help :(

hey,

im new to the site and to BP and to snakes.
i got this ball python about 1 week ago and i read as much stuff up on them as i possibly could. but i to be honest I have no clue what im doing.

ok let me start at the beginning. i go this lovly python from a america navy guy who was going to thow it into the sea in a weighted down bag. i saved its life.
i have always wanted a snake eveyr since i was 10 and this was a dream for me. but im having problems and im getting ready to rip my hair out.

it can with a fully furnished tank, whitch is made by a brand named - 'totto' and by the price tag on it it was not tht cheap '1200 dhs' whitch is about 3 dhs to 1 doller. anyway

it is refusing to eat, he/she is finding ways to nearly get out of the tank, its shy, and i generally feel a bit freaked to attempt a jump in and handle technuiqe..... i live the a coutry called the UAE, here there are no dealers that sell stuff for snakes only the snake so i cant buy anything for it on a decent level only crapppy things.

tank setup -

she is about the same lengh as the tank whitch is 2 foot, and about 40 cm high. i dont know exatly. i am aware that it needs to be bigger so my dad is going to build a decent one. i also have a bloody hot bulb tht i dont think is safe, this isn used to heat the tank.... in the daytime all the snake does is 'sleep' and at night it attempts to escape....


if u lot need pics to help me i will take a bunch and post them

i just really really need help. im starting to think i should have it 'put down' if u can do that. by a vet... cos i think that keeping animals when u dont know wht ur doing is wrong...

but its so beautiful that i don't want to give it up.

please help.

cheers,

liam

first off, how kind of you to save the little guy. please read these forums, there is a wealth of knowledge on here on proper care for balls. i will not give yu any advice, beingnewmyself, but someone will be along shortly to help you thru your issues.

cheer for the fast response... its 11.30 and night ehre i have school at 5 in the morning and im sat at my laptop thinking of the snake.... god i should bang my head against a wall till i sleep. :S

I don't want to give out too much advice because I'm not that experienced either, but if you just got your snake a week ago, try not to handle him for a couple of weeks, at least until he starts eating. It's normal for him not to eat for a few weeks when adjusting to a new environment. As far as not being able to control your bulb, that is going to be a problem... You'll need a different way to heat your tank or a way to control how much power is going to the bulb, like a dimmer.

Your snake is nocturnal, which is probably why he appears to be sleeping during the day and active at night.

Can you post some pictures of your snake and the tank setup? This well help the members here help you.

And thank you for saving his life and having enough concern about his well-being to come here and ask the necessary questions. You did the right thing.

cheers, you don't know how much someone saying that means to me lol.....

ill opost some tomoz, as i said its 11.40 here now and im more tired that a well i dunno... if my nieghbers find out i have a snake in the house i will be evicted :S

also i need some one that maybe is trying to get rid of all there old cage bits and bobs like hides... cos my interier is not tht good, and no shop sells anyhting... ok i have to try and get some sleep... i also am going to use the husbandary tank set out guide to heklp redo my tank tomoz.


ps -

instead of a bulb can i use some form of heat giving mat, and put it under the ground layer stuff... its actully my mums old 'pregnancy reliaf heat mat' untill i can find someway of grasping a heat mat made for snakeys. :)

First of all i think because the snake needs quick care and ball python's are head shy all together im gonna skip the tweeking a tank till its proper idea, i think you should get a rubbermaid/sterilite tub depending on the size of the snake(? how long , or how many grams is he) i would say 15 qt tub. You said you have a human heat pad, does it have a dimmer switch type deal on it? If so i have used these before for quarantine. Where ever you have to find one get a digital thermometer / hygrometer, at a lawn and garden section of any type of home improvement store you have there. And acouple hides ( very small hides so he can cram himself in there, he will feel super secure and safe this way. Also being that he will be in a tub humidity will not be an issue. Its not as cool looking as a big display tank. But if you really want whats best for him this is the way to go.

After you have him setup like this you can start ordering your real stuff from websites like reptiletubs.com, or reptilebasics.com. So would it be possible for you to post pics of him or her?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by liam

hey,

it is refusing to eat, he/she is finding ways to nearly get out of the tank, its shy, and i generally feel a bit freaked to attempt a jump in and handle technuiqe..... i live the a coutry called the UAE, here there are no dealers that sell stuff for snakes only the snake so i cant buy anything for it on a decent level only crapppy things.

