Just a few questions

Allright so I got a ball python around 3 weeks ago , bad thing for me to get it from petsmart as I’m new to reptiles , they told me to feed it adudlt mice , when they where feeding it 2 pinky’s , so the first week was a bit much probably stressful for the snake because it didn’t eat for 2 weeks ( didn’t eat for a week at pet store ) but finally somone helped me out and I gave him a fuzzy and it took it very fast , so it did try to bite at me once during that week as I handled it , I put it down on my bed , I was assuming this was from lack of food or jsut stress I took it out , after I fed him and waited 2 days he’s been a real sweet heart and I love taking him out once every here n there no more then 4 times a week since it is young , but was wondering this , it gets scared of me when it sees me in it’s tank like it goes right to strike position, never tried to bite when I took him out , but he gets very scared , so wondering what that could mean or if there is somthing I need to do , also for some reason as he was in my hand , tried to strike the air ( nothing was in front of him he was facing away from me , but mouth was closed ? So I’m wondering if he is scared or what to do , he isn’t aggressive at all , very calm but recently has been very timid I’m confused , even when it didn’t eat it was never scared

In the wild, anything that picks up a snake is normally a predator that's going to eat it. Snakes are predators, sure, but they're also the prey at times. And it takes
time for them to learn they are safe with you.

When your snake is in it's tank, it's not getting your scent & is unable to identify you just by vision alone: to a snake, you're a big scary potential-predator heading
his way. Don't take it personally, he doesn't recognize you until you are touching him or he's getting your scent. Snakes see motion well to go after prey, but they
don't have a firm idea of what they're chasing until they catch it...so keep that in mind & don't be "it", lol. ;) They aren't logical either: if you hold your snake in
one hand & wave the other, your snake doesn't "know" that other hand is part of the safe thing holding him, and he is likely to think either it's prey or predator.
So keep your hands UNDER the snake when you hold him, whenever possible, while he learns he is safe with you.

You've only had the snake 3 weeks but you mention a lot of handling: go slow on that...be patient. It's best for a snake to feed easily & at normal (weekly) intervals
at least 3 times BEFORE you do ANY handling. Handling too much & too soon can stress a snake into not eating, or even into getting sick, as stress affects their immune
system negatively just as it does ours, & just being in a new home is very stressful & scary. Handling can be overwhelming to new snakes & they can suddenly panic-
that's why he was striking when you held him. Slow down, be patient...

Thanks for the advice ! I really appreciate it , sorry for calling the snake it btw :) just typing fast , and tbh out of three weeks I’ve only handled it like 5 or so times , I’m trying to take it slow. Also was wondering I do have a heat radiant bulb but I keep it on during the day since that bulb it’s self makes the heat perfect , but I turn it off at night and plug in my heat pad as somone suggest to me , but I watched a video and the guy said u can jsut put a normal bulb like 50 Wats and leave it on, is it good to leave the bulb on all the time ? My bulb doesn’t really produce light jsut heat .

My little guy is in a 20 gallon tall tank and I use a 100 wat red bulb and leave it on all the time. The red light isn't offensive to their eyes like a white one would be . He still gets his 12 hour cycle from the windows and the light in the living room. I don't use a heat pad for him and my temps stay perfect. 97 on the hot side and 85 on the cool. There's controversy on heat pads if u don't have them on a thermostat. They could potentially cook ur snake and no one wants that!

If ur switching from bulb to pad I would make sure the pad is all the way heated up before u turn the bulb off. If not the temps could fluctuate a lot before it heats all the way up which could also cause ur little guy to stress. Just have to find out what works best with u and ur little noodle.

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Originally Posted by Toad37

My little guy is in a 20 gallon tall tank and I use a 100 wat red bulb and leave it on all the time. The red light isn't offensive to their eyes like a white one would be . He still gets his 12 hour cycle from the windows and the light in the living room. I don't use a heat pad for him and my temps stay perfect. 97 on the hot side and 85 on the cool. There's controversy on heat pads if u don't have them on a thermostat. They could potentially cook ur snake and no one wants that!

If ur switching from bulb to pad I would make sure the pad is all the way heated up before u turn the bulb off. If not the temps could fluctuate a lot before it heats all the way up which could also cause ur little guy to stress. Just have to find out what works best with u and ur little noodle.

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Hey, would just like to clarify here that ALL AND ANY heat sources should be on a thermostat no matter what. At the very very least there should be a dimmer, closely monitored for fluctuations.

