rescued snake...ned advice please

[BLMinFL]

in his enclosure i have aspen harlan bedding, water dish, one of those heat things you attach to the bottom of the tank, and a tree log in there, oh and i believe the tank is a 10 gallon.

I don't see any mention of hides? i might be missing it though. Here is a cheap, safe idea for a hide that my snakes love. Clay pots, you can get them anywhere and for how small the baby is..you can get a perfect sized one at walmart for $1. just knock a hole in the side and then put it in. you should get 2 actually, one for the hot side and one for the cool side.

Other than that, i would just leave him be for a while. let him chill and he will be fine.

[stratus_020202]

He could be at the end of a shed cycle. Or, maybe he is hungry. Hatchlings can be very snippy. I wouldn't worry too much about it though, they usually grow out of it. Ball Pythons are great pets. They can be very calm and lovable.

What is he eating? I would give him a week to settle down, and then give him a nice size adult mouse. Something the same size as your snakes widest part. Then give him 2 days to digest, and try to handle him then. I have two little ones that are about 3 months old. They were very cranky as babies, but usually after the first couple of sheds they settle down. They know exactly what day is feeding day and are usually on top of their hides waiting.

I would go and try to find an indoor/outdoor thermometer to measure that heat pad. They can get hot, and burn the little guy. You should get a lamp dimmer to keep it regulated.

Kudos on rescuing him too Maybe he can turn your fear around. I've seen a lot of people change after handling one of mine.

[blushingball419]

First of all, I just wanted to say thank you for rescuing this poor little guy. It's very admirable of you to do so, especially if you're afraid of snakes!! I really can't believe someone would just put him out with the trash!! Ball pythons are wonderful snakes though, and I'm sure he will calm down for you in no time!!

As far as the hissing, it sounds like he feels a little insecure. He definitely needs 2 small hides, one over the heat mat, and one on the other side of the tank. Cheap hides include the clay pot already mentioned, and my personal favorite are thick, opaque plastic bowls from the dollar store. You can get a 4 pack for a $1, and then just cut a hole in the side with some good scissors (just make sure the edges aren't too sharp). You also need to make sure that the heat mat isn't getting too hot, and that the overall temp of the room doesn't go below 75-80 degrees.

I would say give him the 2 hides, check temps/humidity, and then just let him relax for a week or so, and you'll probably notice a huge difference. If not, then he could be hungry, and you can try giving him another mouse, wait a couple days, then just keep handling him. He's a very cute snake from the pictures!!

Hope this helps, and good luck with him

[sarahlovesmiike]

NO FAIR! I want a BP with that head pattern SOOOO bad. And you just happen to find one Did the vet sex her/him for you?

[snoopylove]

no id id not mention any hide as i didnt know he needed one since he didnt have one in the cage but i will definately get him one, and remove the log? i have heard snakes can get burned and i constantly check the pad to make sure its not too hot, i actually wasnt sure if it was getting warm enough at one point. the vet sexed him yes, said he was male. he did just eat on sunday afternoon, so i figured he should eat again today right? yeah he has a pretty cool pattern but he is soo creepy lol. i still dont know what i was thinking taking him home lol. like i dont have enough to take care of, ive got two mini pinschers, ones a rescue, and 2 kitties both rescues. so ive got my hands full but i hope he comes around i felt so bad, i know hes a snake but how could someone just throw him out, especially in arizona heat. some people disgust me.

[The Hedgehog]

no id id not mention any hide as i didnt know he needed one since he didnt have one in the cage but i will definately get him one, and remove the log? i have heard snakes can get burned and i constantly check the pad to make sure its not too hot, i actually wasnt sure if it was getting warm enough at one point.

Spend $25 bucks tonight on two very important items if you can. A table lamp dimmer, and an accurite thermometer. Both can be found at a lowes/home depot. Plug the Heat Pad into the table lamp dimmer, and use the accurite probe to measure the temperature and adjust from there. That will help prevent your snake from being burned.

Also, I feed my BP once a week. He should be good again until Sunday if you are feeding the appropriate size.

[snoopylove]

yeah i can do that. how big is your BP? just wondering because i was told since he is younger to feed him every four days and then go to every five days and so on....i have been feeding him the small white feeder mice from petco...is that wrong? also i was wondering if i should switch him to the frozen mice because someone told me when he gets bigger the bigger rats/mice will hurt him....is this true?

[stratus_020202]

I feed my hatchlings every 5 days. I usually do this until they reach about 500 g's. Some people do more, and others less. A mouse should be perfect size for him.

Frozen is much safer to feed, but it takes a little patience and time. If you are planning on switching, do it now. The older he gets the harder it may be. But, if you are monitoring him while you feed, there should't be a problem. I feed all mine live. Some rats can get defensive and bite. Most of the time the snake will get the rat before it realizes what's happening. I leave the rat in for 10-15 min, and if the snake doesn't eat it then I take it out. I would never leave it in overnight, and not unattended. A little rat but usually isn't a problem, but if you aren't watching they can chew on your snake and cause severe problems.

[sarahlovesmiike]

Hey if you don't want him ship him to me! But really, I'd go with every five days until you're sure he's eating consistently and at a good body weight then try converting him to FT. Feeding live isn't dangerous, you just need to closely monitor the feedings and never leave a live rat unattended with your snake. Mine are both about 7 years old and they both eat live. My female does get the occasional FT, but not since I've had to start breeding my own feeders.

[Vypyrz]

yeah i can do that. how big is your BP? just wondering because i was told since he is younger to feed him every four days and then go to every five days and so on....i have been feeding him the small white feeder mice from petco...is that wrong? also i was wondering if i should switch him to the frozen mice because someone told me when he gets bigger the bigger rats/mice will hurt him....is this true?

Thank You for taking in the little guy even though you are apprehensive about it. You will find that snakes are pretty easy to take care of. There is a little work in the beginning, but once you have their tank set-up and running properly all you have to do is basically clean up their poo and pee and feed them once a week.
The most important thing will be keeping the temps and humidity correct. If you are going to look for the Acu-Rite, it is an Indoor/Outdoor thermometer. You will basically place the unit on the cool side and that will be the "Indoor" temperature. You place the probe on the warm side. It will go under the substrate, over the Under Tank Heater, preferably in the warm side hide. This will be the "Outdoor" temperature. And you will use the lamp dimmer to adjust the UTH to keep this temp around 91F. The reason you measure it under the substrate, right on the glass is because that is the hottest temp that your snake can be exposed to if he burrows down. Depending on the Acu-Rite model that the stores have in stock, it may or may not have a hygrometer built in to tell you the humidity. If it doesn't, you will need a separate digital hygrometer. I just don't recommend the stick-on dial or tape gages from pet stores as they are notoriously inaccurate. The Acu-Rites are normally at Lowes or Home Depot in the Outdoors section and some Wal-marts will have them in the Home Improvement/Hardware section and they look like this...



Another inexpensive, yet effective way to make hides is to pick up a couple of plastic bowls. I got a 2 pack for $1 at the Dollar store. then just cut or melt a hole in the side or top big enough for your snake to get in and out of. You will need 2 of them.
Make sure that the screen lid for the tank locks down secure. Some tanks have a lid that slides on and latches and some have a lid that has to be held on with clips, available at most pet shops. If you have any questions, just ask. Hopefully you will decide to keep it and realize how fascinating and misunderstood reptiles really are...