Another Nube

[Mistified Funk]

Hello,

My name's Matt and obviously i am new here. I got my first ball python, and first snake for that matter, a few weeks back. I came across this forum and it seemed like a good place be.

He is about a year and half old i am told, about 2.5 feet long, and a pretty awesome dude if i do say so myself. I'm not sure what to name him yet. His given name is Meeko, but as dumb as it sound, someone suggested Randy and it is kinda sticking with me.

I was wondering a couple of things about how to make sure everything is good for him. I fed him after a week, because i was told he hadn't eaten in a while. I fed him one medium sized frozen mouse. He took to it with no problems and ate it right up. After about a week, i noticed he had peed from what i am gathering from this site. A white ball with some yellow strands. But I don't see any actual feces. I was wondering how long i should wait before i am concerned that he hasn't done that.

Also I was wondering what the best set up for heat regulation is. The previous owner gave me two light fixtures, with a 75 watt bulb you get from the pet store, and an incandescent bulb(black light). I'm guessing the latter is for night.

I have two thermometers on, one on the warm side, and one on the cool side. Both temps seem to be at good levels at all times. Should I still try to find a better heat system for him?

[Juliemay13]

Welcome!

[Popeye]

to BP.net, Enjoy your stay.

[Mft62485]

Welcome, and it's spelled N00b.

[Brstin2flames]

Welcome!! I got my first ball python about a year ago and this site has been amazing!

As far as the heating situation goes, I'd recommend some kind of under the tank heaters. I started out with lights and found them to be a big pain. My setup has no lights at all now, only a medium size UTH on the hot side, and a small UTH for the cool side. Both are hooked up to thermostats to regulate temperature because those heaters can get super hot and burn your snake. The thermostats turn the heater on and off when they need to be, adjusting as the temperatur in the room changes. Without the over head lights it helps maintain humidity better. Your snake doesn't need the over head light unless its just for heat purposes. Same with the night light, if you have ambient light from windows you dont need the lights to switch on and off, you're snake will use the sunlight for a light cycle.

Id recommend digital thermometers and hydrometers if thats not what you have. Those dial type ones from pet stores stink big time. Digital will give you the most accurate readings. I have one under the cool hide and one under the hot hide. Then a digital hydrometer and thermometer combo for ambient temps. Once you get the set up right everything is a breeze.

As far as the poop situation goes, no worries. Mine went almost two months without a poop over the winter. Unless you see a bulge near its vent, or it becomes hard then you are fine!

Again, welcome to bp.net and the search feature is your friend for any info you need, and read up on the care sheets too!!

[mommanessy247]

to the addiction.
this is what i've learned here...
given that bp's are nocturnal, lights will only serve to stress them out.
undertank heaters are the best option for heat but they MUST be controlled by something, preferrably a thermostat but i notice others here even use dimmers and theres also rheostats. i dont think dimmers and rheostats work well for controlling heat pads but i could be wrong.

personally my heat pad is controlled by the zoo med repti temp 500r.

i'm also using an accu-rite to monitor my humidity.

[Skittles1101]

A thermostat would be the safest and easiest way to regulate a UTH (under tank heater), but it's only worth getting one if you find a decent one. The cheapest they go is around $50.00 for a popular used one, and as high as over $100.00. If you are tight on money, you CAN use a lamp dimmer. I found one for $10.00 at Home Depot, the only down sides to these are 1) it will not protect against surges/outages 2) you will have to monitor the temps multiple times a day so you do not freeze/fry your snake with ambient temp fluctuations. To monitor my UTH connected to the dimmer, I use a temp gun ($35.00 from tempguns.com....you can find them cheaper though), some people hot glue a digital thermometer probe to the hot spot, but in my experience digital thermometers do fantastic for ambient temp readings, not so much for hot spot regulation. God forbid it slips from the spot you put it and you read the temps at 86, you turn it up and next thing you know your snake is burned because the probe moved. I'm sure it's hard to do with it hot glued down, but I'm sure it's not unheard of. Whatever you do, do NOT use tape inside the enclosure.

Oh and

[Boanerges]

Welcome to BP.net Matt

[Inknsteel]

to the addiction.
this is what i've learned here...
given that bp's are nocturnal, lights will only serve to stress them out.
undertank heaters are the best option for heat but they MUST be controlled by something, preferrably a thermostat but i notice others here even use dimmers and theres also rheostats. i dont think dimmers and rheostats work well for controlling heat pads but i could be wrong.

personally my heat pad is controlled by the zoo med repti temp 500r.

i'm also using an accu-rite to monitor my humidity.

+1 - All good, sound advice. You definitely need to regulate the UTH with a thermostat, rheostat or dimmer. You can find the 500-R for around $30 and it works pretty well if you maintain pretty steady temps in the room your snake is in. Dimmers and rheostats work ok, but you have to constantly monitor your temps and adjust accordingly for room temperature fluctuations...

The analog dial type thermometers can be highly inaccurate and can lose calibration easily. I also recommend a digital thermometer with probe, such as the Accu-Rite Weather station you can get from Walmart for about $11. It has a probe that you use to measure hot spot temps and the unit itself measures cool side temps and humidity.

As someone else has added, don't worry about the lack of poo. They can go for long periods without going at all, but once they do, it can get messy. lol

And welcome to bp.net!

[Mistified Funk]

Thanks guys,

I am definitely going to get an under tank heater and a thermostat.

I can still feed him again when it's time, even if he hasn't pooped since last feeding right?

And my only other real concern is I live outside of philly, it can get real hot in the summer time. I don't have air conditioning because I enjoy the warmth, but if it gets to hot for my little buddy, is there cooling methods, or will he know to go relax in his water to cool down.

And he is starting to shed, I'm kinda excited about it!!!!