My Snake Scares the Hell Out Of ME!

Almost everytime a make motion around my snakes cage it strikes at me and hits the glass.. and it did it like 15 times already.. It was never like that before though ive only had it for a week or so.. Does this mean anything? Cuz now I'm afraid to hold him or stick my hand in the cage. :(

First you need to state what type of snake, what type pf cage, how is it set up? Temps, how many hides? Is it set up near a high traffic area? You need to leave him alone at least a week so he can settle in.
A few more details would be helpful.
Wolfy

would it have anything to do with me attemping to probe it?

Never heard of a snake holding that kind of grudge...but i'm a n00b so maybe they do.

I think there was a similar thread not too long ago with the suggestion of putting a towel over the enclosure so the snake can see you.

Did anyone teach you how to probe, or did you just give it go?

one of my BP is "skiddish". She makes sudden moves and jerks alot. I wouldn't say it strikes, but there is no question, nervous. I hold here extremely still for a few mins prior to feeding or cage change. I don't move, I just let her explore. She gets use to me for that session. But then next go around, she is jerky again. been this way for quite some time.

uh yeah Robin that's a great question.

PipeDADDY, I had a snake like that once and it's just a matter of handling it enough for it to know who you are. he ended up being quite comfy around me when he got older :)

like wolfy said you should let the little guy/girl settle in for at least a week before attempting to handle. I know its hard but it makes things a whole lot easier. This settling in period allows the snake to adjust to its new home. As for the sudden aggresion you could wear gloves and try to hold him/her. When you do handle them keep it very short only a minute or two every other day so that the snake does not become totally stressed. Snakes for the most part can settle down and become very good pets. Some snakes can remain a little more aggressive like retics. Its always best to remember that your snake is not biting you because it hates you but because it is scared of you. sorry if I rambled lol.

My bob was extremely nervous. I handled him for short periods , but often. Sometimes a couple times a day. Only 2 days a week he doesn't get handled. Thats right after feeding. Now he just hangs in my hands and puts up with whatever I do. If gloves make you more comfortable its okay to use them. :)

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I think there was a similar thread not too long ago with the suggestion of putting a towel over the enclosure so the snake can see you.

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Lol, I just put aluminum foil over the glass part before you said anything so it wouldn't see me and could't hurt himelf against the glass.. and i relized that any movment at all now it will strike I don't really get it, because it just started doing that...

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Did anyone teach you how to probe, or did you just give it go?

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What I ended up doing was buying probes from ebay and trying it myself.. I read some pretty good instuctions on how to do it and saw a good video that explained it all, if someone would have shown me personally that would have been better but I couldn't find anyone. So I tried to do it myself based on what I've seen and read.. I wasn't to clear when I got to the cloaca if I was supposed to push down on that flap and slide down like that.. It seemed like the only way to do it but I stopped because I was afraid I'd hurt it.

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one of my BP is "skiddish". She makes sudden moves and jerks alot. I wouldn't say it strikes, but there is no question, nervous. I hold here extremely still for a few mins prior to feeding or cage change. I don't move, I just let her explore. She gets use to me for that session. But then next go around, she is jerky again. been this way for quite some time.

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Ever since I got this ball it's been like that.. always seemed so nervous and any movements near its head it would jerk back fast. And I thought as well that if its handled more often it would get used to people and not be so scared but the person who I bought the snake from had it for about 5 years and its been like that all its life and has been held a lot too. So, I don't think it's going to get any better. And it hasn't struck at all since last night and now its been doing it constantly.

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like wolfy said you should let the little guy/girl settle in for at least a week before attempting to handle. I know its hard but it makes things a whole lot easier. This settling in period allows the snake to adjust to its new home

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I'm actually using the same cage that it lived in its whole life.. and I don't think it would be that because as I said it only started doing it since last night.. its been good in its cage all the other days. That would be a good reason but I just dont think thats it, thanks for the help though

Also has anyone ever been bit by a ball python? They seem really scary and like theyd hurt bad but luckily I have good reflexed and have moved away ever time... do they have teeth/fangs? I could never tell. Does it hurt bad?

And I just wanted to say that last night I got my very first litter of baby rats. I've got some pics posted in the feeders forum.

Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm going to be a little short with you.

