New baby BP, new member!

[Shoelace]

Hi everyone!

My name's Mal (aka Shoelace, the name of our baby) and about three days ago we purchased our first ball python. So far he (we will have him sexed at the first vet visit, so maybe she??) has been very docile, extremely active, and otherwise appears happy and healthy.

We had our first feeding attempt today (the woman at the store we bought him from ASSURED me he was a good eater, but I was nervous anyway as I've heard about the BP's "feeding strikes") -- and PRESTOCHANGO! He ate! Not only did he eat, but he struck vigorously and almost immediately upon my shaking his yummy mouse at him. Delicious. We've chosen not to do live food as he was raised on icy mice and I am concerned about live food causing him injury or making him aggressive.

His current setup is a 30-gallon long with Zoomed snake substrate, water dish, hide, and night/day lamps for heat. I need a new temperature gauge, but our house is warm AND humid (yay, 23rd floor) so he has not been chilly or dry so far. However, I am concerned about his humidity level and I have read that the type of gauge I'm using is probably not as accurate as it could be, so I'm going to try and procure a different one from WalMart.

One question -- would it be better for me to use paper towel or newspaper as substrate? A friend of ours has said the Zoomed may not be the best choice (it's a large woodchip based substrate) and that we should change it. Any advice?

Thanks so much in advance. Shoelace appreciates you educating me!! Hehe.

I'm so proud of our boy and his good eating!

-Mal

[shelliebear]

By "icy" mice you mean they're thawed first, right?
I use Aspen shavings, work well for me, but newspaper IS easier to change. All you do is pull it out and lay a new sheet down.
Glad he ate for you

[GOM]

Well congratulations,

Also you lucky with the success of him feeding at first attempt.... Sometimes Balls are a bit stressed out when moving to new environment and it can take some time before they start feeding again.

With regard to the substrate.... I use unprinted newspaper and it works great.

What kind of Ball is it??? a normal or is it a morph??

Welcome to the wonderous world of the greatest pets ever.

[DemmBalls]

Congrats on him/her feeding for you!

Well congratulations,

Also you lucky with the success of him feeding at first attempt.... Sometimes Balls are a bit stressed out when moving to new environment and it can take some time before they start feeding again.

With regard to the substrate.... I use unprinted newspaper and it works great.
What kind of Ball is it??? a normal or is it a morph??

Welcome to the wonderous world of the greatest pets ever.

Where do you find this?

[IndySnake]

Welcome to BP.net and the wonderful world of Ball Pythons!!

From your post, there a few things of concern: Are you using a UTH? If not, I would highly recommend getting one and putting it on a thermostat to regulate the temp, BP's need that belly heat.

Also, how old/big is your BP? A 30 gallon tank is big for a hatchling (if that is what you have) but can still work if you clutter up the cage (driftwood, multiple hides of the same type, fake plants etc.)...too much space will stress a BP out.

And lastly, by being extremely active, do you mean roaming of the cage a lot? If so, this is most likely a stressed out snake. A happy snake is rarely seen, they should be in their hide most, if not all of the time except for a small percentage of the day.

[Shoelace]

Okay, to answer all questions!

1. Yes, I am thawing out his mice I imagine he'd get a terrible tummyache and regurg if I gave him a mouse popsicle. Yuck!

2. I am not using a UTH but can get one easily, will do so this weekend. I had read reports going either direction concerning this, and our apt is SO hot that I didn't want to boil the poor guy. But if that's the best way to go, I will definitely do so!

3. By active I mean curious and sniffing with his tongue when held, bright eyed, and otherwise healthy looking. He doesn't roam much (he did right after I fed him, now he's quietly digesting under his hide) unless I open the cage lid. Then he knows he can get out!

4. He's about 15-17 inches right now, I'd wager. He's difficult to measure, so I have to eyeball it, but that'd be my guess. I can add more hides/plants/etc if you think he's got too much open space?

5. I'm fairly sure he's a normal. Typical markings, etc., nothing out of the ordinary.

And yes, I am SO HAPPY HE ATE. It was my biggest concern. But he seemed hungry and went for the dangly mousy carcass with a great deal of vigor, so, hooray! I'm pretty sure the ball pythons from that store are CB, and fed in a fairly busy environment from day one, so my house is probably quiet and peaceful for him! LOL (except the bird chirping, which he is SO interested in. Whenever they chirp, he perks up. Gotta make sure he never gets in with them!!)

I <3 him so much. We're thrilled to have him as an addition to our little menagerie.

Thanks for all the input and advice!

[IndySnake]

I can understand the thrill of your snake eating for the first time, that's always a big relief!

When you get a UTH, make sure you get a themostat as well, a UTH without a thermostat will run MUCH too hot (upwards of 120 degrees or more) and potentially burn your snake. I unfortunately learned the hard way when I was starting out with snakes last year and one of my BP's did in fact get burned due to not having a thermostat. He's ok now, but I wish I would have known about this before hand.

[blushingball419]

Yup, an UTH is definitely the best way to go, and a thermostat/rheostat to control the temps is a great idea if your apartment is too hot. Belly heat works the best for digestion. Heat lamps will destroy humidity, and if your apartment is pretty warm, you might not even need them after you get the UTH.

Paper towel or newspaper would be fine, but aspen or coconut fiber are my preferences (I personally use coco fiber ). The stuff you're using now probably isn't bad though... you just have to find what works best for you.

One thing I noticed and wanted to mention is that when you were listing what you had for your bp, you just said hide. I just wanted to be sure that you have 2 similar hides for him, one on each side of the tank, so he can thermoregulate and feel more secure

Other than that, it sounds like you're off to a great start with him, and congrats on him being a good eater!!