Thanks. Still working on a name but I'm leaning towards Medusa. With only the lamp I can't get the hot side above low to mid 70's. The basement is on the chilly side and it's a pretty small heater. With both going I get a reading of around 89 or 90 with a probe inside the hide on the hot side. I definitely have some experimenting to do though. Next on the list is a thermostat for sure.

Get a thermostat, yesterday. Preferably one that can run both heating elements, otherwise, you will need two thermostats. ALL HEATING ELEMENTS MUST BE REGULATED BY THERMOSTAT!

What are you feeding your BP and how much does he/she weigh?

That looks like a small meal IMO.

Please let us know about food items, weight, and if you have questions on which thermostat to get.

Try buying some foam panels from a hardware store. We have my boy in a cold basement too, we had to add the foam on 3 1/2 sides to keep the heat in. Also keeps them feeling more secure! You should be able to get a massive piece of foam to cut to size for less than $10.

And if money is an issue, a dimmer is also totally fine for the lamp. You should be able to buy them cheap from a hardware store. But a thermostat for the UTH is a must. We have to use both as well- the lamp and UTH. However, it looks like you have the UTH stuck to the side of the tub- that could be part of your problem. When you get it hooked up to a thermostat, I would place it under the tank, it helps distribute heat better!

If you are still having trouble keeping the heat up, you can use foil on the lid instead of cardboard and then place the lamp right on the metal mesh. The few inches it hovers can really lose a ton of heat.

Q: how are you currently measuring temps?

Also, re: food. It's better to feed one large meal than 3 small ones. Rats are also a better full nutrition for BPs!

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Originally Posted by sufficio

Try buying some foam panels from a hardware store. We have my boy in a cold basement too, we had to add the foam on 3 1/2 sides to keep the heat in. Also keeps them feeling more secure! You should be able to get a massive piece of foam to cut to size for less than $10.

And if money is an issue, a dimmer is also totally fine for the lamp. You should be able to buy them cheap from a hardware store. But a thermostat for the UTH is a must. We have to use both as well- the lamp and UTH. However, it looks like you have the UTH stuck to the side of the tub- that could be part of your problem. When you get it hooked up to a thermostat, I would place it under the tank, it helps distribute heat better!

If you are still having trouble keeping the heat up, you can use foil on the lid instead of cardboard and then place the lamp right on the metal mesh. The few inches it hovers can really lose a ton of heat.

Q: how are you currently measuring temps?

Also, re: food. It's better to feed one large meal than 3 small ones. Rats are also a better full nutrition for BPs!

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Good point one measuring temps - use a temp gun for proper ground temps.

I think a dimmer is okay as a backup in case a thermostat fails, but I would still put the heat lamp on one as well.

UTH's go under the tank, hence the name. They do now warm the air, only create a hot spot. The lamp will help raise cage temps and help with ambient heat as well.

The foil is a great idea. I'll try that. I've been measuring it with a dvom that I have a temp probe (thermocouple) that I stick in the substrate. It's been better than nothing but I'll be getting something more permanent. There are two of those small heaters. One is right under the tank under the hide and the other one is on the back. I was hoping the one on the back would help a bit with ambient air temp bit it doesn't do much if anything at all. Its definitely a work in progress but I'm confident we're moving in the right direction. I'll go get a thermostat tonight to control everything. I haven't weighed her yet but I'm working on getting a scale. I'm sure the mice are too small but she pounded three of em. I definitely want to get her feeding figured out but decided to wait since she's had absolutely everything changed this week. Seems to be handling everything extremely well though. It's almost like she can tell I'm trying to help her out.

That's great that you're helping this sweet neglected ball python :gj: & learning more at the same time. Welcome!

Your doing great by asking on this forum there are lots of great people here with a wealth of knowledge. They are correct by telling you to move your "under the tank heater" under the tank. Very important that your snake utilizes belly heat to digest its food properly. Very nice looking BTW! I love them with minimal spots.

