New owner

I recently acquired a baby ball python. I am completely clueless to these animals. Ive been doing some reading. I know its a wild caught guy. More or less Im looking for help into proper care. I have it in a 30 gal tank, it has a weighted water bowl, a place to hide, aspen bedding, secure hood. I bought it fuzzies to feed. I was told it ate a week ago and tried to feed it yesterday but it didnt eat after 24 hours. This maybe normal due to stress, wild caught or whatever. I wanna hold it but i dont wanna freak it out. Ive only held it once. It seems pretty docile. Its pits are clear and doesnt appear to have anything wrong with it. However, im clearly a novice and have no idea what to look for. clear eyes, clear skin nothing abnormal. Is there any tips or help i can get to make sure i provide a good enviroment for this little serpent. To tame it. Anything will help.

Start here. It's our caresheet and will give you all the basics you need to know so you can compare your housing with what the specs are. 30 gallons is pretty big for a baby ball (I assume it's a baby you've just gotten) so you may want to consider using a small plastic tub with a secure lid as a home for it until it grows a lot bigger.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....warticle&id=52

also... from my personal experience... it's very important to treat for mites even if you aren't sure if they have them. "Provent-A-Mite" is an excellent easy to use product. (referred to as PAM on this forum)

wait a week to hold your snake... do change the water etc during the week, just don't bother your new baby. allow it to get comfy in it's new environment.

i know nothing about wild caught balls but i'm sure there are many others here who know heaps. :)

welcome to bp.org!

With any snake, wild caught or not, you need to prioritize husbandry, feeding, then worry about handling down the road. You've got upwards of 20 years of time with this snake so there's no rush that way.

I see also I need a humidity guage. I have a smaller aquarium to put him in since fish has been my hobby of choice for a long time. He/she is approx 16-18" in length stretched out. Im also a bit nervous of touching it for the time being but when the time comes, how do i approach handling it. How do i pick it up without aggitating it or pissing it off.

Im very concerned about feeding and husbandry. Im not sure how to feed it. Ive read removing the snake into a different container to feed it so it doesnt associate your hand/lid with feeding, reducing the risk of getting bit. I kinda threw a mouse in there last night but it didnt touch it and i kinda expected that. When should I be concerned about feeding it. When should I feed it at this point i.e. how long do I wait to attempt a feeding

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Ive read removing the snake into a different container to feed it so it doesnt associate your hand/lid with feeding, reducing the risk of getting bit.

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If you argued that reaching your arm into the snake's cage once a week would condition them to expect food each and every time you reached your arm in the cage to do other things, you could make an equally convincing arguement that feeding in a seperate enclosure and removing them from the cage each time to do so would condition them to expect food each and every time they are removed from the enclosure.

In other words, the whole "feeding inside the enclosure increases aggression" arguement is a load of crap.

Your snake will need about a week to get accilmated to its current setup. Make sure you have lots of cover on the ground, lots of places to hide on both the warm and cool side, and consistent, optimal temperatures. A couple of weeks in those conditions should turn a scared, stressed bp into a warm, hungry mouse murderer.

When it comes time to start handling (after you've got some weeks of sucessful feeds in your snake), I'd suggest you start in the evenings when the snake is naturally awake and aware and then just reach in, stroke it gently down it's back then lift it out. Don't hover over it or grab at it with quick jerky movements. You don't want to trigger a strike or come across as a predator yourself.

Well I have time and patience. After keeping reef aquariums for a few years, Ive learned patience :D

Ok new questions today. I live in a drier climate, Northern Nevada where the temps are high but the air is dry. During the day at this time of year I can keep the temp a constant temp. BUT, Humidity any suggestions to maintain humidity? For now i have a lamp over the water bowl to create some humidity. I have to invest in a hygrometer (right sp?) this weekend. Im taking my bulbs back after reading about the lighting not necessary for it. Im gonna invest in one of those red bulbs (any suggestions on that ie brand and type). Also I have young kids and was wondering down the road when this thing gets bigger will it pose a threat to them (other than the kids might aggitate it and make it stressed and potentially bite) but aside from that any real risks?

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Originally Posted by Gaius Marius

Ok new questions today. I live in a drier climate, Northern Nevada where the temps are high but the air is dry. During the day at this time of year I can keep the temp a constant temp. BUT, Humidity any suggestions to maintain humidity? For now i have a lamp over the water bowl to create some humidity. I have to invest in a hygrometer (right sp?) this weekend. Im taking my bulbs back after reading about the lighting not necessary for it. Im gonna invest in one of those red bulbs (any suggestions on that ie brand and type). Also I have young kids and was wondering down the road when this thing gets bigger will it pose a threat to them (other than the kids might aggitate it and make it stressed and potentially bite) but aside from that any real risks?

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Welcome to the forums! :handshake:

If you're using a glass tank with a screen-lid top...then cover about 80% of the screen with plastic wrap or contact paper. (Clear contact paper works well, doesn't look too goofy, and is very easily applied and removed if necessary.) Some folks get sheets of plexiglass cut to fit as well...just be sure you leave some ventilation space in the screen.

The best way to maintain humidity is to use platic tubs. I changed from glass to plastic for my BP, and am now actually working to keep the humidity from getting too high. (Still tweaking how much ventilation to allow.) And this is in Tucson...so we know "DRY"....LOL

The bulbs will also dry the air out. If you can achieve your temps with just UTH heat, I would go with that and skip the bulbs altogether. Otherwise, try a CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter) which plugs into a hood like a bulb, but doesn't put out any light at all.