97/85 is much too high. I also sincerely hope that 97 is a hotspot temp and not ambient.

The HOTSPOT underneath the heat source or on top of the glass if using a heat mat/uth (measured with a temp gun) should be 90-91 degrees. Ambient temps (measured with a digital thermometer, not an analog stick on) should not be higher than the mid 80s on the hot side and low 80s on the cool side. I keep mine at 83/80.

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A 100W bulb in a 20 gallon tank, especially if it's a 20L, is way way too hot to use unregulated for a BP. Again, every single heat source must be on a thermostat!

OP, if you are considering switching to a heat mat, PLEASE make sure you have a thermostat before you plug it in.

I used ceramic heat emitters on a dimmer with my BP before switching to bigger cages, and still use it for my sand boa, but it is really important if using a dimmer and not a thermostat to monitor the temps. OP, what are you using to monitor temperatures?

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Welcome Vic!

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Originally Posted by Vinc

Thanks for the advice ! I really appreciate it , sorry for calling the snake it btw :) just typing fast , and tbh out of three weeks I’ve only handled it like 5 or so times , I’m trying to take it slow. Also was wondering I do have a heat radiant bulb but I keep it on during the day since that bulb it’s self makes the heat perfect , but I turn it off at night and plug in my heat pad as somone suggest to me , but I watched a video and the guy said u can jsut put a normal bulb like 50 Wats and leave it on, is it good to leave the bulb on all the time ? My bulb doesn’t really produce light jsut heat .

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You need to be measuring, monitoring & controlling (preferably with a thermostat) the temperatures in the cage. Otherwise your snake is in danger of being over-heated,
burned even, or too cold & subject to illness. Proper cage set-up is THE most important thing for your success in keeping a snake, especially a ball python.

And for sure :welcome:

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Originally Posted by Avsha531

A 100W bulb in a 20 gallon tank, especially if it's a 20L, is way way too hot to use unregulated for a BP. Again, every single heat source must be on a thermostat!

OP, if you are considering switching to a heat mat, PLEASE make sure you have a thermostat before you plug it in.

I used ceramic heat emitters on a dimmer with my BP before switching to bigger cages, and still use it for my sand boa, but it is really important if using a dimmer and not a thermostat to monitor the temps. OP, what are you using to monitor temperatures?

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It's a 20 gallon high and the basking spot is 97-99. The temperature on the warm side is 89-81. And on the ambient side it 77-81. My little guy is thriving on just a heat lamp. It doesn't fluctuate like a an UTH so I don't need a thermostat.

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Originally Posted by Toad37

It's a 20 gallon high and the basking spot is 97-99. The temperature on the warm side is 89-81. And on the ambient side it 77-81. My little guy is thriving on just a heat lamp. It doesn't fluctuate like a an UTH so I don't need a thermostat.

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A 20-high glass tank with those temps from a heat lamp is creating a desert environment for a snake that needs high humidity. You need to dial those back and cover the tank with something to hold moisture in.

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Originally Posted by Toad37

It's a 20 gallon high and the basking spot is 97-99. The temperature on the warm side is 89-81. And on the ambient side it 77-81. My little guy is thriving on just a heat lamp. It doesn't fluctuate like a an UTH so I don't need a thermostat.

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Your temps are way too high. 78º-80º cool side, 88º-90º hot side - ALL HEAT SOURCES REGULATED BY A THERMOSTAT. This can not be overstated. Unregulated heat sources, whether lamps or mats, are a recipe for a (neurologically) cooked snake.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

A 20-high glass tank with those temps from a heat lamp is creating a desert environment for a snake that needs high humidity. You need to dial those back and cover the tank with something to hold moisture in.

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Haha I do. Don't mean to sound like an ass but please don't assume my situation. There's a towel on top that I wet every other day. He has a humidity hide and I use reptichip ( which I recommend to everyone) it's amazing at holding humidity. I have 2 hydrometers the humidity stays between 45 and 55. During shed I mist the tank a few times daily to bump it up to the 70s. My little guy seems very happy and has never refused a meal for me and his sheds are perfect in one piece. Any more questions?

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Originally Posted by Toad37

Haha I do. Don't mean to sound like an ass but please don't assume my situation. There's a towel on top that I wet every other day. He has a humidity hide and I use reptichip ( which I recommend to everyone) it's amazing at holding humidity. I have 2 hydrometers the humidity stays between 45 and 55. During shed I mist the tank a few times daily to bump it up to the 70s. My little guy seems very happy and has never refused a meal for me and his sheds are perfect in one piece. Any more questions?