Make sure that you aren't trying to feed it every day. You should only offer the prey item once a week. If it doesn't eat it within 20 minutes, it probably won't, so remove it and then wait a week. Do not handle the snake unless absolutely necessary until you get it on a feeding schedule.
tank setup -

she is about the same lengh as the tank whitch is 2 foot, and about 40 cm high. i dont know exatly. i am aware that it needs to be bigger so my dad is going to build a decent one. i also have a bloody hot bulb tht i dont think is safe, this isn used to heat the tank.... in the daytime all the snake does is 'sleep' and at night it attempts to escape....


I would not move the snake to a bigger tank. Ball pythons feel stressed when in large enclosures and this may only add to your problems with feeding. When the length of the snake equals the length + the width of your enclosure, then you can think about moving it up to a bigger size. Until then, the smaller enclosure is a good idea. To get the temperatures in the correct range, you must start by measuring them accurately. Get a thermometer that has a probe on it, the temperature on the floor in the hottest part of the enclosure should not exceed 94 degrees ferenheit ( you'll have to convert if you need to) and the air temperature in the coolest part of the enclosure should not be below 80 degrees ferenheit. You'll also want to get the humidity into the correct range ( 50-60 %). Someone mentioned the hides, which are also a necessity. This information is available as a sticky in the husbandry section of the forum. It would be a good idea to read that over.

if u lot need pics to help me i will take a bunch and post them

Yes, pics would be helpful!

i just really really need help. im starting to think i should have it 'put down' if u can do that. by a vet... cos i think that keeping animals when u dont know wht ur doing is wrong...

The people on this site are more than willing to help you through this initial trial period. You did a good thing by saving this snake, and we'll help you through this. Don't give up yet!

but its so beautiful that i don't want to give it up.

please help.

cheers,

liam

---

pics would be greatly appreciated, of the snake and of the enclosure.

I am sort of new to this as well, but there are many helpful posters here so DON'T GIVE UP!

Did you read the caresheet?
http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....warticle&id=59

Also FAQ: http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=30763

Also I know the pros always look at pictures and tell you ways to fix things, so you should probably start with that.

2 things -

1) how do i post pics here, im not good at forums :S

2) i tried something new today... i turned off the stupied heat lamp and used a out of the way heat rock to heat the tank... its at currect heat and temputre... but the snake is more active also during the day.. :S

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by liam

2 things -

1) how do i post pics here, im not good at forums :S

2) i tried something new today... i turned off the stupied heat lamp and used a out of the way heat rock to heat the tank... its at currect heat and temputre... but the snake is more active also during the day.. :S

---

Heat rocks are not good for snakes. They will rest on top of them and get burned. Please check your snake to see if he has any burns.

While this is not ideal, it may bring some comfort to your snake: Put the snake into a clean pillow case. Tie a not in the open end so that he cannot get out. Then put the pillow case on top of the heating pad that your mother used. Make sure that the heating pad stays between 80-90 deg. Farenheight. If the room temp is between 80-90 then you do not need a heat pad for now. Once you have the snake comfortable, we can start working on getting a suitable environment set up with the things that you have on hand. Remember, a snake does not care if his cage is beautiful, but it has to provide the necessities.

Also don't worry about food right now -- it will only stress him out.

Now we need to inventory what you have and then we can figure out what you need. please read the caresheet that was posted before.

I'll keep an I on this thread and help as I can.

If you cannot find a thermostat with a probe, a simple lamp dimmer will work. How are you measuring your temps? The stick on or dial type thermometers are notorious for being wrong, so try to find a digital thermometer/hygrometer combo with probe. They are typically found in garden stores or departments of large, chain stores. They are meant to show the temp inside and the probe goes outside to tell you the outside temp but for snakes, you put the unit on the cool side and the probe underneath the hide on the warm side.

i don't know if i can even pick it up to put it in a pillow case... dunno how it was handeled or if it was. when i do this whitch will have to be in a couple of days, most likly thursday. if it does happen to strike and me and bite me *whitch i dont mind its protecting itself*how much does it hurt and how much dmg can it do. 2ft btw :S

Just pick him up gently if he tags you then well, it wont hurt really.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by liam

i don't know if i can even pick it up to put it in a pillow case... dunno how it was handeled or if it was. when i do this whitch will have to be in a couple of days, most likly thursday. if it does happen to strike and me and bite me *whitch i dont mind its protecting itself*how much does it hurt and how much dmg can it do. 2ft btw :S

---

The snake would have to have been terribly mistreated in order to strike you when you try to pick it up.

