Boy is home, I am just looking for reassurance, the first couple weeks are tough!

[BostonMacK]

Hey guys, I bought my snake two weeks ago but just brought him home yesterday because I was getting everything dialed in for him. I am going to explain my setup and questions as good as possible but try and bare with me. By the way this is a great site!

OK, I have a PVC cage with sliding front glass doors as you will see in the pictures below. The cage is about 3’w (maybe a little smaller) by about 18" deep and about 18"tall.

1. Hot side (not even sure if the snake thinks this is the hot side which I will get to) has a large UTH all the way to the left of the cage. The thermostat probe is taped to the bottom of the cage underneath his hide under the substrate. I have a digital thermometer based on the cool side back wall with it’s probe taped right next to the thermostat probe under the hide. I am getting a reading of 95 on the floor of the cage onder the substrate but only about 84 on top of the substrate (under his hide). I was told by Kara that the snake will burrow down under the substrate to get on that heat so my fingers are crossed, how could I second guess Kara being a first time BP owner? This is my biggest concern, I am hoping that as long as the bottom of the cage is reading 95 or so he will eventually use it.

2. Cool side. I was having problems bringing my ambient temps up to 80-83 using just the UTH on the hot side so I installed a Radiant Heat Panel (pro-products) on the cool side which you can see in the picture below. That brought the ambient temps right up to about 82. I have the RHP probe taped directly in the middle of the back wall of the enclosure which you can also see in the picture.

3. Temp readings. I have a digital thermometer velcroed on the side of each hide. The ambient temps on the hot side are 80.6. The ambient temps on the cool side is 83. The temp reading from within the hot side hide sits around 93 or so. Again, this probe is placed directly on the inside bottom under the hide above the UTH.


4. I know I am a little anxious here seeing I havent even had the snake home for a full 24 hours yet but I just want to know if things are normal or not, or atleast get an idea of what to look for. Last night when i brought the snake home I put him in his cage and he did what I expected him to do. He explored the enclosure sniffing around a bit. He went in the cool side hide, then the hot side hide, then back to the cool side hide which is where he’s been pretty much ever since. He did come out as soon as the lights went out last night and just sat half in his cool side hide and half on top which is under the heat panel. I am just wondering if it’s normal for him to stay on the cool side or might something be up with the hot side?

Any advice or just some good ball bython behavior feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again with any help.

Here is the tank.

[West Coast Jungle]

BP's spend the majority if their time in the hides, especially when in a new home. Larger cages make smaller BP's very insecure so expect him to hide alot. Otherwise you are good to go, ambient temps could be a little higher.

[fishmommy]

WOW! I never thought of hanging the thermometers (I have the same ones) right on the hides! That's a great idea


as for whether or not he will burrow down to the heat..yes he will if he wants to. mine clears a little pit in the cypress under his hide all the time to get a nice comfy area.

staying on the cool side: perfectly normal as long as your temps are all good and it sounds like they are.
Here is my theory: I got a snake from NERD also, and their racks are basically a constant temp, tending toward the low end of the scale. When I brought mine home, I had a temperature gradient like yours and found that my snake for well over a month and a half stayed on the cool side all day long. he would only move to the warm side when temps dropped to abnormal lows, like after I had been messing around with the door open, or if I put a big bowl of cool water in the tank. It took him many weeks to discover that he enjoyed the hotter temps - I believe it had something to do with being raised thus far without them. Once he started 'basking' for real he kept doing it religiously. I think your snake is behaving quite normally. The fact that he explored but then settled into a hide and stayed there sounds very good actually! A happy ball python is a sleeping ball python.

Glad you got him home! looking forward to pictures after the 'hands off' week is over

[BostonMacK]

That's awesome guys.

I am sure you all remember the first few days, every ten seconds I am jumping up to check his temps and what not. He actually looks to be looking for a meal. I have been opening his cage to mist every now and then and each time I do so his head pokes out of his hide with his tongue going a mile a minute. Regardless I am going to wait until Saturday to give him his first feeding.

Even when you get your temps right I still find myself second guessing everything.

Thanks again!

[fishmommy]

I still check mine constantly...not because I'm worried but because I'm in love

[Subzero]

I check temps all the time, once I get my rack itll be easier, Also as far as the hot side goes, it take a long time for the substrate to heat up (esp. mulch) and depending how thick the bottom of the enclosure is.

Question, the mat itself heats to 95? or is that the bottom of the floor inside the enclosure?

If its 95 degrees inside on the floor then just remove most of the mulch in his hide.

[BostonMacK]

Subzero,

The probe is on the bottom of the enclosure under his hot hide. I was just curious, it's been about 24 hours and he hasnt left the cool side which is right around 83. He seems relaxed though, he's in the hide just sitting with the tip of his nose poking out. Thanks for the help guys.

[satanicnugz]

Something to note... I don't think new owners realize how often BPs are in their hides. My BP is in his hide 90% of his life. He only come out for a couple reasons.

1. When I handle him.
2. When he is hungry he will roam his cage at night. This usually is the night before feeding or after a no-feed shed, at night. Also sometimes when he only gets a smaller meal he will roam.

My BP will usually peek out of his hide when I am rustling around in my bedroom (where his house is). Sometimes when he's hungry he'll stick about 6" out in the S position and stare me down.

All the rest of the time head-hidden in the hide!

[BostonMacK]

Well when I woke up this morning he was heading from his cool side hide to his hot side hide for the first time since Saturday. He went in the hot side hide for maybe two minutes and then turned around and went back to his cool hide.

My only worry is that he is finding his cool side RHP warmer than his hot side UTH which is reading 93 on the inside bottom of the cage. Time will tell I guess but he seems to be addapting well and seems pretty relaxed.

Thanks for the info/advice guys.

[fishmommy]

I think it's too early to tell since he's still settling in, but observations like this may lead you to make slight temp adjustments over time.


you could put a third hide in there somewhere in between and see if he likes that too