You never answered wolfy's questions, and they are important. We won't be able to help you if you don't provide us with necessary information about the situation.

temps normal 80s
not much its in a bedroom
30 gallon tank with pieces of bark for the floor and one hide out
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I think it might be starting a shed you think that might have anything to do with it?

Am I the only one that finds this thread disturbing?

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Originally Posted by jwk811

temps normal 80s
not much its in a bedroom
30 gallon tank with pieces of bark for the floor and one hide out
_________________________________________
I think it might be starting a shed you think that might have anything to do with it?

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I would say that your husbandry is likely the cause of your woes. A 30 gallon tank is huge for a baby bp, and with only one hide, that's likely to be the cause of a lot of your snake's issues. The poor thing is stressed. You should have a warm side 93 and a cool side 83. You should have as many hides as you can fit, small and dark. (no half logs unless to take up some space, but don't count as a hide)

I hate to be harsh (well kind of) but lets get straight to the point:

Dude, forget about breeding rats and breeding snakes, its time to go back to square one. Get yourself a good Ball Python caresheet, read up and start doing what's right for your animals. These are living creatures and you don't seem to have a handle on what the needs are. And please, stop trying to probe your snakes. This isn't science class, but once again, a living, breathing creature.

Yeah, what Christie said...

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temps normal 80s
not much its in a bedroom
30 gallon tank with pieces of bark for the floor and one hide out

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Too cold, too much space, get him set up correctly and he'll come around.

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Originally Posted by jglass38

I hate to be harsh (well kind of) but lets get straight to the point:

Dude, forget about breeding rats and breeding snakes, its time to go back to square one. Get yourself a good Ball Python caresheet, read up and start doing what's right for your animals. These are living creatures and you don't seem to have a handle on what the needs are. And please, stop trying to probe your snakes. This isn't science class, but once again, a living, breathing creature.

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Jamie's hit it right on the nail there - probing can be very dangerous done by inexperienced people. Read as much information as you can (starting with the care sheets) and study all the posts on this forum - messages go back a long way and I learnt so much when I first came here over a year ago. And the people are always happy to answer question.

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Originally Posted by jwk811

Ever since I got this ball it's been like that.. always seemed so nervous and any movements near its head it would jerk back fast. And I thought as well that if its handled more often it would get used to people and not be so scared but the person who I bought the snake from had it for about 5 years and its been like that all its life and has been held a lot too. So, I don't think it's going to get any better. And it hasn't struck at all since last night and now its been doing it constantly.

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You've gotten some good advice here. It seems, though, that the 5 years part has been overlooked. A 30 gallon tank is an ideal size enclosure for a 5 year old ball python, unless it is a very large female, and even then it is probably ok.

Yes, ball pythons do have teeth. Their bite will not be as bad as a dog bite, or even a rat bite. Your snake will probably calm down with time and gentle handling. To lessen the likelihood of being bitten, always reach for the snake from behind, not in front of him. If he is in a strike position, GENTLY touch his head with something before reaching in. This will usually cause them to hide their head. Then you can safely pick him up. Be careful after you pick him up that you don't reach in front of his face with your other hand.

Be sure to check this site for the care sheets. Browse through the forums too. You'll find lots of good information.

Good luck with your snake!
Steve

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Originally Posted by jglass38

I hate to be harsh (well kind of) but lets get straight to the point:

Dude, forget about breeding rats and breeding snakes, its time to go back to square one. Get yourself a good Ball Python caresheet, read up and start doing what's right for your animals. These are living creatures and you don't seem to have a handle on what the needs are. And please, stop trying to probe your snakes. This isn't science class, but once again, a living, breathing creature.

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couldn't agree more. I was slightly disturbed reading this thread to see that someone not aware of their own snakes requirements attempting to probe.

I appreciate people want to learn but skipping the important stuff like husbandry requirements is worrying in itself.

Stress is most likely the cause here of the snakes behaviour and its hardly surprising.

to the thread starter I hope you dont take offense but quite simply you need to as Jamie said get back to square one, I think its good you want to learn aspects of snake keeping but you need to be thorough pal and make sure you cover the important stuff that will keep your snake healthy.

