New BP mom advice

[kath_]

Hi everyone!

I just got my very first snake today; a juvenile BP named Buddy. I'm very excited and want to give him the best care possible.
Right now he seems pretty stressed out (moving around a lot) so I'm going to give him a week to settle into his new home before handling him. Or at least until he gets on a regular feeding schedule. I hope he gets less stressed eventually.

Any general advice for a new BP owner would be appreciated!

[jmcrook]

Welcome and congrats! Best advice is search the forums with any and every question you have as it is likely that most first time owner related questions are an easily found topic. Get a decent thermostat to control UTH if you use one, 90 hot spot, 80 cool side, 50-60% humidity (higher when in shed), use digital thermometer and hygrometer and let you new pall get settled in. Cheers!


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[Russdent]

Hi,

I am a new BP owner now (3 weeks) and love it, Just read this forum and most questions you want to ask will be on here, if you cant find an answer don't be afraid to ask as most people on here are really cool and will give you the best advice possible.
I keep a diary which helps me, I log feeding, Cleaning, Toilets and anything that may help me get thru the next few months until I'm 100% settled with him. If you have his home set up OK just let him chill for a week or so no matter how much you want to show him off and you will be fine. I read this forum daily at the moment and the advice I have picked up is great. People have different ways of doing things but you will find what works for you and your new BP and everything will be good.

Good Luck

[kath_]

Thanks so much for the quick responses guys! I really appreciate it and this seems like a really great community for experienced and new owners alike. Buddy roamed for some of the night but he's settled into his box and isn't moving much so I can only hope this is a sign of him acclimating.

I am a little nervous for his first feeding because I'm switching him from live to frozen and I'm afraid he won't take it. The pet store I got him from said he's been eating well for the past several weeks on live, but I think it's better to stick to frozen since I'm inexperienced. Any tips on the switch?

[BPGator]

Thanks so much for the quick responses guys! I really appreciate it and this seems like a really great community for experienced and new owners alike. Buddy roamed for some of the night but he's settled into his box and isn't moving much so I can only hope this is a sign of him acclimating.

I am a little nervous for his first feeding because I'm switching him from live to frozen and I'm afraid he won't take it. The pet store I got him from said he's been eating well for the past several weeks on live, but I think it's better to stick to frozen since I'm inexperienced. Any tips on the switch?

If you haven't taken a look already, here's the ball python caresheet:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...ius)-Caresheet

As for feeding - some may do fine with the switch. Others don't. I personally believe it's best to feed the exact same thing he was eating before I got him. One less variable to account for in case he doesn't eat and it should increase your chances for a successful feed. Make sure the prey is not too big. Since Buddy is still young, the rat should be roughly 10% of his body weight.

Welcome and don't hesitate to ask questions. As you've noticed this forum has the first-time owner all the way to professional breeders.


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[kath_]

Thanks BPGator!
I did a lot of poking around on the forums here before getting him and that care sheet is awesome. Really helped me out with my tank setup.
I was initially ok with doing live but my mom is NOT ok with me doing that and it's her house so I guess I have to stick to frozen.
Ive researched some ways to make the switch and plan to feed him a week from now so hopefully it'll go well.

Right now he's hiding and a lot less active which seems like a good sign (I've heard constant movement is a sign of stress).

My cool side temp is 82 and my hot side is 90 with thermostats on each end for monitoring. My humidity is at 54%.
I have an under the tank heating pad and an incandescent red heat lamp on his hot side which I've left on through the night (seemed like the only way to keep a comfy heat level for him since the cold is starting to set in in PA.)
Two hides on each end as well as a big water dish on the cool side.
I'm using a coconut fiber substrate in a 10 gallon.
I've also covered all four sides of the tank with white paper to make him feel less exposed for the first couple of days since everything is so new.

Is this setup ok? I researched a lot about tank setup before getting him but this is my first snake so I can't help but feel nervous I'm doing something wrong.

[BPGator]

Your setup sounds good. Great job doing your research.

And yeah, your mom's house, so her rules. And if the rat isn't eaten you're left with a live rat to take care of. On the other hand, frozen rats have to be kept in the freezer - hopefully she's ok with that. Make sure you research how to properly thaw out the rat. And if he doesn't strike at it, just leave it in his tank overnight. Good luck and let us know how it goes.


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[kath_]

Your setup sounds good. Great job doing your research.

And yeah, your mom's house, so her rules. And if the rat isn't eaten you're left with a live rat to take care of. On the other hand, frozen rats have to be kept in the freezer - hopefully she's ok with that. Make sure you research how to properly thaw out the rat. And if he doesn't strike at it, just leave it in his tank overnight. Good luck and let us know how it goes.


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Thanks so much! The tank kind of smelled funny so I moved him for a little to thoroughly wash and disinfect everything. All back to normal now.
She'd rather have rats in the freezer than real ones stinking up the house.
His first F/T feed will be on Friday and I'm planning on doing it in a separate enclosure so he doesn't associate opening the tank with feeding.
I'm still kind of concerned. He's been pretty active for a few hours at night (climbing the walls of his tank, general movement, etc). He spends all day in his hide though and part of the night. Is this normal? I thought climbing the walls were a sign of stress. I haven't handled him at all except moving him briefly into his other tank while I cleaned his original one but that wasn't more than 10 minutes. I just really hope he eats on Friday.

[kath_]

Also a little worried about keeping him hydrated. I've been trying to mist him since he doesn't seem too interested in his water dish but not actually sure how effective this is.

[BPGator]

First - feeding in another enclosure is not necessary. There's people that do it for various reasons, but to prevent associating your hand with food should not be one of them. The majority of people on here feed in their enclosure. It's easier on the snake and I have no doubt it will make your first feed more successful. As long as the only time you don't stick your hand in there is to feed him, it is highly unlikely that association will be made.

Misting should be done if you're having humidity issues. He probably drinks at night while you're fast asleep.


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