Quote Originally Posted by Vypyrz View Post
The first thing I see is the temps. BP's don't really need a night drop. You should be maintaining the warm side at around 90F and the cool side (ambient) should be around 79-80'ish. That way they can move from side to side to thermoregulate. If you are not using a thermostat or dimmer to control the Under Tank Heater, you need to get one or you are running a very real chance of your snake getting burned. If you need any more info on any of this, just ask.
Next is the way you are measuring the temps. If you are using those stick-on dial or tape gages, they are notorious for giving incorrect readings. A good digital thermometer like the Acu-Rite weather station will give you more accurate readings, as well as, the humidity. They are basically an indoor/outdoor thermometer with a probe. You place the base unit on the cool side and run the probe over to the warm side and place it under the substrate, over the UTH. That way it will tell you what the glass temp is. You can get them at Home Depot or Lowes in the outdoor section or you might find one at Wal-Mart in the home Hardware section for about $12.
Now for the hides. The log hides are not ideal for ball pythons. They prefer a tight fitting darker place to hide. There are all kinds of styles and brands that are more suited for a BP, but since your snake is still young and has alot of growing to do, I would suggest going to someplace like the dollar store and picking up a couple of plastice cereal/soup bowls and cutting or melting a hole in the side that is a little bit larger than the girth of your snake. T he reason you need 2 of them is that BP's will choose security over comfort, so if you have 2 of the same dark,snug hides then you BP will thermoregulate more readily. You can buy more expensive and pretty hides, but I suggest the bowls because they are only going to cost you about $3 and your snake will need bigger hides in a few months anyway.
Now, for the tank. If you have not done it, you should cover three sides of the tank. You can use anything like cardboard, construction paper, black poster board, or aquarium scenery. The goal is to make the tank seem smaller and not so open to the snake. I am guessing that your tank has a screen lid. Cover at least 2/3 of it with something like aluminum foil. Some people will use the aluminum foil tape on top as another option. Unless you are somewhere with temps below 75F, You shouldn't need the lamp, but if you need, or want it, just leave a spot open in the aluminum for the lamp to sit. An open screen and running the lamp alot is where all of your humidity is going.
I would not force feed her any more. I suspect she isn't eating due to stress brought about by temperature and security issues. Forcing her to eat without the correct temps to help digestion may cause her to regurgitate. I would start by making some modifications to the tank and investing in a couple pieces of equipment first. Once she feels secure in the tank and has the good temps, she will probably start eating again...
thanks vypyrs! taking it all in!