General questions about my BP

[ancybo]

So, this monday I decided I wanted to buy a ball python because they seem like awesome animals. It seems like there's conflicting information everywhere I look on them, though, and I'm kind of concerned.

I did a lot of research on them and most sources I looked at said it's okay to keep them in a glass aquarium so that's what I bought. However I've been reading through a lot of posts here and a lot of people seem to think that it's not a good idea to keep them in aquariums and that they're better off in plastic containers. Is keeping my snake is a 20 gallon aquarium bad for him?

Also I'm planning on feeding my snake for the first time tomorrow. When I was at Petco (I'm sure there's plenty of you out there that are already put off just by the fact that I got it from petco), there was a lady working there that seemed extremely knowledgeable about Ball Pythons (she said she owned and bred them) and she told me that it would eat F/T fuzzies just fine. Again, reading through some of the treads on here, it seems like a lot of people have trouble getting their BP to eat F/T and the general consensus seems to be that ball pythons are extremely picky eaters.

If a baby ball wont eat a F/T fuzzie, what should I do? Try live, or should I just try to feed him again later?

I'm kind of disappointed how much false information are in the youtube videos I've watched. They pretty much all said throw them in a 20 gallon aquarium with Cyprus mulch and heating pad with a couple of hides and they are super easy to take care of. This doesn't seem to be the case as the more I read the more it seems that BPs need very specific humidity/cage size, etc.

Sorry if these are common questions that have been answered already, but I just want to make sure I'm not harming my snake in any way.

[Daybreaker]

Caresheet: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...s%29-Caresheet

I started my first ball (also from Petco) in a 20 gallon long and after her not eating I switched to a tub set up and the difference was night and day. I believe the tank wasn't staying warm enough for her and that it was too open making her not eat. A tank can work, it's just not my personal preference. You can black out three sides to make the snake more comfortable, put a wet wash cloth/plexi/foil on the lid to help hold in humidity, and add a heat lamp if you need help keeping the tank warm. Make sure to have the lamp on a dimmer and have the UTH (if you have one) on a thermostat.

Mouse fuzzies are way too small for even hatchling BPs, so unless she was talking about rat fuzzies I would take her advice with a grain of salt (just my .02). You can start your guy on something larger and should see better growth with something bigger than a mouse fuzzy. All but two of my BPs take f/t and it's my preferred feeding method, so it really depends on the snake and if it will take to f/t or not. Some snakes just won't eat thawed and need to be on live.

If your guy doesn't take the f/t I would wait at least 7 days and offer again (a larger feeder than a mouse fuzzy). If it won't take then I would try live. I wouldn't offer more frequently than 7 days as offering too often could stress the snake out.

[ancybo]

Caresheet: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...s%29-Caresheet

I started my first ball (also from Petco) in a 20 gallon long and after her not eating I switched to a tub set up and the difference was night and day. I believe the tank wasn't staying warm enough for her and that it was too open making her not eat. A tank can work, it's just not my personal preference. You can black out three sides to make the snake more comfortable, put a wet wash cloth/plexi/foil on the lid to help hold in humidity, and add a heat lamp if you need help keeping the tank warm. Make sure to have the lamp on a dimmer and have the UTH (if you have one) on a thermostat.

Mouse fuzzies are way too small for even hatchling BPs, so unless she was talking about rat fuzzies I would take her advice with a grain of salt (just my .02). You can start your guy on something larger and should see better growth with something bigger than a mouse fuzzy. All but two of my BPs take f/t and it's my preferred feeding method, so it really depends on the snake and if it will take to f/t or not. Some snakes just won't eat thawed and need to be on live.

If your guy doesn't take the f/t I would wait at least 7 days and offer again (a larger feeder than a mouse fuzzy). If it won't take then I would try live. I wouldn't offer more frequently than 7 days as offering too often could stress the snake out.

Thanks for such a detailed reply. I actually asked the reptile person on Monday when I was buying the snake and she told me mouse fuzzies. I went earlier today to pick them up, and I asked a different person and they also said that 5g fuzzies (I physically showed them the bag I was buying and they said that would be okay) would be enough for a baby ball python. Would it be okay to feed the snake maybe 2 5g mice in 1 sitting? I don't want to let $6 worth of frozen rodents go to waste.

I guess I'll add that I have a 85*F hotspot with a hide (under the tank heater) and a cool hide (ambient temperature of the cage right now is about 78-80*F). He spends most of his time going back and forth between his cool hide and warm hide, which I've read is typical so I would assume he's comfortable in his tank.

