Just got a Ball Python

[DerekG4]

If it really is that young, it wouldn't have gone through its first shed cycle. Most folks will tell you they don't even offer food until after their first shed.

The most common reason why a snake regurgs is because of husbandry. What's your temperatures on both sides look like, humidity, do you have a hot spot, are your heating devices controlled by thermostats?

Just looking at the pictures of the enclosures I'd suggest getting fake plants to make the snake feel more secure, but that is secondary to making sure your husbandry is spot-on.

Temperature on the left side is 71-73 degrees, middle (where his heat mat is) 81-85 while inside his hide is 94-96, and the right side by the log is roughly 76-80. Humidity is about 60%. The heat mat is not controlled by a thermostat. I figured it doesn't need it as it doesn't get any hotter than 96 degrees.

i should have some fake vines lying around that I have for my geckos. I also have a lot of semi dried Spanish moss, would that work too?

[Starscream]

The temperature on the left is far too cold, the enclosure should never drop below 75 degrees. 94-96 is a bit on the hot side, I would try to lower it to 88-92. Even if the mat only gets to 96 degrees, you always need a thermostat for any and all heating devices. The heat mat could suffer a malfunction and overheat, which could in turn burn your snake. How are you monitoring these temperatures?

Both would be fine, so long as the snake has something to brush against while wandering around the enclosure (you may notice them tracing the edges of things with their bodies. they're very tactile animals).

[DerekG4]

The temperature on the left is far too cold, the enclosure should never drop below 75 degrees. 94-96 is a bit on the hot side, I would try to lower it to 88-92. Even if the mat only gets to 96 degrees, you always need a thermostat for any and all heating devices. The heat mat could suffer a malfunction and overheat, which could in turn burn your snake. How are you monitoring these temperatures?

Both would be fine, so long as the snake has something to brush against while wandering around the enclosure (you may notice them tracing the edges of things with their bodies. they're very tactile animals).

Not sure what's the actual name of it but it's a little black device with blue buttons (Mode and Scan) that measures temps. All I know about it is that it's from Zoo Med and it's digital.

I'll use the Spanish moss. I have more of it anyway and it can also help with raising and maintaining humidity.

[DerekG4]

The temperature on the left is far too cold, the enclosure should never drop below 75 degrees. 94-96 is a bit on the hot side, I would try to lower it to 88-92. Even if the mat only gets to 96 degrees, you always need a thermostat for any and all heating devices. The heat mat could suffer a malfunction and overheat, which could in turn burn your snake. How are you monitoring these temperatures?

Both would be fine, so long as the snake has something to brush against while wandering around the enclosure (you may notice them tracing the edges of things with their bodies. they're very tactile animals).

Not sure what's the actual name of it but it's a little black device with blue buttons (Mode and Scan) that measures temps. All I know about it is that it's from Zoo Med and it's digital.

I'll use the Spanish moss. I have more of it anyway and it can also help with raising and maintaining humidity.

I'll move around the substrate to increase/decrease the temperature in certain spots. (Add some in his hide to decrease the temps) he's never around the left side anyway, only the middle and right. Currently all he's doing is hiding and sticking his head out to drink water. He's been drinking a lot lately, which I'd imagine is good, isn't it?

[MissterDog]

Not sure what's the actual name of it but it's a little black device with blue buttons (Mode and Scan) that measures temps. All I know about it is that it's from Zoo Med and it's digital.

I'll use the Spanish moss. I have more of it anyway and it can also help with raising and maintaining humidity.

I'll move around the substrate to increase/decrease the temperature in certain spots. (Add some in his hide to decrease the temps) he's never around the left side anyway, only the middle and right. Currently all he's doing is hiding and sticking his head out to drink water. He's been drinking a lot lately, which I'd imagine is good, isn't it?

Please keep in mind ball pythons do burrow, so you should be measuring your hot spot BENEATH the substrate at the bottom of the cage surface itself. You need a thermostat to regulate your heat as you generally don't want the hottest surface your bp can touch to go over 92. As Starcream pointed out you risk possible burns and malfunctions/heat spikes. There's no safe way around that.

[BluuWolf]

Okay, I'm just gonna run down the list of what I see that should be changed.

I'm your post you wrote that you have two hides but in the pic I could only see the one on the hot side. It could of been that I wasn't seeing it sense the pics were small and blurry but if you don't have two hides he needs two hides. One on the cold and one on the hot, they will choose security over right temps so they will stay on the side with the hide even if they are to hot. That log hide is much to large and not secure at all as well. They need hides that fit pretty snug on all sides and only have one opening. You could stuff that one with paper towels or substrate to make it feel smaller but I'm assuming the reason you don't have both hides in there is because you can't fit both in that small a tank.

Ideally you want two hides that are identical as well. After you get that you will need some vines and greenery to fill in the empty space so he feels more secure, he should be able to move from one end to the other without feeling exposed. You can also use an empty paper towel roll and paper towels to achieve this.