Listen to what people here are telling you as they are trying to help. You will find answers to all your questions here reptile related there is a wealth of knowledge on here.

good thing is your asking questions so you obviously want to learn. Get your snakes environment set up spot on and follow the advice given about hides and temps etc.

ok? well i got the snake in the same cage that its been in all its life (5 years) and thought it would be ideal to keep him there for a little while, while i worked on getting some racks and tubs. and ive done plenty of research on the internet about caring for balls, written up some care sheets myself that you might find on the internet, not saying your wrong lol just wanted to let you know that i didnt just jump into all this stuff without knowing what to do. and the 80s i thought were good, what its not supposed to be in the 90s only the basking spot right?.. well thanks for the help, anymore would help or comments would be great!

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Originally Posted by jwk811

ok? well i got the snake in the same cage that its been in all its life (5 years) and thought it would be ideal to keep him there for a little while, while i worked on getting some racks and tubs. and ive done plenty of research on the internet about caring for balls, written up some care sheets myself that you might find on the internet, not saying your wrong lol just wanted to let you know that i didnt just jump into all this stuff without knowing what to do. and the 80s i thought were good, what its not supposed to be in the 90s only the basking spot right?.. well thanks for the help, anymore would help or comments would be great!

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How can you write up care sheets on ball pythons when you aren't caring for your own properly? It's clear your research was incomplete based on the care you're providing for your snake right now.

We even told you when you were looking to buy probes - don't probe without getting someone to show you - following directions on the internet just doesn't cut it. Even by how you described how you tried to probe - it was clear you don't understand how to do it properly.

I agree with the posters who have been harder on you. You need to go back to square one. Even just the very basic of offering your snake TWO hides at the minimum and temps 92-94 on the warm side have been missed by you - and you wrote care sheets????? I would urge you to take down care sheets you have posted until you get some more real experience under your belt.

I have noticed that it seems when you post questions - and the advice isn't what you like - you go ahead and do what you want anyway (like you were advised not to probe without an experience person teaching you in person). You say there's no one near you who can teach you - I say you didn't look hard enough. Did you call your local herp society for references for example?

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Originally Posted by jwk811

What I ended up doing was buying probes from ebay and trying it myself.. I read some pretty good instuctions on how to do it and saw a good video that explained it all, if someone would have shown me personally that would have been better but I couldn't find anyone. So I tried to do it myself based on what I've seen and read.. I wasn't to clear when I got to the cloaca if I was supposed to push down on that flap and slide down like that.. It seemed like the only way to do it but I stopped because I was afraid I'd hurt it.

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Better get some one that has dont it show you how.

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Ever since I got this ball it's been like that.. always seemed so nervous and any movements near its head it would jerk back fast. And I thought as well that if its handled more often it would get used to people and not be so scared but the person who I bought the snake from had it for about 5 years and its been like that all its life and has been held a lot too. So, I don't think it's going to get any better. And it hasn't struck at all since last night and now its been doing it constantly.

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Was it well taken care of. Was your snake a captive breed or wild caught?

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Also has anyone ever been bit by a ball python? They seem really scary and like theyd hurt bad but luckily I have good reflexed and have moved away ever time... do they have teeth/fangs? I could never tell. Does it hurt bad?

And I just wanted to say that last night I got my very first litter of baby rats. I've got some pics posted in the feeders forum.

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Yes many people have been bitten by their snakes. They have teeth not fangs.

Does it hurt.. well is not comfortable. But some tattos and splinters hurt worse. that all depends on the person. Its best not to worry about getting bit that will increase your stress and in turn your snakes.

Hope this helped

Everyone will get tagged eventually, no one knows when. Its like everyone will eventually die some day, and worrying about when it is gonna happen doesn't help anything. (sorry to be morbid)


ww

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Originally Posted by wildlifewarrior

Everyone will get tagged eventually, no one knows when. Its like everyone will eventually die some day, and worrying about when it is gonna happen doesn't help anything. (sorry to be morbid)


ww

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I'm going to die one day!?! Why didn't mommy ever tell me this!!!!

Sucks to be Ya'll a voodoo witch doctor read my palm and said I would live forever.!!! ... and for another $50.00 I would be rich to.

Awww - poor Jamie - there, there ... :hug:


I was thinking of my first bite last night (never had one yet LOL!) my BP was a bit nervous and reared back a bit last night and I wondered if it was gonna be it - but no - she didn't.

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Originally Posted by Razaiel

Awww - poor Jamie - there, there ... :hug:


I was thinking of my first bite last night (never had one yet LOL!) my BP was a bit nervous and reared back a bit last night and I wondered if it was gonna be it - but no - she didn't.

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Thanks for the support...

