First 24 hours with my new ball python?

[rustypolished]

Hi there! I'm Meg and this marks my very first ever post on these forums, as well as my very first snake ever A month and a half old normal male ball python I got from a local breeder here in Toledo.

I've been researching BPs pretty tirelessly before I actually went out and made my purchase, so I'm fairly sure I have most everything set, but still, like with anything new, I'm a bit stressed out to make sure I've got everything perfect - The slightest little movement and I've been flying to google to look up whether or not he's acting normally (;_; I feel like one of those crazy soccer moms threatening to call the doctor every time her kid so much as yawns). But anyway - I figured I'd come here for some 1 on 1 parenting advice.

The tank is a 20 gallon long, substrate is a layer of "repti-bark" - heating is about 87-88 degrees on the warm end under a 75watt heating bulb and the "cool" end is about 78-80 with a UTH. Ambient air temperature seems to be about 80. Humidity hangs around 55% but I've had some trouble getting it to stay consistent, something I'd definitely like to fix. Also - is there such thing as a water dish that's too large? The dish I have in the tank, I picked because it was the heaviest and least likely to suffer a curious snake flipping it over - but it's very large. He could easily soak in it if he wanted to - but not very deep at all. I've been watching videos and looking and photos of BP tanks and they all seem to have smaller water dishes - Is there a reason for this and should I swap out my large dish for a smaller one?

I'm having trouble reading his body language - He's captive born from a breeder. He's actually been reluctant to ball up and surprisingly active since I placed him in his tank this morning. I tried not to hold or interact with him at all, but even when I lifted him from the little container the breeder gave him to me in, he tensed at my hands at first but then after about 10 second started flicking his tongue and exploring my hands at the air before I set him in. Once in the tank he immediately set off on exploring. Does that sound normal? He honestly seems more curious about me than afraid - even as I type this, his peaking up over his hide watching me intently, not even flinching as I stand to walk away or reach toward the glass.

One slight concern I have, though, is the fact that his "default" position, now that he's stopped exploring and has hunkered down partially in his hide, seems to be the "S" strike position, even as I just walk by from a distance and there's nothing around moving near his cage, he seems to keep a second of his upper body coiled into an "S". I've seen pictures of balls who seem to do this sort of pose a lot without any sign of aggression, so I've mostly written if off, but for a baby in a new enviornment, I didn't know if that was more a sign of stress?

His breeder included a card with all his feed dates - He's been taking f/t hoppers, and his last meal was on the 8th, which means he's about due to be fed, but I've read that it's best to let the snake de-stress in a new environment before handling them at all, so I didn't know if I should attempt to feed him or not. He's been flicking his tongue as he explores the cage, a behavior I've read can indicate hunger - but I've also read it might just be him trying to scope out the new area. X__X I most certainly don't want to starve out my new baby, but I also don't want to cause him any undue stress. Advice?

Other than those two major points, I think I'm fairly calm. I've seen him yawn twice, which struck me as a little odd, but both yawns were hours apart and he's shown no other signs of any potential repertory infection (;_; thankfully, it really freaked me out at first). My family has been kind of violently opposed (not really /violently/ but strongly voicing) their opposition to my owning a snake (because they're 'gross') so I really want to do the best I possibly can to show them that BPs can be amazing, healthy, interesting pets - which would be far more gracefully done, I'd imagine, if I didn't make any rookie mistakes right off the bat.

Thanks so much for reading all of this!
- Meg

[Tree]

I lifted him from the little container the breeder gave him to me in, he tensed at my hands at first but then after about 10 second started flicking his tongue and exploring my hands at the air before I set him in. Once in the tank he immediately set off on exploring. Does that sound normal?

That is the same thing my new PB did when I got her. Normal

and his last meal was on the 8th, which means he's about due to be fed, but I've read that it's best to let the snake de-stress in a new environment before handling them at all, so I didn't know if I should attempt to feed him or not.

It would not hurt to let him get used to his new tank for a couple of days before you try feeding. I waited 3 days until my new girls first feeding.

Other than those two major points, I've seen him yawn twice, which struck me as a little odd,

Normal, unless you here any noise when yawning. mine dose this when she wakes up, or is eating, or sometimes just for the heck of it. lol

My family has been kind of violently opposed (not really /violently/ but strongly voicing) their opposition to my owning a snake (because they're 'gross') so I really want to do the best I possibly can to show them that BPs can be amazing, healthy, interesting pets - which would be far more gracefully done, I'd imagine, if I didn't make any rookie mistakes right off the bat.

