Expert advice for a new Ball Python owner

[Tiffanie]

My son has loved all snakes and reptiles since he was able to walk. After months of research we decided to purchase him a Bumble Bee Baby Ball Python for his 10th Birthday. We definitely didnt go into this blind, however after reading several threads, I'm second guessing on the heat pad we attached to the bottom of the tank. I'm concerned that if we are not monitoring it every hour, it may get to hot and potentially burn the snake. Is their anything I can purchase that will monitor this hearing pad for us and keep the temp at a suitable level? We have a large tank for him (38X18x16) which I know is not preferred. However we have 2 hides (one on the cooler end and one on the hotter end) just to ensure he doesn't feel overwhelmed in his new tank. When we brought him home we tried hard to leave him alone and allow him time to get settled in. He needed to be feed the next day so we handled him for a bit, popped him into his feeding tank with a hopper, and an hour later went to check on him. Success!! He had eaten the mouse!! We put him back into his "home tank" and again are trying to give him some time to get settled in. This is a bit hard with my 10 year old son who is DYING to play with his new snake. Is their a rule to when not handle your new snake? How long should we give him to settle in? I want him to be handled a lot so he's comfortable with it and is use to it but I don't want to make him nervous. Thoughts/suggestions? He seems pretty active for the most part. Going in and out of his hides and cruising around the tank (both horizontally and vertically) but I have read threads that this can be a sign that he may not be comfortable. It's just leaving us wishing we spoke "snake" as we only want the best for him. I'm sorry for rambling but I have a ton of questions that I'm hoping can be answered from all the amazing snake experts on this site. Thank you for reading

[fcon]

There are thermostats available online/from reptile shops. I use the Habistat Pulse but there are others out there, they are great as you can be sure that ur viv is at the right temperature. However the Habistats have a 1 in 3 fault rate in their units so ensure you monitor your thermostats for a good couple of weeks after buying it.

It is recommended not to handle your BP until they settle in which should take about 2 weeks or so. Most go off their food after a big move so it tends to be unusual for a BP to eat straight after getting it. DO NOT handle him for a few days after feeding as this could cause him to regurgitate his feed.

Excessive roaming is usually a sign of stress, BP suffer from anxiety and or agrophobia in large spaces which is why many people keep them in small rubs. In the wild they will often be found in a tiny hiding place, only coming out at night. It seems that his viv may be to large for him so go down a size, a BP only really needs a viv half - 2/3rds their length but babies will only tend to need small rubs.

I hope this helps

[bcr229]

My son has loved all snakes and reptiles since he was able to walk. After months of research we decided to purchase him a Bumble Bee Baby Ball Python for his 10th Birthday. We definitely didnt go into this blind, however after reading several threads, I'm second guessing on the heat pad we attached to the bottom of the tank. I'm concerned that if we are not monitoring it every hour, it may get to hot and potentially burn the snake. Is their anything I can purchase that will monitor this hearing pad for us and keep the temp at a suitable level?

Yes, it's called a thermostat. There are a lot of threads with the pro's/con's of each if you search. A decent model for your application should run $30-50.

We have a large tank for him (38X18x16) which I know is not preferred. However we have 2 hides (one on the cooler end and one on the hotter end) just to ensure he doesn't feel overwhelmed in his new tank. When we brought him home we tried hard to leave him alone and allow him time to get settled in. He needed to be feed the next day so we handled him for a bit, popped him into his feeding tank with a hopper, and an hour later went to check on him. Success!! He had eaten the mouse!! We put him back into his "home tank" and again are trying to give him some time to get settled in. This is a bit hard with my 10 year old son who is DYING to play with his new snake. Is their a rule to when not handle your new snake? How long should we give him to settle in? I want him to be handled a lot so he's comfortable with it and is use to it but I don't want to make him nervous. Thoughts/suggestions? He seems pretty active for the most part. Going in and out of his hides and cruising around the tank (both horizontally and vertically) but I have read threads that this can be a sign that he may not be comfortable. It's just leaving us wishing we spoke "snake" as we only want the best for him. I'm sorry for rambling but I have a ton of questions that I'm hoping can be answered from all the amazing snake experts on this site. Thank you for reading

It's big but if you clutter it up with hides, fake greenery, or even crumpled newspaper to give your baby places to hide he'll be fine.

