i just got my first ball python

after spending much time researching ball pythons i decided that i would get one. but before that i got these items

Used 20 gallon aquarium
2 heat pads
heat lamp and 75 W bulb
a humidity gauge and thermometer
some of the green liner stuff for the floor
and a small to medium sized dog bowl for water
and a Tupperware with a hole for a hide box

is there anything else that you guys recommend getting ?

okay well the main reason that i am writing this is because my first time handling my ball python he struck at me... i waited about 24 hours to handle him like they said. do you guys know of any reason why he would have done this ? was it maybe because i was nervous to hold him ?

also he just sits underneath the heat lamp most of the day even though he had a hide with a heat pad next to it. Ive seen him in the hide for a while but i had to get one that is a little bigger because he wouldn't fit in the regular bowl i had for him before.

anyways i would appreciate any advice you can give me.

first you need to get control of the heat mats.if you have no thermostat or dimmer they run 130 degrees.second,are you keeping the light on all night?

well i got a thermometer and the reason i got the two heat mats is because my temps where low and having two of them made it about right for night and day at least i think about 75-77 at night and about 88-91 during the daytime. and i forgot to say i have a timer for the light just a cheep one from wal mart but it works good so far.

its because your not using temp probes on the surface of the heat mat.i see the dial therm on the back.that only measures the temp of the glass 8 inches above your mats.you are prolly cooking your snake.i dont mean to sound harsh,im sorry if i come off that way.

put your hand on the carpet over the mat,is it hot?super hot?warm?luke warm?

well he always sits on top of the heat pad witch is right under the light too and also i have a piece of Plexiglas in between the bottom piece of glass and the green Matt because the bottom of the tank has a crack in it, and i think that reduces the amount of heat that gets transferd a lot.

but do you think i should unplug one of the mats and see what it does for a while? also its only 37 degrees where i live atm and the inside of my house is cold too.

did you feel the carpet? how does it feel? this is important.

i just did and it feels slightly warmer than room temp on top of the heat pad, but he got fairly agitated when i put my hand in there again.

if thats the case the temp is too low.you really need to get 2 accurite thermometers with probes to put on the surface of the mats.

okay i will try look for some at the local pet stores later on today , thank you

also this is kind of a stupid question... but its not so much that im scared of the snake but i am scared to reach in the cage for him. do you think it would be okay to wear leather gloves when i pic him up ?

and Ive decided that im going to try to have minimal interaction with him for a few days Ive been reading that its better to let him get used to his environment, and i will feed him on Wednesday and let him be for another day or two than start handling him. does that sound like a good idea ?

and thank you for you help soooo much

look at walmart.they are 12 bucks. on the glove thing,if you grab the snake with confidence you will have no problem.dont hesitate,dont go fast or slow.just grab it like you would anything else you grab.if you are that nervous and have a extremely low tolerance of pain wear gloves.just make sure there not oily or dirty.

okay sweet yea i think im going to use some gloves until i get more comfortable with him its not that it will be painfull if he bites ist just that i have always had a slight fear of snakes and him striking at me just makes me hesitant and the gloves i think would make me be able to grab him without showing him i am nervous witch i would imagine would make him less nervous.

okay now just one other thing how do i keep the humidity at about 60% ? i spray once and a while and that usually keeps about right but where i live it can go from very humid to no humidity in less than a week. should i just make another hide box with some damp paper towels or the sphagnum moss in it ?

and about 60% or higher is the right humidity correct ?

okay i will do that thank you

and yes i think that the gloves would help me a lot and i think it would help the snake by making me less nervous and in turn making him less nervous.

also i was wondering how to keep the humidity right ? i mist once and a while when i gets too low but im not always home to do that. so should i just get a hide box and put some sphagnum moss in it or moist paper towels? also the ideal humidity is about 60% right ?

also noe that its getting dark he is moving around and exploring a lot more. he keeps pushing up on the cage but im sure he wont get out i got four cage clips on it that should be enough right ?

sorry i just posted the same thing twice i am not used to forums and i looked and didn't see my reply on the first page i didn't notice there was a 2nd one so i replied again thinking i didnt work the first time than i saw page two... lol

I haven't personally been bitten (yet), but I hear it doesn't hurt much. He's probably just trying to intimidate you, since he is a little fearful... just be confident, and pick him up like it's no big deal. Delilah occasionally gets snarky, and will hiss at me - I ignore it and pick her up anyway, and she's never struck or bitten me. Good luck! :)

yea I am just very nervous about snakes, i like them a lot but my instinct is to stay the heck away from them but i am determined to just get over it and i am already a lot better at handling them than i was before.

also do you think that maybe using a Snake hook would work good ? i have heard about them but i don't know much

any one know if a 40 gallon long would be good for a full grown male ? hes all ready almost to big for the one i have him in now(20 gallon)

I would purchase a 20 Gallon Long aquarium for him (Only around $50-$70 in stores and comes with a locking screen.) That should be big enough for the rest of his life.