Hopefully they will see what an awesome animal a Ball Python is. I am sure they will come around =

[Hydrolicious]

Hi there! I'm Meg and this marks my very first ever post on these forums, as well as my very first snake ever A month and a half old normal male ball python I got from a local breeder here in Toledo.

I've been researching BPs pretty tirelessly before I actually went out and made my purchase, so I'm fairly sure I have most everything set, but still, like with anything new, I'm a bit stressed out to make sure I've got everything perfect - The slightest little movement and I've been flying to google to look up whether or not he's acting normally (;_; I feel like one of those crazy soccer moms threatening to call the doctor every time her kid so much as yawns). But anyway - I figured I'd come here for some 1 on 1 parenting advice.

The tank is a 20 gallon long, substrate is a layer of "repti-bark" - heating is about 87-88 degrees on the warm end under a 75watt heating bulb and the "cool" end is about 78-80 with a UTH. Ambient air temperature seems to be about 80. Humidity hangs around 55% but I've had some trouble getting it to stay consistent, something I'd definitely like to fix. Also - is there such thing as a water dish that's too large? The dish I have in the tank, I picked because it was the heaviest and least likely to suffer a curious snake flipping it over - but it's very large. He could easily soak in it if he wanted to - but not very deep at all. I've been watching videos and looking and photos of BP tanks and they all seem to have smaller water dishes - Is there a reason for this and should I swap out my large dish for a smaller one?

I'm having trouble reading his body language - He's captive born from a breeder. He's actually been reluctant to ball up and surprisingly active since I placed him in his tank this morning. I tried not to hold or interact with him at all, but even when I lifted him from the little container the breeder gave him to me in, he tensed at my hands at first but then after about 10 second started flicking his tongue and exploring my hands at the air before I set him in. Once in the tank he immediately set off on exploring. Does that sound normal? He honestly seems more curious about me than afraid - even as I type this, his peaking up over his hide watching me intently, not even flinching as I stand to walk away or reach toward the glass.

One slight concern I have, though, is the fact that his "default" position, now that he's stopped exploring and has hunkered down partially in his hide, seems to be the "S" strike position, even as I just walk by from a distance and there's nothing around moving near his cage, he seems to keep a second of his upper body coiled into an "S". I've seen pictures of balls who seem to do this sort of pose a lot without any sign of aggression, so I've mostly written if off, but for a baby in a new enviornment, I didn't know if that was more a sign of stress?

His breeder included a card with all his feed dates - He's been taking f/t hoppers, and his last meal was on the 8th, which means he's about due to be fed, but I've read that it's best to let the snake de-stress in a new environment before handling them at all, so I didn't know if I should attempt to feed him or not. He's been flicking his tongue as he explores the cage, a behavior I've read can indicate hunger - but I've also read it might just be him trying to scope out the new area. X__X I most certainly don't want to starve out my new baby, but I also don't want to cause him any undue stress. Advice?

Other than those two major points, I think I'm fairly calm. I've seen him yawn twice, which struck me as a little odd, but both yawns were hours apart and he's shown no other signs of any potential repertory infection (;_; thankfully, it really freaked me out at first). My family has been kind of violently opposed (not really /violently/ but strongly voicing) their opposition to my owning a snake (because they're 'gross') so I really want to do the best I possibly can to show them that BPs can be amazing, healthy, interesting pets - which would be far more gracefully done, I'd imagine, if I didn't make any rookie mistakes right off the bat.

Thanks so much for reading all of this!
- Meg

Well, first off, I'd like to note that I'm new as well - I purchased my pastel a month ago. I did the exact same thing as you before and after my purchase, tireless research. Good to see I'm not the only one with a perfectionist trait. Maybe a little OCD, but meh.

Anyway, I'd like to point something out. You say you only have a heat lamp? As far as I know, snakes require belly heat for digestion. I'm using an infrared heat lamp(75 watt bulb, same as you) on a dimmer(highly recommend that or a thermostat for controlling the pesky temps the lamp creates) for the ambient, but I highly recommend a heat pad/mat/strip - lest your snake has gastrointestinal problems. Secondly, your temps are a bit low. Your warm end should be around 90. I also recommend bumping your ambient up to 83-85 degrees.

Also, I assume you mean a glass tank is what you have - maintaining heat and humidity inside is troublesome(which is why most opt for special enclosures or stick to a secondary heat source). If you're like the latter, I recommend misting the tank once or twice daily so the air doesn't remain so dry and arid. It becomes a problem when it's time to shed if you don't do that when you have a lamp.

Your water dish should be at least the height of your snake. Me, I use a small cereal bowl and fill it 1-1&1/2 inches in depth. I also recommend against the larger dishes as they encourage soaking. You want to do the opposite. Large enough TO BE ABLE TO curl up and soak in, but small enough that it discourages soaking - you don't want scale rot, do you?

