My snake acts stressed.

I'm a little worried about my snake. I've had her for about 2 weeks and she has been active during the day. I'm concerned that she will become sick if she is stressed. I have her in a tank intended for reptiles it is 36 inches long and 18 1/2 inches wide. She has a heating pad underneath on one side. I have supplied her with hiding places on both ends of her tank (she has water and a leafy vine that she can climb on if she wants to). Is she not happy with the hiding places that I have provided for her or is she just not settled in 100% ? Any advice will be greatly appreciated. :confused:

Hannah

how big is the snake?, i know smaller snakes in larg tanks stress them out?

Do you use a thermostat? How do you measure temps and where? What is the age of the bp? Some pics of the setup would help as well.

The tank is fairly big. My snake is a baby...I don't know her actual age. I haven't been able to measure her length yet, but she is almost the length of my arm...if that helps...I know that's kind of vague, but that's really the best I can do at the moment.

We need more information on the setup. Write as much as you can, so we can analyze your setup. Is your BP not in the hides?

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Originally Posted by snake_lady83

The tank is fairly big. My snake is a baby...I don't know her actual age. I haven't been able to measure her length yet, but she is almost the length of my arm...if that helps...I know that's kind of vague, but that's really the best I can do at the moment.

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1 foot 2 foot? it could be a number of things. i am thinking the cage is to big for her and she is stressed due to the large space available. it sounds like you have a 20l gal tank or something to that matter?. i would have started out in a 10 gallon with minimal stuff, bedding, hides and water. but with out knowing at least a estimated length it will be hard to advise, also your temps could be off as well?

lol how do i post a picture...I have one but can't figure out how to send it to you

the tank is 36 inches long and 18 1/2 inches wide...is a roomy tank a bad idea? i thought that it would be good for her to be able to move about if she wants to.

read this over to post a pic

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=32417

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Originally Posted by snake_lady83

the tank is 36 inches long and 18 1/2 inches wide...is a room tank a bad idea? i thought that it would be good for her to be able to move about if she wants to.

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baby snake stress over large space, just like a baby they like to feel secure, they get that from feeling things against their bodies IE: hide box. i use old toilet paper rolls for for hides for babies, cheap and easaly replaced. to large of a space they can feel threatend.

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Originally Posted by snake_lady83

the tank is 36 inches long and 18 1/2 inches wide...is a roomy tank a bad idea? i thought that it would be good for her to be able to move about if she wants to.

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That is a 40 gallon breeder tank. It is a bit big at the moment. That tank is good for a full-grown female at about 5' not a 2' juvenile. If it is your only choice, crowd it with a lot of hides and such.

it's funny that you should mention that because that is one of the hiding places I made for her. I can't think of anything else to keep her in at the moment...I'm afraid that she will be too cramped. I used to have a 10 gal. a while back, but don't have it anymore...

or you can cut a peice of card board and make a divider this way you can adjust it as she grows/

ok I can try that...what would you suggest? Artificial plant and such? If you would like to see how it is set up now you can go to my gallery in my profile. I tried to figure out how to post the image on here, but haven't been able to figure it out as of yet. lol

A divider sounds like a good idea also. I didn't think of that. I'll just have to figure out what to use the tank is rather large...

anything should work it does not need to be fort nox, a few peices of cardboard, old peice of plexi glass. heck even news paper tapes (no duct tape), use tape that is not real sticky you do not want her to get stuck on it.

i saw the tank looks nice but is way to big for the lil one. you could even use one of them plastic critter cages that are inexpencive???

ok that sound easy enough...I'll see what I can find and keep you posted. Thank you for your advice
:)

no problem.

I saw the photos of your setup. I think that more stick on plants and ivy on the walls covering 3 sides would make your BP feel much more secure. It appears too open and your BP just wants darkness and a lot of places to snuggle into.

Loosely crumpled up newpaper also help to make a stressed bp feel more secure. Not pretty, but works wonders.

Also how are you heating that tank?

I'm using a heating pad under one side of the tank. I've read about basking spots, but where bp are nocturnal I didn't know if that would really be necessary

You need to have a warm side, 92-94, and a cool side, 82-84. A thermostat will help regulate your heating pad, to achieve those temps consistantly. You'll also need a digital thermometer to measure the temps as well.

Well I put up a cardboard divider like jcaustralia suggested and i will wait and see how she does. I do have another question (although a completely different subject) How often should a baby bp eat...I know that they can be difficult when it comes to eating... As you know my bp is a baby and I don't want her to go for too long without eating. I got her on the 17th of this month and she hasn't eaten for me yet. I've tried to feed her twice (the second try was yestarday), but no luck so far.

Offer food only once a week, but first get the temps right. You'll notice a distinct difference.

In your oppinion is it best to feed a snake in a different box/tank or is it even necessary

i feed in the same cage so i do not stress it out moving from cage to another.

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Originally Posted by snake_lady83

In your oppinion is it best to feed a snake in a different box/tank or is it even necessary

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Not necessary. Your snake will be much more comfortable eating in its own enclosure. On its own turf...so to speak. ;)

Welcome to BP.net! :handshake:

Great that makes things easier on me and my snake. In your experience do bp take pre killed food well. I really don't want to feed her live if I can avoid it I don't want her to get hurt.

it really depends on the snake and what it is used to, pk is obviously recomended, but if all it had was live it may take a few tries to get it switched over. but after the cage cchanges give her some time before trying.

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Originally Posted by snake_lady83

Great that makes things easier on me and my snake. In your experience do bp take pre killed food well. I really don't want to feed her live if I can avoid it I don't want her to get hurt.

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You should get her to eat live a few times if that is what she wants. Once she is on a good schedule and you have fed her a few times, then you can attempt p/k.

Ok thank you for all of your advice. lol I made a a cardboard divider like you suggested earlier and it wasn't quite up to the tipy top of her tank, but I figured there was no earthly way that she would be able to reach the top of it lol (yea right) I went back to typing on the computer for a few min. glanced over and there she was purched on the top of the cardboard. So I had to get her down and make the divider taller than what it already was. I'm going to have to wait and see if it works this time. Just goes to show you can't assume anything when it comes to snakes. I guess I should have named her Houdini.

Why not go to WalMart or Target and save yourself ALOT of hassel, as well as stress for the snake, and get yourself a 12-15quart tub until the snake grows a bit. Then you can get a 30qt, and on up until the snake is big enough for that huge 40g thing(that is going to be hard to heat and a pain in your rear).

Even if you do have a divider, how are you maintaining proper temperatures and humidity in such a large tank?Proper gradients and such? I have four '06 babies in 15qt tubs and they are all doing wonderfully, eating every week, shedding perfectly everytime, gaining tons of weight, and aren't stressed out.

The tubs are incredibly easy to make a snake home out of and worth your time. Your snake will get settled in quicker, and she/he will eat on a regular basis. Just get the tub, drill or use a soldering iron to melt holes in the sides(about 10 holes in short sides and a varying amount of holes on the long sides), and get a bungee cord to hold down the middle. Also, get two small(4"-6" works great for my babies) plastic planter saucers(they catch water underneath the actual planter pot), and a small water bowl. Then add newspaper or papertowels as bedding, and you're set!

Ball Pythons are not a display species and should never be asked to be unduly stressed out from too much space(and a hard to heat BIG space, mind you). If you want to see your snake, you can when you handle it. Mine love their tubs, and if they didn't, I wouldn't house them in them.

Use the 12-15qt tub until she gets a bit bigger, and then get a bigger tub. You can use the 40g for later or for something else that will appreciate the space. The 15qts cost around $2 at WalMart. Try your local dollar stores too.