You need to do a few things to ensure that you have a happy healthy BP.

1. Buy another hide exactly like the one you have now, you need 2 identical hides.

2. Get rid of the Thermometer/Hygrometer gauges, they are useless and most of the time are not accurite.

3. Get a Thermostat. You could end up burning your snake without one. If you don't have much money to spend right now, get a cheap Thermostat like the ReptiTemp 500r. You can find it here for only $25.

http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=75

It regulates your UTH automatically so it doesn't get too hot. (I tested my 10-20 Gallon Zoo-Med UTH unregulated and it went up to 138.9 degrees before I shut it off. Imagine your snake on that!)

If even that is too much to spend right now, go to a local hardware store and get a dimmer for around $10. The downside is you have to manually tweak it and therefore have to keep a close eye on it all of the time.

4. Go to Wal Mart and get an AcuRite Thermometer/Hygrometer. They are around $15. This will tell you your Humidity, Ambient temperature, as well as your UTH temperature.

6. Get rid of your second UTH and your heat lamp, and just use one UTH with your dimmer/thermostat. Keep adding heat devices one by one until you reach your desired temperatures. The heat lamp sucks up a lot of your humidity.

5. Get rid of the reptile carpet, it harbors bacteria and is hard to clean, expensive too. Go with paper towels, newspaper, or aspen. I prefer aspen since it's still decorative and there is more space in between the UTH and the animal.


And don't be afraid of the little guy, I've never been bitten but I heard they don't hurt. Just be confident, and try not to be too nervous, he can sense that.

I am not an expert by any means but this is what I've learned from BP.net, and I hope it helps! :)

Hi,

Have a quick read through the caresheet too and see if there is anything we may have missed you want to ask about. :)

I would also think about covering the back and sides of the tank to help your little guy feel more secure - once the tanks is dialed in leaving him alone for a week to settle in might also be a good idea.

You still clean out any poo etc during the no handling phase though.:gj:


dr del

I have to agree as well about the handling...don't get the gloves and snake hook. It'll only prolong you of getting over the fear... If he's a baby, treat him like one...I always say expect the worse...So just expect to be bitten...When I worked in a Pet shop (Long long ago) I got bitten by a year old burmese...I honestly didn't notice until i saw blood being drawn out (yeah I found out then, you shouldnt just stick your hand in there so quickly...it was my turn to clean his tank)...and when I noticed I started laughing...

"The only thing you have to fear, is fear itself" FDR

yea i decided to get a towel to drape over the side that doesn't have the heat lamp so he couldn't see as much making him less stressed and i got an acu rite thermometer from wal mart and it works good so far but with the two heat pads and the light it is saying my temp is only 82 degrees on the hot side of the tank. i stuck the sensor the bottom inside wall of the tank. is that the place i want it?

and i will be getting a thermostat soon, probably the one that you linked me.

and i was wondering if you guys thought it would be okay to use the shredded paper stuff they have for bedding at wal mart that is real cheep ?
http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/8546/0517091603.jpg

thank you all so much for the help it is really appreciated.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by brandon82490

yea I am just very nervous about snakes, i like them a lot but my instinct is to stay the heck away from them but i am determined to just get over it and i am already a lot better at handling them than i was before.

also do you think that maybe using a Snake hook would work good ? i have heard about them but i don't know much

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Trust me he is more afraid of you than you are of him. I know that's what they always say, but its true lol. Don't think anything of it when you pick him up, just do it. It is important to get comfortable with him while he is young, before he is larger and capable of doing some real damage. As a snake owner you have to accept that there is always a chance that you will be bitten. I have never been bitten by a baby but I am told it doesn't hurt, and its not like they have venom.

I wouldn't get a hook, or gloves for that matter.

I would put paper towels, aspen, or newspaper down for substrate... green carpet is very bacteria succulent and isn't very easy to clean.

Get rid of any heat lamps you have. Or put a bulb in that has no heat if you just want light for viewing..

You need to get some THERMOstats (not thermometers) to regulate the heat of the heat pads. They will get too hot and you need something that controls the heat of them. Put the thermometer probes directly above the heat mats and underneath the carpet or substrate. If its over 95F it's too hot.

You need two hides. One on each side, both should be the size of your snake and fit him VERY snug with no space in the hide when he's inside it. Log hides are bad, as well as overly large hides.