I got bitten 3.5 weeks ago and I still can't bend my finger without pain!

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Originally Posted by jglass38

I'm going to die one day!?! Why didn't mommy ever tell me this!!!!

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i'm sorry to break the news to ya, but i figure someone has to do it and it might as well be me:D.

rab. ive read almost every website on caring for ball pythons out there. based on all of that i wrote my own so that everything i found would be put together to help people that way. to tell you the truth it seems like your always trying to make me sound like an idiot..................

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Originally Posted by jwk811

rab. ive read almost every website on caring for ball pythons out there. based on all of that i wrote my own so that everything i found would be put together to help people that way. to tell you the truth it seems like your always trying to make me sound like an idiot..................

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Here is a news flash for you. There is a lot of incorrect info on the Internet. I once saw that Richard Gere did something obscene with a Gerbil. Could have happened but could be totally false. What makes you think that the information that you have compiled into a caresheet is correct? I think people are just going by the things you have said when making the assumption that you haven't done the research and are woefully unprepared to care for or breed snakes at this point. Would you care to post the caresheet for review?

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Originally Posted by jwk811

to tell you the truth it seems like your always trying to make me sound like an idiot..................

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Is that what's going on here? .... I've been trying to put my finger on it ... hmmmm .... I'll have to either reflect some more or go eat a piece of toast ... I'll get back to you on that one.

As far as your question about ball python bites hurting? .... Yes, horribly so.

-adam

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

As far as your question about ball python bites hurting? .... Yes, horribly so.

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I think the thing that hurts the worst is the rubbing alchohol and all the disenfectant, combined with the iodine and then comes the stitches... that curved needle hurts like a... well, it hurts... Then, when the venom gets into your blood stream, and your whole left side starts to throb....

Eww..... HATE it when that happens!

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Originally Posted by ddbjdealer

I think the thing that hurts the worst is the rubbing alchohol and all the disenfectant, combined with the iodine and then comes the stitches... that curved needle hurts like a... well, it hurts... Then, when the venom gets into your blood stream, and your whole left side starts to throb....

Eww..... HATE it when that happens!

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I wish I had some venomous BPs. I keep looking everywhere but I can't find any!! You know what relieves the pain? Leeches....

I just hate the itching that I get all over my private parts whenever I get bit.

-adam

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

I just hate the itching that I get all over my private parts whenever I get bit.

-adam

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Didn't we talk about you not doing that with your snakes anymore?

Introduction -

Ball Pythons are the one of the most popular pet snakes. They are known and loved for their beautiful patterns and make great pets because they rarely bite and handle captivity well. Ball Pythons and generally smaller snakes. They on average grow from 4-5 feet long. Sometimes they may be as small as 3 feet or get as big as 6 feet long. Wild caught snakes can definently be a problem, they can have mites or carry parasites and may not adapt to capity well. I sell only capitve breed ball pythons, which means they were breed in capivity, which is the best way to buy ball pythons anywhere. I would NOT recommend any other way.


Proper Caging -

Before you buy your snake you should have your cage all set up and ready for your snake. The best kind of cage you can get for your snake are commercial, store bought cages. Aquariums work just as good. The size of the cage should be around 36" x 12". It can be bigger than that, but it can't be too much smaller. Although snakes like to feel safe and secure in smaller cages they also need to be able to stretch out. You need to be sure that the cage is escape proof.

It is very easy for ball pythons to find a way to escape and believe me when I say this, they are experts when it comes to escaping. Most store bought cages have sliding lids with pin locks which are the most secure and won't allow a way for the snake to escape. Always make sure for any cage you are using that there is good ventilation. If you are using an aquarium to cage your snake you can either buy or build your own screen cover. If you are building your own cover make sure there are no holes or spaces that the snake can get out of, as ball pythons can squeeze through small spaces easily. The cover will need to be heavy enough so the snake can't push up on it and should be able to lock into place over the top of the aquarium.

For the floor of the cage most types of substrate will do. You can find many different types of substrate at your local pet store but remember to stay away from cedar. Cedar is very poisonous to snakes and is something you should definently stay away from. Other types of cage floor you can use are wood shaving, special cage carpeting or even newspaper. I wouldn't recommend using newspaper, it's not very natural and the ink could irritate the snake. If you don't have anything better to use newspaper is alright.

