First ball python, now what??

[Zincubus]

Definitely more clutter needed when you get chance .. I’d have a few more hides scattered around .. have to be small enough to be ‘snug’ .. and loads of branches as they love climbing in the evenings .. also loads of fake foliage..to give plenty of cover


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[Jay0884]

Hello, thanks for the input. I will work on adding more clutter to the tank. And yes the wires were probe wires for the first thermometer/hydrometer I got not realizing it would only take the temp and humidity of one location. So I just stuck those in the middle to monitor the overall temp n humidity. Bought new wireless ones to monitor each side hot and cold. And were connected via Bluetooth so I could monitor from my fone.

[Jay0884]

As to the genes of the snake. He did go to some extent explaining her genes. But as stated were first time snake owners. So we had no idea of what exactly he was tellin us. My daughter just picked out one she liked. Wish I had known before hand about this wobble issue and I would have steered clear of that issue entirely. But we are where we are. So I did some looking on his fb page. And I believe I found her clutch posted on his timeline. The dates add up and judging from the pictures she is probably one of the babies pictured, but I can reach out if this doesn't clarify enough. In the first picture he states the first to hatch and that the parents were a killer spinner x OD pastel. So would that make her a OD killer spinner and not killer blast?

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[Jay0884]

As an update. Was rearranging her tub to make it a little more cluttered and I noticed her peaking out from her hide. Still doesn't come out of her hides, stays hidden but when I was moving her stuff around she would peak her head out. And I read I'm not sure if here or somewhere else some like to hunt from their hide until they are more comfortable. So thinkin she may be hungry I thawed a frozen mouse I had for her. Let it sit in room temp water then used a blow dryer to heat the head up a bit. Held it for her and I got a strike but she didn't grab it. Struck about two more times before she gave up and hid in her hide. But I felt she was definitely hungry. And also remembered the breeder said he was feeding live. So I picked up a live mouse. My mistake was putting him in their instead of holding him out for her. He was only in there about 15 mins and I watched him the whole time but I swear he pooped like 15 times all over the place. Anyway. He got close to the hide, she struck and tagged him but he got away. He stayed away for a while but eventually went over to her again and the 2nd time she got him. Wrapped him up. Ate him within like 10 mins. Then she went over to her water bowl took a drink and bee lined it back to her humidity box. Odd thing is. For the past 5 days Ive had her she's been in the humidity box or hide on hot side. But since she has ate yesterday. She's been in her hide on the cool side. Is this normal??? I thought they needed heat to help digest food.

[Jay0884]

Oh and should I clean out all the mouse poops right away or wait until she digests her food to start pullin out her substrate for fresh paper towels???

[Albert Clark]

Wow! Great update and congrats on the research and getting the little girl to take a meal. The hobby / naming of killer spinner , killer blast , super blast have all undergone differing interpretations of the genetic input and it’s been starting from the top at World of Ball Pythons . Killer blast was and is described as a super pastel and pinstripe with some and a super pastel and pinstripe and spider with others . We pretty much have a idea on killer spinner as having the spider gene incorporated. As we see in the case of your girl that she does have the spider gene. Once again there is controversy on the hobby names and the true genetic input that can and should be readily given and explained by the individual breeding that takes place. Great job in any case and a gorgeous little hatchling you have there.

[Albert Clark]

If you have large tweezers or tongs you can pick up the mouse droppings as you can without disturbing the python as she digests her meal. I wouldn’t worry about swapping out the whole substrate in the meantime.

[Bogertophis]

...Odd thing is. For the past 5 days Ive had her she's been in the humidity box or hide on hot side. But since she has ate yesterday. She's been in her hide on the cool side. Is this normal??? I thought they needed heat to help digest food.

Snakes do need warmth to digest, but even the 'cooler' temps. are likely enough for your snake to digest, so just trust your snake to know what they need & want. When you get a chance (without disturbing your snake) double check the actual temperature IN the warm hide to make sure it's not too warm, but otherwise, don't worry- I've seen snakes do this before too.

Sometimes, it appears they deliberately want to slow down their digestion- I've noticed this after a snake has eaten a larger than usual meal- so that makes some sense to me-it's as if they don't want to overwhelm their digestive tract- or perhaps they get more nutrients from their food when it's not digested too fast. Anyway, your snake is surely not the first one to do this, nor are you the only one to wonder why.

And the mouse droppings aren't a big deal- "spot cleaning" to tidy up is fine. Leaving them may also stimulate your snake's appetite- the lingering scent may confuse them into nipping your "warm & wiggling" hand after they've digested this meal, for example. Oops!

On the other hand, if you're planning to get your snake on pre-killed rodents (fresh or f/t), saving these mouse turds to increase the scent of a defrosted mouse might be a good idea. (Just make sure you label what they are & don't store them where someone might think "candy"? haha)