Strange behavior after drinking water???

[WingedWolfPsion]

You mentioned he isn't growing. How often are you feeding him, and how large a prey item are you giving him? How's his appetite?

[Generationshell]

I feed him once a week. & one regular mouse. I feed him pre-killed but as soon as I dangle it he immediately strikes and grabs it. And usually has it down in 5 minutes!! I read it isnt good to feed them more than once a week which is why I haven't considered that. He has grown maybe 2 inches since i got him. Which has been 5 to 6 months. But his girth hasn't increased nor his head size. I am thinking he was underfed when I bought him because they said he was over a year old and my friends BP isnt even a year old and is much bigger than Xander(my BP). Maybe hes a slow grower? He sure does drink tons of water. I always see him do it at least 3 times a day for like 15 mins each time. I know BP's drink but i didnt realize the extent.

[dc4teg]

what the the temps, humidity, setup, what instraments are you using to measure the husbandry.... ect....

[Generationshell]

I better be ready to take the stabs. lol
I have a wall temp on the cool side. which reads 82
As far as the hot side I have an UTH but i assume its at least 5-10 higher than the cool side.

As far as the humidity. I do not have something to measure the humitity but im very open to suggestions as far as what I should buy. I do mist frequently tho. And give him baths weekly. When I clean his tank.

He is in a 20g tank. Has one hide I'm not sure what it is called but its the rock/cave thing.(exo terra) I have a large rock in there as well as a large branch. He has a large enough rock-like water dish to soak in if needed. But i never see him soaking.

I use Aspen bedding also.

[RR - Mackenzie]

I better be ready to take the stabs. lol
I have a wall temp on the cool side. which reads 82
As far as the hot side I have an UTH but i assume its at least 5-10 higher than the cool side.

As far as the humidity. I do not have something to measure the humitity but im very open to suggestions as far as what I should buy. I do mist frequently tho. And give him baths weekly. When I clean his tank.

He is in a 20g tank. Has one hide I'm not sure what it is called but its the rock/cave thing.(exo terra) I have a large rock in there as well as a large branch. He has a large enough rock-like water dish to soak in if needed. But i never see him soaking.

I use Aspen bedding also.

Don't assume. Get a thermostat to know the temperature of the under tank heater. Mostunder tank heaters can go over one hundred degrees, and I'm talking about Fahrenheit.

They also need TWO hide. One cool hide on the cool side, and a warm hide on the warm side. Some people have more than two hides, but your snake will be just fine with two.

[Generationshell]

You are right I should get one. I was worried about my UTH being too hot but then lifted the tank up for ventilation which helped imensely.

As far as the two hides. I do have one for the cool side. Its just i suppose im still paranoid mites might still be in it. because it is wood, so I havent put it back in the tank.

[Kay_Krawly]

To be honest, your bp could just be exhibiting behavior brought on by stress. You need to get your temps and humidity down, and for that I suggest an accurite thermometer/hydrometer or two. You can find them on amazon for around 25 dollars, or at your local home depot/walmart for a bit less. I'd also suggest a thermometer or rheostat for that heatpad, because like the previous poster said, they can get into some pretty high temps when left unattended which can be bad news bears for your bp. As far as humidity goes, it can be a real pain to keep it stable in a tank, so get some tinfoil and put a layer on top of the screen, and then stick a towel or some dense wood over that.

Also, if I read correctly, you said your snake was a bit on the small side? Crumple up some newsprint and toss it in there to crowd things up a little. Bp's aren't a huge fan of open spaces, so if there's a lot space try to clutter a bit... Or just grab another hide like said before. Balls benefit from more than one hidey hole. I also reccomend not bathing your snake so often, because ball pythons tend to be like the cats of the snake world, and most aren't a huge fan of water, though there are exceptions. Bathing too much can also stress them out, lust like trying to offer food too much or handling too much (there's a ot off things you can doo "too much" of to stress a bp... ).

Hope I've helped, and I hope your little guy starts doing better!

[Generationshell]

Thank you so much!
I'll def check into the the thermometer. I really do need one.
Considering in a couple weeks Imma be welcoming a baby spider bp :]

I want my bps to have the best possible environment.

And so I should cover the screen?

I need a bit of advice to be honest. but it doesnt relate to this thread.

I'm leaving for college in the end of Aug.(3 hrs away) And although I already arranged plans for my good friend to take care of my BP because she owns one herself and a RTB. So I trust Xander in her care way more than i would my parents. But as far as getting my baby spider. I really do want her and my friend is more than willing to take her in for me as well. But im jsut conflicted as whether I should get her or not. I will be home periodically..once a month and for breaks like thanksgiving and off 6weeks in Dec and Jan. So It isnt like i'd never see them. But I'm having a hard time deciding what to do. :/

[Kay_Krawly]

If I were you I'd wait till after you got your first bp's husbandry down to a science, and for your first year of school to be over till you get another snake. A lot of things go down during the first year of college, and you might find yourself in a place where another snake might not be able to fit into the picture. Not saying that it will happen, but you never know. Also, the best part about getting a baby bp is watching it grow into a big fat creepy crawly during it's first year, and if that little spider is with your friend while you're gone, you'll be missing out on it.

This is just my opinion, though. Do whatever feels right to you. If you think you can handle college and two bp's and such, by all means go ahead, but I'd at least hold out on the little spider girl until you get the set up for your first bp correct so you're not freaking out over two set ups all at once while simultaneously preparing for school. And don't worry about missing your chance to buy a little girl. The babies are only just beginning to hatch. >:]

And yes, covering the screen top on a tank helps do wonders with humidity (but it may take some tweaking), though if you live in a area that's got high humidity levels to begin with, it's not that necessary. Find out what the humidity is before you go ahead and cover the tank, just so humidity levels don't get too high. You want humidity to stay in the 50-60% range, and get it up to 70% when the snake is in shed.

[Kaorte]

If you are going to be moving away to college and you are leaving your animal(s) in the care of a friend, keep it as easy for them as possible. Stick with one until you can live somewhere that allows you to have your animals. If I were to get more animals, I would want to be the one taking care of them, not my friend.

Think of it this way, the price of spiders has been getting less and less expensive. By the time you can live somewhere pet friendly you might be able to afford more than just a spider morph