My first snake

[Lenny's mom]

I got a ball python from someone who couldn't keep him. I just say him because his name is Lenny i don't really know the sex.
The first few days i had him i got all kinds of stuff and made him a jungle and a few days later my boyfriend calls me while im at the gym freaking out saying get home now he has the thermometer stuck to his face. As you can imagine being told your new snake has somehow gotten his new thermometer glued to the bottom of his face is one of the worst phone calls you will ever get i rushed home and he was flipping everywhere his jaw was twisted sideways bleeding i had no idea how it get it off and immediately called 3 vets before i found one who had the reptile specialist still there and they closed in 10 minutes but i told them it was an emergency and they waited for me. Just as i was reaching to grab him he got it off i grabbed it but it got stuck to his belly already he jerked it right off though thankfully. I picked him up his jaw was not sitting right and had a bent v shape in the middle so we rushed to the vet i was thinking the worst from how bad it looked i got there and the took him back weighed him and he was looking better already they preyed his jaw open said he should be ok other then a little blood on his chin. Witch was such a relief form how he looked on the way there and told me he was 5 to 6 months old and a great snake after all he had been threw he was still a friendly little guy.The only thing i can figger is that the stick side came undone and fell or he tried to climb up on it all i know is i will only use strips from now on. OH and my boyfriend said when he walked in the door my cat was freaking out screaming at him and ran to his home and had her paws on the door trying to open it dont know what she would have done if she could open it but hey its the though that counts and when he came home from the vet she ran over and sniffed him he sniffed her then stayed by me till i fished fixing his home and put him back now she keeps a close eye on him now he has 2 water bowels and one day i forgot to put one back and she gave me hell till i did so.

yes i know you are not supposed have cats and snakes together but i have had her for 12 years and neither one of them is going anywhere not that i would let them be out together when he gets bigger.

But other then that he is doing great i noticed his eyes were gray the other day and he was he looking dry when i got home today i work night shift so i ran some warm bath water and sprayed shedding assistance stuff i got from the store in it put him in and he swam around not that it was really deep enough for him to do much swimming and tried to climb the sides after 10 15 min i took him out he ran around on my hands for a minute i misted his home with the same stuff. Then put him back he started climbing on his branches and threw his tunnel so i took a shower when i got out i checked on him and already a lot of skin is coming off and he was following my face around the sides as i watched him rubbed some off and took a few pictures i think he was posing for them 2 lol. It isn't coming off in one chunk but a few big ones is there anything elice i can do to help him shed and i think he may still have his eye caps. i would put up the pictures i took but i just joined and don't know how on well im going to go check on his progress.

Please fell free to give me any suggestions on anyway i can make sure he has a extremely happy and healthy life thank you.

[Royal Hijinx]

You have a lot of reading to do on this site.

I would not put anything sticky in the cage. A lot of us use the digital Accurite temp/humidity you can get a Wal Mart for $12. And you do not need the shed aid stuff or to bath him while in shed. Just keep the humidity up. If the shed goes poorly, there are several posts on here as to what to do next. The bath can actually make the shed go poorly as you was away the layer of oils that help the old skin come off, and IMO the shed aid is a waste of money.

You do not need 2 water dishes, but you do need 2 identical hides, one on the warm side and one on the warmer side.

Please describe the rest of your set-up in detail (size, layout, temps, humidity). Are you using a heat pad on a thermostat? Which thermostat?

In the mean time, get to reading the stickies in the husbandry forum, and good luck!

[satomi325]

Congrats on the new snake!

Can you describe your husbandry? Temps? Humidity?
And I highly recommend reading the care sheets here.

A few tips I'd like to suggest is to never use tape or sticky adhesive in the enclosure. Situation like yours are the exact reason why not to use them. The snake could get stuck or badly injure himself. Glad he was ok this time.

What kind of thermometer were you using? If its the sticky dial kind, I suggest just throwing those away and getting a digital one($12 at walmart). The sticky dials are never accurate.

Also, giving a bath prior to shedding is actually bad. It strips the natural oils of the snake that assist shedding. So if your snake is shedding in many pieces rather than one whole piece, that's typically not normal. If a snake is having a bad shed, giving a bath then is more appropriate. But there are less stressful ways to assist a bad shed. For example, you can put him in a warm damp pillow case for an hour. The friction of moving around in the pillow case will rub the shed off.

Again, Congrats on the new snake and welcome to the forum!

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

[Annarose15]

x2 Here should be your first stop: BP Caresheet

You mentioned not letting the cat and snake together when the snake is bigger - your snake is at a MUCH bigger risk from the cat than the cat will ever be from a ball python, period.

[Lenny's mom]

he has a few hides one tunnel he can go in or it is cover in dirt like a cave its pretty long comes out on both sides and has a heating pad under it he spends a lot of time in there or curled up on top of it there are vines and climbing branches all around there which he loves to use not much of a hider unless he is sleeping he topically runs around comes right up to you when you walk by oh and a small water dish on top of the hill.
The other side is more open has a heat light over a large water dish/pool with a open area in front of it then on that side he has a hollowed out log that goes at an angle he takes turns sleeping and poking his head out of both oh and under it and around his pool he has moss he seam to like tubes better the boxes. The humidity is usually around 60 but is sometimes higher what is to high? It is very humid were i live The heat is usually around 82 85 i know it needs to be warmer that is one thing im having trouble with my apartment is always cold no matter what i do and i know it dosent help i have the heating pad on one side and a lamp on the other im thinking of getting a stronger bulb or the vet said to get a full spectrum bulb from Lowes it works the same and is cheaper. But his tunnel covered in dirt and very warm inside so he can always go there if he gets cold

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the only time they are close is if he is crawling around and then im right there. But she is usually in my room asleep if he is out or just ignores him completely and she didn't have claws when i got her and wont event hunt a laser pointer

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And i did throw the dial ones away right now i have strips that's what the vet suggested but i will go look at wall-mart.

