Attempt 1:Failure

[littleindiangirl]

Ok thanks i'll try to not post anymore haha

It's not that we don't want you to post questions, but I had really thought in your last thread we had come to the conclusion that leaving her be to acclimate for a while was the thing to do.

Then reading this new post.... makes me wonder if I had dreamed it all.

Just remember that we do want to help you take the best care of your animal!

[Chuck1289]

Ok i will completely blank her out of my mind for another week then i'll feed her.


thanks.

Just a small edit im leaving the computer for 20 mins but i'll be back then to read your replies!!!

I know i've been a fool but hey you should of seen the amount of topics i made on the cornsnake forums when i got my corn !!

[frankykeno]

Okay now let's just take this step by step Chuck. Firstly no one here is trying to do anything but help you to care for that snake and has done so in many threads. We'll continue to try and help you but you must relax and take in what we are telling you.

Let's start....

Ok first things first SatanicIntention I HAVEN'T been DISTURBING her and i've had her for A WEEK now plus my temp is PERFECT.

Becky (SatanicIntention) is quite right in that you are disturbing this snake. You just don't know enough about ball pythons to know that you are. You've had this snake 1 week. You've had to change enclosures, mess with her, tried to feed, etc. This is disturbing a snake. Even when we do something for their own good, it can stress and upset them. Now that you know this, you can more easily understand what the members here are telling you is true.

Where did you get this snake from?

A reptile shop near me.

I suspected as much. Pet store snakes, unless purchased from the very rare, very good speciality reptile shops tend to have issues. If she's truly 9 months old then she lived her life in a pet store experience which did not do her a bit of good unfortunately. You will have to work to overcome that poor start. You may also want to book an appointment with a reptile experienced vet to have her looked over and a fecal float done as a lot of pet store snakes have parasite issues that can impact on their willingness to feed.

How long have you had this snake?

1 Week Today.

At the 1 week mark you should barely be interacting with this snake. Due to the issues with her housing, etc. you've had to disturb her which means you need to reset that clock. If you just moved her to another viv then she's back to day 1 on the settling in clock. Anytime you make any major change in these snake's lives you need to give them a week or so to accept that change.

Describe in detail the housing this snake lives in (size, substrate, hides provided, heating source, temps and humidity and how you measure those as well as where the enclosure is located in your home - pictures help here).

Ok the viv was too big for her (i thought i was going to get a adult BP so i split the viv to make it about 1 foot 20 inches.I am using aspen for substrate and the temps are 92 F on warm and 81F on cool.The heating source is a UTH with a bulb for extra heat if i need it and my humidity is 60-70 but she shed yesterday so it is 50-60 now.The viv is in my room it is very quiet i also have my corn in the same room but across the room.

Okay so in the week you've had her she's had a home change AND a shed cycle. Again, loads of stress on her. Reset that clock, Chuck. Also are you monitoring those temps and humidity digitally or by one of those dial stick on jobbies that the pet stores sell?

What have you tried to feed and how often?

I tried to feed her 1 medium mouse every 7 days.

Since you've only had her about 7 days you would have tried just that once. She refused. I'd expect her to refuse. Let her settle into her new home for another 7 days and try again.

What information do you have about this snakes routines prior to you purchasing it? (things like when it fed, what it ate, how often it ate, etc.)


It ate every friday forzen thawed mice.

Firstly, every pet store in the world always sells perfectly healthy snakes that always eat like clockwork. In most cases this is pure bull. Even if she has eaten like a champ from them, this is a whole new world for her and she's reacting like a lot of bp's do by refusing to eat and acting very stressed out by striking and so forth. In other words, Chuck, she's acting pretty much as expected so no need to worry there.

I am not a stupid person SatanicIntention stop talking to me like i am a child i have waited a week then i fed her.

Becky is NOT talking to you like you are stupid. Put your ego aside, Chuck. Becky is trying to get you to see that you must calm down, relax and listen to the advice you have been given in multiple threads.

These snakes are slow to adjust and require massive amounts of patience. If you don't have any now, you're about to get some believe me or you won't enjoy keeping a ball python and the snake won't do well for you.

