new spotted python owner

I pulled the trigger on a spotted hatchling today. I was leaning towards a bp but saw this little guy and it just clicked. I already had a 10 gal setup for a bp so i just turned the stat down to get the temp 85-75 and in he went. I have 2 hides and lots of fake foliage and water dish. The tough part now is the waiting a week to let him acclimate. Next weekend I will go for the first feeding. In the store he was eating every Tuesday but i will skip this Tuesday to let him get settled. Does that sound OK? They said he was a good pinky eater so i will see next weekend. This is my first snake. It's very hard to not go in there and hold him but i will wait!!!

Sorry I meant to snap a pic b4 I put him in the tank, so next weekend will be the photo shoot.

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Originally Posted by clemson8791

I pulled the trigger on a spotted hatchling today. I was leaning towards a bp but saw this little guy and it just clicked. I already had a 10 gal setup for a bp so i just turned the stat down to get the temp 85-75 and in he went. I have 2 hides and lots of fake foliage and water dish. The tough part now is the waiting a week to let him acclimate. Next weekend I will go for the first feeding. In the store he was eating every Tuesday but i will skip this Tuesday to let him get settled. Does that sound OK? They said he was a good pinky eater so i will see next weekend. This is my first snake. It's very hard to not go in there and hold him but i will wait!!!

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Congrats :cool: .You have the correct idea on the time to settle in and when to attempt his first feeding.Word of warning make sure that 10gl does not have any small gaps that he can escape thru.All small snakes tend to find little gaps and escape.Yea we will let you slide on the pics this time lol:P

yes, when the day light went out and the black light went on tonight, i watched him/her exploring the top. It is one of those with the sliding top that locks. Even though I know there are no small holes, i still will be anxious to wake-up tomorrow and make sure he/she is still in there.

Congratulations :D Hopefully we'll be getting ours in a few weeks. How big is 10 gal? I never know as I always go by inches ...

Congrats! Spotted pythons are great. They are good eaters too. If you see that he is really active ,that means he is ready to eat. Looks like you did some research before buying a snake, good job! :D

As i wait the torturous week b4 I can attempt my first feeding with my new spotted, i was wondering if i should try to feed him/her a live pinkie? That's what he was being fed at the store. I hope to switch him/her over to f/t. I hate to try something new on my first feeding attempt. Does it make sense to just get a few feeds in him/her b4 I try the switch or is this the time to make the switch? I guess i can always get one of each and try the f/t first. I don't want to spook him/her with something new on top of a new environment. I have no problem staying with live for a few feeds till he/she seems settled. Any advice from spotted owners or anyone, thanks (is it apparent this is my first snake)

Congrats!They are great snakes! I love my little spotted python, a 10 gallon is perfect,that's what mine is in. Mine eats like a pig, I use F/T pinky mice, and he grabs them from my hand! I just wiggle it in front of him.

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Originally Posted by clemson8791

As i wait the torturous week b4 I can attempt my first feeding with my new spotted, i was wondering if i should try to feed him/her a live pinkie? That's what he was being fed at the store. I hope to switch him/her over to f/t. I hate to try something new on my first feeding attempt. Does it make sense to just get a few feeds in him/her b4 I try the switch or is this the time to make the switch? I guess i can always get one of each and try the f/t first. I don't want to spook him/her with something new on top of a new environment. I have no problem staying with live for a few feeds till he/she seems settled. Any advice from spotted owners or anyone, thanks (is it apparent this is my first snake)

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I would feed him/her a couple times to get a routine feeding going on before i would try a switch over.

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Originally Posted by snakeLVR

Congrats!They are great snakes! I love my little spotted python, a 10 gallon is perfect,that's what mine is in. Mine eats like a pig, I use F/T pinky mice, and he grabs them from my hand! I just wiggle it in front of him.

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You better watch that as it gets older then it snatches onto a finger lol.

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Originally quoted by joepythons
You better watch that as it gets older then it snatches onto a finger lol.

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;) Don't worry, I don't do that with my 5 ft California King!

My new guys first feed went well. I went f/t and he took it in less then 10 minutes. My question is how do I know if i should feed more then one pinkie? I don't even see a bulge in his body. I got the smallest pinkie i could get because he is just a hatchling. If I wanted to try feeding 2, do i feed 1 and then when i see that one gone put in the second or put them both in at the same time?
I am so relieved. Being a 1st time snake owner, I had read tons about feeding but I was nervous about doing it.

In general you want to feed a prey item slightly larger in diameter then the lagest girth of the snake.

On how to know if you can feed more, feed him two and it he eats both that is what he want, if he refuses, refreeze and move on with life.

Some animals will eat themselves to death if you allow it but a growing snake who chooses to eat two items is fine. Once his growth slows, cut back to one item at a time.

Of course I am a rebel I feed all my new snakes the second day they are in my home, most choose to eat and NOTHING bad has ever come from it. I believe animal eat when HUNGRY and with in reason that is your best indicator of when and how much to feed,