questions...

[MeMe]

tthe care sheet i got from petco says 2 hours at the least.

well...there is that.

PETCO has no clue.

Read this...

http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....warticle&id=59

[dorado29]

an hour?? that seems a little too much.... im looking for a snake that wouldn't get (very) stressed out from being held for 15 or 20 minutes a day. maybe a bp or milksnake idk....

[cinderbird]

i handle my girl for maybe 45 minutes every couple of days ( not counting after shes fed or when she's super blue ). i do open her tank though to spot clean and check her ( humidity, belly, scales, etc ) to make sure she's okay. she feeds like its her job, urinates and poops regulary and is an all around happy snake.

she even watches the last half of house or whatever show we're watching with us (as in she sits still and isnt cruising around like she's crazy ).

for bedding i use reptibark..but i may be changing it to newsprint.

[Moriar]

my male always wants to come out. i handle him for 30 mins daily minus the days he is digesting etc. my females i handle every other day for 10 to 20. i use a rack system so i use newspaper

[dorado29]

i used to have a leopard gecko and i just used paper towels as substrate because it was exactly the width of the cage. It just looked so boring though (white paper) and i kind of felt bad for the gecko because its natural habitat obviously isnt paper.... do you think it makes a difference to the bp if it has nice shredded coconut substrate or paper?

edit:can someone explain what the things in peoples sigs is thats thats like "1.2.wild type ball python"

[Moriar]

i used to have a leopard gecko and i just used paper towels as substrate because it was exactly the width of the cage. It just looked so boring though (white paper) and i kind of felt bad for the gecko because its natural habitat obviously isnt paper.... do you think it makes a difference to the bp if it has nice shredded coconut substrate or paper?

you will get mixed responses to this. you will get those that swear by news paper/print and you will get those that swear by some other substrate. all have pros and cons. the main thing to concern yourself with is can i maintain correct husbandry with <blank> substrate? if you can keep temps/humidity/hygiene with coconut sub by all means go for it.

[JLC]

The numbers indicate how many of which sex.

male.female.unknown

1.2 would mean one male and two females.
0.1.3 would mean no males, one female, and three animals of unknown sex.

As for the substrate. Some people may believe the animal cares about its substrate. Personally, I don't think so. The purpose of the substrate is to absorb waste and spilled water. So...whatever works best for you that is not dangerous for the animal in question. Paper works best for me because it's very inexpensive and super easy to clean and change out.

EDIT: Let me just clarify....I don't believe ball pythons care what substrate they are laying on. Lots of different animals have burrowing or nesting instincts that might indicate a specific type of substrate as most suitable.

[Argentra]

Exactly, well said, Judy. BP's don't really seem to care about their substrate, as long as it's not too sharp or in other ways uncomfortable. My corn snakes, however, would have a fit if I didn't use a deep enough layer of bedding. I personally use aspen after experimenting with three other substrates, and I really love it. So, it seems, do all my other animals (mice and rats included).

As for handling, I hold my girl for around 5-10 minutes at least once a week...twice a week if I'm lucky and don't have a lot of homework to take up my time. My corns I try to handle at least twice a week for more like 10-20 minutes.

[Sunny1]

I would have to agree that the BP probably does not care which type of substrate it is on (as long as it is not harmful). A tank or a tub setup is not a "natural habitat" either. So basically whatever type of substrate you choose, for your BP, should help with husbandry as well as be something that you like. For me, the tub gets newspaper because I don;t need any sort of humidity boost, just something to catch waste, etc. The tank does need that extra help with humidity and while my substrate can vary depending on what the petstore has at the time, I prefer cypress mulch because I think it looks the best in my tank setup. Though they live in two completely different setups with different substrates, they are both doing very well, haven't missed any meals, both have recently undergone perfect sheds.

[Lucero87]

I handle my bp's about 30 mins every couple days, except after feeding i wait 2 days...i use reptibark