New Ball

i jsut recently purchased a ball python today for incredible price of 30$ normally 89 there. anyways i have him in a 55 gal tank with zoo med UTH at about 83 dagrees. my main concern is how long do i give him to settle in to the new enviroment and then after hes settled how long for feeding. hes fed every friday. one large fuzzie. pictures will be posted shortly.

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Originally Posted by bigrich0086

i jsut recently purchased a ball python today for incredible price of 30$ normally 89 there. anyways i have him in a 55 gal tank with zoo med UTH at about 83 dagrees. my main concern is how long do i give him to settle in to the new enviroment and then after hes settled how long for feeding. hes fed every friday. one large fuzzie. pictures will be posted shortly.

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83 is too low for the hot side, but just right for the cold side. You need a hot spot of 90-95 for proper health and digestion. if you've just got a UTH in a 55gal you'll probably need at least 1 light, maybe 2. Also, a 55g is generally going to be regarded as too much space for a ball python. It's also got a lot of unused air volume which is going to make it nearly impossible to keep the humidity up and stable.

If he's accustomed to eating every friday I'd say skip this week's meal. The general rule I've been told here is to leave them as undisturbed as possible for 7 days. Meaning only mess with him/her to spot clean and change the water. Don't try to handle or feed, or you'll just serve to stress them more.

i have the uth only on half way and its reading 83 if i turn it all the way up itll ready almsot 98 at the surface fo the mat but 89 top of substrate. and im useing a wooded bottom viv with glass sides. so the uth is inside the tank under a inch of substrate.the heat lamp cost way too much to run raise electric bill 20$ this month.

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Originally Posted by bigrich0086

i have the uth only on half way and its reading 83 if i turn it all the way up itll ready almsot 98 at the surface fo the mat but 89 top of substrate. and im useing a wooded bottom viv with glass sides. so the uth is inside the tank under a inch of substrate.the heat lamp cost way too much to run raise electric bill 20$ this month.

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Someone correct me if I'm wrong but... Take the temp at the surface and reduce the thickness of substrate?

What's your cold side reading?

cold side is reading about 75-78 with my central air on cuz its 98 outside with 90% humidity. if i reduce the thickness of the substrate it iwll get hotter in there i jsut dont wnat him to move it aside and rest on the heat pad since its inside the tank. i can mount it outside but it wont reach over 80. and the store i got him at had him at 80 dagrees fine for a week andhe ate no problem.

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Originally Posted by bigrich0086

cold side is reading about 75-78 with my central air on cuz its 98 outside with 90% humidity. if i reduce the thickness of the substrate it iwll get hotter in there i jsut dont wnat him to move it aside and rest on the heat pad since its inside the tank. i can mount it outside but it wont reach over 80. and the store i got him at had him at 80 dagrees fine for a week andhe ate no problem.

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What the store had him at and what is actually healthy can (and often are) two very different things. Set your UTH to read about 92-94 degrees at the surface, then reduce the amount of substrate you have. Also do what you can to get the cool side/ambient temperatures up above 80. 75-78 are winter night temps.

You might want to give the FAQ's and caresheets at the top a read also. Since you're new to BP's all the reading material you can find should be looked through, studied, and studied again to make sure you're providing a safe, secure, appropriate home for your new friend. I'm new too and don't even pretend to know even close to everything, but what I've told you is correct according to what I've read and the advice I've read on this site.

yea i read in this online book that since my tank is big to mist the tank once a day to keep humidity up and put a towel or plastic wrap on half of the top screen to keep in the moisture

heres some images of the tank and the lil guy . hes on the cool side has been ever since 520pm tonight. the foil o nthe tank back side n side is to keep direct sunlight out so it dont get too hot but i did leave a 6inch by 9 inch hole on the side to allow some light in to heat the side up when the blinds are open.<br>
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y14...anknpython.jpg


http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y14...icwithfoil.jpg

thanks for the help guys i thined the substrate and it rose up to 96 dagrees

I would suggest 2 hides on either side so he can regulate his body tamp and feel safe on either side. The half log thing works ok but cave hides seem to give a more secure feeling. Becasue of such a large tank with such a small ball, make sure there is enogh foliage to make the snake feel secure throught such a large home. Cool setup BTW.

woud it be better to move the climbing log onto the warm side and put the hide rock there and keep the log on the warm side.

I REALLY would recommend going to WalMart or a dollar store and getting a 6qt shoebox plastic tub, a small hide(one) and a small water bowl, and use newspaper for his bedding. Get some black binder clips to secure the lid too. Put the heat pad on the thermostat and set it for 92-94 and the cool side should regulate itself to around 82-84. Leave the snake alone for a week, no handling, just water changes and change the bedding if he urinates.

