New to ball pythons and need desperate help!

[Mr. Marley]

Hey guys so I'm new at being a snake owner and my new baby ball python was schedualed to eat today for the first time since the pet shop. I put the mouse in the cage, took off his hide and made it so the mouse was by him and he would not eat! I think maybe he is just stressed, I've been reading up on this snake since i got him and didn't realize how shy they are. When I first got him I had him on display in my living room and he didn't go into his hide at all for the first two days. So I decided to move him to another location that is a bit quieter and leave him alone. When I set him up in the other room he instantly went into his hide. I didn't handle him for a couple days and when I went to pick him up today I stroked him gentley and then he curled up and hissed at me. I need some help guys, I just want a healthy relationship with my new snake . Also I only have a half log as his main hide and a giant water dish, I have another hide that is like a cave that i just bought and want to put it in but I don't want to change his enviorenment again because he could get stressed again. What should I do?

[jjmitchell]

Removing the hide will just further stress the animal..... Try not to disturb them untill they get settled.... If they are not interested just try again next week...

[Sariel]

I'll get the ball started till some more experienced people can help out. A couple common questions theyre going to ask to help them better help you will be

tank size,
temperatures,
what type of heat are you providing and is there a thermostat?
Snake size vs prey size

That said, its generally a good idea to leave them alone for atleast a week after you first get them home. It's also not the end of the world if they dont eat right away, BP's are notorious for being flaky when it comes to feeding time.
Now Ill make way for someone who knows alittle more to help you

[Mr. Marley]

alright well heres what my setup is

10 gallon glass tank
one half log hide on the warm side
Big water dish on the cold side
using a 60w daylight from 8am to 8pm and a 50w infared at night
and I lined the tank with some moss that came with the tank
he likes the moss i can tell because he brought some into his hide
I keep day temps at 87-90 and night temps 85

anything else i can say to further help ?

[Mr. Marley]

oh and size of my prey is about the gurth of my snake

[stevepoppers]

Tank size is good.
Toss the log. Get another cave identical to the one you have. Put one on the hot side, one on the cool. You don't want him not thermoregulating because he's only comfortable in one spot.
Scrap the lights if possible (see below). If ambient temps drop below 75, use the infrared over the water dish.
Moss is fine, just don't keep it WET or it could lead to scale rot.
Night drops are not necessary.
Prey size is good. 10-15% of his body weight up to 150g is another thing to use.

Get something to heat the tank from underneath. Ball pythons are nocturnal, so any light is just unnatural for them, and they use belly heat to digest. You can use the heat pads, but in my experience a product called Flexwatt heat tape is exponentially cheaper. I got it from http://www.reptilebasics.com. Get a piece that will cover 1/3 to 1/2 of the tank bottom. I'm thinking a foot of the 11" wide will do. You can cut between the black lines to fit. Get the clips and have them attach it for you (free). Get some foil tape to attach it (walmart probably). It's really sticky and holds up to heat better than duct tape or any other.

You also need a thermostat no matter what you're heating with. This is probably the best for the price. There is much better out there, but this should be fine for one snake. Place the probe between the Flexwatt and the glass with foil tape.

You need something digital and preferably with a probe to measure the temps. Dial gauges and stick-ons are useless. There's a common one called the AccuRite Indoor/Outdoor Weather Station. It's found around the lightbulbs/DIY section of walmart. Also found at Home Depot or possibly Lowe's. The alternative is a temp gun, which is probably more accurate, but you have to move the hide and substrate to measure the glass under it. Place the probe under the substrate under the hot hide right against the glass of the enclosure above the Flexwatt. Use this reading to set the thermostat. You want something in the low 90's.

I know I wrote a lot, but all I'm really saying is switch to belly heat and get a digital thermometer.

It's good you moved him somewhere quieter. Him hiding is a good sign. When you feed, don't remove his hide. Just drop it in and watch. NEVER leave a live rodent alone with him. Then leave him alone for two days or he might puke. Yeah, not good.

I think you've done pretty well so far. One last warning: don't listen to petshops! They're notorious for giving out bad information. And ball pythons are notorious for not eating, so try not to let it stress you out. They can go up to a year if they're big enough.

Read the caresheet if you haven't. Man, I'm long-winded! Good luck and enjoy your cool pet.

Crap, one more thing. Change will stress him out to some degree no matter what. It's better to change everything for the better sooner rather than later, because the benefits of the change will alleviate probably more stress than the change itself causes.

[Mr. Marley]

Wow, thank you so much. All that information has become so much more helpful to me! I will be getting a digi thermo and a undertank heater ASAP. I actually had the under tank heater in my hands at the pet shop and the guy just told me to use the daylight and nightlight and it would be fine, and actually made be put it back! He also told me to handle him after a few days! I'm glad to have people who actually know what they are talking about helping me out aha. So my question now is, I plan on leaving him alone for a while but the thing is, the hide he has right now is the half log. I want to switch it to the cave but the thing is, the tank isn't big enough for identical caves or even another hide, I only have room for the water dish because it is so big. This is a list of things I could put in.

I have a small tree with plastic leaves
a small log
a half log
a cave hide
and a big water dish.

Also, I think I might take the moss out because I sprayed it with water the first day I got him, the pet shop guy told me that it would increase humidity and help him. I've been trying extremely hard but I think I am just listening to the wrong people.

Thank you for all your support

[angllady2]

Well, just get rid of that big water dish, he doesn't need a swimming pool. Just a watering hole.

You can sometimes get away with only one hide, it depends on the snake.

I applaud you for trying to do right by your little guy by coming here, and for having the sense and the guts to realize those pet shop people are only concerned with one thing, making you spend money.

It will take a little tweaking, but you'll get there. In the meantime, try not to freak if he won't eat. I had a couple of new hatchlings that went 8 weeks without eating.

Gale

[Mr. Marley]

Yea, I actually just surrounded his tank in a grey towel to cover the openings in the glass too. I want him to be as comfortable as possible! Yes I am glad I came to this site, you guys have helped me so much. I am getting a smaller water dish as soon as possible probably the same time I go to get the heating pad. is it okay to check up on him often or should I just not go in the room at all for a week? and also I put the mouse on the cool side of the cage outside it to try to taunt him to come out and make him more hungry > I just wanna see him outside his hide tonight

[mpkeelee]

just go in to check his temps and humidity and for poop or anything. try to be as quiet as possible too.
when u feed him just place it in front of the hide or its head just inside. he will eat better if he feels safe and secure.
u dont want to see him out of his hide, that means he is stressed and isnt happy, or just testing the limits of his new home. the less u see him the better. these snakes are solitary animals, they like to hide. if u want to see ur snake all the time, you got the wrong kind my friend. i only see mine when cleaning, feeding, or handling once or twice a week