New Ball spends majority of time pressed against the glass.

[quillian91]

Hey there! Just got a Ball Python yesterday, a pretty little Cinnamon named Ra's. He's pretty good size, not certain of the exact weight, but he is sturdy and strong and very active. I have him on the tank setup that is stickied on the forum, and there are a few things I need to work out. The temperatures are a tad bit off. The UTH and warm side is at a stable 89 degrees, and the ambient temp is currently at 71 degrees, which is a bit low and I just need to get a light-dimmer for my Ceramic Heat Emitter. The humidity is way too high at 78, and I am currently in the process of lowering it by removing some of the tape and foil that is covering the mesh screen (Which was originally to help keep in humidity, but is going overboard). Trying to get it down to a nice 50-60% humidity.

The thing is, he spends the majority of his time vertical against the glass, just hanging out there and staring at the top. He's moved around a few times, but he just keeps going back to the spot and has been there for two hours now. I wasn't sure if this was because of snake behavior, or if it because of the temperatures and humidity. I am working on getting those fixed, and maybe the problem will go away, but I'm paranoid 'cause he's my baby. Just wanted to double check what the cause of this could be, and if regulating the temperatures and humidity will solve it, which I plan to do anyways all tomorrow. He has gone into his hides a few times, on both the cold and warm side, so I know he knows of them. But it's been quite a few years since I last had a snake and I get antsy in the beginning!

Thanks guys! Ra's and I appreciate it!

[DooLittle]

Well, getting temps dialed in will help. If he is new, he could still be getting used to everything. What size, and type of hides are you using? If he doesn't feel secure enough in them, if they are too big or too open, could be why he won't use them.

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[dav4]

I wouldn't worry too much about your humidity right now. If I read your post right, the CHE isn't being used right now...once you get it up and running, it will drop your humidity dramatically. Like the Dr. D said, get the temps dialed in, make sure you've got enough of the appropriate hides in the right places, then you can worry about the humidity.

[loonunit]

Give him a few days. Mine spend most of their evenings looking for ways out of their tubs and tanks. But he should go back to hiding during the day time after he's finished exploring his tank.

[VooDooDoc]

If he's hiding during the day, I wouldn't worry about it. Mine spends a good portion of his evenings trying to escape, either that or he just really wants to come out and play with me.

[quillian91]

Alright! So I finally got the temperatures and humidity in his cage right! 80 for the ambient/cold side, 92 for the hot side, humidity at 56%. He has gone in both cold and warm hide, but generally spends time on the warm. I offered him food the other day (Two hoppers, the petstore was out of adult mice), and he snapped both up without hesitation. He's been crazy active since then, and he was roaming around for a while, checking things out. But now, I wake up tonight and he's right back against the glass. And what is more, now he's randomly striking at the screen. He did this the other day, but I thought he was just hungry. Now I'm not so sure. He'll spend hours right there, in the S shape. He's definitely ready to take a snap at something. I have no idea what to do. I've yet to attempt to hold him, giving him a week or so to adjust. Is this normal at all?

Also, I am positive it isn't his normal behavior. At the petstore, the owner plucked him out of his cage with no problem, and he was perfectly fine. No striking or anything. She let me hold him a while, to inspect him and the like, and he was a sweetheart about it. Now, he's just randomly striking at things. I'm a bit worried to stick my hand in there, actually. Admittedly, his cage is very empty. Perhaps filling it with some fake branches and such would make him feel more comfortable and less exposed? I know they aren't big on climbing, but who knows...

Any ideas on what to do? And maybe some tips on how to handle and 'tame' him if he's being such an angry little guy? I'm not worried about getting bit. My Bearded Dragon has taken a snap at me before, and I imagine that hurts way worse. It's the striking that scared the heck outta me. I'd be worried about jerking away and hurting him. He's roughly two-feet or so, give or take an inch. I've got him in a 20 gal long, with some plastic bowls as hides. Two of these brown tortilla bowls I got at the dollarstore. He's eaten and I am pretty sure he's drinking too (Saw his head poking around his waterdish). I'm just a first-time owner, and I'm probably freaking out at nothing. But I just want to get some feedback from others! Thanks!

Here is a picture of his current setup! I have since put black on the back and sides of his cage to make it less exposed.

[dav4]

The striking is either a feeding response or a stress response.
I wonder if he's still hungry...2 hoppers doesn't sound like alot for a snake that size.A
lso, he is still be acclimating himself to the cage and is still a bit nervous...give him time, maybe two or three weeks, before trying to handling the snake. Covering the tank sides was a good idea, and putting more ornamentation in the tank may make him more secure.
Finally, it looks like you have duct tape in the enclosure. That's a big no-no. Snakes have a bad habit of getting stuck to the tape and can get injured. It needs to go. Good luck.

[quillian91]

Should I feed him again today or wait until next week? It's been almost two days since he ate. I thought it could be it, but I wasn't sure if it was okay to feed him again so soon if he is still digesting the other ones. I plan to get adult mice for next week and those should be the right size for him, right? I can try to offer him another hopper tomorrow, if you think that'd be better. I only used hoppers because the store was out of adult mice due to a shipment problem. I figured two hoppers would equal one adult mouse, but I was probably wrong. he did seem very interested in more afterwards, so maybe he is still hungry.

Also, thanks for the tip! I removed the ductape immediately. Not going to risk him getting hurt. Is there any tape or other method that would be good to secure the heat probe to the glass?

[dav4]

I'd feed him an adult mouse 5-7 days after his last meal. Depending on how big he is right now and how fast he's growing, he may be ready to move up to small rats soon. By the way, that's a handsome snake!

[VooDooDoc]

Also, thanks for the tip! I removed the ductape immediately. Not going to risk him getting hurt. Is there any tape or other method that would be good to secure the heat probe to the glass?

Is the probe inside the tank? If this is for the UTH, its best to go on the outside between the UTH and the glass. I know that can be a problem if its already stuck down though. No matter how you try to secure it inside the tank the snake will eventually dislodge it, make sure to check frequently. As far as how to secure things, generally people seem to like hot glue around here.