Work the problems, step back and adjust your husbandry habits with a view to what is right for your snake, not what makes you feel best. I'm sure you can do this and you and your snake will do just fine. Loads of others have faced these issues and gone on to be excellent snake keepers with beautifully healthy snakes.

[Chuck1289]

My husbandry is fine so don't worry and she was not from a pet shop but from a specialist reptile shop.

[Kesslers Kreatures]

My husbandry is fine so don't worry and she was not from a pet shop but from a specialist reptile shop.

Chuck,

Not all reptile shops take care of their animals. FankyKeno did specify that as well. You didn't answer the question of what type of thermometer you are using, those stick on ones are crap. They don't work that's why people are asking you if that's what your using. your temps could be WAY off if that's indeed what you are using.

[littleindiangirl]

My husbandry is fine so don't worry and she was not from a pet shop but from a specialist reptile shop.

Chuck, when we mean husbandry, we mean not just a few quick temps, but the whole of it. I know you have gone over it before, but in reality your BP is still very young, and keeping her in the size enclosure is quite a step up from what people usually keep their snakes in. I would even go so far to claim that she could do very well in a 10 gallon tank!

What you've described is a "1 foot 20 inches". Is that on one side? Or is it 1 ' x 20 ". Meaning one side is 1 foot, the other side is 20 inches? I'm just asking for clarification.

My guess is, that animal could do very well with 12" x 6" houseing situation. Yes, tiny! These animals feel very good and snug when literally cramped. 12" x 20" is a little on the large side for a young snake, and I'm going out on a limb to say she must be around 300 grams coming from a pet store situation.

I personally give each animal a tub based on eating habits and weight. If an animal refuses to eat when moved up in tub size, they get to stay in the smaller one until they've put on more size.

hatchling - 200 grams: 6 qt tub.
200-800 grams: 12 qt tub
800+ grams: 28 qt tub


To compensate for the size, have you crumpled any newspaper to fill up the air space? They really do like to feel something touching them on all sides while they move about.

[bigballs]

she was not from a pet shop but from a specialist reptile shop.

so she was from a pet shop...

[mr86mister]

Hey Chuck.
I'm sure from your perspective everyone seems to be ganging up on you. This is certainly not the case. Lots of information is being handed to you and I bet its overwhelming. Is there anything that is conflicting to what the shop owners told you? If so, that might be step one to your confusion. Listen to people here, it's of course hard not to take offense to things on any forum because you are just reading a screen and are not seeing anyone's emotion behind it. Every person here wants you to have the healthiest, relaxed, and happy BP. They also want you to understand everything that a BP needs. In the end it's actually not that bad or hard and everything is pretty basic. Patience is what everyone is trying to give you. Imagine having your adult female lay eggs and you can't touch them for almost 2 months....gah! I would shoot myself.

Point of this is, just sit back and think from your BP's perspective. You just want to sleep for a week or two and then be ready to go. Don't mess with it's enclosure just make sure it has fresh water for now.

P.S.-You are doing a great job by just soaking in everyone's comment's and we've had people on here get super offended and left the forum. Please stick around! We want another success story!

[Chuck1289]

Ok here we go i will answer all the questions here.

By 1 foot 20 inches i mean the lenght of the viv would be cut down to that from 3 foot.

I do not feel like im being ganged up on the more opinions the better!! The thermometer and hydrometer is a digital one by the way.Could someone post a pic of the tub you would keep my BP in?A pic of my BP is available in my images just check that and you can see my corn looking very cute hehe.

I haven't got much money to spend at the moment but i do have alot of tubs .... Plus i can save the 3 foot viv till she gets older but could i just half the 3 foot viv too make it more confortable to her? My snake is 9 months old by the way.


I in no way am offended by anything by the way i like all the new ideas im getting off you guys and i understand that you just want the best for my BP Thanks!

[Chuck1289]

Ok guys im going to bed but i'll check this thread tomorrow morning you need to tell me to..

A:Buy a Plastic tub and turn it into a small viv then move her into the 3 foot when she is older...


B: use wood or something to restrict 1 half of the viv.


If i got a plastic tub how big should it be ? I don't know her weight because i can't handle her at the moment so i can't weigh her etc.. She is 9 months and on medium to large mice!