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There is a uth under the warm side of the tank as well. Any advice as far as the eye caps go? She's only got a small bit stuck on the back near her head and the eye caps. I've been putting a little extra humidity in and am also going to put an inch or two of warm water in the tub to soak her in and hopefully help with that. She's had the caps since I picked her up on Tuesday and they're still there. I'm not sure how long they were there before I got her. It's starting to worry me a bit since I found out they can stay until next shed or even get infected. Is there anything else I can do or do I just need to give it some more time?

Along with that soak I would purchase some sphagnum moss which holds humidity very well and put a ball of it in her hide. When and how it comes iff will depend on the severity of the stuck shed. There could be multiple layers or just one. I would give a soak, create a humid hide continue to feed her and wait out the next shed. If she sheds again and the eye caps remain I would consult a vet!

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Thanks for the advice. I'll give that a shot. I've gotta go to the pet store tonight for a couple more things anyways so I'll snag some moss too.

I second the foam insulation idea. As stated above, it helps retain heat and gives the snake a sense of security.

Humidity is super important. I keep it anywhere between 50-80% at all times. you need a hygrometer to monitor humidity levels and add water as needed, through misting, or whatever method. A heat lamp is fine, but requires a dimmer to control the heat output and will dry the cage out rapidly.

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Originally Posted by Knowell

Along with that soak I would purchase some sphagnum moss which holds humidity very well and put a ball of it in her hide. When and how it comes iff will depend on the severity of the stuck shed. There could be multiple layers or just one. I would give a soak, create a humid hide continue to feed her and wait out the next shed. If she sheds again and the eye caps remain I would consult a vet!

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Hey sorry also a beginner here just wondering can you leave the moss in the hide until cleaning or do you have to take it out every day and replace it, also would he still need another hide if i put moss on the one over his heat pad?


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Originally Posted by Dorsa

Hey sorry also a beginner here just wondering can you leave the moss in the hide until cleaning or do you have to take it out every day and replace it, also would he still need another hide if i put moss on the one over his heat pad?


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Moss can usually stay for a while, if it starts getting a little smelly you can replace it. And it's good to have the wet hide be a totally separate hide from the standard 1 on each temp side. In case the snake wants to be in a warm hide but not in the wet hide. If he's forced to always use a wet hide, he could develop scale rot!

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Originally Posted by sufficio

Moss can usually stay for a while, if it starts getting a little smelly you can replace it. And it's good to have the wet hide be a totally separate hide from the standard 1 on each temp side. In case the snake wants to be in a warm hide but not in the wet hide. If he's forced to always use a wet hide, he could develop scale rot!

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Thank you! I’ll for sure add another hide with the moss:)


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Thanks for the tips everybody! I've got the UTH's moved and hooked up to a thermostat and got a ceramic heat bulb with an inline dimmer and it's working a lot better. With the top mostly covered I can easily keep the humidity above 60 percent. I've got a sheet of some foam insulation that I'm going to paint flat black and line the outside of the tank with after work today. She already started shedding again yesterday so I'm assuming the poor thing had that other crap and the eye caps stuck there for quite a while? She only had a small strip on her back left this morning and it looks like it will probably be gone before I get home. I really appreciate the advice. Definitely helped things go smoother/quicker. I know she really appreciates it. Poor thing was quite neglected. I'm just glad that they at least had the wherewithal to realize that and do what they could to find a good home. She's settled in very nicely though. She likes to cruise around and explore and my little nephews absolutely adore her. Pretty funny that the only other person willing to hold her is a 3 year old (with help of course) I've always found it interesting how The rest of the family not so much but they're slowly coming around haha. It's impossible not to like something with such a gentle temperament so it's only a matter of time. Just gotta work through some leftover childhood fears I guess. My sister in law has already came at me with some "lady that her pet snake ate her" story hahaha. I'm over here like really? We have a German Shepherd for hell's sake. If were talking facts that could potentially be exponentially more dangerous than a 4 foot BP.