FB Ball Groups are the toilet of the internet (seeking husbandry advice)

Hey folks,

I have had my ball for a little over a year. I have recently move him to a new enclosure and we are about 6 weeks from his last feed. I monitor humidity, have the correct heating and temps on each side. I've attached my setup for advice on how to improve. I tried reached out on a FB group and was met with sarcasm and honestly, just a bunch of criticism without solutions. This is the first forum I joined when I got my ball and it has always be a good place for constructive criticism. I appreciate any and all information as long as people are cool about it.

I have heard the following from some folks on the group before I left it:
- Choose a different substrate. Maybe coco husk?
- Enclosure may be too big?
- Not enough clutter
- Humidity issues with the exo terra tanks
- Air temp issues? (not sure how to measure those?)

Thanks!

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Hopefully, we can help you. Some people on here might recommend better hides for starters, and eco terra tank can be difficult to maintain humidity in. But I don’t see any reason why it couldn’t be made to work. Is the snake shedding properly? Can your temps be a tad bit high? And what’s wrong with your substrate? The more details you give us (temps, humidity, prey size) the better way can assist. Peace

Sure! Thank you. He actually just had a perfect shed 3 days ago. I tried to feed him yesterday as it has been about 6 weeks since his last meal.

- The coco fiber has always been a good substrate for me but a few people say it is terrible.
- Temp on the left (CHE on thermostat) stay in the range of 87-90
- Temp on ambient side (UTH on thermostat) stay in the range of 77-80
- Humidity has been a bit of an issue. I do mist a little when it gets low or add light moisture to the substrate. Living in Colorado has proven to be a challenge with humidity.
- Prey size: I usually go with FT rats that are the width of the larger part of his body but, I have tried smaller in the past few weeks just to see if that would get him to eat
- I do have 2 cork hides that I monitor for signs of over-moisture/mold.. I haven't had any issues with these. I do have another plastic hide that I could try.

The setup looks fine. It is almost identical to my original enclosures (many years ago).

6 weeks of non-eating is trivial for a male ball python that size. I wouldn't even make a note for at least 3 months. Then I wouldn't worry until about 6 months had past.

If your concern is that you are wasting f/t trying to get him to eat: I would cut off part of the tail a feeder and thaw out and see if he is interested in the scent before I risked thawing an entire rodent. I would only attempt feeding once every two weeks (to generate more interest).

I also wouldn't handle/bother him until he feels secure and resumes a regular eating schedule.

Good luck!

Oh, and cute dog btw :)

Did the snake stop eating when you moved him to the new enclosure?

What was he in before?

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Originally Posted by Valrie87

...I do have 2 cork hides that I monitor for signs of over-moisture/mold.. I haven't had any issues with these. I do have another plastic hide that I could try.

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About hides...most BPs seem to prefer something that feels snug to them, where another creature can't come after them. I like & use those "tree bark" tunnels in some
cages, but only as cage furniture & decor -aka "clutter" ;) -they are way too open to be considered as "hides" (too tall, 2 door-ways, door-way is way too big) though
the weight works in their favor. Cork hides might be too light to feel snug enough, but that's also true of many plastic hides. I don't recall who makes them but there
are some rounded & heavier hides sold (fake rock-look) that might be worth trying? Otherwise, I think your snake is just doing what most BPs do..."play hard to get"! :D

Keep in mind that snakes don't understand how or why their world just completely changed...so even if your new cage is perfect in every way, the fact that
it's new may be the only thing that's making your pet fearful...and only time & your patience will fix that. Don't handle for a few weeks while a new snake
(or a BP with a new cage) is "settling in", for best results. They have to be convinced that they are still safe. :snake:

BTW, you don't always need different hides either...don't be afraid to make "improvements" on existing ones: they will smell familiar, & if too large, you
can make them feel smaller by stuffing some paper inside (for example)...& if they're too "open", you can cover part of the opening. As long as what you
use is safe (nothing they can get their head stuck in, etc.), it's fine to get creative, & your snake really only cares about how private it feels. Your cage
looks nice...probably just a few tweaks (& mostly time for him to settle in) are all that's needed.

I don't see anything really wrong with your setup. Except I'd ditch the half log in favor of a proper hide. Other than that I see a pretty nice setup.

