First BP, Looking for help on an ID...Calico Dad / Pastel Mom

[Hammertime1977]

Hello, I'm a longtime fish keeper and reptile keeper mostly focusing on Crested Geckos.

I had a nice tank kicking around in my spare collection and I have been cutting back on fish tanks for a while now. I happened to get a tank a few years back with 2 under pad heaters and pretty much everything else you would need to house a reptile. A few years back when I got our Crested Gecko this tank came in the trade.

I cleaned out the tank and made sure everything was working, the night light failed on me when I tested that but that just meant I had to pick one up. I didn't like the lid I had so I modified it to hold in more heat and humidity.

Tank set up is currently a 15 gallon with a 29 gallon in reserve for everything to swap over as he grows. Please don't attack my tank size or the fact that I'm using a fish tank, I've done my research and I assure you with my modifications I am able to maintain proper humidity levels and there is a warm side and a not so warm side, both having hides. I prefer the fish tank set up due to my background with fish keeping, not to mention I like to display my pets proudly.

I managed to find an unregistered breeder via an online site and managed to get this guy at an absolute steal of a price. Estimated weight was 500-600 grams (I will soon weigh) it's male with what I was told a Calico Dad and a Pastel Mom, apparently the Calico didn't come out in this one. He was just at the end of his shed.

https://twitter.com/Subaru_WRX_Kev/status/716152582440247297

Regardless of if it's a morph or a common, it's our family pet now and it will be treated the same either way.

I did a lot of research...which helped, but this is how the timeline has gone so far. I was happy and amazed that things have gone this well!

Wed AM - Tank was set up and brought up to temperature, hide picked up at the store

Wed PM - Picked up Damien (old Jake the snake reference) and played with him for a few minutes and put him into the enclosure.

Wed Night - He explored his tank and then went and settled in his hide.

Thurs AM - Sleeping in his hide

Thurs PM - Quick Play, the gf wants to play with it all the damn time...Added second hide to left side (heat lighted side)

Thurs Night - Really active, spent time all across the tank. Spent time on the rock I have under the heat light. Was really exploring and checking the lid a lot (6 clips and a 15 pound rock on top of my modified MDF lid cover

Now at this point I'm a new owner and I'm trying to hold off on the feed to make sure that he eats, I know BP's have the feeding issues. But I was prepared to deal with it, did a lot of research and was seeing nothing but feeding queues. I contacted my "breeder" and he confirmed that he was hungry.

Off to the store to buy small rats.

Fri AM - Sleeping

Friday PM - Quick play after I checked him using my hand at about 18" as a thermal queue and he followed my hand. Switched gears and approached him from the back so my gf could play with him...

*Friday night....as I noticed he becomes active around 9pm till 3-4am I wanted everything in our favour. Once he became active I began to thaw the rat. I danced it in front of him 3 times and on the 3rd time he followed it and hit it. I gave the tail a quick tug and he tightened up on it. He spent 10-15 minutes "pretend killing" it before he downed it like champ.

We're so happy that it ate this well and has adjusted so quickly!

I can't say I'm not going to feed him every friday night at 10pm forever now, I think I will do what we did this time around. Follow the queues "Damien" gives us and let him tell us when he is hungry. I think it's better for the long term if we feed him when he's hungry.

The plan is to never go bigger than a small rat which is what he is eating now.

Once all of the digestion is done, I will get an official weight and post an update.

I want to leave it alone all Saturday and all day Sunday to digest, but I know the gf will be bugging to play with him on Sunday... <<---please advise on this

Thanks,

Kev (Damien...unknown approx 1 year old, approx 500-600 gram Ball Python)