New ball python owner with many questions!

[_Victoria]

I have been reading about ball pythons for a while (months!) and wanted one. Thought I was ready and finally got myself an adorable bp but am struggling so much. I'm having such a hard time and am so concerned about him. I really hope I figure this out asap for him. I don't usually like to be a person to ask a million questions but in this case all I want is for him to be happy and healthy so here are my questions:

DETAILS: I have a glass 20 g tank, a 75 watt infrared bulb, and a UTH pad. I'm using aspen for bedding. I have a small/medium size water dish and also a Tupperware with water below the infrared bulb. I have a digital probe thermometer and another thermometer/humidity detector in the middle of the tank.

Questions regarding humidity:

My humidity is extremely difficult to maintain. I initially was struggling at a 20-30% but since I have added cardboard on top of the cage around the light and the extra water dish along with. Wet hide spot I usually maintain 40% humidity. I then use a water bottle to mist inside the tank and that'll bring it back up but not for long. I cannot even count how many times I've misted today.

1. Is moss a good way to keep my humidity up and if so for about how long

2. I've been misting inside my tank and then read about how the bedding should get wet so I stopped that but I was doing that. The bedding is dry now so will it be okay because in don't want to stress him out more and take him out to change it unless I have to.

3. Since my house is freezing and I believe I may need my infrared bulb for extra heat are my only options an auto mister or humidifier for safe humidity controls?

Questions regarding heat:

As I have mentioned above I have a UTH pad and a 75 watt infrared spot bulb. My tank is usually at 90-95 degrees in the center of the tank under the lamp.

1. I have been reading about thermostats but am confused. Do they go into both my UTH pad and lamp or only one?

2. Would a thermostat eliminate my need for a lamp by being able to provide all the heat I need?

Questions regarding feeding:

I got my snake on Friday and was told his feeding day was Saturday. I tried feeding him with no luck. Figure he's stressed being of how awful I'm doing so I haven't tried feeding him again for fear of stressing him out even more. How long should I wait before trying again? I was thinking of trying tomorrow maybe.

Questions regarding shedding:
My bp has rough parts on his belly and it feels like he may be about to shed. I was told when I bought him he was going to but I was wondering easy signs to tell.


Well that's all I can think of right now and typing this on my phone has taken forever so I'll end this now. Sorry for the length!





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[Mr. Misha]

Hi and welcome to the forum. First off, check out the three threads below because they will answer a lot of your questions.

How to setup a 20 gallon glass tank:
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=201740

Shedding Process:
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=28794

Ball Python Care Sheet:
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=127203

The first thing I want to address is a NEED for a thermostat for your UTH. Without a thermostat, you're running a huge risk of burning your snake. The reason we use a thermostat for a UTH is to control how hot it gets. An unregulated UTH can get very hot.

A thermostat for your UTH would not eliminate a need for a heat lamp. UTH provides belly heat while the heat lamp provides ambient heat.

On the humidity issue, I'd suggest using coco husk as bedding. Also, I would suggest closing off the top of your screen with foil. That will trap your humidity better. You'll find how to do that in the tank setup thread.

On the feeding part, wait a week for your BP to get used to his environment and try to feed him again next week.

Hope this helps. Don't be afraid to ask more questions if I didnt answer something or if you need clarification. The whole point of this is forum is to learn.

I'm also writing this mini essay on my phone so I might have missed a few things.

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[KMG]

1. Is oss a good way to keep my humidity up and if so for about how long Yes, couple to few days


2. I've been misting inside my tank and then read about how the bedding should get wet so I stopped that but I was doing that. The bedding is dry now so will it be okay because in don't want to stress him out more and take him out to change it unless I have to. cypress mulch holds humidity better. Misting the substrate is fine. You just don't want it be soaked.

3. Since my house is freezing and I believe I may need my infrared bulb for extra heat are my only options an auto mister or humidifier for safe humidity controls? I have a 40 gallon tank with a che and 60 watt bulb for extra heat on the cool side. Moss in the hide with occasional misting works fine. But you could run a fogger or mister if you want.

Questions regarding heat:

As I have mentioned above I have a UTH pad and a 75 watt infrared spot bulb. My tank is usually at 90-95 degrees in the center of the tank under the lamp.

1. I have been reading about thermostats but am confused. Do they go into both my UTH pad and lamp or only one? tstat can work for either but is necessary for the uth. A lamp can usually be controlled with a dimmer.

