hi there

[your_only_nightmare]

hi, im new to this forum but i am not new to snakes, i had 2 corn snakes but had to put one to sleep so i only have one now. the dad of the eggs that i currently have. i have 19 of them.

lately i have been intrested in get a python. so ichoose a ball becuase i know they aint gonna freak my mum out to much, lol

im just gonna basically gonna run over everything and see if iv got it....

1. a viv 3’ x 1’ x 18" iv read loads of different thiong on viv, saying they like thwem small, this is what i will start the baby in, then when its older will a 4 x 2 x 2 be ok?

2. heat mat

3. light bulb, with gaurd


(both of these makin the tempreture 90 on warm side, 80 ish on cool side?



4. water bowl to fit in


5. have humidity at 50 -60?



6. hide both sides

7. aspen bedding?

8. wood to rub on

9. rat pinkies to eat every 7 days when born

10. when older, i medium rat every 10- 14 days?


the ball i will be getting is proberbly only 2 - 4 weeks old, its becuasei know a breeder kind of person, who allways gets lots in from other breeders and breeds some of there own.

11. the only problem with this is i may not have total accurate details on feeding, will this be ok?

12. im also after a female. i dont know if its possible, but can you pop bps like you can corn? or do they have to be probed? and can they be probed at this yuong of age?

thank you for all your help

[Pythons Rock]

Hi and welcome aboard!!!

Housing size if using a viv is usually 10 gallon when small to 30 gallon when adult. You may want to consider a t-stat to control you temps or a dimmer at the least. The hides should be identical on each side. When shedding they will either rub against themselves or on there hides, if you are going to put other wood in the viv make sure it's not pine or cedar as they are toxic to BP's. Feeding should be done every 5-7 days when young to sub adult and every 10-14 days when adult. Feed an appropriate sized mouse/rat that is about the same size as the biggest part of the snake. You can pop BP's but it is not always correct I prefer probing to be sure. When getting a hatchling you want to make sure it's feeding and has shed. Everthing else you wrote looks good, here is a care sheet in case I forgot something.
http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....warticle&id=52

Hope this helps!

[your_only_nightmare]

thanks, ive read allot of care sheets, before i got my corbns i was actulyl reading about them instead, i have thermostats all ready, soz i for got to add it.

can you propbe them as a hatchiling tho? will it not harm them?

[tigerlily]

Yes you should be able to pop or probe a baby bp, if you have an experienced person doing so.

I agree that viv size is WAYY to big. You want some very small to start out with. I believe the tubs they usually start out in are approximately 6" x 16". Smaller is better.

I would prefer to get a snake that has excellent feeding records. It gives you a bit more assurance that the animal has eaten.

I know as adults, feeding weekly is fine. Offer smaller prey items, usually no bigger than a small rat.

[your_only_nightmare]

ok then, thanks, ill probs have it in a tub in the viv anyway, cuz i have one laying around.

just to get things straight.

for a adult 3 x 12 x 18 is to small so will 4 x 2 x 2 do?

[tigerlily]

I believe the tub size for adults is 18" x 34". So maybe a 3' x 2' x 1' viv? I think the 4' x 2' is a bit large.