New Ball Python

[Fatman]

So I have worked with Ball Pythons at both a pet store and a zoo for a couple years and just today finally bought my first BP.
I bought it off of someone that had to move and couldn't take her with and to be honest I don't know how well he cared for her...
Since this is the first snake that I have actually owned I had a few questions...

1. She has shed recently. I don't know how recently (the oprevious owner couldn't remember), but it couldn't have been too long ago as there were still parts of her shed in her cage when I bought her. He said that she always has shed in patches like that, but I know that it should ideally be in 1 piece.
Could this just be a problem with the humidity that he kept her at? Would puttign in a humidity hide during shedding help that as well?

2. Along with the shed question... it seems that she still has bits that havent come off. Would a soak be the solution for that?

3. He said she has always eaten live mice. Will it be hard to switch to F/T?
I have heard that BPs can be fairly easy to switch over, but also that some are rather picky...

4. Finally, he said that he fed her 1 mouse a month. Should I slowly work her up to feeding her once a week or can I just start offering food every week starting now?

Any help would be appreciated.
Normally I would spend hours researching all of this on the internet, but unfortunately my laptop crashed a few days ago and the computer I'm on now has too many people sharing it to spend that much time on lol.

[Fatman]

I've been reading up even more and was wondering if I should wait awhile before handling her. Let her get used to her new surroundings for at least a week or so....
Does it help that she has her basking rocks and water dish from her old cage in her new one?
Thanks

[SansCera]

So I have worked with Ball Pythons at both a pet store and a zoo for a couple years and just today finally bought my first BP.
I bought it off of someone that had to move and couldn't take her with and to be honest I don't know how well he cared for her...
Since this is the first snake that I have actually owned I had a few questions...

1. She has shed recently. I don't know how recently (the oprevious owner couldn't remember), but it couldn't have been too long ago as there were still parts of her shed in her cage when I bought her. He said that she always has shed in patches like that, but I know that it should ideally be in 1 piece.
Could this just be a problem with the humidity that he kept her at? Would puttign in a humidity hide during shedding help that as well?

2. Along with the shed question... it seems that she still has bits that havent come off. Would a soak be the solution for that?

3. He said she has always eaten live mice. Will it be hard to switch to F/T?
I have heard that BPs can be fairly easy to switch over, but also that some are rather picky...

4. Finally, he said that he fed her 1 mouse a month. Should I slowly work her up to feeding her once a week or can I just start offering food every week starting now?

Any help would be appreciated.
Normally I would spend hours researching all of this on the internet, but unfortunately my laptop crashed a few days ago and the computer I'm on now has too many people sharing it to spend that much time on lol.

Congrads on your first ball pythons, they are great pets!

1. I usually keep my ball pythons at around 60% humidity all the time. When they go into the end of a shed cycle(right after their eyes switch from blue to semi clear) I will increase the humidity by pouring some water on their shaving or paper.

2. I would soak her in semi warm water that is 75% of her body height from 30 minutes and then let her crawl thru your hand while you are holding a paper towel. It should freely come off.

3. You might feed her live mice a few times while she is adjusting to her new home. Then switching should go smoothly. Just make sure the f/t mice are very warm to trigger her interest. Move it quickly to excite her.

4. Switch her over right away. She will adapt to the increase of food well and most likely have a much needed growth spurt.

5. I would leave her alone for a couple of days. Her old stuff is not important. Ball pythons usually adapt to new homes well.

Good luck and have fun!

[grits]

She should shed in one piece but some snakes just tear it up. You could mist het when you see she is about to shed.
I have switch from live to frozen with no problems but that is really up to the snake.

[A.VinczeBPs]

I suggest looking at the caresheets here, they usually answer all. Caresheet: http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/...warticle&id=59

I don't think you should have basking rocks at all, normally an UTH is best for heating. Once yours temps and humidity are good, all shedding issues should go away.

Do not handle her much, if at all until she's eating well for you.

Hope this helps.

[Kyle@theHeathertoft]

Yay for your new Ball! They're awesome, congrats!!!!

Could this just be a problem with the humidity that he kept her at? Would puttign in a humidity hide during shedding help that as well?