That water bowl is a bit big and not needed. It could be 1/6 that size and be good. To keep up humidity you keep some moss in the cage or spray once a day.

okay i will get another hide and a smaller water bowl and put the sensor closer to the pad but i was told that you want something like a log for them to rub on when they are shedding and that would make sense to me ?

also these are some pics of him he gets active at night and he is pretty big i think they said he was six months old when i got him on Friday. also this is a 20 gallon tank


[IMG]http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/9236/0517090254.jpg http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/0...pg/1/w1200.png[/IMG]

[IMG]http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/9594/0517090255.jpg http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/0...pg/1/w1200.png[/IMG]

I'm also learning here...

I did think logs were better...how come we shouldn't use them?

Wood is porous. Meaning bacteria can breed in there easily. I think you can have them, but clean them often. Like at least once a week. They can also fall off them easily. Mine climbed on hers all the time, but fell quite often.

The wood I had molded easily because of the high humidity. That's bad. bacteria can give the balls scale rot, and it's not fun.

I think wood is fine as long as you are smart about it and clean it regularily. I have drift wood in my future BP's enclosure to aid him in shedding but for decoration as well. I plan on baking it every so often to kill any bacteria and I do not plan on getting it wet, ever. (including when I spray)

how would i clean or "bake" the wood exactly because I really would like to keep it in there to make the shed easier

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Originally Posted by brandon82490

how would i clean or "bake" the wood exactly because I really would like to keep it in there to make the shed easier

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I would assume you just put it in the oven at a low enough temperature that it doesn't go up in flames, yet high enough to kill any bacteria.

I was talking about log hides as being a very bad type of hide.

Climbing logs (as long as they are not too high, because they will fall and hurt themselves) are fine.

yea i just have a small piece of drift wood a few inches high and he is actually enjoying using it right now he seems to like it a lot. but do you think if i used a very light bleach/water on it and left it out to dry and evaporate for a few days do you think that would work as well and "baking" it would ?

thanks again guys you have all been so much help i did a lot of research before i got him but you guys have helped me so much more than all the care sheets and other websites. i really appreciate it

To clean/bake the wood just put it on a cooking sheet and put it in the oven at 400 for like 5-10 minutes (alternately you can do it at around 200 for like 20-30 minutes).

I've heard of people that have done the glove thing, but then as soon as they tried to ditch them the snake had gotten used to them and would be uneasy when handled without gloves. Really a ball python bite doesn't hurt at all, especially that size. Kinda feels like getting shot with a rubber band/a cat scratch.

A great type of wood looking hide is

http://www.petco.com/Assets/product_...316685512C.jpg

These work and are aesthetically pleasing (plus they are easy to clean). They can be purchased at most pet stores.

BTW I wouldn't worry about getting a smaller water bowl if that one is working for you, we have one snake that gets cranky if we try and give her a small bowl. She really likes to soak. And the larger bowls are especially nice when they are shedding cuz they just curl up in the water.

Good luck with the new snake.

my snake don't use the water too much but i think she uses it enough for it to be worth it plus i dont want my humidity to go much lower if i get a smaller water bowl.

i think i am going try and get one of them hides that are plastic but made to look like wood because it looks fairly rough so it could use it to rub on as well as to hide on the hot side of the tank

i would just want every one to know that i did put in some aspen bedding and he is enjoying it MUCH more than he did the cage carpet he is wandering around and exploring plus he seems way less stressed however i have had soem feeding problems with him not that he has a weak feeding response he struck at the f/t rat several times but missed at least a dozen than i droped the rat accidentally and he thinks im the food now and wont stop striking at me! but eventually i just got him back in his cage and im going to give him anoter try at eating on Friday probably.

but yea so feeding response is great but he just cant seem to figure out what exactly he is supposed to eat.

any advice ? any questions maybe i can help some of you guys now ?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by brandon82490

i would just want every one to know that i did put in some aspen bedding and he is enjoying it MUCH more than he did the cage carpet he is wandering around and exploring plus he seems way less stressed however i have had soem feeding problems with him not that he has a weak feeding response he struck at the f/t rat several times but missed at least a dozen than i droped the rat accidentally and he thinks im the food now and wont stop striking at me! but eventually i just got him back in his cage and im going to give him anoter try at eating on Friday probably.

but yea so feeding response is great but he just cant seem to figure out what exactly he is supposed to eat.

any advice ? any questions maybe i can help some of you guys now ?

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Is the good how enough?????? I have a garter that will mistake me for food if my hand is warmer then the mouse....... Just a thought... try heating the food a bit more, and possibly keep the hot water next to you when feeding so you can rewarm the mouse if it starts to cool down.:8:

i think you had a typo but you where asking if the rat was warm enough and i think that he was warm enough i basically took him out dryed him off right next to the snake

i think im just going to get a large mouse next time instead of a small rat because the rat seemed a bit large for him actually and he did not eat it so im going to try again Friday with a large mouse.