Cage Set Up, Any Suggestions?

[Lucryth]

As promised to afew members, here are some pictures of the set up.


Yes Yes the last picture I fixed the hide on the left.
opinions please!

ps.
its been over a week and about 3 days since she last ate and now its been a week since I got her and she still won't eat

[Kagez28]

how old is your ball python? those hides look pretty big for a young BP....

and i would lose those dial thermometers, they are pretty much worthless.

[Lucryth]

yes..I've sadly come to the realization that they are completely pointless.
and shes not a small girl shes pretty big.
she was in her tub for feeding.
which she didnt eat..again
lame.
I have two digitals one on either side.

[Kagez28]

i just noticed the digital thermometers, thats good. do you have a way to check the humidity? that is something that is important. and as long as your girl is pretty snug in her hides they will be ok. the tighter the better.

the reason she may not be eating is because you are moving her into a feeding tub. it would be alot less stressful to just feed in the tank. this way you don't handle her before (causing stress) and handle after eating (you might get bit, or even regurgitated on). there is nothing wrong with feeding it the tank, the thinking your hand is food is a myth. most people here feed in the tank. i would give her a week with low noise, and no handling, then throw a mouse in her tank. she just needs time to settle in.

[Lucryth]

Well she doesn't even use her hides that much
kinda prefers to just lay out in the open most of the time...

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I would suggest to provide belly heat by placing the UTH underneath the tank instead of the side.

Try adding some lose newspaper in the enclosure for added security.

Next feeding day (a week from failure) feed in the enclosure, try to do it in the evening, and make sure you offer the same type prey that was offered to your BP before you got it.

In the mean time make sure your temps are 90-94 on the warm side and 80-84 on the cool side.

Make sure your humidity is 50%-60%.

Make sure your hides are tight enough (all sides touching your BP's body).

And do not handle your BP until your BP eat his first meal for you.

[Kagez28]

she probably doesn't use here hides because they are too big for here... check this thread out: http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=45693

this will show you how small hides should be...

once you get her some new hides, give her a week with no handling, then attempt a feeding in her tank. if she doesn't eat that time, they go back and make use the temps and humidity are spot on. once your husbandry is perfect, then she should start eating.

[snakey68]

the ole Ball Python or Royal as I call them most of the time can be a little on the finickity side at times.

I am not a fan of glass tanks simply because they expose your snake pretty openly and Royals( Balls) ar enot a fan of exposure on the whole.

Personally if your snake is not eating I would tape cardboard or something to the sides to make it more dark and give the impression of more seclusion.

In over 20 years of keeping snakes I continually stumble upon different preferences at times that snakes either require or prefer. Trial and error as well as heaps of patience are common place in snake keeping with a reduction on errors hopefully born through tried and tested methods and learned experience.

Simplicity and basics are often a recipe for unequelled success and should always be considered.

best of luck your in good hands on this forum for sure. A lot of well experience abounds here all should use it.

[dotc0m]

Seems big to me too from what I've experienced. Maybe that's why she hasn't been eating =(