New BP: A few questions, plus some news that might interest you.

[Docile1]

Hi all of you cool bp-lovers

I'm new to the bp.net community, and had a few questions since I recently purchased a normal "captive hatched" bp from Petsmart ... yes, I know it's better to buy from a reputable breeder than at "Pet(not-always-so)smart" , but in all fairness this particular location has a bp-lover who's in charge of reptiles and she seems to know how to care for bp's pretty well.

The closest local breeder that I know of (Chicago Reptile House in Orland Park, IL) is about an hour away and the owner said all of his bp's are breeding right now and he doesn't really have a good selection of bp's for sale at this time. Since I purchased my first bp in the early 90's from the East Bay Vivarium in Berkeley, CA and have had great experience raising a healthy young juvenile bp to about 5.5 ft long, I knew generally what to watch out for when considering a new bp.

Besides, I just couldn't pass up this particular young normal bp Petsmart had named "Honey" because she's got a sweet disposition (extremely docile and friendly, hence my username), plus she's got a lighter color for a normal ball, cool looking jewel-like eyes, and a nice pattern. "She" hasn't been sexed yet so she may in fact be a he - but the name's cool no matter what Honey turns out to be.

Petsmart got her 12/27/10 and they said she was probably hatched in summer. She seems to be a bit thin, weighing in at 110 grams and is about 17-18 inches long. (Note: Petsmart's feeding log shows she ate a F/T mouse every week.)

And that's where I get my questions:

1 - Does this seem to be thinner than one would expect for a bp of this length?

2 - Does it seem likely that she was born last summer?

and,

3 - What age (or length/weight) would it be best to have Honey sexed by a local breeder?

It's nice to note that she's already shed perfectly (1 piece, no eyecaps) and seems well adapted to her new home.

She finally started eating 16 days since her last feeding at Petsmart: 2 f/t fuzzies, one right after the other, but I did have to expose their brains, releasing their scent which finally enticed Honey to strike. A previous attempt to feed had failed - not a single strike - so I took the advice given in another member's post as well as in BP.net's bp caresheet re: waiting a week before trying to feed again and to cut into prey as such - thanks so much!)

My first bp, Regina, was acquired from a breeder's shop and lived in a custom built wooden enclosure with an acrylic window and melanine floor. I used astroturf and a uth and she shed perfectly every time and ate like a champ. Unfortunately, I had to give her back to the shop because I moved to Brazil for a few years.

I'm finding that Honey's enclosure, while not very pretty to look at, is even better: It's a sterlite tub, has cocunut husk substrate (holds moisture/maintains humidity great), 2 identical tight-fitting, one-opening hides (one placed on each side) - and most importantly 3 uth's each individually controlled by Helix thermometers, (81F cool side, 90F warm side, and 80F ambient air temp); ambient air temp is heated by a uth on the outside lid of the tub. A digital temp and humidity gauge is located appropriately in the tub and the temps and humidity are always right where they need to be.

Having 3 proportional thermometers in one enclosure is expensive, but I figure it's a worthwhile investment when spread over many years of enjoyment with a happy and healthy pet. And besides, how else can one be virtually guaranteed the ability to maintain the right temps all of the time without any guess-work and practically no effort? I also love the fact that I was able to place as many holes in the tub as needed to get good air circulation and maintain proper humidity (normally 55%; 60%-65% during shedding) - a quick spray or two (or more when shedding) once a week is all that's needed.

Honey must be happy because I get a warm and friendly reception to handling. I love how she sits with me contently, wraps around my fingers, looks about curiously, but doesn't bolt to find a place to get away and hide. I'll have to update my profile with some pictures of her soon.

BTW, it's worth checking out rickysreptileenclosures.com because he's got some great info & videos on husbandry and he gives a detailed explanation of the criteria used for determining a proper enclosure that mimic's a bp's natural habitat. His info could probably help put to rest much of the debate re: plastic vs. glass enclosures, plus why not to use of heat lamps. His enclosures look great too, but since bp's are not arboreal, I chose a tub and spent what I saved on Helix thermometers.

Thanks for reading, and we want to thank to everyone who took their time to answer our questions.

[purplemuffin]

I'll let some more experienced breeders answer your first questions, my only ball python I got as a young adult and has been a big girl since! Never had to deal with young/too thin snakes! BUT You can get a snake sexed at any age by a responsible, knowledgeable person.