And other than a minor risk of being bitten, children are at no "mortal" risk from a ball python. However, I would never, ever allow the snake to be out with children without constant and direct adult supervision. (As much for the snake's protection as the child's.)

Adam's going to kill me, but I'm going to repost my tips and a link since it applies here too. :D

I had tanks in the past, and I used a UTH in combination with a 75w red lightbulb (Exo-Terra I believe). I had both of them plugged into a ReptiTemp 500R thermostat and with having the thermostat's probe right next to the thermometer's probe on the warm side, everything was perfect. As for humidity, switch to something like shredded coconut husk (the kind that comes in a compressed brick). It holds moisture very well and you only have to mist every 3-4 days or so. Plus it's 100% natural and safe to feed on, if any gets ingested it breaks down in the stomach just like food. I covered almost the entire screen top in 3 layers of tinfoil and 2 layers of black duct tape. This kept heat and humidity in well.

I made a thread with pics about all that stuff, check it out:

http://forgottenfriend.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=642

unfortunately my work has those pics blocked (photobucket) I dont have a PC at home anymore so i wont be able to view those pics..bummer

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Originally Posted by JenHarrison

Adam's going to kill me

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No way Jen, I'm out of the Marine Corps ... my killin days are over. ;) :sweeet: Now that I know it's just the same advice in multiple threads and I'm not going completely nuts in my old age, I feel much better. :banana:

It's good stuff, I think that JLC or Smulkin or someone should throw it up in a sticky for you ... that way you won't have to keep typing it over and over. ;) Ya got my vote!!!!

:rockon:

-adam

LOL! Marines crack me up...the AIT I went to handled all 5 branches of service, so I had Air Force, Marines, Navy, and Coast Guard in with us Army kids. The Marines would clump together in one corner of the room and were really loud whenever they'd talk...plus everything was "Er Kill...." If they got a test score back, it was "Er Kill 87". :P

My husband still makes fun of me because I dated a Marine before I dated him. :rolleyes:

And oddly enough, my AIT was at Fort Meade, right where you are. I wasn't a fan of Laurel...but then again, all any of us ever saw of it was bars and cheap hotel rooms. :O

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Originally Posted by JenHarrison

but then again, all any of ever saw of it was bars and cheap hotel rooms. :O

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Sounds like we might have come close to trading paint a time or two. :twisted:

-adam

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Originally Posted by JenHarrison

I wasn't a fan of Laurel...but then again, all any of ever saw of it was bars and cheap hotel rooms. :O

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In that case, I'm suprised you've never ran into mr w!

LOL!

As much as I hate the Army right now, those were some good times out there. :carouse: :salute:

You know the Knight's Inn out on the main drag behind McDonald's? Yeah, that was the destination my husband and I headed to every weekend on pass. *shudders* It was one of the places that AIT servicemembers were banned from by our commands, but everyone went there anyway. lol! I swear I saw like 5 drug deals go down. :confused:

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Originally Posted by JenHarrison

You know the Knight's Inn out on the main drag behind McDonald's? Yeah, that was the destination my husband and I headed to every weekend on pass. *shudders*

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Yup ... I live in a big development right behind there ... you guys could have come down to use the pool when you were "done". :P

-adam

Well NOW you tell me! LOL! I suppose if I'd have been more active on the different forums while I was there, I would have found out you were close by. I would have gone AWOL to come see your collection, I missed my animals so much while I was there. :(

when did you get out Adam. I was in the Corps. 97-01 1st Mar Div

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Originally Posted by Gaius Marius

when did you get out Adam. I was in the Corps. 97-01 1st Mar Div

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I was in 90 - 96 ... With the exception of being fapped out to II MEF for a couple of "trips" over the years, I was at Quantico and HQMC the entire time.

-adam

OORAH! Marine Corps. 94 - 05 HMLA 775. Belle Chasse, LA.

Ok a question about the board. what does the .01 or 2.0 etc. mean in the sig lines next to the type of python. Ive noticed some people have that and was wondering if that was in fact the size of their bp's?

1.1.1 means, 1male.1female.1unsexed

ok i see

When it comes to snakes and kids just use common sense as far as direct supervision and being very observant of the snake's reactions. Some days the nicest tempered snake is just a bit off so you have to learn to see that and adjust appropriately.

I've posted before on the boards about this but having watched my own kids with the snakes I'm very pleased to see some life lessons being taught to them by our snakes. Things like putting another creature's needs before one's own, being patient and quietly observing, learning about the cycle of life and death, the predator/prey interaction, about the beauty of nature expressed in the simple glory of a snake's rippling muscles, the fury of the strike and the appreciation of the prey animals we raise for feed. Around this house, rats are not "just" rats and snakes are respected as the unique creatures they are. I think it's great for kids to be exposed to different views of companion animals other than your typical dog, cat, bird, etc.

It's been very interesting watching our kids learn and accept these very different "pets". The first time I heard one say to a friend..."no you can't touch that snake it just ate"...I was very impressed! The best one was my 5 year old telling a small friend who was a bit nervous of the snakes...."oh it's JUST a snake...it WON'T hurt you silly!"..then he shrugged and went right back to playing with his hot wheels.

One rule we have in our house is no snakes around necks. We want the kids to understand that a larger snake, whether it's ours or a friend they are visiting, is a creature of pure muscle so we have that one very firm rule they must follow at all times.

It ate this weekend. It took its mouse and swallowed it. That made me feel a little bit more at ease.