Simple snake noob questions

[Kira]

Im ignoring you until you ACTUALLY read ALL my posts and tell me what about a snake takes months of research. and I don’t mean just the parts you’re unhappy with like when I use the wrong words.

Get over yourself. I’m not going to learn everything from researching and I wouldn’t have known about switching to thawed rats if someone hadn’t told me because as I’ve said IF YOUD QUIT BEING UP YOURSELF AMD READ MY REPLIES everyone I personally knew (so like 4-5 people I. Personally. Knew.) fed their snakes live.

How about instead of just constantly attacking me you help like everyone else did. You’re just a disgustingly rude person, honestly. Please don’t reply unless you drop your ugly attitude.

I think it's great that you're here and that you're learning. But more research (before getting the snake!) would have taught you the differences between thermostats, thermometers, heat guns, etc. The option of feeding frozen/thawed is a well known thing in the snake community as well. Most online care sheets mention frozen/thawed. Months of research would have been greatly beneficial. Since your snake has been on live for the past 2 years it may be hard to switch him over to f/t but certainly worth trying! What will you do if you can't switch him?

Obviously it's in the past so the best thing now is to continue forward. Like I said earlier, I'm glad that you're at least here now. This forum has a wealth of valuable information and insight from many experienced keepers. We all want the very best for your new snake.

[Queenofredlions]

I think it's great that you're here and that you're learning. But more research (before getting the snake!) would have taught you the differences between thermostats, thermometers, heat guns, etc. The option of feeding frozen/thawed is a well known thing in the snake community as well. Most online care sheets mention frozen/thawed. Months of research would have been greatly beneficial. Since your snake has been on live for the past 2 years it may be hard to switch him over to f/t but certainly worth trying! What will you do if you can't switch him?

Obviously it's in the past so the best thing now is to continue forward. Like I said earlier, I'm glad that you're at least here now. This forum has a wealth of valuable information and insight from many experienced keepers. We all want the very best for your new snake.

Okay like I said the owner offered me his snake, I said yes, he told me to get it a week later. I had a week that I dedicated all my free time not sleeping or working to. Please stop treating me like I did 0 research because I mixed similar sounding terms up and had apparently been misinformed. I assure you I’d mix up terms even if I was a pro because my brain does that. And I’m sorry but I still don’t see what part of a snake takes multiple months and I’m still waiting on someone to tell me. Like a month diligently? Sure. Months? please share.

[Starscream]

Okay like I said the owner offered me his snake, I said yes, he told me to get it a week later. I had a week that I dedicated all my free time not sleeping or working to. Please stop treating me like I did 0 research because I mixed similar sounding terms up and had apparently been misinformed. I assure you I’d mix up terms even if I was a pro because my brain does that. And I’m sorry but I still don’t see what part of a snake takes multiple months and I’m still waiting on someone to tell me. Like a month diligently? Sure. Months? please share.

The reptile hobby is an evolving place. We're always learning new things, new scientific studies are always proving aomething new about the species we keep. Keeping any animal is not a static thing. I have my snake now, and while I feel my care is adequate, I'm always looking to improve and do things that will benefit the being whose care lies solely on me.

When I'm not doing other things, I'm often looking into studies about pythons and how environmental factors affect them, or natural range surface temps verses air temps, or how much UV they would naturally get from the sun, etc. There's a ton of information out there that I still haven't read about this fascinating species and where they're from, and plenty of science being done that we will see in the future that may affect how we keep our animals.

[Kira]

Okay like I said the owner offered me his snake, I said yes, he told me to get it a week later. I had a week that I dedicated all my free time not sleeping or working to. Please stop treating me like I did 0 research because I mixed similar sounding terms up and had apparently been misinformed. I assure you I’d mix up terms even if I was a pro because my brain does that. And I’m sorry but I still don’t see what part of a snake takes multiple months and I’m still waiting on someone to tell me. Like a month diligently? Sure. Months? please share.

It's better to over research than to under research. Better to have everything completely sorted out ahead of time so you won't get confused. Personally I researched for months because I wanted to soak up as much info as I could especially since I have never owned a reptile before. It's never a bad thing to do more research. Most people need a lot of time to figure out: how to properly setup an enclosure, what substrate to use, how to thaw a frozen meal, how often to handle the snake, proper temps + hot spot, how high humidity should be, what breeder to go to, what heating to use, how to hold in humidity, what kind of water dish, etc. It's a lot of info so it's good to take it slow.