As for temps your ambient temps are to low and hear pad is to hot. I would unplug the heat pad, at least until you get a thermostat, and get a heat lamp for now. You'll need one to get the air temp up anyways. You can get the lamp and a nighttime bulb, not a daylight the light will stress him out, at a reptile store or petsmart or something and then get a lamp dimmer from Home Depot or something like that and use that to control the temps. There are other methods like CHEs and such but that is what will be most immediately available to you right now.

As for feeding wait, be patient they can go longer then you would think without feeding and like others have said I doubt he has had his first shed yet which they need to do before they will eat.

Ball Pythons are very picky eaters even under normal circumstances won't eat unless their husbandry correct and this is a special case that will take even more care. It's not impossible but you need to put in the extra work. Research, study the stickies on this forum and learn as much as you can and listen to the advice give to you

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[DerekG4]

Please keep in mind ball pythons do burrow, so you should be measuring your hot spot BENEATH the substrate at the bottom of the cage surface itself. You need a thermostat to regulate your heat as you generally don't want the hottest surface your bp can touch to go over 92. As Starcream pointed out you risk possible burns and malfunctions/heat spikes. There's no safe way around that.

Didn't think they could burrow, I haven't seen it burrow yet. I suppose I'll buy it a thermostat now.

I'm your post you wrote that you have two hides but in the pic I could only see the one on the hot side. It could of been that I wasn't seeing it sense the pics were small and blurry but if you don't have two hides he needs two hides. One on the cold and one on the hot, they will choose security over right temps so they will stay on the side with the hide even if they are to hot. That log hide is much to large and not secure at all as well. They need hides that fit pretty snug on all sides and only have one opening. You could stuff that one with paper towels or substrate to make it feel smaller but I'm assuming the reason you don't have both hides in there is because you can't fit both in that small a tank.

Ideally you want two hides that are identical as well. After you get that you will need some vines and greenery to fill in the empty space so he feels more secure, he should be able to move from one end to the other without feeling exposed. You can also use an empty paper towel roll and paper towels to achieve this.

Yes, I had 2 hides, a large log and a small cave. I removed the log and added my leopard gecko's old nesting box (Its a gelato box with an entrance hole on the top with moss and soil inside) and just added loads of Spanish moss. He is exploring the box as I type this. For now I put some substrate over the hot spot so it can get a little colder, at least until I get the thermostat. I was going to add a fake cow skull I had for my blue tongue skink but I can't find it now and I don't remember where I last had it.

As for temps your ambient temps are to low and hear pad is to hot. I would unplug the heat pad, at least until you get a thermostat, and get a heat lamp for now. You'll need one to get the air temp up anyways. You can get the lamp and a nighttime bulb, not a daylight the light will stress him out, at a reptile store or petsmart or something and then get a lamp dimmer from Home Depot or something like that and use that to control the temps. There are other methods like CHEs and such but that is what will be most immediately available to you right now.

If possible, I can simply move his whole enclosure somewhere in the house that's hotter. I only have it in my room for convenience (and is also the least noisiest place as my parents have many birds). I also checked the temperature again and the left side is around 74-75, middle is 81, now with the substrate over the heat pad its about 89, and the right is about 78. I guess it simply gets a little colder at night in my room.

As for feeding wait, be patient they can go longer then you would think without feeding and like others have said I doubt he has had his first shed yet which they need to do before they will eat.

If he can go for that long, I'll gladly wait. So should I wait for him to shed first or wait the two weeks?

Ball Pythons are very picky eaters even under normal circumstances won't eat unless their husbandry correct and this is a special case that will take even more care. It's not impossible but you need to put in the extra work. Research, study the stickies on this forum and learn as much as you can and listen to the advice give to you

I'll look into the stickies now.

Sorry for the double post by the way, not sure how that happened. By the time I noticed I couldn't edit out the second post. As soon as I'm allowed to add attachments I'll post better pictures.

Now that I given it the Spanish Moss and new hide, its just sitting on the box completely exposed instead of going inside of it or by the moss. I'd add moss but I'm pretty sure if I place the moss on him where he's sitting by he'll freak out a bit.

[BluuWolf]

The room temps would need to be around 80 - 85 with a heat pad but without a thermostat you need to unplug that heat pad like now. Google burns on ball pythons it will make you sick.

Also for the hides i did see the smaller one after I posted, but you had both hides right next to each other and and the water dish on the far side. Put the bowl in the middle and one of the hides in the far side.

He should shed between now and the end of the two weeks but if not I doubt he would eat before he sheds.

The stickies will help you a lot, just make sure not to cut corners. Good luck! Keep us posted

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[DerekG4]

Just turned off his heat pad and I also just noticed his body has a strange girth. His neck looks thin but a few inches down his body is much thicker then eventually by the tail it gradually thins(Could it be he's just puffed up with air?). I wish I could post attachments. He's also not moving at all and still in the open

[tttaylorrr]

Just turned off his heat pad and I also just noticed his body has a strange girth. His neck looks thin but a few inches down his body is much thicker then eventually by the tail it gradually thins(Could it be he's just puffed up with air?). I wish I could post attachments. He's also not moving at all and still in the open

How to Post Pictures