One or more hide boxes are definently required. If your snake has no hide box it will get very stressed and wouldn't be happy. Hide boxes give the snake a place to get away and feel safe and secure. This is where they will rest peacfully and where they will go to digest there food properly. The snake will probably be in there hide box most of the time sleeping. They will be more active at night as they are nocturnal. You can add a branch to your cage for the snake to crawl on. Make sure the branch is in sterdy. A branch is not required but could be something to add.

Heating Requirments -

You will have to keep the cage within different temperatures. As snakes are cold blooded they will need to have different temperatures that they can go to. During the day the temperature of the cage should be within 80F and 85F, with a warm spot of 90F. During the night the temperature should drop down to around 75F with a warm spot of 80F. To keep these temperatures at these specifics you should use a heating lamp and a heating pad. Do NOT you any hot rocks they can severely burn your snake. This is what I use and it works perfectly. You should get a heating pad that will cover about 1/3 of the bottom of the cage. This will be the cages warm spot.

Most heating pads just stick under the bottom of the cage and will plug in to keep warm. You can buy these heating pads at your local pet store, prices vary by which size you get. A heating lamp is a lamp that can handle high watts and has mirrors and reflects to give off more heat. I was told to use about a 150 watt bulb but 100 watts or even less seems to keep the temperatures in the right range. I use a 55 gallon aquarum for my snakes. The best way to keep your snakes from getting burned by the lamp is to get a clip on and hang it above the cage so there is no way the snake can get burned. The lamp can be put right in the middle of the cage.

Ball Pythons will need about 12 hours of light and about 12 hours of dark so make sure the light goes off at night. Since the temperature is supposed to drop to about 75F at night shutting off the light at night will make that happen. Keep the heating pad on for the warm spot and if the snake gets too cool it will go there to warm up. If the temperature drops too low, below 75F, you should use either a ceramic bulb which only gives off heat and no light or a red light which the snakes can barely see, you will probably need to do this during the cold seasons as well. Always make sure the temperature stays where it's supposed to so you may need to use different watts. You will need to use at least two thermometers one at the warm spot and the other somewhere else in the cage to make sure you have the right temperature. You do not want your snake to over-heat or freeze.

Feeding -

Ball Pythons will eat rodents. You should feed your snake pre-killed mice. Buy them frozen and thaw them out and they're ready to be eaten. You can buy frozen mice at your local pet store or you can buy them online. Depending on how old your snake is, or it's size you should be accordingly....

Young (14"-24") should feed on: (small-medium) Fuzzy Mice once a week........ Sub Adult ("24-48"): should feed on: Lg. Mice-Fuzzy Rats once every two weeks.
Adult (48"+): should feed on: (small-medium) Rats once every two weeks.

If you were thinking about feeding live mice you may want to re-think that. Live mice may injure your snake as they will use self-defense before they go down. Feeding pre-killed mice is safe and easy. Just stick them in the back of the freezer until it's time for them to feed and thaw one out. The best way to thaw out a frozen mouse is to put it under a heating lamp for a while. Do NOT put it in the microwave, you do not want it to cook. You can tell if it's ready for the snake to eat by feeling it and making sure it's not cold. It might take while for the inside of the mouse to warm up so you will have to be patient. It can't be cold nor hot. You should have a separate cage specially for your snake for feeding. A separate cage will decrease the chance of your snake thinking your fingers are food and will know that he needs to be in it's feeding cage to eat. When it's in it's feeding cage after a while it will know that when it goes in there that it's going to eat. To get the snake to eat you should dangle the mouse above him to get him interested. Be careful that you don't get bit, it could accidently get you hand. It will strike the mouse and will start to swallow it . A safe way would be to use a glove and dangle the mouse by the tail. What I do is clip the very end of the mouses tail with a wire and let him grab the mouse. That way i won't get bit. Before the snake eats it will scent the mouse to make sure it's food. You can see your snake doing this with it's tounge. You should feed your snake during the evening, that is when they are normally out looking for food.

If your snake refuses the food that you offer it is often not a problem. Just keep offering the food and keep trying to see if he'll take it regularly. If this happens for an extended period you can try offering other types of food or offer the prey in different ways. You can try feeding gerbils or hamsters or even try feeding life food. I don't think this would happen with the snakes that I am selling because they are used to feeding on pre-killed mice and have been in captivity all their lives. If this in fact does happen it could mean that it is not happy with it's home, it might not be getting all the requirments that it needs. You may want to re-arrange it's habitat and let him settle in a little while more. If this still exceeds it still may not be a problem with your snake. But, if you see that it is losing weight you may want to consider seeing a vet that handles reptiles because there could be a problem.

