Hello Folks Noob here w/a few questions & pix

[Bigboyindiego]

Hi everyone ;
First off my names Rick I live here in San Diego
I bought my 1st bp a week ago . I was told its a norm and from the pix ive seen she is but her coloring I cant get it to come up correctly is more of like a dark maple syrup almost mahogany like ,thats why I chose it out of the others they had .
She is a strong eater , Ive got her in a 20 gallon long fishtank will this suffice for now ?? I want to get a nicer tank when the $$$ gets here . I also really want a albino but again the $$ has to add up One problem ive notice is ((SO FAR ) shes very friendly ,but when going back in the tank she curls up right away and almost looks like she goes into a strike pose ,almost looks like shes telling me I dont wanna go back . Ok so here goes my questions
1. They told me it was fed frozen mice ive tried 2 so far she strikes them then leaves them be Ive taken out after 2 hrs of sitting SHOULD I keep trying the frozens maybe leave them in longer
2. As i stated b4 its a baby yet and speaking of which I have a 4 y/o lil girl is it a good idea for the snake now to cheak each other out I saw somewhere that small fingers look like dinner to some baby snakes
3. She does like pinkie mice but heard feedin live contributes to the raising of a hunter/aggresive snake which I do not want w/4 kids .
I'm sure ill be firing more questions of & on thanks for your help
Here are some pix of my baby !







Thanks For all the future help !!!

[jfreels]

1. They told me it was fed frozen mice ive tried 2 so far she strikes them then leaves them be Ive taken out after 2 hrs of sitting SHOULD I keep trying the frozens maybe leave them in longer

Does she try and get them down or just strikes at them? Mine, if he struck the body of the mouse, he'd have a heck of a time trying to get it down right and sometimes just leave it alone. You can also try re-warming the mouse if he struck it and had the same issues as mine.

2. As i stated b4 its a baby yet and speaking of which I have a 4 y/o lil girl is it a good idea for the snake now to cheak each other out I saw somewhere that small fingers look like dinner to some baby snakes

Mice and rats look like dinner to snakes, I believe that they can tell the difference. If your child is interested in the snake, I would allow her to touch it, but by no means would I let her walk around the house with it. My daughter really likes my snakes, but she's 8.

3. She does like pinkie mice but heard feedin live contributes to the raising of a hunter/aggresive snake which I do not want w/4 kids .

Being a strong feeder doesn't mean that it will be aggressive towards you and your family. I feed frozen/thawed, so I can't speak from experience, but LOTS of people feed live and have never been bit by their ball.

BTW, the 20 gallon tank will last a really long time, especially if she turns out to be a he I keep my ball in a 10 gallon and he's eating small rats. He'll be going into a 20 gallon this weekend though.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and welcome to the forum!

[mommanessy247]

well ppl here like to know all about the snakes setup before answering any questions. i've not been here long and i dont have my bp yet but i've learned alot here and think you will too if you stick around. welcome to bp.net.

[hunter94]

Get a 10 Gallon Tank set it up with a heating pad and everything get the Heating Pad plugged into a Thermostat and keep the heating pad around 93-94 F put the Hide on top of the heating pad. Now the side with the Hide is your Warm End and should be 93-94 F on the heating pad now the opposite side is your Cool End so you will want that to stay between 78-82. All you need in the Tank is a Water Dish, Bedding, and a Hide. For the Bedding I recommend Aspen as it is very easy to use and change. For a Water Dish I recommend something that your Ball Python can fit into if it wants to soak. And for a Hide I recommend getting one that is a very tight fit and covers your Ball Pythons body so it is not exposed.

I also recommend getting 2 Thermometers and 1 Thermo/Hygro so one of the Thermometers will be laying on the glass were the Heating Pad is and the second will be on the Cool End suction cupped a couple inches from the Bedding, if not touching the Bedding. The second is a Acurite Thermometer/Hygrometer so you can measure Ambient Temps and Humidity at the same time, once you get one, suction cup it in the middle of the back glass wall. Humidity needs to be 50-60% and Ambient Temps should be in the Mid 80s or so.

Here is a quick summary of all the text above.

Warm Side (Heating Pad.): 93-94 F
Cool Side: 78-82
Ambient Air Temps: 80-85
Humidity: 50-60%
Humidity during a shed: 70-75%

10 Gallon Tank with Aspen as the bedding and a nice Tight fit Hide and a Water Dish your Ball Python can fit in. Make sure the layer of Aspen is about 2-3 Inches thick.