The bigger problem with tanks is maintaining humidity in them - we've found that covering them with Glad Press n Seal with a corner left uncovered on each side is a quick fix, or you can make a plexiglass top with a few ventilation holes for it.

[fcon]

Also try to get him on to rats ASAP, they are more nutritious than mice. This may take a few attempts because BP are known to be very fussy eaters! Do not worry if your BP does not feed for a few weeks either

[Miranda2]

My normal male was a rescue and the owner gave me the heatpad(stick on kind), she used it unregulated and I temped it out at 139 degrees.

Reptile basics just put out a nice relatively inexpensive thermostat called the hobby stat, looks pretty good and about 50 bucks( Im thinking about getting one).
Otherwise you can use a plug in dimmer switch from home depot(15.00) and a nice digital thermometer from walmart and put the probe on the inside glass over the heatpad, adjust till the temps are right. Dont skimp on the digital thermometer they are only 12.00.
You will still need to check the temps if you go with a dimmer once a day.I check mine every night. I use a dimmer on my taiwans and a reptile basics VE-200 with the others.

[Tiffanie]

There are thermostats available online/from reptile shops. I use the Habistat Pulse but there are others out there, they are great as you can be sure that ur viv is at the right temperature. However the Habistats have a 1 in 3 fault rate in their units so ensure you monitor your thermostats for a good couple of weeks after buying it.

Good to know - Thanks for the pointer!

It is recommended not to handle your BP until they settle in which should take about 2 weeks or so. Most go off their food after a big move so it tends to be unusual for a BP to eat straight after getting it. DO NOT handle him for a few days after feeding as this could cause him to regurgitate his feed.

I guess we just lucked out with Boston (our Bumble Bee) because he ate that hopper no problem with in 24 hours of us having him We haven't handled him since his feeding last night. Today hes just been curled up (sleeping I think), in the corner of his tank, in open view outside his hides. Hoping that not a sign of something that Im missing. He looks pretty comfortable but then I get to second guessing myself and worrying about every little thing :/

Excessive roaming is usually a sign of stress, BP suffer from anxiety and or agrophobia in large spaces which is why many people keep them in small rubs. In the wild they will often be found in a tiny hiding place, only coming out at night. It seems that his viv may be to large for him so go down a size, a BP only really needs a viv half - 2/3rds their length but babies will only tend to need small rubs.

I didnt want to upgrade to different tanks so I figured I could get the one that would fit him as an adult. Rather then upgrading I was thinking that can add some decorations to fill it up a but more and hopefully not look so intimidating to him.

I hope this helps

Absolutely does! Thank you for the reply

[Tiffanie]

Also try to get him on to rats ASAP, they are more nutritious than mice. This may take a few attempts because BP are known to be very fussy eaters! Do not worry if your BP does not feed for a few weeks either

Rats... Really. Oyyy lol I was hoping to switch from live to frozen. Just reading up on it now. The pros and cons. Still trying to figure out what would be easier for us but still beneficial for Boston. If rats are better, guess i better move in that direction. Even tho it totally grosses me out lol

[PitOnTheProwl]

Also try to get him on to rats ASAP, they are more nutritious than mice.

Negative.
Feed what your snake will eat.

[MarkS]

Negative.
Feed what your snake will eat.

Agreed, there is absolutely no evidence that rats are any more or less nutritious then mice. Feed your snake whatever it's willing to eat.

[Tiffanie]

My normal male was a rescue and the owner gave me the heatpad(stick on kind), she used it unregulated and I temped it out at 139 degrees.

Reptile basics just put out a nice relatively inexpensive thermostat called the hobby stat, looks pretty good and about 50 bucks( Im thinking about getting one).
Otherwise you can use a plug in dimmer switch from home depot(15.00) and a nice digital thermometer from walmart and put the probe on the inside glass over the heatpad, adjust till the temps are right. Dont skimp on the digital thermometer they are only 12.00.
You will still need to check the temps if you go with a dimmer once a day.I check mine every night. I use a dimmer on my taiwans and a reptile basics VE-200 with the others.

Great information!! Thank u so much online right now placing an order from reptile basics Just to make sure I got this right... I plug the VE200 into my subterranean heater. Then place the probe inside the tank on the heating pad. Does the probe have a wire that I have to run outside the tank? That may cause a but of an issue when trying to close the tank. Wireless would be awesome! Do they have those?