adopted a ball python new here a bit scared

[exotica0095]

hello


ok well we put the probe inbetween the sticky part and the tank at first but that created an air buble so we put the probe on the bottom part of th eheating bad not the sticky part the temp is like 73 right now but remember we have one of those glass thermometers that stick to the glass and are round

i also covered the top of the tank w a pillow

[FlowRock]

You two (exotica and wispurs), though being roommates using two accounts, should and can get all the information you need in a lot of great threads and posts in this forum.
All the others, loving all great creatures creeping around on this planet like I do, but:
DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS!

[Kaorte]

hello


ok well we put the probe inbetween the sticky part and the tank at first but that created an air buble so we put the probe on the bottom part of th eheating bad not the sticky part the temp is like 73 right now but remember we have one of those glass thermometers that stick to the glass and are round

i also covered the top of the tank w a pillow

Yeah I wouldn't even acknowledge the reading that round gauge is giving you. Go out and get yourself an accurite weather station. The thermostat is useless without it.

[angllady2]

A lot has gone on here since I've been gone, but I think I'm up to speed so far.

First of all, congratulations on your new snake. They do take some effort at care and getting used to, but they are worth it to me.

You have definitely been taking steps in the right direction with care, and I applaud you for that. If you spend a little time reading the "stickies" at the top of each forum page here, you'll find a lot of useful information, I know it really helped me when I didn't know anything. I would recommend going to Wa-lMart and spending the 10-12 dollars on an Accurite digital thermometer/hygrometer. Those dial things the pet shops sell you are useless. I've seen them be off temperature by 20 degrees!

The Accurite will come with a little wire attached to it, you want to put the little knob on the end of that wire right on the glass tank bottom right where the heat pad is underneath. That is the only way you will know if the heat pad is hot enough/too hot.

Another thing, yes it is hard to hear that your snake doesn't love you or even want to be held by you. It really kind of de-flates your ego. But you know what? I love mine anyway. I have nine pet snakes right now, and each and every one has it's own personality. I hold mine for 10 or 15 minutes at a time once or twice a week. They don't mind the attention from me, and I can indulge my fantasy that they love me. Sure, cats and dogs and ferrets, and even rats show more affection, but that doesn't bother me. I actually have all these things as pets, and I still wouldn't give up my snakes. They are very calming and soothing to me, and they are good for my high blood pressure as well, so you could say they are a medical necessity for me.

Try not to let it get you down. Snakes are amazing animals, and they deserve a special place in your heart, even if it's not quite the place you hoped for.

For now, as hard as it is, try to let your new baby have several days to a week of peace and quiet. Just do your adoring from afar. Then, in about a week, try and get him to eat for you. If he does, that's a very good thing! Once he has eaten his first meal for you, give him about 48 hours to digest, so you don't give him an upset tummy, and then you can try holding him for a little while. It is going to take a lot of effort and patience on your part, if you are anything like me, NOT holding him will be just about the hardest thing there is, but it really is for his own good.

Once he has time to settle into his new home and has eaten for you a few times, I don't think taking him out for 15 minutes at a time, even if it's most days except right after he has eaten will hurt anything. The best way to know if you are overdoing it is, he'll stop eating. If he does, ease up on the handling a little, if he eats good, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Gale

[WingedWolfPsion]

That's right, I feed cute, furry, social little animals to scaly, timid, ungrateful animals. I like the snakes better, personally, because they rarely pee on me.

If you want to give the snake to a good home, there is a classifieds section on the forum, and you could offer it up for adoption. Chances are, someone would be glad to take it in.

Remember that this is an animal that is relying on you entirely for its quality of life. It's helpless in your hands. If you feel you can't do right by it, then by all means, pass it on to someone who can before it becomes ill.

[herekitkitty]

You're right--keeping reptiles IS a lot like keeping fish. They're very similar animals, for all that one lives out of the water, and the other in it.
Their mental capabilities are very comparable.

Of course, goldfish are very trainable, so might be considered a bit brighter than ball pythons. I've never heard of anyone really training a ball python. But training requires a motivator, and very little really motivates a ball python, so perhaps that isn't fair, lol.

You can't take your goldfish out and hold it, of course, which is what makes ball pythons so pleasing. Just always remember that holding the snake is something you do because YOU enjoy it. The snake simply never will. It just wants a nice, dark, warm, humid place to hide.

Snakes--and other reptiles, amphibians, and fish--are pets that people keep because they enjoy looking after something and watching it thrive in their care. They enjoy watching its behavior, and investigating its personality.

These animals are not kept because they love us--a dog, cat, or even a ferret will. A bird will. But not a reptile. If you need a pet that will love you back, a reptile isn't for you. You need to look to the warm-blooded critters for that (and even then, you have be selective--only social animals 'love'. Your hamster will never love you, either, but your pet rat could).

So, reptiles don't love. That having been said, WE love THEM. It does not matter to US that they can't love us back. We love them just the way they are. That's why we keep them.

i donooo i think my Boo loves me she crawls all over me and makes herself at home in my shirts teehee! she likes to investigate my hair too. i mean they gotta love u,...u feed em and give em a safe home they may not understand love but im sure they understand being safe and being fed!

[WingedWolfPsion]

That's just it--they're perfectly capable of feeling contented--'happy'. Not so much with the love, which is a very strong emotion, a strong attachment to an individual.

[wispurs]

You said he wouldnt like sleeping with me, he did. you said dont switch him to prekilled mice or he wont eat, he did, you said dont hold him or he wont eat, he ate it right out of my hands with no problem on the first try! you said he wont be happy if i do all these things, and he is. you said he wont love me, but guess what?!!! he does!

... and what?!

[Danounet]

You said he wouldnt like sleeping with me, he did. you said dont switch him to prekilled mice or he wont eat, he did, you said dont hold him or he wont eat, he ate it right out of my hands with no problem on the first try! you said he wont be happy if i do all these things, and he is. you said he wont love me, but guess what?!!! he does!

... and what?!

I'm sorry that post is too funny.... I just imagine her with big boxing gloves saying "BRING IT!"


Anyways... If you keep sleeping with your BP sooner or later you are gonna injure it or it will crawl away into some hole you are unaware off and lose him for ever. Trust me I lost my first Ball Python because I felt asleep when I was very tired and her tub was slightly opened.

[cboocks]

You came here looking for the advice of people who have owned and bred these snakes for years. The least you can do is be appreciative of these strangers trying to help you and keep your animal healthy when you bought an animal you knew nothing about. All we are simply trying to do is give you advice; something you came looking for. If you refuse to take it, fine, but you don't have to go off and throw it in the faces of those kind enough to try to help. Simply thank them and restrain from rudeness.