Looking for some great feedback as a newcomer to this forum :)

Hey,
my name is Jessica and I have a boyfriend named TJ, he purchased a ball python from a local "Creature Comforts" here in New York. She is approximately ten monthes old and has already had more adventures than most. The day after we got her back to the house she went on a 8 week extravaganza! She is in a 25 gallon tank with a top that is a metal screen with like solid "flips" over the sides that wraps around the tank. I have family in which have owned ball pythons previously and never thought twice to weigh down the top, they must have just been great snakes because Lucy, our current snake is an excape artist. After she was found on the stairs of the house, she was put back into her tank and fed, she was nice for about 2 months after that with us not having a second guess that she was a sweetheart. Well lately, she has changed our minds while striking and just acting very tempermental. Is this normal? From what I have read I think we should just start taking her out every day once or twice and just letting her do her own thing, but if there is anything else that you can think of let me know :)

I'll be posting pictures soon!
Thanks for reading,
Jessica& TJ

From my experience behavior changes are signs of husbandry problems. Do you know the temperatures in the tank as well as the humidity levels? It seems like she is stressed.

A friend of mine is having similar problems with a snake that she just got. I'm 99.9% positive it's due to the less-than-adequate husbandry.

I would have a look at the care sheet here. It's the best on the web. Make sure everything is spot-on with your set-up, and then we can try to rule out other factors if that doesn't solve the problem.

Put the snake down and detail your husbandry...

If the snake is striking out, it is communicating to you. The last thing it needs is to be picked up and handled right now. What you have is a stressed out snake that is trying to communicate something to you, your responsibility as a keeper is to listen and do everything in your power to ensure that the snake feels safe and secure.

Bruce

Thank you so much for your responce, I am new at this and didn't realize that temperature is as important as it is, I feel like an awful snake parent for it but am definitely glad that I have the chance to fix it, and will hopefully see some temperment changes soon :)

Thanks again,
Jess

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Originally Posted by Mindibun

A friend of mine is having similar problems with a snake that she just got. I'm 99.9% positive it's due to the less-than-adequate husbandry.

I would have a look at the care sheet here. It's the best on the web. Make sure everything is spot-on with your set-up, and then we can try to rule out other factors if that doesn't solve the problem.

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Thanks to everyone for the great advice, I will keep you updated as I continue to learn. :)

I just posted this in another thread but I honestly believe it is a good start to the info in the care sheets. The care sheets are more informative and detailed and will answer your questions about how to achieve these requirements.


1) To measure your humidity and temperature accurately - Use DIGITAL gauges (stick on gauges are NOT reliable, and a waste of money unfortunately) The most cost friendly device you can purchase is an accurite digital thermometer/hygrometer from wal-mart for $12. The gauge does not have to be this brand, but something with an outdoor/indoor measurement will work because this means the device uses a probe.

2) You need a belly temperature (right on the glass under the hide on one side of the tank) measured by a probe (which comes with something like an accurite) of 90 - 93 degrees. This is where your bp will spend his time digesting and hanging out A LOT. A UTH (under tank heater) costs about $20 at a pet store but MUST have a control.

The safest and most reliable type of control is a thermostat ($70 - $300) but the minimum requirement for a control is something like a lamp dimmer (a rheostat, which is something that must be manually adjusted). Lowes sells piggyback lamp dimmers for about $10.

3) You need a hide on the opposite side of the tank with a belly temperature or ambient temperature in the low 80's. This can be achieved through a heat lamp with the correct wattage bulb, or simply a nice warm room.

4) HUMIDITY = very important - just as important as temperature. 55-60% humidity is required for proper shedding.

5) A sturdy water dish with fresh water can be put anywhere in the tank, if placed over a UTH (under tank heater) it can help raise the humidity.

6) Substrate can be anything from newspaper or cage liners to aspen. Cedar is TOXIC. Do not use cedar. CYPRESS mulch is good - don't mix it up with cedar.

7) Security - ball pythons are shy. They hide more than 80% of the time so if your snake is hiding a lot, thats a good thing. Cover three sides of your tank with paper/aquarium background - what ever you would like to help your snake feel less exposed.

Wow, thank you for this post- I'm following every step and heading shopping this weekend for our baby, Lucy! She's going to hopefully really love the improvments we make and have some major temperament changes eventually. One question, we have a heat lamp which is red and left on at all times as the upstairs of the house is cooler- as we get a thermometer we will start to pay attention to temperature more but is the color okay for her, for it to be on all of the time?

