How much to handle new bp?

[Notahoarder!:)]

I rescued an abandoned bp.it was very dehydrated and emaciated.it had been left in a tank with no water or heat for who knows how long.ive gotten it to eat pinkies,what else should I do? This is my first snake

[satomi325]

Hi!
Welcome! And thank you for rescuing that snake!

You want to leave new arrivals alone for at least a week or after 3 meals. They need that alone time to adjust without added stress.

[The Serpent Merchant]

Pinkies are way too small you a Ball python, they can eat hopper mice right out of the egg.

Can you tell us what type of cage you have him in, what you are using to heat the cage, what you are using to measure temperatures/humidity, and what are your cage temperatures/humidity levels. That way we can make sure that everything is set up properly.

If you could post a picture that would be great

(how to post pictures: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...with-pictures) )

Try to keep handling as minimal as possible until you have him on a consistent feeding schedule.

Checkout these 2 threads, they are full of great information:

Caresheet: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

Cage Heating: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-Thermometers

[Notahoarder!:)]

Thank you satomi! I never thought I would have a snake,but its pretty cool! Just want to make sure my inexperience doesn't do her more harm than good.ive got her in a 20 long with a hide,water dish,aspen bedding and some sticks.a daytime and nighttime bulb for heat.sound good? Any tips would be greatly appreciated !

[The Serpent Merchant]

Do you have any thermometers? You can't guess at your cage temperatures The cool side needs to be between 78-82 degrees and the hot side needs to be between 88-92 degrees.

[Notahoarder!:)]

Hi serpent merchant,yes I had the zilla combo thermometer that velcros on .well she got it off and got stuck on it.luckily she seems fine.i had no idea! So now I use digital.my cool side is spot on but my warm sides needs to come up.maybe an under the tank heating pad? My humidity is between 50and 60% I mist he tank,is that okay? The pinkies look so big as she swallows I didn't think I could go bigger.ill have to read up on how to post pics lol.and I'll read those threads! Thanks!

[The Serpent Merchant]

Those threads should answer your questions. If you still have any after, feel free to ask.

Under tank heating pads are great for creating the hot side temperature. They do not however increase the temperature of the air in the cage. This means that to use one safely you have to have a probed thermometer so the probe can sit on the cage floor measuring the temperature. UTH's will get really hot if they aren't properly regulated with a thermostat (130+ degrees) A Thermostat is a must. (the second thread I posted goes over this in detail)

As for feeding you want to feed your snake rodents that are a wide as the widest part of the snake. for young BP you can also use the 15% rule.... A young BP should eat 15% of its body weight every 4-7 days

so a 100 gram BP would need to eat 15 grams of rodent (100 grams x 0.15 = 15 grams)

[Notahoarder!:)]

Okay thanks so much! I feel like you just gave me my homework for the weekend lol.lots of reading to do.but I appreciate it I want to take care of her correctly.

[The Serpent Merchant]

Okay thanks so much! I feel like you just gave me my homework for the weekend lol.lots of reading to do.but I appreciate it I want to take care of her correctly.

There is a bit of a learning curve to properly care of a BP, but trust me it is well worth the effort.

If you ever have any questions feel free to post them in the forums or send them to me in a PM.

Welcome to the site!