New Ball Python

[Persnickity]

I am a new owner of a baby ball python, I know nothing about them I set up the habitat that I got from the reptile store, I have had it 3-4 weeks and it has not eaten yet, and I have just noticed mites, how do I get rid of them and make sure it is going to be safe and what can I do, I read it is a bad habitat, but the temp is 82 Please help I am lost and I love my snake thank you

[Skittles1101]

I'm sorry that you were so misinformed by the pet store. It's good that you came here, so welcome.

Start off by reading this caresheet thoroughly.

After that, please order some Provent-a-mite (PAM for short). It is in my eyes, the only mite treatment that is pretty much guaranteed to work. Until the PAM arrives, change the bedding to newspaper or paper towels. Take out any other substrate, and scrub the tank in a bleach/eater solution. Be sure to rinse it well. The snake should get luke warm baths daily, with a drop of Dawn dish soap in the water. Put the Dawn in after the snake, in case he/she starts drinking the water in the bath first. Soak her daily for 20 minutes or so.

As far as your husbandry, ball pythons are from Africa The hot spot should be at 88-92 degrees. The cool side should be at about 75-80 degrees. To achieve these temps, you should use an under tank heater (UTH for short) with a thermostat. If you are on a budget, this one will do until you can afford a better one. Until that arrives, (you can get the UTH from any pet store, it should cover 1/3 of the bottom of the tank) you should go to Home Depot, or other hardware store and buy a $10 plug in lamp dimmer to control the UTH.

You should have two tight fitting hides, one on each side, and a water dish.

These are the basics, can you describe your set up a little better? I know this is a lot of info all at once, but I really want to help you...

[isanta666]

I am a new owner of a baby ball python, I know nothing about them I set up the habitat that I got from the reptile store, I have had it 3-4 weeks and it has not eaten yet, and I have just noticed mites, how do I get rid of them and make sure it is going to be safe and what can I do, I read it is a bad habitat, but the temp is 82 Please help I am lost and I love my snake thank you

no offense, but you should have done your research before buying a bp. to get rid of the mites use provent a mite and follow the instructions on the back of the can. the mites could have already been present on the snake when you bought it. when you say the temp is 82 are you referring to the hot side or cool side?

[Persnickity]

my husband has had 2 ball pythons before so that is why I went with it. He knows more about them then me, so I wanna learn more but without him lol. The set up I have is a rock cave, a water bowl looks like rock, so it can soak in it, and a big branch, with wood chips in the bottom. it is 82 F in its habitat, I will go get the mite treatment as soon as my husband gets home from work. I did read the care sheet from here and that helped alot. I will begain the bath in dawn tonight, My snake does not like to soak a whole lot though, it sinks lol. Thanks for all the help.

[HerpIsAhobby]

You may have to order the provent a mite online because most pet stores I know of don't stock it. If you plan on going to a petco or chain pet store don't ask the people who work there for help. They try but in all honesty a good percentage have no idea how to handle mites. The provent is very strong so when you get it read everything carefully. When you spray the enclosure less is best and make sure that it has completely dried before placing the snake back in. The product is totally safe for your animal once it has dried but if you reintroduce them to early they may show signs of neurological problems. Just remember that with provent the mites will die out immediatly and you may not see any but they almost certainly have left eggs so after 30 days retreat the area and you'll be covered. I pretreat all new acquisitions tubs with provent while they are in quarantine to kill any baddies that may have come along for the ride. Also the suggestion above about switching over to newspaper or paper towels will greatly increase your ability to visually spot the mites. I would lean towards solid white paper towel but you get the idea.

As for the temps I would suggest buying a Under tank heater for 1/3 of the floor space of the enclosure and setting it to a thermostat so that you can control it best. Ball pythons thrive with a hot spot of 88-92 and a cool side between 78-80. You came to the right place for advice and I wish you the best of luck fighting the mites.

[Daybreaker]

http://www.pro-products.com/index.ph...d=53&Itemid=59

PAM is awesome stuff, I use it on every new snake's tub just incase some mites hitched a ride. Great proventative.

[Persnickity]

Thank you so much my husband says thanks to, I am going shopping this weekend to get the under tank heater and the treatment for mites. I did clean everything in the habitat you all was so helpful thank you so much From me and Persnickity

[Spyderco1116]

I'm sorry that you were so misinformed by the pet store. It's good that you came here, so welcome.

Start off by reading this caresheet thoroughly.

After that, please order some Provent-a-mite (PAM for short). It is in my eyes, the only mite treatment that is pretty much guaranteed to work. Until the PAM arrives, change the bedding to newspaper or paper towels. Take out any other substrate, and scrub the tank in a bleach/eater solution. Be sure to rinse it well. The snake should get luke warm baths daily, with a drop of Dawn dish soap in the water. Put the Dawn in after the snake, in case he/she starts drinking the water in the bath first. Soak her daily for 20 minutes or so.

As far as your husbandry, ball pythons are from Africa The hot spot should be at 88-92 degrees. The cool side should be at about 75-80 degrees. To achieve these temps, you should use an under tank heater (UTH for short) with a thermostat. If you are on a budget, this one will do until you can afford a better one. Until that arrives, (you can get the UTH from any pet store, it should cover 1/3 of the bottom of the tank) you should go to Home Depot, or other hardware store and buy a $10 plug in lamp dimmer to control the UTH.

You should have two tight fitting hides, one on each side, and a water dish.

These are the basics, can you describe your set up a little better? I know this is a lot of info all at once, but I really want to help you...

I haven't been on here too long, but I know she knows her stuff just by reading all of her other posts in the forum. Listen to what she has to say. There is actually no need for me to further talk about the problems in question because you are definitley in good hands. I know who I am asking if I have any problems as I am a newbie at the moment. I have my enclosure almost regulated and ready to go. As soon as I know my enclosure is regulated I will be purchasing my first male Pinstripe!!

[ballpythonluvr]

no offense, but you should have done your research before buying a bp. to get rid of the mites use provent a mite and follow the instructions on the back of the can. the mites could have already been present on the snake when you bought it. when you say the temp is 82 are you referring to the hot side or cool side?

Go easy on the OP please. They are here now and are getting the help they need. Besides, we were all newbies at one point and time.

[Lorgakor]

Are you sure they are snake mites? Are they dark black mites that are crawling directly on the snake? In the heat pits, around the eyes etc.? Or are they lighter colour and crawing on the substrate, decor etc.? If they are the latter, they could just be wood mites, and they are not harmful to your snake. If they are the black ones that are parasitizing your snake, then follow the advice about the PAM.