New with Questions

[KahleenB]

Hello all! I hope this is the right place to post this!
My partner and I just bought a ball python after a bit of planning but there are a few things that we are getting mixed information about.

A bit of information:
He is a genetic stripe ball python
He is in blurry eyed stage of shedding
He is eating frozen mice

Firstly our tank is at a ambient temperature of 80 degrees. Its around 93 degrees in his basking spot. Is this fine or too hot? (100 watt bulb)

Secondly we were told we should start handling him immediately but with some research it seems that we should be leaving him alone until his first successful fed (which would have to be after he sheds). Should we be handling him (hes handled wonderfully) or should we leave him to get adjusted and shed?

He also likes to hold his head up (as seen in the picture) he looks absolutely adorable, but I wanna make sure this isn't a sign of stress http://imgur.com/hndBENn

Any additional advice or help is more then welcome!

Thank you!

[JLC]

Beautiful little ball you got there! As you say, absolutely adorable.

Welcome to BP.net!

Your ambient temps are great. The basking spot is...ok...but definitely don't let it get any warmer. My concern with a bulb as the heat source is that it's a directed heat. Put your hand under it at the same level the snake would be laying. Depending on how focused the light is, you may feel your hand getting warmer and warmer, to the point that it hurts. So, just keep a close eye on it.

To handle or not to handle....it's really an individual scenario for keeper and snake, both. Some are bold little critters and don't seem to mind being handled right off the bat, and will eat with gusto. Some are shy and easily stressed. For ball pythons, the general rule of thumb is to leave them alone and give them a chance to feel settled and safe in their new home. It never hurts to follow that plan. If you handle too much too soon, you may cause stress that you can't see and then you may wonder why it won't eat. So I prefer to let them settle in and get a good eating routine going before fussing with them too much. But some really don't seem to mind.

I don't think that pose is a sign of stress at all...more a sign of inquisitiveness. Looks like you got a keeper!

[Sonny1318]

You'd do well by letting him settle in and finish his shed. Then try and feed him. I think the the majority would recommend letting him settle in a bit, and then feed. And wait around 48 hours after that to handle.

[KahleenB]

Thank you for the reply!

We just placed our hand under the lamp for 2 minutes and its nowhere near hot enough to hurt us or even make us uncomfortable. The thermometer is directly in the center so the temperature where he is is gonna be a little lower then what the thermometer says.

As for handling hes pretty content in his tank, within his little house. We are gonna leave him for a few days just to insure that he won't become stressed!

He is very curious, when we first were setting him up he was climbing all over me and looking around, moving all over the bed. Once we put him in his tank he immediately went and stuck his face though a hole in one of his rocks and started playing on it. A lot of personality already!

[BCS]

Thank you for the reply!

We just placed our hand under the lamp for 2 minutes and its nowhere near hot enough to hurt us or even make us uncomfortable. The thermometer is directly in the center so the temperature where he is is gonna be a little lower then what the thermometer says.

As for handling hes pretty content in his tank, within his little house. We are gonna leave him for a few days just to insure that he won't become stressed!

He is very curious, when we first were setting him up he was climbing all over me and looking around, moving all over the bed. Once we put him in his tank he immediately went and stuck his face though a hole in one of his rocks and started playing on it. A lot of personality already!

They do do a lot of exploring for the first couple of days in a new enclosure. After a day or two they tend to become the ball python standard of lazy. I agree with the light bulb thing. It is kind of like standing under the sun and the longer you stand there, the hotter your skin gets. I wouldn't handle him until he sheds. BP are blind during this time and is very stressful for the snake. You can offer him food whether he has shed or not. It wont harm him, but most likely he will not eat during the blue stage.

[EMSPrincess]

I definitely had the same problem as you with my first snake (handling-wise), but I didn't even realize how well it worked out until after it happened. The guy we got our normal from hadn't held him in two months, hadn't been able to get him to eat for a month and a half, and just in general did not know how to take care of the snake (not like I did either when I first got him lol). But as it turns out, I was so pumped to have a snake I held him even though you're supposed to let them settle (he was in shed too, oops), stuck him in my shirt to hang out when I was doing homework, and researched like mad to figure out why he was a problem eater. Entirely separate, I figured I'd put him in a bath to help with the shed, and literally within two minutes he had dumped a mouse that he'd been holding in for a month and a half. That night I was able to get him to feed on a proper-sized thawed rat. Turns out, he will absolutely never go to the bathroom in his tank, only the bathtub with warm water. As a result, he'll refuse to eat until he has eliminated his waste, which was the problem as to why he wasn't eating - the guy had NEVER given him a bath before. I've also noticed he'll tend to have better digestion if we hold him once a day - don't know why, but that's the way it is.
So for us, handling and eating (and warm baths) went together great, all within a day of getting our snake. Hopefully that won't happen to you but if it does try the warm bath, it works wonders

[Albert Clark]

Hello and welcome to the club! Most reptile keepers who house more than one snake have what's known as a quarantine period. This is a period of time where the animal that is a new addition to a collection can be monitored and observed for any signs of illness or injury. The new addition is kept away from the established collection for 30 to 90 days. Of course he's fed and watered and given a clean and comfortable enclosure but just observed more closely. So, just be on the lookout for anything suspicious with your new guy and I think it's a good idea to wait to handle him or even to feed him. This way you can feel more secure that he's been monitored and gives him time to become more acclimated. Enjoy. He's a winner!