[Royal Hijinx]

Can you post a pic of this set up, it sounds a little confusing, and huge.

If you are having trouble with the ambient temps (air temp for the whole cage) the lamp may help, but may also make humidity a challenge. Maybe keep it in the middle to heat the entire cage. 60% humidity is good, with a bump to 70% for shed cycles.

The "heat pad" needs to be regulated with a reliable thermostat. The Hydrofarm one is available on Amazon for $30 or so. What exactly is "very warm" inside his tunnel? I would also recommend a laser heat gun for spot checking temps.

Your BP should be hiding the majority of the time, especially during the day. That is what they do. If he is out and about a lot, that can indicate problems. Unfortunately, BPs are not really display animals.

Edit: Just keep the cat and the snake from physical contact and you will be fine.

Also, the strips are garbage.

[Lenny's mom]

I dont know the temp inside the tunnel but if i put my hand in there it is a noticeable heat difference so around 90 something id say.And he usually comes out and checks me out when i get home and am around that area but im sure he hides in the afternoon im usually asleep but when i wake up he typically is hidden or has just his head poking out of somewhere im not sure how to post pictures on here just joined a few hours ago or o i would its the 20 gallon tank he came with i know tanks arnt good but im going to build him something out of wood and plexiglass at some point not sure how big to make i just didn't want to change everything on him at once. im fully open for suggestions

[satomi325]

I dont know the temp inside the tunnel but if i put my hand in there it is a noticeable heat difference so around 90 something id say.And he usually comes out and checks me out when i get home and am around that area but im sure he hides in the afternoon im usually asleep but when i wake up he typically is hidden or has just his head poking out of somewhere im not sure how to post pictures on here just joined a few hours ago or o i would its the 20 gallon tank he came with i know tanks arnt good but im going to build him something out of wood and plexiglass at some point not sure how big to make i just didn't want to change everything on him at once. im fully open for suggestions

Temp Guns are pretty cheap on amazon. I got mine for $15 or so. You can also find them at a hardware store like Home Depot or Lowes.
The Acurite thermometer from Walmart can measure two temps and humidity, so that's handy too. The unit itself can measure the ambient temp and the probe that comes attached can measure your hot side.


If the temperature feels warm to you, it's probably hot for the snake. Humans are around 97 degrees, so what feels warm, is probably hotter than us.
The hot side shouldn't exceed 95*. A good range is 88-92* for the hot side and around 80* for the cool side. If the temp drops below 75*, your snake has the potential to get a respiratory infection. So unless the cool side drops below 75, you probably don't need a heat bulb.

And like everyone else mentioned, your heat mat must be on a thermostat. The mats have the potential to reach 130 degrees, enough to burn a snake.
This thermostat is recommended when in a pinch or on a budget ($25 free shipping).
http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...arm+thermostat
I have one on my quarantine rack and seems to work fine.
Higher level thermostats are much more expensive, but are more reliable and accurate. (The Herpstat for example)

It would be best to use hides that are entirely enclosed with a single opening. It gives the snake a better sense of security. Hides that have two openings aren't very good. And it's recommended to try to have two identical hides, one on the hot side and one on the cool side. I personally use dollar store cereal bowls with a cut out door.
And since your little guy is a baby still, you can black out the sides and back of the tank. Open spaces can be stressful to balls, but it also sounds like you have some fake plants and accessories to help fill the space. So that's good.

[Royal Hijinx]

I think for new BP keepers, there is a disconnect between what is needed for proper husbandry and what is wanted for display or what we think the snake wants. This is not specifically addressed at you, but a general statement.

The snake NEEDS: Food, water, a clean (free of waste) environment, a properly regulated thermal gradient, proper humidity and a place(s) to feel safe.

Everything else is a want or decoration.

With that thought in mind, you can then move forward and address each area until your husbandry is spot on.

Food: whatever rodent variety you have on hand and the snake will eat

Water: Fresh and clean

Free of waste: Spot clean and full cleans as needed (can be hard with a dirt substrate)

Temp gradient: This is where a lot of BP keepers get in to trouble. There are tools that the new keeper does not often consider to make achieving and maintaining this a lot easier. Generally, belly heat is preferred. This REQUIRES a thermostat/dimmer (thermostat is safer and easier) to regulate the heat pad. Having a temp gun for measuring surface temperatures is also a very good thing to have. Additionally you need a thermometer for measuring ambient temperatures to measure the gradient. The belly heat is a hot spot, the gradient is ambient. You may need a lamp to adjust the gradient. I am not going to quote you numbers here because I want you to read the care sheets.

Humidity: Depends on where you live, but using a substrate that holds a little humidity and misting during shed cycles should suffice.

Safe place: This means hides. The tighter and darker the better. I, and many others, recommend the Reptile Basics hides. But, that is a personal choice. I said IDENTICAL above for a reason. The BP should have a identical hide on each side, as they will sometimes give up proper heat gradient for perceived safety, and if both hides are the same, they will choose the one in the proper heat gradient zone for them, at that time of day. THis of course changes if you use a rack system; that acts like a hide in itself.

So, there you go. None of this is new information, I am just presenting it in what is IMO a good way to look at it.

P.S. as an aside for communication online. Treat it as if you were writing a email or letter. Meaning punctuation, paragraph breaks etc... It takes more diligence if typing on a phone, but it is possible and makes posts MUCH easier to read and reply to.

[Lenny's mom]

i would love to put up a pic of his home and see what you guys think i just have no clue how