New to site and to Having a BP

[MelissaFlipski]

My husband and I got a BP for our son's 6th birthday present (we also have a 3 yr old boy). Needless to say, we all love him/her! It's almost been 3 weeks and I am amazed at the personality and charm of "Mr. Snake."

We thought long and hard about what kind of pet to get. My son wanted something he could handle that didn't just sit there (e.g. a frog). I wanted something w/out fur or feathers (allergies). I was eyeing the BP's at the second pet store we went to, not sure if my husband would go for it. After holding various herps, we settled on the BP. The pet store employee seemed very knowledgable and has one herself (also with young kids). We asked for the "tamest" BP and seem to have gotten him/her. (We are not sure of sex yet, but I will assume he's a male going forward....)

We are taking him to the vet tomorrow for a well visit, etc.

Since we brought him home, we have done lots of book and internet research. We are very happy to have him as a member of our family and fascinated by him. So here goes my initial questions...

He ate a F/T fuzzy three days after moving in with us, but has not eaten since. He seems close to shedding soon, but we are not sure when that will be since we have never witnessed this process before. He is getting wrinklier, duller in sheen, and his eys are turning bluish. We have given him a few warm baths to help keep him hydrated (one day, I noticed a dent in his eye and figured he was dehydrated - it looked better a few hours after a bath).

We have been misting his tank a few times a day to keep the humidity up (over 70%) to help with the upcoming shed. I noticed that when I put him back in the tank after changing his water and misting, he drinks water off the glass of the tank. Now I see he does this every time. Does this mean he is not drinking from his water bowl? I am worried about him staying hydrated if he only drinks off the glass. Do you think he doesn't like the plastic fake rock bowl? Or should we put plants in that can hold moisture for him to drink off of? Any ideas would be appreciated.

I know I am new to the BP world, but I have always been mystified by snakes. I find that I totally adore Mr. Snake and enjoy handling him. He is amazingly friendly, calm, and adjustable to the different personalities of the household. Though he was very tame when we brought him home, he seems to have gotten even more comfortable with us and no longer shies away from having his head touched.

My husband swears that Mr. Snake loves me the way he nestles my collar bone, etc. I know cats and dogs are capable of love. My question is... are BP's capable of loving a human? I saw some posts that handling a BP is for the enjoyment of the person, not the snake. Are there other opinions out there? Mr. Snake seems to look for me to take him out if I open the tank and move stuff around then start to close the tank up again. He seems to have this, "Hey, aren't you taking me out?" attitude. He especially seems to like nighttime handling when the kids are sleeping (quieter house and kids don't hold him); and he is more active. I get the feeling he doesn't want me to put him back too soon at night.

Also, he seems to particularly like his head, chin, and tail stroked. I can see that if I run my fingers along his side, toward his underside, he has a ticklish reaction wave down his body as I touch him.

I'd appreciate any thoughts on the subject of human-snake love and affection. I might be naive, but I might also be a snake worshipper!

I am glad to be on the forum and welcome all and any comments. I never knew how much I could love a BP!!! He is so cool!!! We are so lucky to have gotten such a great guy.

-Melissa

[python.princess]

okay, i just tried posting a really long reply but my puter decided to act up so now i'll keep it a little shorter.... sounds like you've got the shedding thing down alright! i wouldn't worry about your snake not drinking as long as you keep him supplied with fresh clean water. it's rare that i ever see mine drink. they're nocturnal so they usually do it when i'm sleeping! lol! that's also why he's more active when you have him out once the kids are asleep! as far as the snake/human relationship, there's a thread running around here titled 'i think my snake loves me' that you may want to check out!

welcome to the club! just a warning, these guys are very addicting! and so are pictures of them! so post some! i need a fix! lol

[frankykeno]

Welcome to BPNet, Melissa (and family and of course Mr. Snake)! Ball pythons are a great pet snake with some limitations that come with owning a snake and this species in particular. Sounds like a good fit for your family though.

When you see the vet ask if they can pop or probe Mr. Snake for you to determine gender. Also they should give you a weight in grams (important info to track with snakes).