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You go dude. I’ve been doing this for well over thirty years plus. And I’m proud to say I learn new things all the time, and I learned a lot from this form. So you be what you gotta be bro, peace.

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Originally Posted by Toad37

It's a 20 gallon high and the basking spot is 97-99. The temperature on the warm side is 89-81. And on the ambient side it 77-81. My little guy is thriving on just a heat lamp. It doesn't fluctuate like a an UTH so I don't need a thermostat.

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Not to derail this thread, but I don't want the OP to have incorrect information. Toad37, look it up on on ANY reliable reptile site or care sheet and they will all recommend the same thing: 90 degree hot spot max for BP's. Your temps are way too hot. I use infrared heat lamps in conjunction with heat mats for ambient temperature purposes, and I don't go over 75 watts but they are all dialed down on dimmers. 100 watts at max power in a 20L... :(

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Originally Posted by Toad37

It's a 20 gallon high and the basking spot is 97-99....

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IF you are actually measuring your temps. accurately, that is a BURNING spot, not a "basking" spot. As everyone else has already tried to tell you, it's too hot.

I measure it with a heat gun daily. Maybe my bp is retarded cuz he lays there often. Since the general consensus is my temps are too high I will look into a lower wattage bulb.

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Originally Posted by Toad37

I measure it with a heat gun daily. Maybe my bp is retarded cuz he lays there often. Since the general consensus is my temps are too high I will look into a lower wattage bulb.

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Thank you...and you might just use a lamp dimmer instead. I use them on all my overhead "warming" lights to control the output to what's needed.

I wouldn't say he's retarded btw, but for unknown reasons many snakes have gotten burned either from UTH or overhead heat that's too high...they
seem not to be able to sense when it's too much until it's too late. That's why we're all trying to keep you & yours out of trouble...burns can be serious
or fatal, they take a long time to heal & are very very painful. We don't want you to learn the hard way.

He's not retarded.
Sometimes reptiles just don't move from a too hot area until its too late and damage is done.
Not to "beat a dead horse" but that's entirely too hot.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Thank you...and you might just use a lamp dimmer instead. I use them on all my overhead "warming" lights to control the output to what's needed.

I wouldn't say he's retarded btw, but for unknown reasons many snakes have gotten burned either from UTH or overhead heat that's too high...they
seem not to be able to sense when it's too much until it's too late. That's why we're all trying to keep you & yours out of trouble...burns can be serious
or fatal, they take a long time to heal & are very very painful. We don't want you to learn the hard way.

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OP I wish I knew your humidity secret. I use a 30 long and if the temps under my light ever hit 90 or higher I would be sweeping up ashes. I have a humid hide secret under substrate humidity ponds ( best name I could come up with) and I mist daily.

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Originally Posted by Toad37

I measure it with a heat gun daily. Maybe my bp is retarded cuz he lays there often. Since the general consensus is my temps are too high I will look into a lower wattage bulb.

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It's definitely not that he's retarded. :rofl:

But from what I remember there was a thread on here that explained the phenomenon pretty well. The issue is that BP's, as well as many other snakes I assume, use internal core temperature to regulate their basking behavior. So by the time their core reaches the proper temp, they are already burned pretty badly. Same as how we as humans will stay in the sun until we're burnt crispy, but won't feel it until after it's to late.

In nature it isn't really observed because they, being nocturnal, usually come out to warm up after sundown and by then most surfaces are cool enough to not cause damage. On the other hand diurnal snakes that will bask on a hot rock during the day don't burn very often either. As the surface they are laying on will cool as they lay on it, because their body blocks the sunlight from hitting where they are laying.

In captivity even as they absorb the heat, our heaters will continue to pump it out until they get warm and move. (unless it is unregulated, in which case they will burn.)

A good way to test this for your self is to lay on concrete that's in full sun, the temperature of the concrete under you will slowly go down.

Opposite that, turn a heating pad (for humans, like from the pharmacy) on it's lowest setting, then lay on it and wait. The longer you lay on it the warmer it gets because your body isn't able to dissipate the heat as fast as it being produced.

Same concept, but we can feel the heat growing and can remove the heat pad before we burn, snakes don't, it's just the way they are wired.