[MissterDog]

Im ignoring you until you ACTUALLY read ALL my posts and tell me what about a snake takes months of research.

If I want to be frank, I think you rushed your research, even with the given circumstances. You keep asking how research could take months. I dedicated 10 months of research before getting my ball python and I’m glad I did, because the extra time really allowed me to let new information sink in and make good decisions. When you marathon new information in short time, coupled with excitement, it can be VERY easy to overlook critical information and questions you may not have realized you needed to ask!

There were honestly times I didn’t even realize the things I still needed to know until several weeks (even months) rolled by, because more in depth details and situations don’t really enter your mind right away. Sometimes you really need to make sure you’re properly digesting all the new info AND making calls how to evaluate what you learn. I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, there are tons of conflicting info out there! It can be overwhelming to take in all at once with such a short time frame, which is why pacing things out can be very important without being under pressure.

Kinda like, you know back in the day when we were in school and you have this horrible test you’re not familiar with, and you CRAM ALL NIGHT STUDYING LIKE A BEAST but day of the test you kinda blank? Or realize you got the wrong answers because you misunderstood a bunch of stuff you thought you were familiar with.

However I will give you credit for being willing to listen and learn from the feedback you are getting now. Moving forward is good! Which is more than I can say about other new, more stubborn members.

[tttaylorrr]

Okay like I said the owner offered me his snake, I said yes, he told me to get it a week later. I had a week that I dedicated all my free time not sleeping or working to. Please stop treating me like I did 0 research because I mixed similar sounding terms up and had apparently been misinformed. I assure you I’d mix up terms even if I was a pro because my brain does that. And I’m sorry but I still don’t see what part of a snake takes multiple months and I’m still waiting on someone to tell me. Like a month diligently? Sure. Months? please share.

The reptile hobby is an evolving place. We're always learning new things, new scientific studies are always proving aomething new about the species we keep. Keeping any animal is not a static thing. I have my snake now, and while I feel my care is adequate, I'm always looking to improve and do things that will benefit the being whose care lies solely on me.

When I'm not doing other things, I'm often looking into studies about pythons and how environmental factors affect them, or natural range surface temps verses air temps, or how much UV they would naturally get from the sun, etc. There's a ton of information out there that I still haven't read about this fascinating species and where they're from, and plenty of science being done that we will see in the future that may affect how we keep our animals.

hey OP! i've been a silent observer of your thread but now i wanna chime in!

unfortunately you did not have a bunch of time to learn what you need to, but that's okay as you've found us! my first ball python was a depression-fueled impulse purchase, so i know what that part of this journey is like. i now own 6 beeps and a corn, who are all thriving and growing up so well. i actually took almost 3 years of solid research and real-life practice before i even considered a second snake (that's a LIFETIME in this hobby.) so yes, there are people who take years to absorb all the info they can before getting more animals. i've been in this hobby for almost 4 years.

since these animals require such specific husbandry, there is no "one-size fits all" method, as everyone's homes and where they actually live is totally different. i can't just spit out a bunch of numbers and steps for you and everything will end up perfect on your end; a LOT of this hobby is trial and error. this is why we push independant research, and coming on here when you have more specific questions. you are absolutely allowed to make mistakes and try different things than what others recommend! but you also need to go into it armed with the knowledge of what you're actually doing (not implying you don't) to back up your testings and trials and KNOW that it works for you and more importantly the snake.

we are a passionate bunch, and i've been interacting with @craigafrechette on this forum longer than you've owned a snake he has the best intentions but i agree he came in a bit hot. let's work together now! for your new noodle's sake!

[Sunnieskys]

I did research and set up a tank over six months. When I got boop and came here I had stuff that was still wrong. I didnnt know about thermostats. Even with six months of research I didn't know. Also I fed out of the enclosure and also didn't know because I was taught to feed in a feed box. Any research at all is better than none. Happy you're here. It is all a learning process. Hang tight.

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[Joelgriz8124]

Wether she did her research or not , she’s now in possession of her new snake . She’s doing the right thing and trying to ask us for help. When I purchased my first bearded dragon I knew nothing about them and I learned from the forums how to properly care for her. The person I purchased her off of knew nothing and miss informed me but thanks to some kind people I ended up perfecting the husbandry and had multiple successful clutches of bearded dragons all of which turn out healthy and ended up in good homes .
Let’s all take a breath and just try to help her out, she clearly wants to learn and be a good owner so let’s help her do just that .

