New BP owner questions!!

[sunnig96]

Hi everyone!! I received my baby banana ball python from underground reptiles this past thursday. He is absolutely beautiful and seems very healthy, but as a new owner I am not completely sure what is considered normal and what isn't so I wanted to ask some questions and make sure I'm doing this correctly!

So for his enclosure I have a 30 gallon, and I'm using eco earth coconut substrate. I have a hot side with a lamp and heat pad that stays at 90-95 (I turn the lamp off at night so the temp drops a bit) and a cool side that stays around 75-80 with hides on both. I live in texas so it is already very humid, and his humidity fluctuates from about 50-70%, but there is no condensation on his tank so I think its okay?

The first day he was here he was clearly stressed out and climbed all over the vines hanging around the enclosure seemingly looking for an escape route. After about a day of that he settled in and started using his hides, and on friday he ate a F/T hopper very enthusiastically!! So now it's been about 5 days of him living here and he stays in his hides for a lot of the time but he also likes to adventure around the tank.

My first question is: does my enclosure sound okay? Is there anything I should change about it?

Second question: is it normal for him to like to adventure around so much? I know BP's are nocturnal and he does like to come out at night but he also likes to come out during the day. Like it is currently 11am here and his light is on and he was in his hide this morning but now he has climbed up to the top of his enclosure and is hanging out there. Like I said, he stays in his hide for a lot of the day but he seems more adventurous than I expected him to be as a ball python, so I just want to make sure everything is okay!


third: when he arrived, I noticed that he seems to have some messed up scales on his back? I'll attach a photo to show you what I mean. It kind of looks like some sort of injury (the company said that he ate live anf f/t mice so maybe he got an injury from a live mouse? idk) but I want to make sure it isnt an actual medical problem. The photo kind of sucks because I didnt want to keep him out of his tank for too long since he's still adjusting.

Fourth: when I picked him up to take the photo yesterday, I noticed a little black bug on him. I didnt see any others and he hasnt been soaking so do you think its a mite or could it just be a random bug?

[tttaylorrr]

beeps are affectionately called "pet rocks" for a reason: they're not really active. seeing your snake come out during the day is a definite indicator that the snake is stressed. most of the time, for new owners, the stress comes from husbandry issues.

now you mention some temps: how are you taking these temperature measurements? also, is your heat source (or sources) regulated? ALL sources of heat MUST be regulated for your own safety as well as the snake's.

another thing is, for a small lil beep, a 30gal is HUGE! if there isn't enough clutter, leaf litter, decor, etc. the snake will feel too exposed, causing stress.

could you post a pic of your setup? it'll help us help you better.

the pic you posted looks like some stuck shed to me. let it be for now and, when the snake begins to shed, make sure that humidity is at ~70% so it will come off with the newer skin.

finally, WELCOME TO THE FORUM!!!

[sunnig96]

Thank you so much for responding so quickly!! I'll include a pic of the enclosure. It's a 30 gallon, but its kind of tall so it doesn't seem as big, and the hides, water bowl, and stick that I have in the middle take up a lot of space. His hides are a little big but I read that you can stuff them with paper towels to provide more of an enclosed feel for him, so I did that and he now seems more comfortable when he goes into them. I have two digital thermometers on either end of the enclosure and thats how I monitor the temp, and for the heating pad I have a zilla temp controller that I keep set at 90!

In the pic you can see the little guy at the top right corner of the pic curled up on his vines! Earlier today he was exploring the tank and when I came home I expected him to be in his hide but he was curled up in his vine. I feel so bad that he seems stressed but I'm not sure what I can change to make him feel more comfortable!

[MissterDog]

Not a bad start at all! But I think he needs more secure hides. Ideally you'd want matching hides, one on your cool side and one on your warm so they can properly thermoregulate. The half log looks nice BUT it's not a good secure hide and I would replace it with something lower and covering all sides. Think of it like a turtle shell, they like being squished with a narrow opening. You can keep it as a spare hide or additional furnishing, just not your primary hide.

[tttaylorrr]

Thank you so much for responding so quickly!! I'll include a pic of the enclosure. It's a 30 gallon, but its kind of tall so it doesn't seem as big, and the hides, water bowl, and stick that I have in the middle take up a lot of space. His hides are a little big but I read that you can stuff them with paper towels to provide more of an enclosed feel for him, so I did that and he now seems more comfortable when he goes into them. I have two digital thermometers on either end of the enclosure and thats how I monitor the temp, and for the heating pad I have a zilla temp controller that I keep set at 90!

