Questions about ball python care

[hollale396]

Okay so i have several questions because this is my first snake and I've done a ton of research but its much different now that i have one so please bare with me! 1) I have a screen lid on my tank and was wondering what is the best way to make sure the temp and humidity stays where it needs to 2) how often can I hold him? 3) i got him from pet smart ( I know bad) and he had injuries, should i take him to the vet to get him checked out? 4) I've had him for a couple of days and i haven't seen him poop or pee? Should i be worried? how will i know when he does? 4) How long can he stay out of his cage for while handling him? 5) Pet smart told us they fed him on Tuesday, we tried to offer him a frozen/thawed fuzzy on saturday night (last night) He tried to strike at it, missed and ended up knocking himself in the nose with the fuzzy and no longer seemed interested, is that normal? 6)we aren't going to feed him in his tank, but after he eats can we put him back in without worrying about regurgitation? or should we leave him in the separate container? Im worried about him getting too cold 7) are regular vet visits necessary? lastly, 8) he is a very sweet ball python! When he gets scared, or we make sudden movements by accident, he doest try and strike, and he's not an aggressive feeder either, he just hides is face, will he always be like that?[IMG][/IMG]

Sorry for the amount of questions! I love all animals and am a very worrisome pet mommy, I just want to be sure I'm doing everything right so he can live a long, happy and healthy life! Ive attached a photo of him! he's just the cutest! And loves to crawl all over that shoe box! Thank you all (in advance) who took the time to answer my questions! Ps, i already ordered a rack system and everything needed for a better source of humidity and heat but it'll take a while to come in, so number 1 is for what can i do until it comes in

[SmoothScales]

I am far from an expert, but I will offer what knowledge I can.

1) I have a screen lid on my tank and was wondering what is the best way to make sure the temp and humidity stays where it needs to

Temp should be controlled by a UTH (with thermostat!) and while the screen lid is not great for keeping in humidity, you can cover part of the top with foil to keep in humidity. Also, clear pvc can be used to make a nice cover. Make sure your water dish is under the side covered and that should keep your humidity in the appropriate range.

2) how often can I hold him?

As often as you would like, allowing for digestion time after feeding to reduce the risk of regurg. Some people say 24 hours, other 48.

3) i got him from pet smart ( I know bad) and he had injuries, should i take him to the vet to get him checked out?

Was the store aware of his injuries when you purchased him? If yes, they should provide vet service for him. Also, can you describe the injuries? (Pictures are worth 1000 words.)

4) I've had him for a couple of days and i haven't seen him poop or pee? Should i be worried? how will i know when he does?

Ball Pythons can hold their waste for quite some time. I have a female that will only poop every three weeks! It's nothing to be concerned about and depending on what type of substrate you are using, it will be quite obvious when they do. Could you provide a picture of your set up?

4) How long can he stay out of his cage for while handling him?

As long as you feel comfortable with.

5) Pet smart told us they fed him on Tuesday, we tried to offer him a frozen/thawed fuzzy on saturday night (last night) He tried to strike at it, missed and ended up knocking himself in the nose with the fuzzy and no longer seemed interested, is that normal?

You should leave the snake to settle for a week before offering food. Some snakes will give up quite easily when they have a failed attempt to strike. They can also strike to try to scare another creature into leaving them alone. In captivity, you may see this most often when they are getting ready to shed and aren't interested in the meal.

Question - From the picture (it may be the angle) he appears to have a bit of an overbite. Does he?

6)we aren't going to feed him in his tank, but after he eats can we put him back in without worrying about regurgitation? or should we leave him in the separate container?

Why exactly aren't you going to feed him in his tank? I personally would never advocate for moving to feed, or feeding in a tub.

7) are regular vet visits necessary?

No. They don't get shots and boosters like dogs and cats.

8) he is a very sweet ball python! When he gets scared, or we make sudden movements by accident, he doest try and strike, and he's not an aggressive feeder either, he just hides is face, will he always be like that?

As he gets more socialized, he may loosen up. I've got some that you could do anything to and they won't ball up, but yet my Spinner Blast can be easily startled even though I've had him for much longer. (Although, I think that has more to do with him having the Spider gene.)

[hollale396]

[IMG][/IMG]

I am far from an expert, but I will offer what knowledge I can.



Temp should be controlled by a UTH (with thermostat!) and while the screen lid is not great for keeping in humidity, you can cover part of the top with foil to keep in humidity. Also, clear pvc can be used to make a nice cover. Make sure your water dish is under the side covered and that should keep your humidity in the appropriate range.



As often as you would like, allowing for digestion time after feeding to reduce the risk of regurg. Some people say 24 hours, other 48.



