Ball python wont move, even if hide moved away

[chrisdab]

My ball python never seems to move anywhere, but has changed it's head position often. I just got this as a pet 2 weeks ago from a friend. It has not been fed since I got him. I moved the hide away yesterday yet he still wont move even to go back to the hide.

Is this going to be normal for my snake? I has moved before after I picked him up and place him in a water source, and he was active for 30 minutes. Since then he has been inactive.

[Freakie_frog]

where to start. First of all there is no way that open air screen enclosure is providing a proper thermo-gradient or humidity. Your animal looks like in may have loads of stuck shed or is going into shed.

Please check out our care sheet and BP setup so you can better care for your snake.
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=55849

http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/...warticle&id=59

[DrEwTiMe]

I was also gonna suggest that the snake is going into shed. When their scales get dull and their eyes cloudy that means that a shed is coming shortly.

Also, from the pic you have besides that the cage is all wrong you need to put TWO hides in the tank, giving him or her a choice of a warm or a cool hide spot. BP's love to feel secure and able to touch the hide walls on all sides of them. And it seems you have the log on top of some kind of climbing tree? If so get that flat on the floor of the tank so that it can be more of a hide.

Get rid of the net tank. Get a UTH with a thermostat( VERY important) set it to about 93. And the humidity needs to be about 70. Even more so during shed periods. Either pick up a glass fish tank or you can go with a sterilite container. either way will work. At this point you snake does not have the proper living conditions.

[Mike Cavanaugh]

That snake is in SERIOUS need of a few soakings and a tub. Get rid of that enclosure completely unless you have another species to put in it.

Put it in a tub. provide two hides, one on the cool side, one on the warm side. Use newspaper for the substrate. get a digital thermostat. the warm side should be around 90 (using an under tank heater) and the cool side around 80. Put a big water bowl in the tub to keep humidity high for a while. Don't bother trying to feed it at all until that shed clears up.

2 times a day put it in a small Tupperware container with about a half of an inch of 85 degree water for 30 minutes.

Hang in there. just read, and listen to what you read. we will help you get it right!

[Mike Cavanaugh]

oh, and WELCOME!!!!

[Kaorte]

Just to answer your initial question:
It is absolutely 100% normal for a ball python to not move very much. Mine barely move unless it is feeding day or I take them out.

As others have stated, you really need to check your husbandry. Here is a good plastic tub setup that you can use:
http://ball-pythons.net/modules/Sect...warticle&id=40

[mechnut450]

yes place in a proper tanks and set up , I also watc hthe shed real clost cause the eyes (one visible ) looks like it got possible 2 layers on it cause it got the yellowing of thick skin look.