Water and Humidity -

Your snake will need a water dish large enough to soak in and heavy enough that it can't be knocked over. This will be important during sheds. You may see your snake drink once and a while as well. Water should be changed regularly.

If the cage is too dry it can result in bad sheds. The humidity should be around 60%. Which will keep your snake healthy and would give a better chance to good sheds. What some people do to raise the humidity level is to use damp sphagnum moss along with a covered container with holes to provide the moisture. Or for an easier way would be to just spray water into the air of the cage, that could help too.

I don't think it would be possible to find more inaccuracies in any other document available today in all the libraries in our land. I am floored...Mel Gibson made more valid points during his arrest :eek::D

You really may want to check out this caresheet!!!


As for anyone here making to "look like an idiot", that is not true. Everyone here is just trying to give you the best care info possible for your animal.

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Originally Posted by jwk811

make great pets because they rarely bite

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LMAO ... priceless!

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Originally Posted by jwk811

I sell only capitve breed ball pythons

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You don't know how to probe or pop, but now you're selling snakes?

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Originally Posted by jwk811

and believe me when I say this, they are experts when it comes to escaping.

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How would you know?

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Originally Posted by jwk811

I wouldn't recommend using newspaper, it's not very natural and the ink could irritate the snake.

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Wrong.

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Originally Posted by jwk811

During the night the temperature should drop down to around 75F with a warm spot of 80F.

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Wrong.

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Originally Posted by jwk811

I use a 55 gallon aquarum for my snakes.

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SnakeS? I thought you had one ... and I thought that it was in a 30 gallon?

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Originally Posted by jwk811

Since the temperature is supposed to drop to about 75F at night shutting off the light at night will make that happen.

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Still wrong.

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Originally Posted by jwk811

Young (14"-24") should feed on: (small-medium) Fuzzy Mice once a week........ Sub Adult ("24-48"): should feed on: Lg. Mice-Fuzzy Rats once every two weeks.
Adult (48"+): should feed on: (small-medium) Rats once every two weeks.

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Wrong.

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Originally Posted by jwk811

A separate cage will decrease the chance of your snake thinking your fingers are food and will know that he needs to be in it's feeding cage to eat.

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Wrong.

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Originally Posted by jwk811

What I do is clip the very end of the mouses tail with a wire and let him grab the mouse.

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WOW.

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Originally Posted by jwk811

Your snake will need a water dish large enough to soak in

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Wrong.

That's just my first pass .... I'll go over it again when I have some more time. ;) :sweeet:

-adam

:eek: ........

okay well then everyone else it wrong and your right, lol.. and im not selling that was just there for future things ive planned

so is that all?:D

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Originally Posted by jwk811

okay well then everyone else it wrong and your right, lol.. and im not selling that was just there for future things ive planned

so is that all?:D

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Who is everyone else? Please post where you plagiarized, umm, borrowed this content from. I would love to know who these experts are. When I wanted to copy someone's paper back in school, I always copied from the geekiest, smartest kid I could find, not Twitchy Billy who sniffed Rubber Cement all day.

Wow Adam you remind me of my 8th grade english teach right then. For the most part what the all knowing Wysocki is say is throw it out and start over. I think

Man Adam where is that red pen?

yeah only once I have been bitten. My baby was about 3weeks new to me and I had no knowledge of a mouse being too big for her. So i reached in to take the mouse out and I saw my bp back up into the corner and figured it was safe...WRONG!!! man, I was more scared than in pain. It didn't hurt at all. but then again she was only 2months old.

why would i plagurize? i just wrote it to help more people out not like it was an essay or somethin. jeezum

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Originally Posted by jwk811

jeezum

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man kind?

-adam

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Originally Posted by jwk811

The size of the cage should be around 36" x 12". It can be bigger than that, but it can't be too much smaller.

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Really? So the 35k in new additions that I have in 6qt Sterilite Shoeboxes (about 7 5/8 x 14") is too small? :O

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Originally Posted by jwk811

I wouldn't recommend using newspaper, it's not very natural and the ink could irritate the snake.