Once this is all complete leave your Ball Python alone for 5 days and then try feeding it a Live Pray the same width as the widest part of your snake. Feeding live does not make your Ball Python aggressive you were told false information. I feed my 11 Week Old Male a Live Adult Mouse every 5 Days and he lets me pet his head which is very rare in a Ball Python.

When feeding move it to a Feeding Container lined with damp Paper Towels. And then put your Ball Python in and dump the live mouse in and wait. Don't worry the mouse won't attack your BP it doesn't know your BP is a threat. I wouldn't let young children watch unless they have witnessed a live mouse dieing before, it can be very sad. Its up to you of course but I'm just warning you. =)

Also I suggest feeding your BP every 5 days, it makes for a happier and healthier Ball Python.

Also how old is your Ball Python exactly and how big is it?

[Vypyrz]

Hello Rick, and to BP.net...

One reason that a BP will not eat is insecurity. They like snug, dark hides. There are many available on the market from rock caves to basic plastic box type hides. Or you can make them from cheap plastic bowls with an entrance hole put in them. The half log hides generally don't provide the snugness and security that Ball Pythons prefer.
Since you are using a 20 gal tank, you may need to add some fake vines and stuff to clutter it up a bit and fill in some of the open space. It will also help if you get something like black construction paper, poster board, or aquarium scenery and cover 3 sides of the tank. This will make the tank seem not so open to the snake.
When feeding Frozen/Thawed prey, a set of feed tongs or long feeding tweezers will be your friend. You can also use a cheap set of cooking tongs from Wal-Mart or the dollar store, and tongs will also prevent the snake from mistaking your fingers as food. Another way to prevent the snake from mistaking your fingers as food is to thoroughly wash your hands after handling rodents.
It is also important to make sure you thoroughly thaw and heat the rodent, so my first question is how did you thaw and present the mice to your snake?

[Bigboyindiego]

thanks for all the helpful answers
I finally got tyson to eat a frozen mouse,I actually thaw the mouse in hot water for 10-15 minutes and after alotta twitching the mouse damn near right in front of it she took it after about 10-15 minutes .. BUT now ....it went down backwards and with a few pieces of substrate went with it abt 2-3 tiny pieces .
My tank is a 29 gallon long exactly I have a heat mat on left side w/a hollowed out log as a hide , also I have 3 pieces of bamboo , a rock water dish on the cool side along with a small black plastic tupperware pitcher that i made into a hide also on the cold side . above I have a tanklid screened and a 75wat heatlamp . Thats basically my humble abode in a nutshell .
Ok now for a few more noob questions
1. Im assuming this was its poop but i found what looked like the same thing as a rabbit dropping in the cage Is this snake crap sorry really dont know
2. The snake did swallow a few wood shavings is that ok
thx folks for all your help

[ericzerka24]

2. The snake did swallow a few wood shavings is that ok
thx folks for all your help

If you see it starting to swallow some woodchips, you should grab them out if possible. If you move nice and slow, usually it doesn't bother them.

I've had my snakes swallow little pieces every now and then and never had any problems. I've heard that they don't digest as well but whether that is true or not, I have no idea.

[seeya205]

Heat the head with a blow dryer so they know where the head is. The head is warmer than the body on a live mouse. Here is a care sheet so you can make sure everything is up to par: http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/...ewarticle&id=5
Congrats on the new snake and welcome to Bp Net!

[shelliebear]

Welcome to Bp.net, Rick!
I'm a snake noob as well. You'll learn a lot here--ask away!

Shellie

[maverickgtr]

In reply to your first post, feeding live won't make them more aggressive, some just prefer it. Our male likes live mice [he's strictly a mouser now] and he's not aggressive at all. Grumpy, but not aggressive, and he's always been grumpy. As for having him out with your kids, I doubt he'll bite any of them, but do watch him when they're touching him and when they're big enough to handle him make sure they don't make lots of sudden movements or anything to scare him. As you have him longer you'll be able to tell when he's grumpy from a shed and/or when he just doesn't want to be handled. Also, it's best not to handle them for about 48 hours after they eat. Idk if you knew that or not but I figured I'd say it.

He should be ok if he only got a couple wood shavings with his mouse. So long as it's not large amounts or done frequently, he should be ok. What kind of wood are you keeping him on? Cedar and pine are bad for bp's.

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