New BP: A few questions, plus some news that might interest you.

[LizardPants]

I checked out the enclosures that you mentioned. I really like the look of them, but I think it will need more vents, especially in more humid areas. I disagree with a few of his points that he makes in his videos, and it's really obvious he isn't comfortable speaking in front of a camera. He speaks like a robot, LOL.

[Docile1]

I checked out the enclosures that you mentioned. I really like the look of them, but I think it will need more vents, especially in more humid areas. I disagree with a few of his points that he makes in his videos, and it's really obvious he isn't comfortable speaking in front of a camera. He speaks like a robot, LOL.

Yeah, I bet you're right about needing more ventilation in humid environs. Funny observation and true ... it'd be great if he could present in a more relaxed way 'cause you can tell he really cares a lot about bp husbandry.

[Docile1]

Maybe you can bump up a food size? are you feeding fuzzy rats or mice? In any case, id just go with 2 every 5 days and see how she puts on weight

Great suggestion, thanks. Feeding f/t fuzzy mice. I've heard rats provide more nutrition. Do you know if that's true?

[KingPythons]

Hey, sometimes you can tell which breeders been feeding there balls well. At my local shop they feed all there snakes 1 time every three weeks so maybe petsmart isn't so bad. Either way I'm pretty sure your ball would do better with you.

[Docile1]

Hey, sometimes you can tell which breeders been feeding there balls well. At my local shop they feed all there snakes 1 time every three weeks so maybe petsmart isn't so bad. Either way I'm pretty sure your ball would do better with you.

Yep, seems like maintenance feeding is all one can expect from some breeders. Thanks for the vote of confidence in me being a good care-taker.

BTW, I just visited a local breeder to have a look at their collection and they take great care of their balls ... they're healthy and well-rounded - whoops, did I really just say that? Anyway, they care about bp's and their dedication to high quality husbandry shows.

[wax32]

Fuzzy mice aren't big enough. You could be feeding at least hopper mice, (adult mice soon). (or similar sized rat pups.) YOu'd be surprised how big a meal they can eat. I'd shoot for a meal in the 15-20 gram range. It won't hurt to get a few small meals in him first though.

By the way, welcome to the community!

[Docile1]

Fuzzy mice aren't big enough. You could be feeding at least hopper mice, (adult mice soon). (or similar sized rat pups.) YOu'd be surprised how big a meal they can eat. I'd shoot for a meal in the 15-20 gram range. It won't hurt to get a few small meals in him first though.

By the way, welcome to the community!

Yep, hoping to move up to larger-sized mice asap, but that's been my strategy: just get a few smaller meals in him first. Things have been going good and Honey is starting to eat well so it shouldn't be long. Thanks for the advice.

[Docile1]

1) How did you measure the length? Is it an actual measurement oran educated guess. I say that because a BP that is 18 inches or so would typically weigh about 300 grams. It is possible that your snake is a bit underweight for that length. However, as long as it is still alive, you can fix that by feeding appropriately sized meals. Underfed snakes can easily catch up when taken care of properly, and will not have an ill effect from it in the future.

2) It is quite possible that she was born last summer. Most balls that end up at large national chains are sold three times by the time they get into your hand. That means the first person selling them (the breeder or African exporter) did not get very much money for it, since the next guy has to make his cut as well. That means it could possibly have been sold for as little as $8-10. It doesn't take long to feed a snake before you have more invested in food than what you profit from it. While this sounds horrible, it is still business. Hence the reason why snakes are way underpriced (this is how the iguana market has been so crazy for many years but that is a discussion that would take too much time). With the above said, many normal BPs are maintenance fed, and remain small for a very long time.

3) I sex our snakes within minutes of hatching. So now is as good as any. However, I would be willing to bet you a femal Ball Python that the snake you got from Pet-Smart is a male.



See above. If it has penes when it is born, it will have penes when it dies (thereby carrying them for it's entire life).

I hope that helps,

Hi Tim,

Had we actually bet I would have won!

I would have thought you'd be right: that Petsmart sells almost all males, however Chicago Reptile House popped my bp last weekend and found out I've got a baby girl!

I'm extra happy since now I know her name "Honey" truly fits!

PS - She's eating very well now (small mice) and putting on weight (130 grams up from 108 a few weeks ago).

Thanks again for your advice on bp care.

[muddoc]

I am glad to hear that SHE is doing well. The guys at CRH are great, and I would definitely trust their ability to sex your animal.

[loonunit]

Yeah, she's thin. I got one from [insert name of reputable breeder] that was 6 months old and thinner than that, and all she's done since I got her is eat. She eats seconds and thirds and sometimes chomps me when I go to take her out of her feeding box because she's hoping my hand is the 4th helping.

Ball pythons can be sexed by a qualified vet or breeder at any age. It's really only tiny babies like green tree python hatchlings that can't be sexed until they're larger.

(Oh--just saw that this is an older thread. Glad she's a girl! Keep feeding her, especially if she acts hungry.)