Quote Originally Posted by syvil View Post
Yesterday I purchased my first BP he's about 2 ft long right now and seems to very active. I've named him/her "Killswitch" after one of my favorite bands. I'm assuming this is because of his new home and his feeding time was yesterday. I'm going to wait until Monday until holding him again and feeding him so he can get acquainted with his new home. I have a few questions though.

1. What humidity levels should I try to keep his terrarium at? I live in a very hot+humid area (San Antonio) so I want to make sure they're not too high or too low.

2. After feeding him and putting him back in his terrarium how long should I wait before handling him again. I'm guessing 24-48 hours but I just want to be sure.

3. I think it's a male based on a few videos I've seen determining the sex of a BP. I'm going to make an appointment for a vet next week so I'll know for sure by then. Are there any questions I should ask the vet?

Any other recommendations are greatly appreciated!

Here's a few pics of Killswitch and his terrarium. My camera really sucks for a few shoots.
Okie doke. First of all WELCOME TO BP.NET!!!!! This is by far the best site you could have come to in regards to ball python care.

The super active-ness will calm down once your snake gets settled in. It is just his way of saying "Where am I??? Let me outta here!!".

Before I even address your questions, there are a few things you should know.
1. Those stick on thermometers and hygrometers are no good. They can be as far as 10* or % off which isn't very useful when you need a 10* temp gradient. Invest in some quality digital thermometers and at least one with an external probe.
2. Any heat source you have must have some kind of control or else you risk burning or even cooking your snake. A reptile thermostat like the reptitemp 500r is what I recommend to new snake owners. If you can't find one in a store, get a piggy back light dimmer from the home depot until you can order one online and have it shipped to you.

Now for your questions!

The humidity should be around 50-60% and 70% when the snake is shedding.

Sounds like you are going to feed in a separate container. To be completely honest, this is unnecessary and is just more hassle for you and more stressful for the snake. Feeding him in his home enclosure will not make your snake cage aggressive or make him associate your hand with food. No matter how many times you have read it, it isn't true.

Make sure (as others have said) that your snake is probed by the vet.


Another thing I want to address is your hides. Ball pythons like tight dark spaces and the half log hides don't really do it for them. Your best bet is two tight fitting rock cave like hides. If you are cheap like me you can go to the dollar store and get some opaque bowls and cut a small opening in the side. Make sure the snake barely fits in the hides. My snakes don't even fit into their hides but they still use them!


Good luck with your new snake!