Hi there. I handle mine very often to make sure that they are well familiar with being picked up. Also if you only pick them up when it is feeding time chances are that everytime that you stick you hand in there it will automaticly think food. Also you SHOULD NOT :colbert: feed in the tank also to do with they will think everytime a hand enters it's going to be food!! lol Hope this helps any othere questions feel free to ask!-RAY

We have over 600 snakes and they are all fed in there boxes, with no problems. Removing them to feed will cause stress and can make them not feed in some cases.

I would use a smaller size cage for her, a 25 gallon tank is too big for a young ball. I have seen a lot of babies-adult suddenly become very aggressive when kept in a large cage such as that. Try to keep her in, a 10 gallon with a good hide and dont handle her for a week or so and she should calm down in no time.

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Originally Posted by scales owner

Hi there. I handle mine very often to make sure that they are well familiar with being picked up. Also if you only pick them up when it is feeding time chances are that everytime that you stick you hand in there it will automaticly think food. Also you SHOULD NOT :colbert: feed in the tank also to do with they will think everytime a hand enters it's going to be food!! lol Hope this helps any othere questions feel free to ask!-RAY

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There is so much wrong in that paragraph, where do I start?

You only want to pick them up when its feeding time? Wrong, unless you want to get bit.

Feeding in the enclosure is fine and most people do it that way. That is seriously the biggest myth in the snake industry almost. I feed all my snakes in their enclosures and have NEVER been bitten.

Ball pythons are picky eaters to begin with and they are ambush hunters, picking them up and moving them a lot is a surefire way to get them to not eat.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by scales owner

Hi there. I handle mine very often to make sure that they are well familiar with being picked up. Also if you only pick them up when it is feeding time chances are that everytime that you stick you hand in there it will automaticly think food. Also you SHOULD NOT :colbert: feed in the tank also to do with they will think everytime a hand enters it's going to be food!! lol Hope this helps any othere questions feel free to ask!-RAY

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Triple myth alert!!!

Handling prior to acclimation does not calm your snake down. If he calms down, then he is "SHUTTING DOWN"... not something you want to do to him.

Feeding outside of the enclosure is a good way to risk bites, refusals, regurges, and stress.

Your snake will not mistake your hand for food... your hand does not look, smell, or mimic a rodent.

Bruce

Quote:

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Originally Posted by scales owner

Hi there. I handle mine very often to make sure that they are well familiar with being picked up. Also if you only pick them up when it is feeding time chances are that everytime that you stick you hand in there it will automaticly think food. Also you SHOULD NOT :colbert: feed in the tank also to do with they will think everytime a hand enters it's going to be food!! lol Hope this helps any othere questions feel free to ask!-RAY

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This is a very common misconception, but thank you for trying help. Feeding in a separate enclosure is done by some people, but actually poses a few issues. If you move a snake before and after it is fed, you are putting yourself in the most likely position to get bit (if that is a concern).

The more important issue is that when you remove a snake from its home, it is stressful in another open and insecure environment where it does not have the security of its hides and other normal surroundings to hunt its prey from. Once the snake has eaten - you have to put it back in its home. This MAY cause it to strike at you as it is still in feeding/hunt mode, or even regurgitate due to the stress of being moved.

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Originally Posted by JSutton61091

Wow, thank you for this post- I'm following every step and heading shopping this weekend for our baby, Lucy! She's going to hopefully really love the improvments we make and have some major temperament changes eventually. One question, we have a heat lamp which is red and left on at all times as the upstairs of the house is cooler- as we get a thermometer we will start to pay attention to temperature more but is the color okay for her, for it to be on all of the time?

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The red light, if it is one of those pricey red bulbs from the petstore, should not bother your bp much. The red tint (as far as I know) is actually not seen by your bp if it is the true infrared bulb.

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Originally Posted by missi182

The red light, if it is one of those pricey red bulbs from the petstore, should not bother your bp much. The red tint (as far as I know) is actually not seen by your bp if it is the true infrared bulb.

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Theres a purple one too that works well, its a night setting one to look like moonlight I guess?

As jnj said, that tank is probably the root to your problems and you should get it in a smaller tank. That tank will fit it perfectly as an adult, but not a 10 month old ball. :]