Hmm... a few more miscellaneous things I must point out: First, DO NOT handle for at least several days(I recommend a week or two) until they are acclimated to their habitat. You'll stress him out, thus indirectly leading to his death when he refuses to feed. They tend to have hunger strikes when feeding if they're stressed - clearly a sign you're husbandry is off. Second, when handling, it is important to note that normally, if they accept you, they will remain still and curled up. If they move around a lot, they likely want down. Oh, and exploring the cage is normal for the first week or so. Mine did it extensively. After that, he's either hungry or you're not providing him the proper environment. Lastly, yawning is normal as long as it's not overly-repetitious. A couple times a day or just after eating is to realign their jaws(their skulls are segmented, kind of like a Predator, to swallow food whole that's larger than their heads). If it's excessive, as you said, check for respiratory problems or consult a vet.

Oh, how many hides do you have? You didn't mention that.

That's all the advice I have for you. Technically I'm a novice when it comes to ball pythons, let alone snakes, but I did my research so I can be helpful with the simple stuff. Good luck with your new snake.

[meowmeowkazoo]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new baby! I was exactly the same when I got my first; constantly checking the internet to make sure he wasn't about to implode or spontaneously combust.

I would ditch the heat lamp and just have the UTH on the warm end, with the water dish on the unheated side (just preference). It sounds like you are carefully monitoring your temps though, so your setup may be just fine. I prefer aspen for snakes, as repti-bark is harder to keep clean. Humidity should be fine at 55% as long as you provide a damp hide (especially during shed time), but there's nothing wrong with going to the extra work to have it at 60%. Water dishes can be too big, and baby snakes can drown in them. However, yours sounds like a good size.

His behavior sounds great. He sounds well adjusted and low stress right now, which is very good. The "s" shape isn't always a sign of stress or aggression. Babies like to hang out in weird positions (especially spiders). As long as he isn't constantly hissing/striking at the glass he's probably just chilling out and enjoying his new home. Ball pythons don't move much unless they're exploring or looking for something to eat.

Because he sounds like he's adjusting really well, I personally would probably offer him a meal on his regular feeding day. If he doesn't take it, no big deal, but at least he'll have the chance to eat, and if he does it will be less stress for you.

Ball python yawns are adorable, so try to enjoy them as long as there aren't any worrying symptoms like breathing sounds, breathing with the mouth open, or discharge around the mouth or nose. I hope you and your baby get off to a wonderful start together!

[RestlessRobie]

OK I am a farily new owner couple months and here is the best ADVICE I was given and didnt follow and hope to pass it on to you to follow. LEAVE YOUR SNAKE ALONE for 3-4 days let it adjust then feed and leave it alone a couple more days. I didnt follow this and had a feeding problem for the first month
Robie

[rustypolished]

Thanks so much for your responses everyone! I'm looking into alternative heating methods and a new water dish for my little guy today! I also blacked out all the sides but the front of the tank and placed a panel of foil on the top screen like in the guide stickied to the top of this part of the forum - It's helped a lot already! Ambient air temperature has gone up 2 degrees and the humidity has taken a considerably less amount of misting to keep up!

Also when I came down this morning I saw a small bit of normal looking urates in the bottom of the tank - A silly thing to be excited about, right? But one more indication that he's healthy and hydrated, so I'm super excited. He's just as active and as reluctant to ball up as he was - He's been in and out of his hides (I have two, a little fake hollow rock at one end and a hollow log at the other), on his decorative branches, scoping out his water dish...And last night, I snuck down in the dark to find him coiled in the goofiest position around the old temperature gauges (the tank is recycled from my dad's lizard he kept when I was a kid and I'd rather have the little stuck on thermometers than the ugly sticky residue so I left them on) on the back of the tank.

[Peoples]

As a new owner I can tell you, just let you Bp explore and settle in bit for a few days (2-3), then offer food, do not handle the day before feeding of for 36-48 hrs after feeding, or until the bulge goes away, I also suggest also to feed in enclosure, some owners prefer to feed in a separate enclosure but it isn't necessary, besides you shouldn't be handling him/her after they've eaten anyway as they could regurgitate which isn't good for them.

So far your Bp seems to be exhibiting normal behaviour. My Bp is 9 yrs old and rarely balls up, she's either S'd up or stretched out along 2 sides of the enclosure and likes to keep that S in the section you mentioned, it's not threatening, it just means they're are aware of your presence.

[Kempire]

ok...we do need to see a picture of your new family member.....I think that is one of the board rules...