All BPs are very good at escaping their enclosures. If he is actively trying to get out of his "cage" then picking him up should be no problem. Open the lid and wait for him to stick his head over the edge of the cage. Then grasp him firmly about 4 inches behind his head. Approach from behind so that you don't give him a target. What should normally happen is he will wrap himself around your forearm and hand. Don't try to touch his head, most are head shy. You can peel him off your arm by starting about 4 inches from his tail and unwrapping. While you are check his belly to see if there is any damage. It should be a pale yellow or white color.

I would unplug the heat rock for now if you cannot take the snake out of the cage for two days. The lamp is better as it will provide heat without burning (it should be on the outside of the wire mesh).

But by all means read the caresheets. This will give you an Idea of what your are up against.

It is never a problem to have attempted to rescue an animal. Worst case you can take him to a vet and see if the vet will place him.

can any one tell me how to post pics so people can look and help though them.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by liam

can any one tell me how to post pics so people can look and help though them.

---

Follow this link ;)

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=28289

ty, pics will be here in tic.

oka, some pics

http://www.ball-pythons.net/gallery/...8/IMG_4580.JPG

this is the overall tank pic. sorry tht some on the sides are dark.. cant be helped.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...8/IMG_4581.JPG

just the temp and humid meters.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...8/IMG_4574.JPG

the top of the tank... this can be redone and i prob will. it was made the original person

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...8/IMG_4568.JPG

a pic of the cave :) its nice and tight for him and i have the heat top turned off, so its just normal cave.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/files/5/9/1/8/3.jpg

nice pic of snake *i donn't know if it is a BP only pretty sure. also dont know sex but i dont care they are all wicked :)

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/files/5/9/1/8/2.jpg

ok i love this pic of the snake, as you can see she/he is a well nice looking :) its stomach is great and white with no burns.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/files/5/9/1/8/1.jpg

here we have the snakes excercise and jungle gym area. this is were it attempty to reach the top of tank to get out... little bugger :) i norm have the log at a angle so it can go up and down or hang from it. ext.




ok thats all i got :)

if u need more of certian things i can get em

ps, i normally have the hide entrance turned towards the wall so its sucluded... i turned it this way so it can be seen better :)

The snake has a tick behind its left eye, and what looks to be either dried shed or dried nasal discharge on it's snout. Body weight doesn't look too bad though, so that's good.

Actually this looks pretty good. I would move the light a little higher and away from any walls. Ideally it should be on the outside (check out the caresheet for a picture/description).


Your snake is definitely a normal BP, and looks pretty healthy.

You don't have an emergency on your hands. There are things that you need to do, but its not an emergency.

Follow the care sheet. You do not need to do the "put into a pillow case" as this setup just needs a little tweaking to get it just right.

Good Luck, and don't worry.

ok, about the 'tick' how do i remove if it is head shy... removed ticks from humans and dogs/cats but never a snake... should i get a vet to remove.

ok, i started work on the tank following the instuctions in the set up guide. so the light is now out of the tank.. hoyaaa. good to hear tht it is a BP and is in good condition, and Nice spot on the tick m8, some good eyes u got there.. as i said before how do i remove.

If I were in your shoes, I'd take the snake to the vet to have it removed. If it has a tick, chances are it has internal parasites as well, that will need treating. And you could get it sexed while you're at it, too.


