I just got my first ball python!

Hey everyone, I've been heavily browsing these forums all week and I wanted to give a big thank you to everyone. I have learned so much information over the last week.

I just got my first ball python, Apollo, a week ago. I picked him up from a breeder in my area. He is currently around 3 months old.

Anyways I just had a few general questions about him and his environment. I attached a few pictures of him and his tank below. I was just wondering if the environment seems suitable? It's currently a 10 gallon tank; I'm going to move him into a 20 gal. L when he gets a bit a bigger.

I have one UTH on onside of the tank. I haven't gotten a rheostat yet, but I'm going to pick one up this weekend. Ambient temps/humidity are currently 82 degrees and 65%.

This is my first question... how do I lower my humidity? I live in FL, so it's already very humid here. I'm currently using cypress mulch, should I switch to a different substrate? If so, I was thinking about Aspen shavings... I like the aesthetic look of these rather than newspaper etc. My humidity sometimes jumps into the mid-70%s which is getting pretty high... He seems to like the hide over the UTH better so I drilled a few holes in the top because the humidity was so high moisture was completely soaking the top of the hide.

Secondly, how long should I wait until handling him after I feed him? I'm very anxious to start handling him, but he just ate his first meal (from me) yesterday. An adult mouse.

He also shed the day before that. It was a nice clean shed without any broken pieces left on him. I'm assuming the high humidity was good during this period, but now I need it to be lowered.

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/d...97/Apollo1.jpg

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/d...97/Apollo2.jpg

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/d...t297/Cage1.jpg

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/d...t297/Cage2.jpg

So far, I think he is doing pretty good. Any advice would be much appreciated it.

Thanks everyone.

Well, first off congratz on the new friend, he's quite pretty.

A few things I saw about the enclosure: 1 - find a background you like and cover the back and both sides of the tank. Having it open like that can stress a BP.
2 - See if you can get two identical hides so he doesn't have to choose safety and comfort over temperature.
3 - This is purely aesthetic, but I would add a soft fake plant or two for more cover and nicer look. :)

I'm not sure about the humidity thing, since I live in very dry Colorado... but a switch to aspen might help since cypress really holds moisture.

Welcome aboard!
Your setup seems ok if I may add a few things...

1. You should measure your temperature gradient (hot side and cool side). You are only seeing your ambient temps in the tank. Acurite (Sold at walmart and target) makes a good thermometer that measures hot cold and humidity.

2. You need to get "something" on that UTH ASAP, it can get very hot and if he prefers the hide over the UTH it will burn him.

3. I would cover the back and sides of the tank with some kind of backing, it will make him feel more secure and comfortable.

As for the humidity, you could change your substrate, use a little less of the cypress, bake it to dry it out, uncover somemore of the top and/or move the water bowl completely away from the UTH. After a feeeding you should leave him alone for 48 hours before handling again. Hope that helps and welcome aboard :gj:

*Slap self* Ah right, the digital thermometer!! Thanks, Enve. :)

Yes, you should get a good digital thermometer, such as acurite, with probe for warm side and humidity reading. It's best to KNOW what your warm and cool side temps are as well as ambient.

And also, yes to getting a control for that UTH ASAP. :)

Someones not very alert tonight ;)

OOO pretty reduced!!! I love me some reduced patterns.

Thank you Argentra and Enve.

I completely forgot about the background cover. I will have to do that this weekend.

Yeah, I am definitely going to go get a rheostat tomorrow. I didn't realize these things get so hot until recently.

I have an infared temperature gun, would that work as well for measuring the substrate temperatures?

I didn't realize that moving the bowl towards the end of the tank would help with the humidity. Great tip. I think I'm going take a lot of that cypress mulch out and see if that helps any. If it doesn't, I may just change substrates.

I know it isn't a great picture, but judging by his size, roughly what should he be eating? He seemed to eat an adult mouse yesterday very quickly.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sinsation

OOO pretty reduced!!! I love me some reduced patterns.

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What is a "reduced?" Is that just a variation of a "normal"?

Reduced is just lack of the spotting within the brown areas basically.
Look through Rabernets photos she has the best reduced's!

No prob! Temp gun will work just fine, also how long have you had that substrate in there? If it's only been a few days it will dry out and your humidity will go down. As for feeding, it's kinda hard to say from the pics, I would say small adult mouse if it's only 3 months old. The prey should be about the same girth of the largest part of the snake.

Ah ok. Thanks for the information on the reduced pattern. I'll be sure to check out those photos.

I've currently had the substrate in the tank since Sunday night.

I just measured the ground temps with the infared temp gun. The measurements are ~92-94 degrees on UTH side and ~80 on the cooler side.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bender29

I just measured the ground temps with the infared temp gun. The measurements are ~92-94 degrees on UTH side and ~80 on the cooler side.

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:gj: Looks good!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bender29

I just measured the ground temps with the infared temp gun. The measurements are ~92-94 degrees on UTH side and ~80 on the cooler side.

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Those temps are what many here consider ideal.

If you remove substrate, please watch the temps carefully. Right now, the extra bedding may be holding back a lot of the over-heat from the unregulated UTH.

Cyprus mulch is great for people who live in dry climates. However, when you first take it out of the bag it is usually quite moist and will maintain a higher-than-normal humidity level in your enclosure for the first few days, depending on your homes natural climate conditions. I live in a very dry house in the winter, so Cyprus has been serving me quite well. When I first change the substrate the humidity is quite high, but after a few days it falls down to 50 or so. A couple mistings every day is required to maintain a 50-60+%.

I've not used aspen but many people swear by it. I might try it in the summer, when my battle is against too much humidity. :D

I'd give the Cyprus a couple more days and see if it dries out.

The temp gun should work just fine. Many people use an Acurite unit like the one below and place the remote probe on top of the substrate on the hot or cold side. It is handy to be able to see the temp at a glance, if you don't want/need to use the gun.

http://www.chaneyinstrument.com/img/...ea/inwea6b.jpg

As for handling;
It is usually advised that you leave the snake completely alone for the first week. I know its tough, but worth it because he will be better adjusted. :)

When you do handle him, remember to avoid touching his head and the first 3-5" of his neck. They hate that! Slow and gentle movements will be well rewarded by a good handling experience. Also, keep the time brief - maybe 5-10 minutes just to start, and then leave him alone for a day or so before handling again. You can then increase the time slowly up to about a half hour or so. By that time you will be able to 'read' him better and know when he is ready to go back home. (And always wash your hands before and after! Get some antibacterial hand soap from a drug store for after handling.)

Its good that he has already eaten. Remember, after feeding leave your snake completely alone for 48 hours so they can properly digest. This is advised because handing them too soon can stress them out, and when stressed, a snake that has recently fed may regurgitate its meal. This can harm the snake, and stress it further.

Background cover;
I use black bristle board, wrapped around the sides and back. Some people spray paint black. Others opt for one of those 'nature' scenes. I might use a nature scene when I upgrade him to a 30g tank as an adult... for now, the black works great.

I'd say your setup is very nice. I agree that it is best to provide identical hides, because a Ball Python will choose being cold but secure over being warm and exposed. Apollo (a friend of mine has a harp called Apollo!) looks very, very nice. Its good to know that he is being taken such good care of!

I did all kinds of work over the weekend. I added two of the same hides with a bit of shrubbery. I changed to aspen shavings instead of cypress mulch. I now have a rheostat to control that UTH! etc.

The only thing I have left to do is get a background for the 3 sides.

I have a bunch of new pictures here are some:

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...ollosCage2.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...29/Apollo5.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...29/Apollo3.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...29/Apollo4.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...29/Apollo2.jpg