As far as the feeding, depending on Mr. Snake's size an f/t fuzzy mouse is likely too small a meal to really cause much feeding interest, or are you offering an f/t fuzzy rat? It could be prey size, it could be that the f/t prey isn't warmed enough and giving off enough of a heat signature, it could be how you offer the prey, it could be something to do with the snake's home or it could be a bit too much handling. Refusing to eat is a symptom of a greater problem but we can help you sort that out. Right now, more than anything else including handling, it's important to set down a good weekly feeding pattern for your scaley friend.

There is an excellent stickied thread here on the whole shed process. Also another one for if the shed goes a bit wrong and you have to help the snake. He's likely drinking from his bowl. They tend to be very shy snakes so you don't always see them drinking and so forth.

Some snakes take to handling better than others but in the end, all are snakes and don't bond with us like cats or dogs do. It doesn't mean that they are less, just different. For me, I just don't over-think the relationship. As long as our family is happy with the snakes and the snakes are comfortable with us...it's all good. The rippling you are seeing is a reaction to the stimuli of touch. Those big belly scales (called scutes) are their locomotion so are made to be sensitive that way.

I'm glad you and your family are enjoying this experience. Snakes make a wonderful addition to any responsible home.

[Blu Mongoose]

Welcome to the site!!

[MelissaFlipski]

Thank you for the replies. Yes, I found "Does my snake love me?" shortly after I made my post. I was cringing in expectation that I would get 171 replies of "you are nuts!" So I am happy that I got 3 very polite replies! Anyway, I definitely over think things in general, so doing it about our BP is right in character!

It was a F/T fuzzy mouse - the first one he took, the two others we tried he refused. If anything, we probably "over-thawed" it, meaning the water was too hot to thaw slowly and maybe it got a little cooked? Not sure.

Does anyone else's BP drink from the tank glass when misted? I do worry a little about dehyrdration (I'm a mom and it's my job to worry) b/c we keep thinking he will shed tonight, uh, well, maybe the next night. The next night? Anyway, each time he gets rehydrated (a warm bath or tons of misting), he looks less dull and his eyes look less blue. Any thoughts? I'll ask the vet, too.

Speaking of the vet, I was going to ask about gender, but was worried that probing would be traumatic. What do you think? We haven't had him 3 weeks, it'll be his second car ride, and then probing and a ride back?

Also, why didn't my signature picture work? And how do you post a picture? The bottom of the page says I may not post an attachment? Thanks all!!
Melissa

[BPboy]

here is a tutorial on how to post a picture

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=32416

[MelissaFlipski]

Thanks for the link! It is great and I figured out how to post. Here I am with Mr. Snake.



Here is my 6 yr old with Mr. Snake:



If anyone can help me with my signature picture next, that would be great!

[Sunny1]

Hello and welcome!! My BP will occasionally drink from the glass sides of her tank when I mist. It doesn't mean that she is not drinking from her bowl though. With my girl, it is a rarity that I see her drinking from her water bowl, if I do see her drink, it is usually just after she finishes swallowing her meal.

I would refrain from giving your lil guy any more baths though. I have read on other threads here that soaking a BP just before it goes into shed can lead to a bad shed. Maybe someone else on here can explain the reason why, I can't remember exactly, nor can I find that thread at the moment.... sorry. Just keep the humidity between 60 - 70% and you should be fine during shed, after shed you can let the humidity drop a lil to about 50 - 60% until the next shed.

And probing should not be a traumatic experience for your BP. But from being taken out of his tank, to the vets for a checkup and all, and then brought back home, I would just let him be the rest of that day. He may end up a little stressed more from the car ride and going to vets than from being probed.

Anyway, let us know how things go with the vet.
Very cute BP there... as well as an adorable little herper!! I love that pic.

[darkangel]

There's really no need to keep giving baths at all unless he ended up with a stuck shed that you need to assist in removing. And mine usually take around a week to complete the process. They will get dark, the eyes will turn blue, and then they look normal for a couple days, and then you should find the shed in the enclosure soon after. As long as you've got your humidity high enough, they do a great job of taking care of business all by themselves.

[MelissaFlipski]

I went to pick Mr. Snake up at 5 p.m. to take him to the vet and he had started his shed!! What timing. So I rescheduled his appt. for Monday.

Looks like a messy shed though. Coming off in many pieces and has lots of loose stuff hanging in various places. I'll let him do his thing and come back for help on the site later if needed. Maybe the baths did work against the shed. Thanks for mentioning that.