I want to know ABOUT ALICE. :)

[Tia Badger]

That helps a LOT! Thank you. The vet we have here specializes in reptiles. They are his favorite. We have a very nice clinic here luckily. They have all the new fancy equipment, and ask for your first born child when you get to the register. I really like the vet though. He is very informative, and gets down on the ground with my pit bull. He allows Dozer to make out with him pretty much...

I look forward to getting Alice probed by a professional and knowing if she is a she once and for all.

Your snake is very nice! The black looks just as neat IMO. I am too afraid to put her in the yard. She is fast, and I am sure my neighbors wouldn't like to see me chasing her around

[di3_romantic]

That's an awesome pattern on her!

As for your setup, is there any heating to it?

[mues155]

I heard that females are generally larger than males. Is that a myth? I can't wait to hear what the vet says about her/him.

What about her current enclosure? Is it horrible?
I want to put her in a plastic one, and have less stuff in it.

That is a myth, people can always come up with a very large male they have to prove that wrong. Of course it does depend on the snake itself.

I see nothing wrong with your enclosure. I usually use aspen as bedding but cypress mulch holds humidity better. Looks like your snake came with a wierd substrate though, almost looks like landscaping chips. I would change that to make sure its meant for a reptile. It could be something im unfamilar with though.
As long as you know what he needs for temps and humidity i see no problem with his cage.
How are you providing his heat? Thats one of the most important factors in a healthy snake.

[Tia Badger]

Right now, No. We live in Tx. We are going on 61+ days of over 100 deg temps.
Our house is not insulated very well and we have a window unit blowing in the opposite end of the house. Her temp stays above 80 and below 90 always. She's in the kitchen so that she is part of the family always It is in the center of the house, and everyone has to walk by her enclosure to get anywhere so we can see the thermometer often enough too!

In the winter she will have a heating pad under her plastic enclosure. I have one, it is just so incredibly hot I would not wish a heating pad on satan himself!

[Austin C]

Check out these threads.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ll-Python-FAQs

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...s%29-Caresheet

This is a great, well written care sheet. Read through it and it will answer many of your questions about your setup

[mues155]

Right now, No. We live in Tx. We are going on 61+ days of over 100 deg temps.
Our house is not insulated very well and we have a window unit blowing in the opposite end of the house. Her temp stays above 80 and below 90 always. She's in the kitchen so that she is part of the family always It is in the center of the house, and everyone has to walk by her enclosure to get anywhere so we can see the thermometer often enough too!

In the winter she will have a heating pad under her plastic enclosure. I have one, it is just so incredibly hot I would not wish a heating pad on satan himself!

A healthy BP still requires a hot spot for basking to digest food properly.

Temps should be as follows...
90-92 Hot spot
80-84 Cool side
Anything below 75 is harmful.

Of course a slight couple degree allowance is fine in these temps. I would suggest reading a caresheet about BPs.

[Tia Badger]

Gotcha. I need to make a warm side/cool side then. She needs a smaller water dish as well. What I am thinking of doing is getting her a nice large plastic rubbermaid bin of some sort.
I want to have a hide and a water dish only. I'm going to get a nice hot spot going for her now. She is supposed to eat tomorrow. She is a really good eater. We have been lucky!

[llovelace]

And make sure the heat pad is on a thermostat, to prevent burns

[mues155]

Gotcha. I need to make a warm side/cool side then. She needs a smaller water dish as well. What I am thinking of doing is getting her a nice large plastic rubbermaid bin of some sort.
I want to have a hide and a water dish only. I'm going to get a nice hot spot going for her now. She is supposed to eat tomorrow. She is a really good eater. We have been lucky!

Keep her water dish, it should be large enough for her to fit into for soaking.
I like to provide these for my snakes, some people dont. Most of my snakes LOVE to soak and it sure helps during shed. Your snake knows more than you do is she needs extra humidty and a good soak in her dish can help her out.

I would also reccomend you use a reptile under tank heater ("UTH") do you have one on hand since you said your going to get her hot spot going right away? She wont die overnight without a hot spot, just get a UTH before you feed her and make sure the temps are right.
Never use a human heat pad. And please read up on thermostats.
A thermostat controlls the temp of the heater, if your heating method malfunctions it can burn or kill the snake. A thermostat is a saftey net for temps and is completely necessary.

[Tia Badger]

Yes I have the UTH pad with a sticky bottom that she came with.I just figured it was ridiculously hot for that! I do see what you mean after reading the care sheet though. Basking hot spot is a must! We have a thermostat around her somewhere. I have the bf hunting through his electronics right now

I have never seen her soak in her dish, however she does enjoy drinking.I have seen her drink for a LONNNG time on several occasions . I'm glad I came here. I feel like an idiot about this stuff. I would have done the research prior, but it was not that type of situation.
She will teach me plenty I am sure. In the meantime all I can do is make her comfortable and admire her .