[Docile1]

I'll let some more experienced breeders answer your first questions, my only ball python I got as a young adult and has been a big girl since! Never had to deal with young/too thin snakes! BUT You can get a snake sexed at any age by a responsible, knowledgeable person.

Thanks, Purplemuffin! I figured it was o.k. to have a snake sexed at any age, and was wondering if it's more reliable after they reach sexual maturity.

Love your avatar, btw.

[muddoc]

And that's where I get my questions:

1 - Does this seem to be thinner than one would expect for a bp of this length?

2 - Does it seem likely that she was born last summer?

and,

3 - What age (or length/weight) would it be best to have Honey sexed by a local breeder?

1) How did you measure the length? Is it an actual measurement oran educated guess. I say that because a BP that is 18 inches or so would typically weigh about 300 grams. It is possible that your snake is a bit underweight for that length. However, as long as it is still alive, you can fix that by feeding appropriately sized meals. Underfed snakes can easily catch up when taken care of properly, and will not have an ill effect from it in the future.

2) It is quite possible that she was born last summer. Most balls that end up at large national chains are sold three times by the time they get into your hand. That means the first person selling them (the breeder or African exporter) did not get very much money for it, since the next guy has to make his cut as well. That means it could possibly have been sold for as little as $8-10. It doesn't take long to feed a snake before you have more invested in food than what you profit from it. While this sounds horrible, it is still business. Hence the reason why snakes are way underpriced (this is how the iguana market has been so crazy for many years but that is a discussion that would take too much time). With the above said, many normal BPs are maintenance fed, and remain small for a very long time.

3) I sex our snakes within minutes of hatching. So now is as good as any. However, I would be willing to bet you a femal Ball Python that the snake you got from Pet-Smart is a male.

Thanks, Purplemuffin! I figured it was o.k. to have a snake sexed at any age, and was wondering if it's more reliable after they reach sexual maturity.

Love your avatar, btw.

See above. If it has penes when it is born, it will have penes when it dies (thereby carrying them for it's entire life).

I hope that helps,

[Docile1]

Really appreciate the helpful info!

I measured by watching the bp spread out to almost its full length in the tub and then used a measuring tape from head to tail (and double-checked the measurement using reference points within the tub), then added another inch since Honey was almost laying out in a straight line but not quite.

Glad to hear that small snakes can catch up by being fed appropriately without any future ill effects - I knew the bp was thin, but a possible 200 gram difference - wow! Bet you're right about Honey being a male since Petsmart probably gets few females which I would imagine are mostly likely reserved for breeding.

Thanks Again,
Dave

[Johan]

Sounds like a great setup. I wouldnt worry about her size much, just feed her well and she will catch up

[Docile1]

Sounds like a great setup. I wouldnt worry about her size much, just feed her well and she will catch up

Thanks for the compliment on the set up and for your encouragement She ate another fuzzy this evening, and although I don't want to 'power-feed', I do want to help her catch up. Do you think it would be o.k. to feed every 4 days for a while, offering 2 fuzzies, then 4 days later 1 fuzzy, then 2 again? Any suggestions?

[cdavidson9]

I go to the East Bay Vivarium all the time for feeders! Small world! You should see it now.. as busy as ever. That place is hard to walk through on the weekends.. they have tons of awesome animals!

Best of luck with Honey.. and I am sure she is going to live the happiest of lives with you.

[Docile1]

I go to the East Bay Vivarium all the time for feeders! Small world! You should see it now.. as busy as ever. That place is hard to walk through on the weekends.. they have tons of awesome animals!

Best of luck with Honey.. and I am sure she is going to live the happiest of lives with you.

Yeah, I saw EBV's website recently and they look like they're really happenin'. I used to live in Berkeley and Oakland and that's where I got my feeders too. Thanks for the best wishes!

[Johan]

Thanks for the compliment on the set up and for your encouragement She ate another fuzzy this evening, and although I don't want to 'power-feed', I do want to help her catch up. Do you think it would be o.k. to feed every 4 days for a while, offering 2 fuzzies, then 4 days later 1 fuzzy, then 2 again? Any suggestions?

Maybe you can bump up a food size? are you feeding fuzzy rats or mice? In any case, id just go with 2 every 5 days and see how she puts on weight