I may be a new owner :-)

[twilag]

Just came to introduce myself and ask a few questions...first off, I can't believe I'm here because up until 3 months ago, I was TERRIFIED of snakes...I couldn't even look at a picture without going into a panic attack. Then something happened in our recent trip to Gatorland in Florida...somehow, I got up the nerve to hold the ball python to get my picture taken! Today, I went to our pet store and held the cutest baby ball python in the world! I'm in love and really want to buy him (my husband's not sold on the idea yet, so we're going to go the the store and have further discussion tomorrow). He/she's about 12-14 inches long (just a guesstimate) and super cute (I'm going to take pictures when I go tomorrow). The only problem is they say she/he hasn't ate for them yet but they will be happy to feed him/her before I bring it home. I spent almost an hour (on two different trips today) to hold him/her and I can't believe how comfortable he/she seemed! She was crawling around my fingers and wrapped herself around my arm and was pretty friendly for a snake. Again....three months ago, I couldn't even go to that part of the pet store and here I am seriously dying to bring a snake home! I know for sure that I need to ask a few more questions and see her eat, but if you have any more suggestions, please let me know! I have a 10 gallon aquarium that should work for now and I can get my husband to build a good solid lid. The store suggested a heat pad (they told me not to get a rock) and possibly a light.... so far everything they told me seems to be fairly correct (and I have had good experiences with them in the past with other pets (birds, and fish). Any advice will be greatly appreciated from this newbie :-)

[Marla]

Glad your store is steering you right so far. Definitely do not bring him home until a few days after he's eaten for them. It can be hard to get hatchlings feeding, and he's almost definitely a hatchling (which should make him 15" or so long). Aside from leaving him there until he's eaten and digested, the best advice I can give is get the aquarium set up with the proper temps and humidity before you bring him home, to avoid unnecessary stress for both of you.

And congratulations on joining the ranks of ball python fans. They're wonderful snakes.

[twilag]

That's great advice...I figured I'd ask them to feed and go in and visit him and see how they are caring for him before I bring him home. That way we can be sure that this is the right decision for us. I have a four year old son also and the first trip didn't really want to touch the snake, but was dying to hold him on the next trip (he's always been super gentle with all of our critters including day old chick that my grandpa raises, so he's good at handling animals). I think this will be an exciting learning experience for the whole family!

[Marla]

Oh I think so too. I have two daughters and the older one (13 now) was 4 when I got my first ball python. She was shy but they both love to handle them now and will help with feeding, cleaning cages, etc. and are learning a lot about genetics because of our snakey discussions. There's a lot of good material to be found right here on this site as well, about feeding, housing, and general husbandry.

[iceman25]

Congrats! I hope you get your new pet. You will love him/her immensely

[beaglegod]

Congrats on your descision to keep a BP.
Take a look at the care sheet here at ball-pythons.net its a pretty good one from N.E.R.D.
I would suggest what one experienced person at N.E.R.D.(New England Reptile Distributers) .suggested to me. And that is to get a well established BP wich is eating frozen thawed prey items readily. I feel this has helped me a great deal to enjoy my first snake without the trials of trying to switch him over from live to F/T, or get him eating in the first place.Ive thus been able to concentrate on his other husbandry needs and now that Im begining to feel more comfortable with them I may be able to take on a slightly bigger challenge in the future. This is just a suggestion of course and no matter where you get your new baby youve come to the right place to find answers to your questions.

[JamminJonah]

I'm a new owner as well and so is beaglegod so if you need some start up info you can check to see all the "newbie" questions that have already been asked by searching our names "JamminJonah" and "Beaglegod" - may save you some time! Also welcome to the forum!! It is a wonderful place to be.
-Jonah

[JLC]

Hi there! I'm so glad you found our forum! Please don't hesitate to ask whatever questions that come up...we enjoy helping out.

To add my .02 to what's already been said:

Ball pythons can live to be 40 years old or older if they're well cared for! This is a life-time commitment you're considering. If all goes well, you'll have the little darling for years and years and years. So, as hard as it is right now (and I KNOW it's hard, trust me!) please be patient. Make sure the little snake is an established feeder, or you could end up heart-broken later if it turns out to be one of the few who never eat.

I'll second what Marla said about getting the cage all set up and ready before you bring any snake home to live in it. It took me about two weeks of tweaking and experimenting with different set-ups before I finally got my own snake's enclosure to work just right...and I wasn't having to deal with humidity issues because mine is a different species. If he'd have been in there that whole time, I would have worried myself sick about if I was cooking him or freezing him while trying to get those temps right!

And speaking of temps...I would steer clear of those little stick-on thermometer and hydrogemeter dials. They are notoriously innacurate. You can find some very nice digital indoor/outdoor meters that will measure both...and will have probes that measure both the hot and cool ends of the tank at the same time...and will keep a record of the minimum and maximum temps that the cage reaches. (You'd be surprised at how much the temps can drop at night when you're not looking, but would never know because they've come back up some by morning.) Find these at Wal Mart for very reasonable prices.

And one last thing (I know I go on and on!)...if your husband is building a lid for the cage...be VERY careful! All snakes, but ball pythons in particular, are serious escape artists. It only takes the tiniest bit of give or vulnerability for them to squirm their way out. I would highly suggest going ahead and getting a 20 gallon reptile cage from the pet store with a sliding/locking screen lid...until you can build a bigger and more suitable enclosure.

Alright...I'll shut up now!

[Marla]

And one last thing (I know I go on and on!)...if your husband is building a lid for the cage...be VERY careful! All snakes, but ball pythons in particular, are serious escape artists. It only takes the tiniest bit of give or vulnerability for them to squirm their way out. I would highly suggest going ahead and getting a 20 gallon reptile cage from the pet store with a sliding/locking screen lid...until you can build a bigger and more suitable enclosure.

Good point here. Ball pythons have David Copperfield beat on his best day. I had one make it from my shoulder to under the sofa cushion last night in less than a minute while I was actually trying to get him to come out of my sleeve to put him up. Unsupervised in a cage less secure than Fort Knox there's a good chance you'll have a breakout if you don't approach it thinking like a ball python.

Also, while they're little they're not so strong, but don't try to keep a ball python in an enclosure just by stacking something heavy on the top, unless it's a boat anchor or something. They are very strong and will push up that wimpy piece of plywood stacked with those unused college textbooks and make for somewhere warm and dark. The plus side is that the bigger they get, the harder it is for them to hide.

Some of us use Rubbermaid or Sterilite containers for enclosures and they are easy to clean and less expensive and easier to maintain temps and humidity in than aquaria, but you'll still need bungee cords, toggle bolts, or some other method to prevent escapes.

[Smynx]

Twilag - I just wanted to say kudos for doing your research before buying. I know a lot of people buy pets on impulse without any idea of what their care will entail let alone how to care for them properly. You'll get some really good advice here, which I'm sure you've already discovered. People like Judy and Marla who have been keeping snakes for years are an invaluable resource.

I understand your surprise at your new-found affection for these animals. I started out buying a ball python for my son, and now, much to the delight of my herp-loving husband, Smulkin, I'm totally hooked. We now have 8 snakes and a lizard. So be warned - this can become an addiction.