As for six weeks without food, that's nothing in BP Land.
Only offer every few weeks, he'll eat when he's ready.

I've actually gotten to the point that I won't even offer my BPs food until they show signs they want to eat.
So basically I wait until I observe "hunting" behavior. And for my BPs this simply means they're poking their nose out from the hide at night hoping a prey item walks by.
Once I've seen that behavior on consecutive nights I offer. So far that's worked really well for me.

And P.S. I left FB probably 6 years ago. I don't miss it at all.

If you need to increase humidity try covering the screened top. I use a cut-up yoga mat for mine. I live in very low humidity climate and this works really well.

I’m just here for the title. Lol

Did the beginning of the fast coincide with the enclosure upgrade?

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Did the beginning of the fast coincide with the enclosure upgrade?

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Believe this was already asked, Debra. Peace

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Originally Posted by Sonny1318

Believe this was already asked, Deborah. Peace

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And yet still unanswered which is why I asked AGAIN.

Some people will tell you "x enclosure won't work! x substrate won't work!" but I find that a lot of times those people are only saying that because they think their way is the best way. About half a year ago I moved my bp into an exo-terra because I wanted a nicer looking set-up and easier access inside the enclosure. Additionally I've used coconut fiber substrate the whole time I've had him. It's great for trying to hold in humidity, so it's probably a very good choice for you.

I don't know why so many people claim that glass enclosures and exo-terras don't work. Humidity can be a little hard to keep, but there are solutions for that. Misting a few times a day will help a lot. Instead of that though, I set up a cool mist humidifier on a timer. I also keep 3/4 of the top covered with a sheet of acrylic and some kitchen towels, which helps too (the acrylic is too small to cover the whole top as it was cut to fit an enclosure from when he was much smaller.)

I will say that when I switched him into the new enclosure I gave him the same time to acclimate as you would for taking a new snake home. I really think it helped him adjust, and after waiting a few weeks to feed him he ate like a champ.

Best of luck!

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Originally Posted by royalreilly

Some people will tell you "x enclosure won't work! x substrate won't work!" but I find that a lot of times those people are only saying that because they think their way is the best way. About half a year ago I moved my bp into an exo-terra because I wanted a nicer looking set-up and easier access inside the enclosure. Additionally I've used coconut fiber substrate the whole time I've had him. It's great for trying to hold in humidity, so it's probably a very good choice for you.

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False, if an animal does not eat it's your animal that tells you that something does not work for them and EXPERIENCED keeper know proven solution to make an animal resume feeding, it's not about my way is the best way, if I was telling people to follow my way they would fail which is why I rarely recommend MY WAY to new keepers.

Any enclosure can be made to work but if there is an issue, stress, aggressivity, refusal than something does not work and an intelligent keeper should be open to change.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

False, if an animal does not eat it's your animal that tells you that something does not work for them and EXPERIENCED keeper know proven solution to make an animal resume feeding, it's not about my way is the best way, if I was telling people to follow my way they would fail which is why I rarely recommend MY WAY to new keepers.

Any enclosure can be made to work but if there is an issue, stress, aggressivity, refusal than something does not work and an intelligent keeper should be open to change.

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Sorry I didn't mean to offend at all! I wasn't really reading through other people's posts, I was just replying to OP's concern about the people on the FB groups and their attitude, not really to the input from people here. One of the things I love about this forum is how people can share info without the negative attitude things like facebook groups tend to carry. :) I understand that there may be an issue with husbandry, and that's why I shared the way I personally made the transition and allowed the snake to have a "cool down" time to adjust. It's different for every set-up and every snake though!

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the encouragement and input. I've always loved this forum for that reason :)

Yep. I went from a 10 gallon to the 20 gallon exoterra

Quote:

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Originally Posted by deborah

false, if an animal does not eat it's your animal that tells you that something does not work for them and experienced keeper know proven solution to make an animal resume feeding, it's not about my way is the best way, if i was telling people to follow my way they would fail which is why i rarely recommend my way to new keepers.

Any enclosure can be made to work but if there is an issue, stress, aggressivity, refusal than something does not work and an intelligent keeper should be open to change.

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best advice ever!!!