New BP acting a bit odd

[xxxxdopeyxxxx]

I bought a bp from petco a few days ago (about 2 feet long). I'm a bit worried about him. He always feels cool to the touch. The terrarium is 90 on the hot end and 83 on the cool end. Humidity is 45-60. His spine feels more pronounced than my other BP and i can feel his ribs. He does not have the triangle shaped body. I also have 2 hides in the cage but he doesn't use either one, he usually just curls up next to it. I fed him one f/t hopper today and one 3 days ago. I plan to keep offering him hoppers every 3 days and keep a close eye on the temp and humidity. Is there anything else that I'm missing or doing wrong?

[Patricia]

Hi! Mine feels cool to the touch only if it hasn't been in the warm hide for awhile. You're using a UTH mat, right? Our BP's prior owner didn't have one, using only an overhead lamp, and it felt cold the first time I touched it. Also, if using a UTH but with a deep amount of substrate, if measuring temps on the bottom of the cage, they will be warmer than the temp on top of the substrate.

Strange that it curls up outside of the hides.

At 2 feet long, a hopper sounds too small. Ours was about 22"/5 months old when we got it, still being fed hoppers, and I quickly found out that hoppers were way too small. It has filled out nicely since moving onto medium and then large mice.

[Montie Python]

A pic of your setup is always useful, but lets see...

What size tank/tub do you have? 2 feet long he can fit comfortably in a 10 gallon, and the tank should be no bigger than 20 L, if so, make sure you have things like crumpled newspaper, fake plants, so your snake won't feel so exposed.

Being that our bodies are already warmed to 96 degrees, his body temperature will already feel cold (or not so warm as we think). As long as the temperatures are right in his enclosure

What are you using as thermometers? The most recommended is an Acurite (found in Loews, Home Depot, etc) If you are using the analog, dial thermometers, it won't be accurate. Acurites also measure humidity.

What kinds of hides does he have...Most people in this site, recommend NOT to use log hides, being that it makes the snake feel exposed.

Also are the three sides of your tanks covered with something? It will keep the heat in as well as make them feel not so exposed (I'm using this word a lot) to their environment

Make sure you are feeding 10 - 15% of his body weight 2 feet long can be around 200 grams or more, and if thats the case, a hopper MAY be too small, so at this point a scale would be handy as well...


I hope I answered your questions...If you havent looked, I suggest you take a look at the stickies...

I posted a few below to get you started

Enjoy!

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


http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=56846

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=30763

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=90187

[rthamilton]

I bought a bp from petco a few days ago (about 2 feet long). I'm a bit worried about him. He always feels cool to the touch. The terrarium is 90 on the hot end and 83 on the cool end. Humidity is 45-60. His spine feels more pronounced than my other BP and i can feel his ribs. He does not have the triangle shaped body. I also have 2 hides in the cage but he doesn't use either one, he usually just curls up next to it. I fed him one f/t hopper today and one 3 days ago. I plan to keep offering him hoppers every 3 days and keep a close eye on the temp and humidity. Is there anything else that I'm missing or doing wrong?

Are the hides the right size for him(not to big or too small)?Maybe he needs a lil time to himself. I believe most people recommend 7-14 days of not handling your new snake to let him get used to their new home. Most likely i would take a closer look at the hides as some snakes are very picky about wanting tight fitting hides. You might try different size containers with holes in them to see if he likes that better.Goodluck keep us posted

[xxxxdopeyxxxx]

thanks monite. I am going to try making the duct tape cover as soon as I get enough time. I'll post pictures as soon as I get enough time. Possibly when I get off work tonight.

[Kaorte]

thanks monite. I am going to try making the duct tape cover as soon as I get enough time. I'll post pictures as soon as I get enough time. Possibly when I get off work tonight.

Duct tape cover? like to hold in humidity? You are better off using foil tape. You can find it at the home depot

[dapike1979]

Fore hides my bp is so picky he wears it like a hat thats how tight he like it... I tried different sizes and he will always go to the same hide.. hope this helps
Good Luck

[xxxxdopeyxxxx]

The cover is aluminum foil the duct tape just holds the foil on the screen.

[xxxxdopeyxxxx]

he seems to be doing much better. he is using the hide now and feels warmer.
here is a picture of the enclosure

[seeya205]

You need to cover the back and sides for added security and you need two identical hides, one on the cool side and one on the warm side. The half logs are no good for a ball python as they have two large openings so they don't feel secure. You need something that has one small opening and your snake just fits in nicely. Here are the hides I use - http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/reptile_cave.php . If you want a cheap hide then go to the dollar store and get a plastic/paper bowl and cut a hole in it. If its plastic, make sure you burn the rough cut to smooth the edges and it must not be clear. Also keep the humidity at 60% and the skull is useless for your snake but it makes a nice decoration! This will make your snake alot happier! Hope this helps and good luck!