Hatchling Enclosure

[TDE]

Right now I have my hatchling situated in what I'd estimate to be a 10 gallon terrarium. He's already eaten once in it but now it's been a week and a half since he's eaten and I'm concerned his relatively large environment is stressing him which is causing him to refuse food. I've seen it cited an ideal hatchling floorplan is 40 square inches - that comes out to only 6.32' x 6.32' on the x and y axis. Is this correct? I'd love for some experienced owners to drop what they consider to be ideal x y z dimensions for a hatchling enclosure. Thanks.

As a side not, my feeding methodology is to leave the pinkie on a heating light on top of his cage to thaw. It becomes roughly body temperature an then I drop it in. No dangling by my hand or some tongs. Making a note of this in case I'm doing it all wrong.

[Knytemare]

well one thing you could do is clutter up the 10 gallon with a bunch of stuff to make him more secure and make sure to have 2 hides if you dont already.. Also, a pinkie for a ball python? They could least be taking a hopper mouse or a Rat pup.

[TDE]

Thank you for the reply. That being said, my question though was on what are the ideal dimensions of an enclosure for a hatchling.

[snakesRkewl]

Ball pythons aren't really keen on pinkies, they prefer food with hair on it
I hope we are speaking pinky rats because pinky mice are too small for even brand new hatchlings.

If you can get the snake to eat with that method consistently congrats, most won't but I've had a few that would.

[TDE]

If you can get the snake to eat with that method consistently congrats, most won't but I've had a few that would.

I'm a new owner so I don't mind the critique, but in and of itself and without a suggested improvement this isn't very helpful.

[TheSnakeGuy]

There are no specific dimensions since they are at the fastest growing point of their lives. If you are using an aquarium for a hatchling then I do recommend using a 10 gallon. They can live in there happily for probably up to a year. Especially if you clutter it with many objects and things to climb on and hide in.

Like this!

[satomi325]

Shoe box size is generally used for hatchlings. And babies are a lot more insecure than established juvies and adults.

I also recommend two small tight fitting hides. Balls like hides that have a single opening and where their bodies could touch all sides of the hide. If your tank seems too open, you can clutter it up with fake plants or balled up paper towel,newspaper.

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[ewaldrep]

10g is working well for my baby bp, the only challenge is the heating and humidity. I'm using an UTH with a dimmer switch, and a ceramic heat emitter suspended over the cool end to help with the ambient temps, and a towel on top that I wet twice a day for the humidity. Seems to be working well enough for right now. She eats every 5 days like a champ and she is taken out and handled for 20-30 minutes after she has digested while I read books to my daughter before bedtime (her snake ) I can't wait to get a PVC cage so I can regulate heat and humidity better! Good luck and welcome to the forum.

[BHReptiles]

A 10 gal aquarium should be fine for a hatchling ball python. If he's not eating, it means something is making him uncomfortable. Make sure that your hotspot is around 88-92* (I keep mine at around 91*) and your ambient temp is in the 80s (mine is usually 81*). If your temps check out fine, then look at your hides. You want two snug hides that look the same! Sometimes they will choose their favorite hide over choosing the right temperature for them. If your hides are fine, look at your tank floor. Since a 10 gal might be a bit scary for a baby, clutter it with fake plants, crumbled up paper, additional hides, etc. You want to make sure they they can get form one hide to the next with some cover. If your tank flood is cluttered, it might be helpful to change the way you're feeding the ball python. Like someone else said, they will rarely just eat a dead mouse that you throw in. They are a predatory/species. Make sure the mouse/rat (ideally you want them to be on rats...but if mice is all you can find, there's fine until the snake gets bigger) is completely thawed. Then, instead of dropping it directly into the tank, grab a pair of tongs and grip he mouse/rat (for a hatching, you want a mouse hopper or rat fuzzy ideally) by the scruff of the neck. Then lower it to the tank floor and wiggle it (we call it a "zombie dance" on here). Your snake will smell it and see the movement and then strike it, coil it, and then eat it. Another thing to note, ball pythons do have a tendency to go off their food. I wouldn't stress too much over a hatchling not eating for one or two weeks for you.