Was the store aware of his injuries when you purchased him? If yes, they should provide vet service for him. Also, can you describe the injuries? (Pictures are worth 1000 words.)Pet smart is stupid, their doctor doesn't see snakes, I've posted a picture in this same thread of his eye injury and then someone pointed out the spot on his mouth... just when i thought i covered all my worries, something else gets pointed out. also it seems like he has some scarring along his back but i do not have a picture of that at the moment


Ball Pythons can hold their waste for quite some time. I have a female that will only poop every three weeks! It's nothing to be concerned about and depending on what type of substrate you are using, it will be quite obvious when they do. Could you provide a picture of your set up?



As long as you feel comfortable with.



You should leave the snake to settle for a week before offering food. Some snakes will give up quite easily when they have a failed attempt to strike. They can also strike to try to scare another creature into leaving them alone. In captivity, you may see this most often when they are getting ready to shed and aren't interested in the meal.

Question - From the picture (it may be the angle) he appears to have a bit of an overbite. Does he?
I didnt notice that until now! Is that a bad thing?



Why exactly aren't you going to feed him in his tank? I personally would never advocate for moving to feed, or feeding in a tub.
​I don't want him to think everytime i go to pick him up, he's getting fed, and try to strike at me


No. They don't get shots and boosters like dogs and cats.



As he gets more socialized, he may loosen up. I've got some that you could do anything to and they won't ball up, but yet my Spinner Blast can be easily startled even though I've had him for much longer. (Although, I think that has more to do with him having the Spider gene.)

[SmoothScales]

Well it sounds like the injury side of things is being covered in your other thread. As for the overbite - it may not be a problem, but depending on the severity it may be affecting his ability to eat. I can't seem to find the link right now, but I recall watching a vid of one that was so bad it needed to be assist fed and I believe the condition was referred to as shark's mouth. I'm sure someone more experienced can provide more information on that subject.

Now for this -

​I don't want him to think everytime i go to pick him up, he's getting fed, and try to strike at me

Tub/Tank aggression is a myth. Can you imagine one of the big breeders like NERD moving their animals to feed? Ridiculous. Or a Burm or Retic breeder moving their snakes to feed?

Moving to feed has 0 Pros and a list of Cons -

Stresses out your snake unnecessarily.
Risk of regurg.
Refusal to eat.
Possibly getting bit from your snake being in 'feeding mode'.

[oculus_ignigena]

He's super cute!!!

I know how you feel. I've had my baby bp for about 3 or 4 weeks and no amount of research can prepare you for when you actually get one lol.
She's about 5 1/2 months old. What I can tell you at this point is:

• I feed my girl in her tank, I just use tongs and gloves to do it. She seems to be fine with that, except the one time I went in to clean up her poop with gloves on, she started acting like she was just about to eat XD so I took one of the gloves off and she went back to normal.
• My girl poops about twice every 3 weeks, same with "pee"ing (which just shows up as small amounts of white poop) but usually she doesn't do them both at the same time. The poop looks strikingly like cat poop.
• I take my girl out about every other day, but not within 2 days after feeding. Usually that's when the rat bulge dies down. I usually put her back in her tank when she starts getting really squirmy. She'll start moving away from me really quickly as soon as I touch her.

Good luck with your boy! he's adorable ^__^

[Crowfingers]

As one person already mentioned, covering the top of the screen tank with foil helps, I do this for my humidity. However, I don't mist the cage (I don't want the substrate damp all the time), I put warm damp towels under the foil, this keeps my humidity between 50 and 60%, I just have to re-dampen it about every 24 hours. I also replace the towel every few days so it doesn't mildew.

Petsmart most likely was underfeeding him. So as soon as he is nice a settled in (a week or so from when you got him), get an accurate weight so you can get the correct size prey.

I hold / handle mine boy every day (except for the two days following feeding and when he is in shed). Sometimes he's out for 20-30 min, other nights I just pick him up long enough to give him a quick look-over while I'm changing his water and checking his hide for mess.

Mine only poo's every 7-14 days, but went 20 without defecating when I first got him. There does not seem to be a pattern. The longer he goes between the larger the mess is when he does go. Believe me, you can smell it. He does urinate every few days. This does not smell, but I will find a little white chalky pile (normal urates) in one of his hides. Then I spot clean that area, and replace the wet bedding. I usually know when he's done this because he suddenly stops using that hide and will curl up in a different one, or beside it.

If you haven't already, cover three of the sides of the tank with dark paper, this will make him/her feel more secure. I don't use an under the tank heater (UTH), I use ceramic heat bulbs (CHE), but what ever heat source you use needs to be regulated. Both the UTH and CHE's can get extremely hot and either burn your snake or make the hot spot intolerable, which could force him to the cool side all the time.

