Size

[BuckeyeBalls]

I do currently have a thermostat in the tank with the gauge that reads the humidity as well.
What size tank would you recommend?
I'll probably just throw up a normal light just to brighten the tank up at times and use the pad for the majority of the heat.
I'll try and pick up a scale too. I feed frozen...well I thaw them out in warm water before hand.
What might you recommend for hides?
Should I maybe get ride of the twisty wood thing? lol

You your confusing a thermostat with a thermometer.

A uth hooks up to the thermostat and when the heat pad reaches the set temp on the thermostat it turns the thermostat off. This is to keep the pad from getting to hot and burning your snake. The zoomed pads easily get 120* thats is too hot.

I would say go with a 20g.

And get the acu rite digital thermometer/hygrometer

BTW you dont need a normal light. The light from the room is good enough.

Wood thing is up 2 u. One more thing u gotta clean

As for hides..Cereal bowls with a entrance cut out, kitty litter pans, terracotta pots. Anything u can tip upside down he can slither into and feel it touch all his sides

Also as mentioned before u could always leave him in it if u crowed it up. But thats up to you

[stevepoppers]

Once again, thermostat or thermometer?

As they are nocturnal, you don't even need a normal light, and at night it may stress them out.

A lot of people use plastic bowls or the ceramic water trays that go under plant pots.

They're not climbing snakes and may fall and hurt themselves, so it may be a good idea to get rid of it, but I don't really have a recommendation on that.

I've seen recommendation for a 20 gal. long tank for an adult ball python. Tubs are supposed to be the easiest to maintain and best for the snake's security. I think if he eats ok and you can provide the right conditions, there's no need to go that far.

[gemcitypythons]

guys guys guys,and ladies i got three balls all the same age and well lets just say spud web vs shaq.when my wife gets home i try and post photos so i wont say never. by the way ur snake looks good..

[loonunit]

He's undersize for sure. Don't panic--in the wild they're equipped to deal with a wide range of feast and famine, so he'll come up to size if you increase his intake.

But you do want to increase his intake. Try offering more than one mouse per feeding, or switching to larger mice. If switching him over to rats, try leading off with small mouse, then following up with a rat pinkie or fuzzy.

When offering more than one, ideally you want to wait until just after he's swallowed the tail of the first mouse, and drop the next food item into view as soon as he flicks his tongue. ("Pounding" I think is defined as putting the next one in his mouth before he's quite finished with the tail, and letting the swallowing reflex take over?--I know this technique works really well, but I don't like doing it with my animals. I figure if they're healthy and they really don't want to eat more, then they probably have their reasons.)

[loonunit]

Also, do know how often he's been shedding? That should give you an idea of his growth rate. For comparison, my animals shed about once every two months... a little more frequently in the summer, a little less frequently in the winter. But basically every two months.

If you're not recording his meals and sheds on a piece of paper, now is as good a time as any to start. You can get a digital kitchen scale at Target, too, to record his weight---make sure it goes down to 100 grams, and up to at least a few kilograms.

Tank size is fine. I've heard of animals staying small because their tank was tiny... but 40 gallon is pretty much perfect for an adult animal.

And I'd keep the twisty wood if you don't mind cleaning it--my animals like to climb in the evenings, and I'm a big softie about letting them have their toys if they clearly enjoy them.

[Billturff]

Wow lots of great info. Thanks everyone. I'll start recording his shed cycle and how often I feed him as of now. He doesn't shed that often :\ and for the most part he has a hard time shedding. Could be due to the humidity levels in the tank. I feel like a bad parent to be honest. But thats why I came on here to learn more to be a better one. I'll take everything you all said into consideration when I transform his environment. Hopefully I'll see some great improvements soon

[Billturff]

Here are some pictures of my current setup. Keep in mind I haven't changed anything yet. I'll get some more pictures once I do.
I had fed him his second adult mouse today since yesterday. Is it alright to feed twice a week? I was thinking of doing Friday and Saturday.

Front View


Top View

[BuckeyeBalls]

Wow lots of great info. Thanks everyone. I'll start recording his shed cycle and how often I feed him as of now. He doesn't shed that often :\ and for the most part he has a hard time shedding. Could be due to the humidity levels in the tank. I feel like a bad parent to be honest. But thats why I came on here to learn more to be a better one. I'll take everything you all said into consideration when I transform his environment. Hopefully I'll see some great improvements soon

Yes its because of bad humidity. Keep in mind low humidity can cause respiratory infections.

Cover up the top of them holes with some type of board or foil. This will keep ur humidity in the tank.

And why would you feed Friday and Saturday?

What would be the purpose of that? Feed him the amount of food he needs. Wait 5 days feed him again. You NEED to give him time to digests his food before you have him take more

Also them dial gages SUCK they can be WAY off

[Billturff]

Someone had mentioned making another food offering. Guess I misinterpreted that.
I'll cover it up asap.
The gages were a petco recommendation lol i'll get something better real soon
again thanks for the advice and help

[Gabrial]

High humidity causes RIs not low......