In the pic you can see the little guy at the top right corner of the pic curled up on his vines! Earlier today he was exploring the tank and when I came home I expected him to be in his hide but he was curled up in his vine. I feel so bad that he seems stressed but I'm not sure what I can change to make him feel more comfortable!

you're welcome!

so a couple things i notice from your photo:
1. two identical cave-like hides are SOP (standard operating procedure) for beeps. they also like a really tight fit, similar to a hug. those half-log hides aren't great because they do not provide the security a beep needs as well as they're impossible to keep clean due to the bark's ability to absorb liquids. i'd get different hides if you can, ones that are cave-like and more practical. if you want a more natural look, Exo-Terra makes some nice ones in a variety of sizes which can be found at most pet stores.
2. i'd move that vine to the floor, as that will provide more security for the snake since that's where he spends his time.
3. my guesses as to why he's up there is that he could be cold (ambient temp too low), or he does not like his hides (covered above).

husbandry issues are the #1 problem with new owners, but they're a fairly simple fix! double check all your temps (ambient, hot spot, cool side), get a bit more clutter for the enclosure floor, and get new hides if you can or really stuff the ones you have with paper. i'd start with these steps to get the lil guy settled in.

he's beautiful, btw!!!

[MissterDog]

Agreeing with tttaylorr on moving the vines, or adding more for floor coverage.

Additionally I'd probably add more fake plants near the front to serve as a vision blocker and providing more shelter. To a little noodle, their biggest threat is from above, so make it feel like them traveling from point A to point B is a safe journey with lots of cover. Even paper towel/toilet rolls are great little tunnels! Also consider maybe blocking the sides of the glass tank with cardboard or other black board outside his tank for more privacy! The less you see of him, the more secure he feels!

Also welcome and congrats!!!!

[sunnig96]

Perfect! I'm going to go get some new hides asap! Also, you mentioned it might be a temp problem, how would you recommend getting the heat up in my enclosure? I have the lamp and heating pad and I keep the screen top covered to keep heat in. Should I just keep the temp on my heating pad at 95 instead of 90, or could that possibly burn him?

[tttaylorrr]

Perfect! I'm going to go get some new hides asap! Also, you mentioned it might be a temp problem, how would you recommend getting the heat up in my enclosure? I have the lamp and heating pad and I keep the screen top covered to keep heat in. Should I just keep the temp on my heating pad at 95 instead of 90, or could that possibly burn him?

you're now realizing the trouble with a tall enclosure: that heat from the lamp has a long way to travel before it reaches the floor, and since heat rises, this makes for a tricky situation. how are you regulating the lamp? i don't think you mentioned it, or i'm blind. either way, your best bet is to run the lamp a bit warmer and see where that gets you. what's your ambient temp reading at the substrate?

EDIT: also are you running a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) or a regular heat bulb? and what wattage is the bulb?

[sunnig96]

it's a regular heat bulb. i read that it's good to have a light on during the day so that they have a day/night cycle, and my room isnt super bright so I just bought a heat bulb (60 Watt). my issue right now is that when I turn the bulb off at night, the tank cools down. should I buy a ceramic bulb to run at night? I don't have a regulation on the heat lamp, I just have the two thermometers on either side so I can make sure it doesnt get too hot in the tank. what would you recommend for heat lamp regulation?

the temp at the substrate on the hot side is at 90. what I have been doing is turning up the temp on my heat mat slightly at night when I have the bulb off, but I feel like there has to be a better way!!

[tttaylorrr]

it's a regular heat bulb. i read that it's good to have a light on during the day so that they have a day/night cycle, and my room isnt super bright so I just bought a heat bulb (60 Watt). my issue right now is that when I turn the bulb off at night, the tank cools down. should I buy a ceramic bulb to run at night? I don't have a regulation on the heat lamp, I just have the two thermometers on either side so I can make sure it doesnt get too hot in the tank. what would you recommend for heat lamp regulation?

the temp at the substrate on the hot side is at 90. what I have been doing is turning up the temp on my heat mat slightly at night when I have the bulb off, but I feel like there has to be a better way!!

ball pythons do not require a light cycle, and the benefits of offering a light cycle are still debated.

you might need to up the wattage of the bulb due to the height of the enclosure. in my 20gal (long) i run a 100 W CHE on a rheostat which keep the ambient temp at ~80° F. honestly i'd ditch the bulb and get a CHE that you can run all the time which will also allow you to keep the thermostat setting for the UTH consistant. no temp drops, no adjusting, just 24/7 ball python comfort.

for bulb regulation you can use either a thermostat, or a rheostat (lamp dimmer). i use rheostats for both my lamps and they work well and are also more affordable. it takes some time to learn the dial but you'll get the hang of it within an hour or two.