simple question

[neur0tix]

light on, uav off... all hes done reg ardless the past hour was explore the tank top to bottom... poking his head near the top...

[EvesFriend]

You can get an incandescent night black light that you can leave on 24/7 as long as your temps are correct.

[Kaorte]

Alright I don't think you quite understand what you are doing, even after the page of advice.

Have you read the care sheet on this site? If not, please read it IN FULL. http://ball-pythons.net/modules/Sect...warticle&id=59

It honestly sounds like you have no idea what you are doing so I will try to break it down for you as best as possible.

Forget what you heard at the pet store. Forget how your friends take care of their snakes. Just because someone can keep a snake alive in those conditions doesn't mean it is healthy and comfortable and it sure doesn't make it "right".

If you did just get the snake, try to leave it completely alone for 1-2 weeks. No handling, no feeding. You can clean the tank if you need to or make adjustments as needed, but don't handle or feed it until you have everything figured out. It won't starve.

Ball pythons do better with belly heat (Under tank heater: UTH). Lamps make the air really dry and that makes it hard for the snake to shed. When using a UTH you must control it with a reptile thermostat or rheostat. You can buy a thermostat online, the reptitemp 500r is a good beginner single setup thermostat. In the meantime, you can pick up a piggy back light dimmer from the home depot to control your heat source. If your average room temperature is lower then 75*F, you will probably need the lamp. Just use a low wattage red bulb heat lamp. The lower the wattage the better. All of your heating should stay on 24/7. Ball pythons do not need night drops.

You will also need something to measure temps with. Those round dial thermometers are not accurate and are a waste of money. Digital thermometers and hygrometers are best. The best unit that you can get is the accurite weather station from home depot, lowes, or walmart. It costs about $12 and measures temp with a probe (put this probe right on the glass where the UTH is) and temp and humidity with the unit (put the rest of the unit on the side opposite the UTH).

The nest most important things are hides. You will need two identical tight fitting hides. Those "rock cave" hides are best, but ther are cheaper alternatives. I use plastic cereal bowls from the dollar store and I cut a small hole for the entrance.

Just place the water bowl in the center. You don't need any branches as ball pythons do not climb. They are actually quite clumsy and a fall could injure them.

In regards to handling, you should not handle your snake at all for the first week to two weeks after getting it. Also, do not handle your snake for a 48 hour period after feeding. If you would like to pick up your snake, you can remove them from their hides. Ball pythons are shy animals and will rarely leave their hides so you might have a hard time handling your snake only when it leaves its hides as it may never leave. They are very shy and secretive, so it will probably be a little scared right when you go to pick it up.

As for feeding your snake. If it is full grown, it could eat far more then an adult mouse. Full grown ball pythons take small rats weekly. You do NOT need to feed your snake in a separate enclosure. That is more reserved for the bigger snakes where cage aggression can become a problem. It is not a problem for ball pythons and will most often lead to a stressed snake that will not eat.


FOR NOW: I would just leave the lamp on. He does need some heat and the light is less likely to burn him. By the way, an Under tank heater is a UTH not a "UAV".

Hope this helps!

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

Please do take Kaortes advice. Many of the thousands of members here have many many snakes. I have over 30. Some people have more some have less. We all keep our snakes the same basic ways and your set up is just not right for a BP. Dont think anyone here is getting on you or is trying to be mean. On the contrary, we are here to help and make you and your animals part of our community. Happy and healthy. Pet stores do not know what these guys really need. They go on basic care info that they believe works for anything they sell. It doesnt make them bad people, you just need to learn whats best.

Your snake would most likely get sick from an RI at some point in your setup. Those are very expensive to treat. It will suffer from bad sheds. It will be stressed and will not thermoregulate by moving from cool end to warm end. It will stay where it feels safest even if this means being unhealthy for it. They can also have their food rot in the stomach if they do not have the proper belly heat. Please remember that a UTH should be 1/3 the size of the bottom of the enclosure and must be controlled by a thermostat. If you do not use a thermostat the UTH can overheat and burn your snake.

The biting was most likely because you spooked it. Always touch the BP on its body somewhere away from its head before picking it up. This will let a new and possibly nervous snake know what you are doing. Never reach in toward any snakes head. Always come from behind and touch first. Do it like this and you should never be bitten.

You will get more advice if you post your questions during the day. Then you will have many more veteran members, moderators and admins here to help you more.

Read that care sheet and then let us know if you have anymore questions. Please consider that a BP is not going to be more active than a corn. They are nocturnal. They prefer to stay in a hide all day.

[BuckeyeBalls]

Please consider that a BP is not going to be more active than a corn. They are nocturnal. They prefer to stay in a hide all day.

x2.

Guess how much i see my snake during the day? Never! How much at night? Hardly ever. Every now and then he comes out maybe drinks some water then back into his hide. Only time he comes out is to get water, eat a mouse, or go across the tub to his other tight fitting hide thats cooler

Other then that he sits there all day and night