That tank is much too big and open for that tiny baby and I doubt he will ever feel secure enough to eat on a consistent basis. That size tank(or a similar sized plastic enclosure) is perfect for when he is an adult(3-4 years old). Getting him comfortable, feeling secure, eating consistently and getting those temperatures up to the proper levels is what is going to help your little guy thrive.

when i got the the lil guy he was housed ina a 35 gallon tank and ate fine in there. i dont see a 55 gallon messing wit that. hes been moving around ever since night hit. the warm side is at 89 dagrees right now. and hes under the half log on the warm side. im also ordering a big cave hide for the cool side to take up sapce and add more vides to make it look smaller for him. he was very active when i held him at the store

When he is very active like that during the day, that means he is stressed out. He should only be active at night and not during the day unless he is moving from on hide to another to thermo regulate.

For a snake that size a 10 gallon is almost to big. I think that 55 gallon is going to just cause alot of stress

That tank is entirely too large for that wee little baby. I'm just curious, you won't use a heat lamp because it will cost you $20 more a month in electricity? Is that what I read above? Did you think through this before you got him?

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Originally Posted by bigrich0086

when i got the the lil guy he was housed ina a 35 gallon tank and ate fine in there. i dont see a 55 gallon messing wit that. hes been moving around ever since night hit. the warm side is at 89 dagrees right now. and hes under the half log on the warm side. im also ordering a big cave hide for the cool side to take up sapce and add more vides to make it look smaller for him. he was very active when i held him at the store

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He doesn't want BIG, he wants small, snug and tight. Like this, it's a small plastic flower pot saucer, less that 4" around:

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...ub/BabyTub.jpg

See, here's a happy baby:
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...b/BabyTub2.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...b/PretzelA.jpg

Ball pythons are quite shy, nocturnal snakes that often don't do well in big open exposed glass tanks, especially as small hatchlings. That exposure equates to their instincts of feeling unprotected and open to being preyed upon. Stressed snakes, babies or adults, tend to not do well. They can refuse to eat and become stressed enough that it begins to compromise their immune systems. As well, large glass tanks with mesh lids tend to be very difficult to maintain stable temperature gradients and humidity in. Hides for any ball python need to be size appropriate. The hides should be dark, easy to clean for the keeper and should touch the snake on all sides when it's in a coiled posture.

Here's a typical baby hide we use....
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...chlingHide.jpg

For monitoring temps and humidity, an Acu-Rite from Walmart for around $10 plus 1 AAA battery is a handy thing to have in the tank at all times....
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...g/Acu-Rite.jpg

his warm side is 93 dagrees and cool side is now 80 dagrees.when i put him in the tank he was only moving aroun for a bit then coiled up in the cirner. didnt move till night time and moved to the warm side and has been there all night. hes acting fine. dont seem stressed out at all . but like i said im adding more vines and stuff to make it look smaller to him and make him feel secure

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Originally Posted by bigrich0086

his warm side is 93 dagrees and cool side is now 80 dagrees.when i put him in the tank he was only moving aroun for a bit then coiled up in the cirner. didnt move till night time and moved to the warm side and has been there all night. hes acting fine. dont seem stressed out at all . but like i said im adding more vines and stuff to make it look smaller to him and make him feel secure

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But isn't this your first snake? How do you know he's not stressed out? You'd do well to take the advice on this forum -- there's a lot of experienced people that can give you advice you can rely on.

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Originally Posted by bigrich0086

his warm side is 93 dagrees and cool side is now 80 dagrees.when i put him in the tank he was only moving aroun for a bit then coiled up in the cirner. didnt move till night time and moved to the warm side and has been there all night. hes acting fine. dont seem stressed out at all . but like i said im adding more vines and stuff to make it look smaller to him and make him feel secure

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How much experience do you have with ball pythons? "Seeming" stressed out and actually stressed out is very subtle, not something that someone with their first ball python would be able to tell. The fact that you believe that a 55 gallon is an appropriate size for a baby that size, after experienced keepers have told you otherwise, speaks volumes to your actual experience level with python regius.

i have a amel corn snake also in a 55 gallon tnak and hes a hatchling doing very well eating very active. and the Bp is very active climping all over things at night time . during day time hes hiding.

A cornsnake is a colubrid, a ball python is not. A cornsnake reacts to things differently than a ball python. Cornsnakes are active hunters, ball pythons are ambush hunters. Ball pythons are very nocturnal, cornsnakes...not so much. Need I go on. You cannot take what works with one species of snake and automatically assume it will work with another species of snake.

As far as whether or not that very small snake in that very big tank is stressed. Stress isn't always immediately apparent with any snake but most especially the shyer ones like ball pythons. Sometimes stress can be as subtle as a slow decline as continuing stress can and will affect the snake's immune system. Stress and/or incorrect husbandry can and does kill many, many captive snakes every year.

You've been given some excellent advice from experienced keepers and have access to a lot of resources online for your own further education. It's up to you to make the right choices for this living creature you've committed to keeping.