first snake

[westherocker]

Hey I'm new to the board, and I just bought a ball python about 3 weeks ago. He's less than a year old, and i've fed him twice so far. Last night I changed his water bowl and he went right to it and sat in it for a few hours.... Is this normal?

[xdeus]

Welcome to the forum!

To answer your question, it's not really that normal. Ball Pythons typically don't soak unless they have mites or it is too warm, but occasionally they will before a shed.

Have you checked for mites and can you describe his set up and how you are measuring temps? Mites will look like poppy seeds in his water bowl, or if you rub your hands down him you will see black specks on your hands.

[JLC]

Hi and welcome to BP.net!

Congrats on getting a great snake! We'd love to see pics if you have any.

As for soaking in the water bowl. It's not a problem in and of itself, but is almost always a sign of some other problem going on. Common reasons for soaking:

--Mites (tiny little bugs that live on the snake and suck its blood)
--Lack of security (hides are too big, or too few and the snake is using the water to "hide" in)
--Temps are off (if the snake is too warm, it may be trying to cool off)
--Lack of humidity
--Snake is really full (it just ate and has a large lump...it may soak to take some of the pressure off of its overly full "tummy.")

If you can describe your setup to us, we can help you narrow things down and tweak it to a perfect environment.

[westherocker]

Well the snake's about 18 inches and I have him in a 20 liter tank with a heating pad on the side, and I have a heat lamp that I turn on sometimes. I have a thermometer (sticker) on the back of the tank and it usually stays at 80-82. I'm using Fir Bark for the bedding. I haven't noticed any mites on him or in the tank, and he hasn't shed yet, and I feed him every thursday. He eats thawed pinkies, and he eats them right away every time. Is he supposed to have shed by now?

[xdeus]

A couple comments...

I would invest in a decent thermometer like an Accurite digital thermometer that you can buy at Walmart for around $13. The sticker ones are probably the most inaccurate ones you can get.

Also, you didn't mention any hides. You should provide a small, snug hide on the cool and warm side of the tank.

[westherocker]

oh sorry, yeah i have a log hide thingy, I got the whole setup from petco, it's on the side with the heating pad, and the water bowl is on the cool side of the tank, he also has a rubber branch for climbing.

[westherocker]

So I should get just a regular digital thermometer from wal-mart? Do I need a hide for the cool side of the tank as well? He spends most of the time in the day under the log on the warm side of the tank.

[xdeus]

The half logs are okay, but usually people will get them too big and they're a little too exposed for what Balls usually like. A nice, cheap alternative (or addition) would be to use a plastic bowl or planter drip tray turned upside down with a hold cut in the side or on top to allow the snake to enter.

Oh, and about the shed... they usually shed every 1-2 months depending on a number of things but mostly on the amount of food they're eating and how much they're growing. If you're feeding just one rat pinky a week, it might be a while before he sheds. You might want to bump up the food size to a rat fuzzy or pup.

[Brimstone111888]

So I should get just a regular digital thermometer from wal-mart? Do I need a hide for the cool side of the tank as well? He spends most of the time in the day under the log on the warm side of the tank.

Thats why he spends all his time in the log if thats the only hide. Yes you need two hides. I honestly don't know how people read the little stickers, because I never can.

[JoshJP7]

If im reading your post correctly you have your heat mat on the side of the tank? This needs to be placed under the tank and connected to a thermostat. Snakes need belly heat to help with digestion. You will need a cool side and warm side hide... Log hides arnt the greatest but if its all you can find it should work... If you got like 10$ id check out apple herp or someother places that carry the all black zilla hides... Baby ones are like 3-4$... If you want to save even more cash just pick up some really small tupperware bowls and cut 1 opening in it... works very well and pretty cheap... As far as shed... it usually takes 4-6 weeks depending on the snake and how much it has eaten... Make sure when he does shed you write it down so you know generally when his next shed will be.