2. Would a thermostat eliminate my need for a lamp by being able to provide all the heat I need? No. While the hotspot is important so is your ambient temp. The uth will not help your ambient temps and a tstat will regulate the uth and actually make it cooler than it is currently. I would suggest unplugging the uth until it is hooked up to a tstat. An unregulated uth can burn your snake.

Questions regarding feeding:

I got my snake on Friday and was told his feeding day was Saturday. I tried feeding him with no luck. Figure he's stressed being of how awful I'm doing so I haven't tried feeding him again for fear of stressing him out even more. How long should I wait before trying again? I was thinking of trying tomorrow maybe. I usually just wait until the next feed day but at least five days is good.

Questions regarding shedding:
My bp has rough parts on his belly and it feels like he may be about to shed. I was told when I bought him he was going to but I was wondering easy signs to tell. Pink belly, foggy blue eyes, blue skin. After you see these signs the skin and eyes will clear up and you will get a shed in a few days. The foggy skin is called "blue."


Well that's all I can think of right now and typing this on my phone has taken forever so I'll end this now. Sorry for the length!





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[pphela4]

Hi Victoria,
Welcome to the site, I am also a new owner my guy is only about 6 months old. I know its scary at first because you feel like a new parent. First off I am no expert and there will be other people who will give you knowledgeable answers. Out of fear of pointing you in the wrong direction, I'm going to instead refer you to a couple of links.
As for a couple of the things you mentioned. First off a 20 gallon tank may be slightly large for a baby ball assuming that's what you bought. The heat should be on one side of the tank not in the center at around 90 degrees. You should have a hide on both sides of the cage. If he is a baby, he may not eat because of feeling insecure in his home. If you are feeding frozen thawed you will want to look at one of the links. Thermostat wise if you have the UTH running make sure it is hooked up to the thermostat asap. The UTH can and will overheat without it and kill your snake.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...-Frozen-Thawed

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ass-tank-setup

[KMG]

A 20 gallon tank is fine but having logs, plants, moss, etc can help it feel secure. I have raised my bp in a 40 its entire life. I like naturalistic tanks and she is my best eater, even better than my bloods.

Where the heat is directed is not that important. What is important is having a gradient. If the center is warm and both ends are cool its fine as long as the snake has a place to get warm and cool down.

A hotspot of 95 is a bit warm but the bigger issue is its killing the humidity. You could put it on a dimmer, tstat, or raise it away from the cage. All of my lamps are on lamp stands so I can raise or lower them depending on my intended heat goal.

[_Victoria]

Thank you all for your answers and help. I shut off the UTH and put the lamp back on. I had to shut it off because it was making the tank too hot. I hope the temperature will balance out.

After reading the replies I need feel prepared and have a good list of stuff to buy. I don't know if our petstore had thermostats so I may have to buy one online and I hope he'll be alright until then.

Good to know that it's okay for me to go a little bit longer until feeding and didn't try again today. I can't wait until I get all of this figured out. I feel so bad.

Thanks again for the replies though. I feel like I can now sleep a bit knowing i have some idea what to do. I'll keep posted and update when I can. 😊


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[Mr. Misha]

I shut off the UTH and put the lamp back on. I had to shut it off because it was making the tank too hot. I hope the temperature will balance out.

You can get a simple lamp dimmer from Lowes or Home Depot for your heat lamp so you can turn it down if it's gettimg your tank too hot.

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[KMG]

Most of the tstats you find at the pet stores are not that great. I personally like Herpstat. I have two Herpstat 1s, a 2, and a 4. If you can afford one, do it.

You want to buy the best tstat you can afford. Buying cheap ones means they will eventually fail and you will spend more money replacing them. Buy it right the first time.

http://www.spyderrobotics.com/store/...ain_page=index

There are others out there but the Herpstat is top of the line. Search the forum for others. They get talked about alot.

I would get a smaller watt bulb. I would think a 50 or 60.

[_Victoria]

Thanks for the info you guys ! The Home Depot is right across he street from the petstore so I'll look at light dimmers and I do want to pick up a lower watt bulb too.

I want to order a good tstst but shipping takes some time and I don't know if he'll be fine. I was told at petstores that they didn't use the UTH pad but with what I've previously gathered it's pretty important. Do you think the lamp will work for a while if I order a tstst and that he'll be okay?


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[KMG]

Yes, a lamp will work fine.

When I ordered my Herpstat from their site it shipped quick and took two days to be delivered.