Neglected Ball Python

Hi everyone I'm pretty new to all of this recently (4 days ago) I moved into an apartment and found a aquarium with a snake in it. At first I thought it was dead because it had been atleast 3 weeks since the previous tenants moved away. I turned on the heat lamp and heat pad and it stared to move around. I did my research and it is in fact a ball python pretty young maybe a year old. Well I got her to eat and drink some water and I've been trying to maintain her aquarium to the best of my abilities but I'm wondering what I can do to make her trust me. He has yet to strike at me and allows me to move her water bowl in and out and I've touched her a few times but all she does when I do that is tense up into a ball tighter. I've never owned a pet snake before neither has anyone in my family. I noticed she's shedding a bit right now. What steps should I do to make her trust me and let me handle her cause I'm afraid if I pick her up that's when she will strike me. I want to keep her and give her the best life possible because I can tell the previous owners didn't care much in a small aquarium with no humidity and paper towels as bedding but I'm dying to actually handle her and have her trust me I just don't know what to do. Any help would be appreciated.

I don't know if this is the right sub-forum for your questions. If you go into the BP Husbandry sub-forum you will find lots of stickies with valuable information in them. Best of luck with your Royal. Read the stickies you'll be glad you did. And don't be afraid to ask what you may think is a silly question. Everyone in this forum was a beginner once.

Good Luck!!!

Welcome...that poor snake! And great that you're stepping up to take care of her. I'd work on getting her enclosure right (heat & humidity & hides etc)
and don't be in a rush to handle her yet...since they didn't care enough to even find her another home, they probably didn't handle her much either, & it's far
more important that she builds up her health (& immune system) first, before any handling. In addition, shy snakes (like BPs) may refuse food if they are
stressed from handling, so for her sake, feeding is "job #1"....wait until she has taken at least 3 meals at normal intervals (not less than a week apart) before
you try to do any handling, for best results. And by all means, ask questions...we were all "new" to snakes at one time too.

:welcome: :snake:

for now, just leave her be and ONLY check on her to maintain her husbandry (cleaning poop, keeping water topped off).

be sure to try and feed her 5-7 days after you leave her alone for a bit; i recommend a small/medium mouse (a small meal even for a young/neglected ball) bc i dont know her weight (ball python feeding chart attached below).

please keep us posted on her, OP! i hope she pulls through tremendously for you. [emoji4]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...97e13e5670.jpg

Paper towels are pretty common for new snakes...easy to clean and easy to spot problems like mites, blood in stool/urates, or runny stool. You didn’t mention if there is a thermostat to control the heat sources, but if not, that should be one of your first investments. An inexpensive starter option would be a Jump Start thermostat from Amazon ($35 +/-). There’s a lot of great info on the forum to insulate and boost humidity in tanks. For a young/small snake, the tank should be fine to start with. You can always upgrade as she grows.

Before you do much handling, I’d try to get her to eat at least three meals...general rule of thumb you’ll see most of us recommend. Ball pythons typically do exactly what you describe when nervous, ball up and hide their heads in their coils. Once she’s eating regularly, you can start picking her up. I usually start with once per week, giving at least 2 full days after feeding...or 3 full days if the meal leaves a significant bump. The key is calm, gentle handling. I’ve yet to be bitten by any of my bp’s, but it does happen. You can start out with gloves if that makes you more comfortable. I’m also a big fan of hook training.

Best of luck and please keep us updated. :)

Yes, can you tell us about the enclosure that you found the snake in? Better yet a picture of the snakes home would go a long way so we can see what kind of set up its in. As was mentioned ask questions along the way and please read all of the stickies located here.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/foru...2-BP-Husbandry

Reading those alone will go a long way and provide you with a wealth of knowledge on basic care.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KayNikole19

I turned on the heat lamp and heat pad...

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And hopefully those are hooked up to a thermostat, otherwise you could easily end up with a burned snake and a big vet bill.

I can't get the picture to load on here but her enclosure as of right now does not include a thermostat I literally just got paid and going to pet smart to buy new items for her cage. My issue is how do i keep the humidity levels right she's in a basic aquarium with the wire top piece and from what I read it's not good for keeping humidity up. Also is there any reccomendations on good bedding material and how can i move her to clean up her aquarium because the previous owners I don't think ever cleaned it at all

In a glass aquarium type with a screen lid your going to need to spray every day. Tapatalk is the recommended picture posting method and it’s what I use. You can move your snake to a plastic bin while you clean the cage. Aspen, Eco Earth and Reptile Prime are some substrates, I use Reptile Prime. Not sure about your local pet stores but mine do not have thermostats yet sell everything else. Amazon has a lot of options but require waiting for it.

Don't buy the thermostat at the pet store. Really. Last time I was there they were selling JumpStarts for $55 +. And they had those junky Zoo-med things with the dial for over $45. Buy on Amazon. Right now they are $33 with free shipping. Even eBay has more reasonable deals than Petco.

As for that screen, you should cover most of it. I've never used a tank, but I've heard people use everything from aluminum foil to damp towels to insulation board.

Slow down and think things through carefully. It's very easy to blow all kinds of money needlessly on things that aren't going to make a wit of difference, especially at pet stores. As long as the poor creature isn't visibly sick, then anything you do, no matter how small, is gong to be an improvement.

Not to say that improvements don't need to be made! Just sit down, do some research, have a drink, and think it through carefully.