Other than that, he/she is a nice looking snake and you'll have a ton of fun with your new little scale-pup

[djstarfall]

As one person already mentioned, covering the top of the screen tank with foil helps, I do this for my humidity. However, I don't mist the cage (I don't want the substrate damp all the time), I put warm damp towels under the foil, this keeps my humidity between 50 and 60%, I just have to re-dampen it about every 24 hours. I also replace the towel every few days so it doesn't mildew.

Petsmart most likely was underfeeding him. So as soon as he is nice a settled in (a week or so from when you got him), get an accurate weight so you can get the correct size prey.

I hold / handle mine boy every day (except for the two days following feeding and when he is in shed). Sometimes he's out for 20-30 min, other nights I just pick him up long enough to give him a quick look-over while I'm changing his water and checking his hide for mess.

Mine only poo's every 7-14 days, but went 20 without defecating when I first got him. There does not seem to be a pattern. The longer he goes between the larger the mess is when he does go. Believe me, you can smell it. He does urinate every few days. This does not smell, but I will find a little white chalky pile (normal urates) in one of his hides. Then I spot clean that area, and replace the wet bedding. I usually know when he's done this because he suddenly stops using that hide and will curl up in a different one, or beside it.

If you haven't already, cover three of the sides of the tank with dark paper, this will make him/her feel more secure. I don't use an under the tank heater (UTH), I use ceramic heat bulbs (CHE), but what ever heat source you use needs to be regulated. Both the UTH and CHE's can get extremely hot and either burn your snake or make the hot spot intolerable, which could force him to the cool side all the time.

Other than that, he/she is a nice looking snake and you'll have a ton of fun with your new little scale-pup

hey Crowfingers, seems like you use some kind of shavings for your substrate? I am thinking of using aspen instead of newspaper (looks nicer with the decor I'm about to put in later) but i wonder how much of a mess my BP will make each time she poops and pees.

with newspaper, its a HUGE mess! if I were to use aspen shavings, wont i have to change out alot of the aspen? or how should i do it to cut costs?

P.S my BP is roughly 30 inches long, 380 grams. the tank base is 2ft x 1ft

[LittleTreeGuy]

The others have given great advice. A few things I will comment on as well....

Feed in his tank. It will be better for him and you.

Give him a full week or 10 days without handling, and after he has eaten for you before you try to handle him. When you do, just take him out for 5 minutes or so each day for the first week, then maybe a little longer each week after that. I've had my BP for about three months now, and even with handling almost every day, after about 20 minutes, she'd ready to go back to her house.

Get some tongs or hemostats to hold the prey when you feed him. This will keep the prey away from your fingers and your BP won't get confused what it's striking at.

Get some hand sanitizer and keep it by his cage. Anytime you open that cage, except for feeding day, use that on your hands. This is a good habit for two reasons. 1) it kills any germs on your hands so you don't pass them on to the snake. 2) this provides a consistent scent for your BP to associate with you, and not it's prey.

As others have said, if you can post a photo of your enclosure/tank, and let the group know what your temperatures are, humidity, etc... and what you're using to maintain those, folks here can offer helpful advice.

[Pug50]

+1 to feeding in the enclosure: My girl is a sweety and has never hissed, struck at me or even balled up. But she has a very strong feeding response - I would NEVER want to try to handle her or put my hands the enclosure when there is scent of rat about!

And, the fuss of moving her (and the possible discomfort of moving her back with a full stomach) isn't going to make them like the process. So I'd guess it might make them less likely to eat?



As I say - I am lucky to have a really chill snake. I try to put her back when she starts to only want to hide away. Also, I'd presume it's best not to let them get too cold, depending how warm the room is.

[Crowfingers]

hey Crowfingers, seems like you use some kind of shavings for your substrate? I am thinking of using aspen instead of newspaper (looks nicer with the decor I'm about to put in later) but i wonder how much of a mess my BP will make each time she poops and pees.

with newspaper, its a HUGE mess! if I were to use aspen shavings, wont i have to change out alot of the aspen? or how should i do it to cut costs?

P.S my BP is roughly 30 inches long, 380 grams. the tank base is 2ft x 1ft

I use the cypress bark, mine is almost exactly the same size... 345g and 30ish long. I order the 8 or 24 quart bags from amazon ($11-$22) and they last three-six weeks or so. When he urinates, I change all of the bedding around the area that is damp (usually 1-3 scoops from a cat litter scooper) a little more when he defecates. Then once a month I remove 50% of the bedding and mix fresh back in. He's in a 40 gal tank, so I still have a lot of clean mulch at the end of the month. It's really not that different from scooping a cat litter box.