It could. I'm a little lazy though, I just mist my snakes when they go blue, haven't had humidity problems and thus no shedding problems since I switched from tanks to tubs.

Along with the shed question... It seems that she still has bits that havent come off. Would a soak be the solution for that?

Yes! Lukewarm water, not too deep, in a tupperware...I like to toss in a washcloth or small towel, too, so they can rub on that and remove the stuck pieces themselves...works great because some of my snakes *cough*MILKSNAKE*cough* hate to be handled. Plus I'm always afraid I'll somehow hurt my snakes by assisting with stuck shed removal so it's just more comfortable for me to let them do it with a washcloth in a soak.

He said she has always eaten live mice. Will it be hard to switch to F/T?
I have heard that BPs can be fairly easy to switch over, but also that some are rather picky...

Try it and see...she might not have a problem switching, or she might refuse. Never know til you try.

Finally, he said that he fed her 1 mouse a month. Should I slowly work her up to feeding her once a week or can I just start offering food every week starting now?

Once a month??? Poor gal. I'd definitely start feeding once a week, just make sure they're the right size for her and it should be ok.

[DJ_Bizarre]

So I have worked with Ball Pythons at both a pet store and a zoo for a couple years and just today finally bought my first BP.
I bought it off of someone that had to move and couldn't take her with and to be honest I don't know how well he cared for her...
Since this is the first snake that I have actually owned I had a few questions...

1. She has shed recently. I don't know how recently (the oprevious owner couldn't remember), but it couldn't have been too long ago as there were still parts of her shed in her cage when I bought her. He said that she always has shed in patches like that, but I know that it should ideally be in 1 piece.
Could this just be a problem with the humidity that he kept her at? Would puttign in a humidity hide during shedding help that as well?

2. Along with the shed question... it seems that she still has bits that havent come off. Would a soak be the solution for that?

3. He said she has always eaten live mice. Will it be hard to switch to F/T?
I have heard that BPs can be fairly easy to switch over, but also that some are rather picky...

4. Finally, he said that he fed her 1 mouse a month. Should I slowly work her up to feeding her once a week or can I just start offering food every week starting now?

Any help would be appreciated.
Normally I would spend hours researching all of this on the internet, but unfortunately my laptop crashed a few days ago and the computer I'm on now has too many people sharing it to spend that much time on lol.

1. Shed should ideally be in 1 piece. Its def a humidity provlem so leep am eye on that.

2.the soak would be great to get stuck shed off, if mine ever have small pieces i do a light soak or gently rub with a damp paper towel.

3. I mean it usually isnt a problem to switch to f/t but i would start with live first to get her comfortable. Mine take live and f/t, it rly just depends if i have live available. Some snakes can be picky eaters but i say it might just take a little zomhie dance and it should work.

4. You should switch her to once a week, she shouldnt have a problem taking and is probably hungry and just needs some fuel for a nice growth spurt.

5. Id let her sit for at least a week before you start handling. The snake needs to get comfortable in its new environment first otherwise the snake can get very stressed and may affect eating habits that you are trying to change.

Good luck with your new snake!

[Fatman]

Thanks for the help everyone!
I've left her alone for the most part since I got her. I did try to feed her frozen tonight though (according to the previous owner she was over due for her next meal). I defrosted it and then let it sit under the heat lamp to raise the temp some more. She didn't take it, but I haven't tried chicken broth or any of the other tricks. I might just try feeding her live until she settles in like Sanscera suggested.
She has a UTH that is on 24/7 (its actually a heating pad for people, it has multiple settings so I can control the temp better). The basking light and rock are in there just to give her the choice of an even warmer place if she wants. Its also in there for her to rub against when shedding.
I plan on taking it out though. It's just way too big (takes up about 1/4 of the tank lol). I have a little smaller one from a fish tank that I'll bake and put in there instead. I'll probably wait about a week or so before moving anything around in her tank though.
I already added in a couple sturdy branches for her to climb. Cleaned them off, soaked them in a 10% bleach solution, whittled down an sharp edges, sanded them (1 just needed a light sand as it was already smooth, the other on needed all the bark stripped off and a good sanding). Finally I baked them at 425 degrees for about 4 hours.