I need help with my new ball python please

[bman123]

I did alot of research on the snakes, but i was just worried cause i never read anything about them being so scareed all of the time,

but everyones information helped alot.

oh and his cage was setup three days before i got him thank you very much.

The way you came across to everyone was not good. If you did actual research you would have a smaller tank with a lid, a uth and a thermostat. I feel bad for your snake.

[travis_1989]

I didnt know that it was absolutely necessary for me to have a smaller cage.

I just thought that it was necessary to have atleast a ten gallon tank to start off, but I had a bigger one so i thought it was okay to have one bigger.

but now i have learner and now I am going to put her in a plastic tub for right now until she gets a little bigger i guess...

[Kaorte]

That is probably a step in the right direction

While tubs aren't really that pretty to look at, they are a BREEZE to clean and they are easy to maintain temps and humidity in.

Maybe when she is a year or two you could transition her into the big tank. By then you will know so much about ball pythons you will have an amazing set up for her

[angllady2]

I agree you should really study the caresheets that are stickied at the top of this forum page.

I am glad you are trying to do what is right for your new snake, but you do have a ways to go.

Ball pythons are different than many other snakes that like/need large open areas and minimal heat. Balls pythons are by nature burrowers, so they prefer small, tight spaces and need belly heat to help them digest food and maintain proper temperature. It also means you aren't going to see a ball python much. They spend 95% of their time in the smallest, tightest space they can squeeze into, hiding. A hiding ball is a happy ball, so it's not fear, it's their nature. I have 8, and 90%of the time, except on feeding day, all I see of them is their heads poking out of the hides when I'm in the room.

You little one is trying to shed, so it needs high humidity, peace and quiet until it can shed. The fastest way to do this with your current setup would be to get a small hide, even a cereal bowl turned upside down with a door cut in it will work, then fill the bowl with damp moss and place it in the cage.

If you want to keep the large tank, you'll need to crowd it with hides and other things to help your ball feel secure. They really do better with smaller spaces when young, remember a baby anything is always in danger from predators in the wild, and that instinct is not gone in your pet. The more open the cage, the more danger the snake feels. I've seen this firsthand.

I always thought keeping snakes in tubs was wrong and cruel. How can a snake be happy crammed into such a tiny space? That was before I got my own. I had to deal with constant stress, bad feeding, bad sheds, general crabbiness, and a whole lot more. Eventually it got so bad, I had to give my adults up because I had to face the fact that I didn't know how to care for them.

So, when I got my babies, I did a LOT, I mean a LOT of research. When I discovered the people I would be buying my babies from used tubs, I decided I'd start with tubs, then move them to the big, open tanks I knew they needed later. Guess what? When I moved them, I started the whole cycle over again. Stress, not eating, bad sheds, etc. I moved them back to the tubs, and had happy snakes again. So, lesson learned. I don't always know as much as I think I do, and ball pythons really do like small enclosures.

Gale

[Kaorte]

Well, ball pythons don't really burrow, they just take over termite mounds or small animal burrows

[kc261]

The way you came across to everyone was not good. If you did actual research you would have a smaller tank with a lid, a uth and a thermostat. I feel bad for your snake.

I feel bad for the snake too, but let's not blame the OP. It is entirely possible he did research, just at the wrong places. It is quite easy to research by interviewing pet store employees and/or going to numerous online sites and end up with totally inappropriate info regarding BPs. That isn't the OP's fault, and he is now at a place where he can get some good help for his snake, so let's help him.

Well, ball pythons don't really burrow, they just take over termite mounds or small animal burrows

I thought that too, until I looked up the word burrow. According to dictionary.com:

bur⋅row
–verb (used without object)
3. to make a hole or passage in, into, or under something.
4. to lodge in a burrow.

So they do burrow, just by the 2nd definition of the verb rather than the first. (I left out the noun definitions.)

OP - It seems like you are getting off to a bit of a rocky start, but I think it is great that you are here seeking betters ways to care for your BP. Once you get everything straightened out, I'm sure you'll find you and your snake are both happy and that he is a joy to own. I know I love mine!

Your snake is staying in its hide most of the time because that is what BPs do. They are even more likely to stay in their hide for the 48 hrs after they eat when they are digesting, or when they are in shed. I have one BP in a 20 gallon tank in our computer room (the rest are in tubs in a rack system in a room with less traffic). She is almost never seen during the daytime, staying completely hidden. She does come out almost every evening though, so we get to see her roam her tank for a while.

To help her adjust to her new home and realize it is a safe place, it is best if you do not handle her for at least a week (except for the minimum required for tank maintenance). What I do when I bring a new snake home is let it settle in a week, then offer food, and if it eats, give it 48 hrs to digest. Then I feel it is ok to begin handling it. If it doesn't eat, I wait another week, and continue that cycle as long as necessary. It was very hard with our first snake not to get her out, especially since we had her for about a month before she ate, but I just kept reminding myself to be patient because we would have her for years to come if we treated her right.

You mention that her eyes are "chrome," and that choice of words makes me wonder if she is in shed, or has retained eye caps. If she is in shed, the eyes should clear up within a few days, and a few days after that the snake should shed. The exact timing varies from snake to snake, and shed to shed. If it is retained eye caps, that means the last time the snake shed, the protective covering over the eyes did not come off with the rest of the skin. A single layer of retained eye caps should not be a problem, and should come off with the next shed as long as the snake has enough humidity.

You have already been given a lot of good advice, so I won't repeat it all here. Please do take the time to read the caresheet on this site if you haven't already. It is very good and should help you a lot. I think someone already gave it to you, but here is the link again just in case:
http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/...warticle&id=59

Good luck with your new BP, and please don't hesitate to post more questions as they occur to you!

[Kaorte]

I thought that too, until I looked up the word burrow. According to dictionary.com:

So they do burrow, just by the 2nd definition of the verb rather than the first. (I left out the noun definitions.)

Semantics