That being said...I have no idea how common a herp-qualified vet is in UAE, nor how to find one. But maybe if you call a regular vet, they can tell you if they have experience treating snakes or if they can recommend someone who does.

i also need to get hold of a UTH for my monty *i just picked the name* was watching monty pythons -life of brian and i though to me self i aint named the git. so my first *not my last :)* BP is called monty- yaaaa

anyway, does anyone have a old under tank heater that they dont need or know were i can get one. if i have to ill spend the coin, so its another couple months pocket money spent. *ive lost 1 year already, for keeping the snake :)* and anyway cos i live in the UAE were they dont sell them i get the treply ---

'sir, you can use a light bulb' bloody idoits have no idea what there talking about....

i was also told that picky eating snakes will eat eggs, and i was like :O

thanks for the help so far, i love u all :) ok bit far but u been a good help!!! no a great help! :carrot: :)

okadokay, can i leave the tick *i know this sounds mean* untill thursday so, i break up from school early *summer* and can then take to vet. cos i have work to do over the next day :S. and im shakeing with the thought of not being able to handle untill it is eating.. i wanna stoke it, and have it constrict my arm... *dazes off dreaming of snakes*

ok i think this snake has bad effects on me... i have a want to learn all about BP's and get a little baby one... :)

rock on :rockon: bp!!!

sorry bit enegetic atm..

Haha....eggs for BPs.....that's a good one. :P


The light bulb, however, is not so far fetched. While a UTH is the best method of heating an enclosure, it's not the only one. You just need to rig up the bulb above the enclosure and make sure there is no way the snake can come in contact with it.

Check out sites like ReptileBasics.com and other herp supply businesses online and see if they can ship stuff out to you. But you may need to get creative anyhow, as I doubt anything is gonna reach you overnight. ;)

what the guy meanes is to use the house lights. he has never heard of heaters.... this is y u get educated people to run shops for pets..... btw i brought i hamster from there once and it died 2 days later of some deadly diesise..... never using again.

how much should 'banded king snake babies' cost in dollers....

because a shop selling over here for 800dhs whitch is about

250-300 dollers...... and that seeeeems veeerrrry extreme to me. but i dont know what im doping so :)

BP's that eat eggs...

:hmm:

I wonder if they eat them scrambled or just over easy.

:rolleyes: :giggle:

btw...Welcome!

:handshake

sorry for the 3rd post in a row. but how do i transferr to the vets? i have hard based cat boxes, but the bottem is plastic and its not heated. the outside heat would fry the snake... its 45-50 C outside.... and a humidty of 40-70

i know i thought them eating eggs sounded abit iffy... maybe they like poached on toaste, with a mouse to dip? :P

one suggestion, go out to your local garden centre and buy two clay pots of equal size, chip a hole in the rim big enough for him to get in and put them upside down at both ends of the cage, balls like their hides to be exactly the same, save the log and your cave for a lizard enclosure or something

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by liam

i know i thought them eating eggs sounded abit iffy... maybe they like poached on toaste, with a mouse to dip? :P

---

toast and mouse dip....mmmmmm.

:P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by liam

how much should 'banded king snake babies' cost in dollers....

because a shop selling over here for 800dhs whitch is about

250-300 dollers...... and that seeeeems veeerrrry extreme to me. but i dont know what im doping so :)

---

Yea. Seems pretty expensive, for over here that is. I'm no expert, but I dont believe the king snake lives in the middle east. So it may cost alot because of the importing? Thats just my two cents

a 20 gallon tank is about 400 dollers over here..... they just rip u off... >< thts y i can't have lots of snakes lol

ok, took snake to vet... i accidently missed school to take to vet :)

found a VERY good reptile vet. hes had snakes for 17 years... :O. he found 6 ticks and 1 albino ticks.. flushed the poor thing.. took blood...and snakie-pee, umm bathed it... and they also sell UTH's and mice *frozen* and lots of other gear i went on a spending spree and spent about 750-800 dollers on stuff.... bear in mind that a thermostate cost 450 dhs here, thats like 125-150 dollers.... :O.... umm and ye atm..im remaking the tank :)..... :rockon: on bP

she is a girl.... called monty...mmmm... >< she likes to swim, and i love her.... ok time to get back to work on me tank... by for now...


ps.. she is underweight for her size :(, and was not kept very well... so im gonno give her a good life!!!! yaaaaa

Very glad to hear you got her checked out and splurged on her care! Stinks that everything seems so expensive there, but it's worth it. You and Monty will have many happy years together I'm sure. :D

Liam, that sounds like excellent news! :clap: Having a great vet AND a good source for herp supplies and feeders....can't get much better than that!