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Really? That sucks... there's a lot of very large breeders out there with millions of dollars of snakes that should read that then. :confused:

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Originally Posted by jwk811

If you don't have anything better to use newspaper is alright.

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Oh... whew... maybe they're okay afterall.

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Originally Posted by jwk811

During the day the temperature of the cage should be within 80F and 85F, with a warm spot of 90F.

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Are you talking about ambient temps, or floor temps?

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Originally Posted by jwk811

During the night the temperature should drop down to around 75F with a warm spot of 80F.

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I don't think that's very safe information to be passing around to folks that aren't planning on breeding the snakes that are being cooled to this extreme.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jwk811

Most heating pads just stick under the bottom of the cage and will plug in to keep warm. You can buy these heating pads at your local pet store, prices vary by which size you get. A heating lamp is a lamp that can handle high watts and has mirrors and reflects to give off more heat. I was told to use about a 150 watt bulb but 100 watts or even less seems to keep the temperatures in the right range. I use a 55 gallon aquarum for my snakes. The best way to keep your snakes from getting burned by the lamp is to get a clip on and hang it above the cage so there is no way the snake can get burned. The lamp can be put right in the middle of the cage.

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Do I need a thermostat or a rheostat to keep the heat pad/heating lamp from getting too hot?

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Originally Posted by jwk811

Ball Pythons will need about 12 hours of light and about 12 hours of dark so make sure the light goes off at night.

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Funny.... I could have sworn I read somewhere that they don't need any kind of external/artificial light... unless you're breeding them, of course.

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Originally Posted by jwk811

You will need to use at least two thermometers one at the warm spot and the other somewhere else in the cage to make sure you have the right temperature. You do not want your snake to over-heat or freeze.

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Will thermometers automatically modify the temps in my snake cage to make sure that they don't "over-heat or freeze"? Which one? :O

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Originally Posted by jwk811

You should feed your snake pre-killed mice.

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Dang... Another thing I'm doing wrong.

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Originally Posted by jwk811

Sub Adult ("24-48"): should feed on: Lg. Mice-Fuzzy Rats once every two weeks.
Adult (48"+): should feed on: (small-medium) Rats once every two weeks.

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Every TWO weeks? Every one of my snakes eat every 7 days.... Another thing I'll have to work on, I guess.... So if I have a 48" 2000g girl, I should feed her the same prey size/amount as a 48" 1200g male?

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Originally Posted by jwk811

Live mice may injure your snake as they will use self-defense before they go down.

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As highly tuned efficient animals, won't they have the instincts to know how to combat this self-defense? :sabduel:

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Originally Posted by jwk811

You should have a separate cage specially for your snake for feeding.

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Really? I'm gonna need to talk to Jeff @ Boaphilie, I guess.... I need a LOT more cages! :rockon:

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Originally Posted by jwk811

A separate cage will decrease the chance of your snake thinking your fingers are food

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Wouldn't just going into his/her cage every once in a while for reasons OTHER than food also discourage the thought that "hand in cage means food"? Like, say for watering, spot cleaning, handling, etc..?

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Originally Posted by jwk811

To get the snake to eat you should dangle the mouse above him to get him interested.

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Interesting.....

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Originally Posted by jwk811

If your snake refuses the food that you offer it is often not a problem. Just keep offering the food and keep trying to see if he'll take it regularly.

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When should I offer it again, the next day?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jwk811

Your snake will need a water dish large enough to soak in and heavy enough that it can't be knocked over. This will be important during sheds. You may see your snake drink once and a while as well. Water should be changed regularly.

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I always thought if BP's soaked, it was a sign of something that wasn't quite right..... mites, ticks, not enough/small enough hides... I don't think BP's soak regularly. My 2200g girls have the same 12oz Deli Cup for a water bowl that my 200g males and females have..... I don't think they can fit in 'em very well though.


In all seriousness, jwk811 - I have to sadly agree with the others who have replied to this thread.... You need to remove that care sheet with all of it's regurgitated info and outdated, incorrect data so that some poor unsuspecting person doesn't come across it and wind up doing more harm than good for an animal that they're trying to learn to "CARE" for.... Hence a CARE Sheet.

okay well i just closed the sites down i didnt really even need them anyways... and can someone close this thread down too.. i really dont want to listen to anyone else talking.. im gonna go take a nap.........

How many Ball Pythons do you have, currently, Jon?