[NYHC4LIFE8899]

I got my first about 4 weeks ago.. I waited one week to feed him. I fed him fuzzies for a few weeks and switched right to small mice for a week,then the other day upped it to a med mouse which he took like nothing. Everything is FT,the med mouse was his first live mouse and he was a beast,was proud of him.. Both my snakes are in glass aquariums ( well one is now,buying my second tommorow) and they are fine to be honest. I have friends who have there's in glass aquarium dryers and there great. So just make sure you maintain maintanence. Like humidity and heat ,clean water,hides etc...
First time I fed Kocur a FT fuzzy,he took and constricted it and then released it,never ate it,so I threw it out.. So what I did the next time was thawed it out at room temp,left it in a zip lock bag ( not in water,I was told that deletes the nutrients) then when he was thawed out i placed it on top the screen and open the ziplock a bit,and held the heat lamp about 6" away from the FT fuzzy,got it nice and warm.. Once Kocur smelt the warm fuzzy he came right out looking around...,grabbed its tail by the tongs and put it in the tank and he took it within seconds. He been eating like a champ since.
Best of luck with your BP,make sure you take care of it right...they are awesome,I love mine,which is why I'm getting a second. There cool

[NYHC4LIFE8899]

Thanks for such a detailed reply. I actually asked the reptile person on Monday when I was buying the snake and she told me mouse fuzzies. I went earlier today to pick them up, and I asked a different person and they also said that 5g fuzzies (I physically showed them the bag I was buying and they said that would be okay) would be enough for a baby ball python. Would it be okay to feed the snake maybe 2 5g mice in 1 sitting? I don't want to let $6 worth of frozen rodents go to waste.

I guess I'll add that I have a 85*F hotspot with a hide (under the tank heater) and a cool hide (ambient temperature of the cage right now is about 78-80*F). He spends most of his time going back and forth between his cool hide and warm hide, which I've read is typical so I would assume he's comfortable in his tank.

Mine only hangs on his hot side,once in a while explores to the cool side.. Dude,feed him the fuzzies,it's fine...he's still eating and getting nutrition,he won't be starving..feed him every 5 days,then when your put of fuzzies go buy small mice and feed him those,see how he takes them and then decide if u wanna go bigger or nt if it's the right size..like I said I have my guy for 4 weeks now and started with fuzzies and is now on med mice...this is al common sense stuff man..Justus's your head,don't over analyze every single thing. Keep the warm side atleast 85-90 with a heat bulb and I also use a uv bulb for natural light and UTH and keep humidity on avg around 40-60 and he will be fine... When he sheds keep humidity higher as much as you can,up to like 60-80 on avg...his is my first snake and it's no problems man..cleaned my tank fully out today,which is 4 weeks later and through the last 4 weeks just spot cleaned.

make sure you mist the tank a few times a day,I'd say 2-3 atleast..to increase humidity and keep heat in,place a damp rag on top the screen,that will help kyphosis in heat and increase humidity.

[Crazymonkee]

Thanks for such a detailed reply. I actually asked the reptile person on Monday when I was buying the snake and she told me mouse fuzzies. I went earlier today to pick them up, and I asked a different person and they also said that 5g fuzzies (I physically showed them the bag I was buying and they said that would be okay) would be enough for a baby ball python. Would it be okay to feed the snake maybe 2 5g mice in 1 sitting? I don't want to let $6 worth of frozen rodents go to waste.

I guess I'll add that I have a 85*F hotspot with a hide (under the tank heater) and a cool hide (ambient temperature of the cage right now is about 78-80*F). He spends most of his time going back and forth between his cool hide and warm hide, which I've read is typical so I would assume he's comfortable in his tank.

You can try to feed him 2 mouse fuzzies in one feeding giving him a few minutes in between. I would up the hot side a few degrees.
If you're buying the frozen rodents from Petco I've seen their small mice... they are small so you could try those next, but I'd switch to rats.

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[NYHC4LIFE8899]

You can try to feed him 2 mouse fuzzies in one feeding giving him a few minutes in between. I would up the hot side a few degrees.
If you're buying the frozen rodents from Petco I've seen their small mice... they are small so you could try those next, but I'd switch to rats.

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Where are good places to get all size rats ..frozen or live? Both actually.

[Crazymonkee]

Shows is one of the best, online frozen) is another way. I have a reptile shop an hour away that sells all sizes of mice/rats live or prekilled.
The place close to me only sells live mice and rat adults
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[satomi325]

Where are good places to get all size rats ..frozen or live? Both actually.

Local breeders are the cheapest overall. I would try and find a reptile keeper near you that breeds their own rodents. They often advertise on craigslist. Not to mention you can see how well or poor they care for the animals in person to determine if they are a good source.

Online has great prices, but shipping can be killer averaging 50-70$ on top or the purchase price depending on the weight.

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[NYHC4LIFE8899]

Satomi,I'll Harold do home looking...
i met someone yesterday who said his family owns an aquarium place and they sell all sorts of fish and reptiles,mice rats etc.... So I will have to check it out. It's only about 1 1/2 miles away....

Shows is one of the best, online frozen) is another way. I have a reptile shop an hour away that sells all sizes of mice/rats live or prekilled.
The place close to me only sells live mice and rat adults
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thx man