Oh for substrate, NO PINE !! The resin fumes are dangerous for snakes. In fact, I'd avoid all resinous evergreens.

Jakethesnake69 gives plenty of good alternatives.

Coco Fiber is good for humidity. You can find lots of great info in the stickys in the sub forums.

What size is the tank?? (dimensions??) versus the size of the snake? Just making sure before you start renovating what may be too small anyway....especially
not knowing the size of the snake either. You want their enclosure to have enough floor space so there's room for a 'hide' on the warm side AND a hide on the
'cool' side of the cage, so the snake can thermoregulate as needed for digestion & security. If a snake has only one 'hide', they often choose to hide, no matter
whether or not it's the right temperature...so if it's on the cool side of the cage, they may not digest well (& even barf up their food), but if it's on the warm side, well that too might be excessive, IF the 'heat pad' (also known as "UTH"....as in "under tank heater") is not regulated (as this one is not, yet...) your
snake can suffer serious burns. Believe it or not, snakes don't always know when they're too hot, until it's too late. So regulate that UTH A.S.A.P.-

While you're waiting for a thermostat to arrive, pop into local hardware store & buy an inexpensive "rheostat" control already installed in a cord, aka "lamp dimmer".
You'll find it useful...in fact, get 2...one for the lamp too. Hopefully you'll at least be able to dim down the UTH you're using, but it won't be with the accuracy of
a thermostat...remember, this is just a quick-fix, temporary to keep your snake safe and warm.

Here's 2 GREAT companies to order from: http://www.reptilebasics.com/ and https://beanfarm.com/

Back to the tank: We don't all agree on housing here, I prefer glass tanks (& don't currently keep BPs, though I have in the past) while many here swear by plastic
professionally-built enclosures (pricey!) or "tubs" (inexpensive plastic containers NOT intended for living things but modified to use). Others will chime in on the
latter, I will stick to what I use (glass) & the choice is YOURS to make. The argument for plastic is to maintain humidity: neither glass or plastic can 'breathe', but
the difference is the amount of air flow thru a typical screen top, which YOU can modify by covering most of the screen with various options (foil or plexi, etc).
The other argument for plastic is to keep in the warmth needed...again, you can modify & make glass work too, by adding (taping on) lightweight foam board (from
school supplies area of Walmart, etc) used for posters, easy to cut & install on sides & back of tank, and partway up the front, leaving a viewing 'window'. You
can also insulate glass using plain ol' corrugated cardboard- cut down a large clean box, or even use self-adhering peel & stick carpet tiles! More than one way
to accomplish this "insulation" without spending much. Incidentally, I prefer glass because it doesn't scratch or retain odors/stains, and cannot warp from heat.
Also, I like to SEE my snakes clearly, not "store them" like sweaters...;) On a glass tank you can also add scenic background before you insulate.

I'll "take a breath" & let you digest this...thank you again for coming to his or her rescue! :gj:

Yup. Just STAY AWAY from the pet store. It is just a good place to bring home mites.
You can get everything you need on line from places like Amazon, Reptile Basics, SpyderRobotics, and the BeanFarm. Big Cheese is my favorite supplier for frozen feeder mice. (I have no affiliation with any of these people, just where I order the necessities for my six snakes.)

Now, you are going to get some differing opinions, but the first thing I would order if I were in your situation, is a heat mat (a UTH), UltraTherm from Reptile Basics. I usually get the 6"X 11", $24.98 shipped to NM from NC. These don't draw a lot of electricity, but you should also get a thermostat. The Jumpstart off Amazon mentioned by another member earlier will do fine as a starter. I prefer Herpstat 1 for its safety features, which IIRC is about $120 shipped. A t-stat is essential, a pricey one is a "nice to have."

After that, you will want a lazer temp gun. Do NOT by a stick on the wall dial thermometer, and don't bother with the same type of hygrometer. I don't bother with the hygro at all - they never seem to agree with eachother if you put multiples in the same enclosure.

Big Cheese mice ship quickly in dry ice, but IIRC, they only ship one day a week, so check the site. Plan on spending about $50? - its been a while since I ordered, I mostly raise my own feeders, or buy some from my neighbor. Food right now, is not your biggest priority anyway.

Also, a snake hook, and a clean tub to put the snake in while you clean the enclosure.
(I am a glass tank person, but I use the LATCHING! tubs to keep the animal contained while cleaning the enclosure.)

Your snake hook can be home-made if you are handy, Just make it sturdy, and no sharp edges - I doubled the wire (like the handle end of some wire fly swatters). My bigger hook is just a re-purposed bamboo back scratcher. Use a gentle tap with the hook to alert the snake that you are going in. Expect some possible difficulties before both of you get used to eachother.

And to maintain humidity, yes, you can mist, but that's not the best way...use one of the substrates others recommended that really hold IN the moisture.

I personally don't use any of them, as my current snakes don't need it...the only snake I have that NEEDS humidity has a large "humid hide" filled with damp
sphagnum moss. Because they enjoy it, I also give similar 'hides' to my corn snakes+ too. Also, I live in a fairly humid state, though the heat in our houses
and the heat in our snake enclosures tends to take away that natural humidity, so we have to adjust for that in keeping BPs & many other species.

In case you haven't gotten there yet, there's another current thread talking about "tanks versus tubs" (it comes up a LOT here) and I think Coluber42's
post there says it well, similar to what I was trying to explain above, as far as your options:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...=1#post2651815