Hello all!

This last Friday me and my wife got our first ball python from a local pet store. I did research for about 3 months before deciding what kind of snake I wanted to get. because I wanted to try and make sure that I was well educated on how to take care of one. Her name is Latte and she is 2-3 months old. She is a Pinstripe Morph, although I've questioned maybe she has Spider in her too? Maybe someone could give us insight on that?

It took a good week before I got the temps and humidity steady in the terrarium we got her. Because it was on sale we decided to get the Exo-Terra 36x18x12 terrarium. And as I knew from research it was hard to regulate the temp because of the mesh top and the glass. So I insulated the sides and back with 1/4" PVC board, and covered most of the top with foil tape. After doing both of those things I have been able to keep the temp and humidity steady right where it should be. I have a heat lamp with a 100W CHE over the hot side as well as a 12x8 Zoo-Med heat mat under the hot side. I keep the water dish right under the heat lamp to help with humidity, and it works very well. The heat lamp is on a dimmer and the mat is on a thermostat. I have thermometers on both sides and a hygrometer in the middle.

This past Friday, a week after we got her, we got to feed her for the first time. And she ate that mouse so fast it didn't even have a chance for it's back legs to hit the ground out of the box it was in! She had it grabbed and wrapped in a split second! It was so cool and so rewarding after all the hard work I put into making her terrarium suit her well. I was afraid she wasn't going to eat after all I read about them being finicky eaters.

Last night, two days after feeding her, we got to finally hold her for the first time since we got her. And so far she seems mostly relaxed. She hasn't hissed or threatened to bite at all. She just seems a little weary of our hands when they move. She is really really cool!

I am posting pictures of her and her terrarium and would appreciate any feedback or suggestions if any.

Thank you!