Best of luck with your lovely little snake!

hehe.... she seems alot happier now that the ticks are out... poor thing.

Liam,


I was out for a couple of days. I just wanted to say congratulations on doing the right thing. Also, your snake may live thirty years, so you will have her a long time!!!

Monty is a good name for a snake (boy or girl). But you could call her Marta.

Best wishes,

ty... im keeping monty.... from monty python :P woohooo british comedy.. hehe. she is at this minite in her bath, look around :)

Kudos for saving the BP he didn't deserve to die!! I am new myself and only have had my BP for a little over a month but I will give u what I have learned and has helped me to do very well! First, when u first get your snake like someone else stated give it about two weeks to get acclimated to its new environment. During that time it will get used to its new home and all surroundings. After it gets used to u being around try to handle your BP at least once for a few minutes everyday til it trusts u more. If you ever notice milky looking eyes leave your snake alone it most likely is in its shedding stage and snakes can confuse your hand for prey and strike at you! As far as it not eating don't worry they do it all the time but only try to feed it once a week pick a day like I do my feeding every tuesday on my off day! It is best to feed your snake prekilled mice sold in stores because they are parasite and disease free lab raised mice. But some BP's are picky and you may have to experiment to find out if it will eat dead or alive prey or both! Try dead first tho if you can and if it doesn't eat that next week try a live one! Important though, do not feed your snake in its aquarium or home area, either get a seperate enclosure or in the tub.(With live prey using the tub let them fell like they are hunting like natural)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MyTat

Important though, do not feed your snake in its aquarium or home area, either get a seperate enclosure or in the tub.(With live prey using the tub let them fell like they are hunting like natural)

---

I would recommend feeding the snake in its "home" area over a separate feeding tub. Moving them to another area to eat could cause the snake to stress out and therefor not eat because of it.

Oh One more thing about the heating rock, they say u shouldn't use those because if too hot your snake can touch it and burn itself. use heat sources that can heat from outside ur cage! A heating pad is good under the substrate but beware too hot temperatures as BP's are known to burrow under the substrate when hiding sometimes! a heat lamp is fine to use just get a thermometer and hygrometer for the humidity and u will do great! Oh and love the name monty from the comedian my favorite is The Quest for The Holy Grail!! LOL Good Luck

Reply to worldcupkeeper:


That is tru in some cases but for most it is recommended to feed in separate area. I started out feeding in home and my snake would strike at me whenever i put my hand in cuz that was where he hunted but since I've stopped and only let him hunt in the tub he has since stopped striking at me all together! But I'd say it all depends on your snake. If you can cool If not try a different location to feed!

My snake eats more in the separate feeding area than when in its "home" so using what the books recommended worked best for me, but having a snake you just have to experiment to find out what ur snake likes/tolerates the best!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MyTat

Reply to worldcupkeeper:


That is tru in some cases but for most it is recommended to feed in separate area. I started out feeding in home and my snake would strike at me whenever i put my hand in cuz that was where he hunted but since I've stopped and only let him hunt in the tub he has since stopped striking at me all together! But I'd say it all depends on your snake. If you can cool If not try a different location to feed!

---

Who recommends to feed in a separate container, ive always been told to go ahead and feed in the "home" enclosure. The snake striking at your hand probably has nothing to do with food, most likely you startled him and he was defensive. When I used tanks I used to use a feeding box and couldnt get a constant feeding response from my snakes, since ive moved to tubs and feed IN their "home" enclosure, I rarely have snakes that miss meals (they still miss meals but not nearly as many as the feeding box method) and they have rarely struck at me. I dont see the need to feed in a separate enclosure, they will eat just fine in their "home". If your afraid of them ingesting substrate then just lay some newspaper down before you feed.:)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by worldcupkeeper

If your afraid of them ingesting substrate then just lay some newspaper down before you feed.:)

---

I normally use bamboo tongs to lower the f/t mouse into the tub. If my BP doesn't attack it immediatly, I have a spot with a flat rock which I put the mouse on. The main reason is sometimes he does not eat it, and it is much easier to retrieve it and clean the rock, then have substrate clinging to it.