Hello all,

I am sorry to post this post as I know all this information can probably be found elsewhere. I typically do not like to do this until I have researched everything out. I am in a bit of emergency situation, however, and am looking for some advice. I have done a little bit of research but have not had time to do much and have no experience. Let me explain my situation.

I was contacted by a friend last night and told that they are fed up with caring for any animals and have two ball pythons that they refuse to care for anymore. They have apparently been trying to get rid of them for about a month and have not been able to so they were either finding someone to give them to last night or would resort to something more drastic (didn't give me details). I calmed them down, asked a few questions, and, being the animal lover that I am, agreed to take these snakes from them. I normally would never do this without having done a lot of research or knowing a lot about them prior to bringing an animal into my home but felt like this was an emergency situation for the health of the animals so I took them in. We are not completely without knowledge but also do not feel comfortable in the situation we are in. My wife's sister had a ball python for a couple years while they were growing up so my wife has at least been around them although she has never cared for them at all. My wife and kids love snakes, but we have never had them because I have a mild fear of them...that I will obviously need to get over very soon. My love of animals will help with that.

While we do not have any knowledge about caring for ball pythons, we do have a lot of experience caring for animals. We currently have a fairly large animal collection (that we love). This collection includes 3 small dogs, 2 guinea pigs (a male and female that my 13-year-old son is breeding with our help), 2 red-ear slider turtles (rescues that that are now trying to breed but have not begun laying), 3 tanks of African Cichlids along with 2 growout tanks for the babies, a saltwater tank with a pair of tomato clownfish and lots of coral, 3 red-eyed tree frogs (cooling down and are about a month away from moving to a rain chamber for breeding), 1 Vietnamese mossy frog (that was a rescue), 13 leopard geckos (5 male and 8 female...all breeding), a bunch of guppies that came with the turtles, one betta, 15 dart frogs (3 groups of 5...2 groups are breeding and the last group is just past the froglet stage), and a group of 6 mourning geckos (just now beginning to lay eggs).

My limited experience in research for these ball pythons has left me confused and with too many opinions so I am looking here for advice to get this jump started so I am caring for these correctly from the start and can then do what works for me and is best for the snakes. I will continue to research and learn all I can until I feel completely comfortable caring for them after I have initially set up the basic care for them to be healthy and happy. I have a few questions on the enclosure and the feeding. Keep in mind that I do not know the morph of these snakes yet, I am told that one is female and about 3 feet long and one is male and about 2.5 feet long and that both were purchased at the same time (with the intention to breed this year) and are about a year old. From what I can tell (again without much experience), the snakes appear to be healthy.

First, the enclosure. I was given 32 quart Sterilite containers with one hide and a small water dish (maybe 3-4 inches in diameter). Each snake is in its own container and there is a layer of aspen shavings on the bottom of the container. Each container has a locking lid but a huge pile of paper on the top to keep the snakes from escaping (which I personally do not like and would like to replace these containers due to this issue. In my research there are lots of opinions on what is okay for a habitat. I have seen or been told the following in a couple hours of research: Use the containers they are in and that will be good for their entire lives, keep one for the male but upgrade the female to a 43 quart Sterilite container, put them together in a 40 gallon or larger aquarium with a locking lid, put them in their own enclosures but make sure they are at least 40 gallon aquariums with locking lids, put them in their own enclosures but they do not need more than 20 gallons with locking lids, and put them in their own enclosures using a 20 gallon long aquarium with locking lids or larger. As you can tell, I have received a lot of advice and am very confused now. Can anyone shed any light on what to do?

Also on the enclosure, I have received a lot of advice about putting anywhere from 1-3 hides, different sizes of hides and keeping the water dish I have vs getting something larger. I have been told to use aspen shavings, use a mixture of that and coconut fiber, and to use other bedding. I have also been told different temperatures (anywhere from 75-95 degrees) and what type of enclosure is best for to humidity and the comfort of the snake (I was told that the snake is more comfortable in a space with a lower ceiling by someone so to use the Sterlite containers). I do have heat tape and am currently keeping them at 90 degrees along with my leopard geckos but will get heat mats or something else specifically for the snakes when I figure it all out. Can anyone help me figure all of that out, please?

Now for feeding. I know I should only feed mice or rats (with rats being preferred). They have been feeding them live rats but have not fed them in about 10 days. They say the snakes are very picky and will not eat frozen but I am not sure how much they tried or what they did to feed them exactly. I need to figure that out very soon as, from what I read, they should be eating every 7 days at this age. This is where I need advice. First, frozen or thawed? Second, do I need to get tongs for feeding and how long/what type is best? Third, what size rat do I need to get to feed them at the size they are at? Fourth, can anyone tell me where is a good place to get these or are they something I should raise to feed (I currently raise all my bugs for the other reptiles and frogs I keep in order to keep costs down and to know that what I am feeding is healthy for them and does not have anything that can harm them). Fifth, what time of day should they be fed?

As I am completely new to this, any advice would be great (either from the questions I already asked or anything else you have learned from your experience). Please share anything you are able and willing to.

Thank you for your help and advice in advance and I look forward to working with you more as I try to successfully give these amazing animals the best care possible.