End rant


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[Craiga 01453]

Im ignoring you until you ACTUALLY read ALL my posts and tell me what about a snake takes months of research. and I don’t mean just the parts you’re unhappy with like when I use the wrong words.

Get over yourself. I’m not going to learn everything from researching and I wouldn’t have known about switching to thawed rats if someone hadn’t told me because as I’ve said IF YOUD QUIT BEING UP YOURSELF AMD READ MY REPLIES everyone I personally knew (so like 4-5 people I. Personally. Knew.) fed their snakes live.

How about instead of just constantly attacking me you help like everyone else did. You’re just a disgustingly rude person, honestly. Please don’t reply unless you drop your ugly attitude.

Alright OP, I'm going to do the right thing and apologize for coming off harsh.

I started my first reply trying to help, and you went on the defensive. I came across straight forward and only spoke facts to try to steer you in the right direction. You immediately went on the defensive with your reply. You then went on to say that you've done research and if you hadn't you would have more than 4 questions (trust me, I've read EVERY word more than once). Yet you never heard about a thermostat or F/T prey. I just googled "ball python care" and opened the top 5 links: 4 mentioned a thermostat and all 5 mentioned F/T prey. Took less than 5 MINUTES. You also said you read the links I shared, one of which was the BP Caresheet from this forum. Guess what, it talks about thermostats and F/T prey...

I get that you only had a week, but the bottom line is, you could've researched more. And you didn't HAVE to take that snake. You could have researched properly and got a snake when the time was right.

I'm in the early RESEARCH stages of my next snake, which I won't be getting until late this year maybe not til next year. Because it takes time to properly research a living animal that will be in my care for 20+ years. And although I've been keeping snakes for years, I have way more than 4 questions.

You said you didn't like being accused of not doing research like you see happen to every beginner. NOT TRUE! There are plenty of beginners who have their enclosures set up properly with the proper equipment BEFORE bringing the snake home, sometimes months in advance, and those people are always praised.

All that said, if you feel I came of as rude, I'm sorry. That was not my intent. My intent was straight forward without sugar coating.

You say I'm a "disgustingly rude person", well I disagree, but we'll agree to disagree.

Lastly, I stand by every word I said. You did NOT do ample research, as many others have pointed out as well. Since you're BRAND NEW to snakes, maybe have a more open mind to constructive criticism moving forward...

I truly hope we can squash this little beef and move forward. I'm happy to help you with a more friendly tone moving forward if you're willing to be open to learning and willing to put in the time.

Again, I truly wish you and your snake the best.

[Newbie39]

Alright OP, I'm going to do the right thing and apologize for coming off harsh.

I started my first reply trying to help, and you went on the defensive. I came across straight forward and only spoke facts to try to steer you in the right direction. You immediately went on the defensive with your reply. You then went on to say that you've done research and if you hadn't you would have more than 4 questions (trust me, I've read EVERY word more than once). Yet you never heard about a thermostat or F/T prey. I just googled "ball python care" and opened the top 5 links: 4 mentioned a thermostat and all 5 mentioned F/T prey. Took less than 5 MINUTES. You also said you read the links I shared, one of which was the BP Caresheet from this forum. Guess what, it talks about thermostats and F/T prey...

I get that you only had a week, but the bottom line is, you could've researched more. And you didn't HAVE to take that snake. You could have researched properly and got a snake when the time was right.

I'm in the early RESEARCH stages of my next snake, which I won't be getting until late this year maybe not til next year. Because it takes time to properly research a living animal that will be in my care for 20+ years. And although I've been keeping snakes for years, I have way more than 4 questions.

You said you didn't like being accused of not doing research like you see happen to every beginner. NOT TRUE! There are plenty of beginners who have their enclosures set up properly with the proper equipment BEFORE bringing the snake home, sometimes months in advance, and those people are always praised.

All that said, if you feel I came of as rude, I'm sorry. That was not my intent. My intent was straight forward without sugar coating.

You say I'm a "disgustingly rude person", well I disagree, but we'll agree to disagree.

Lastly, I stand by every word I said. You did NOT do ample research, as many others have pointed out as well. Since you're BRAND NEW to snakes, maybe have a more open mind to constructive criticism moving forward...

I truly hope we can squash this little beef and move forward. I'm happy to help you with a more friendly tone moving forward if you're willing to be open to learning and willing to put in the time.

Again, I truly wish you and your snake the best.

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