BP Habitat & Additional Questions

[BHReptiles]

Hello,

New to the forums and reptile ownership. This place looks very useful!

I just purchased my first baby Ball Python yesterday and got him in his new home. I just wanted to share my current setup and address a few concerns with the experts here!

I have the following items setup. If you feel I'm missing something vital or good to have, please let me know!

1) 20 Gallon Long Tank + Screen Top
2) Repti-Bark Substrate
3) 75W Basking Spot Lamp (on right side)
4) Two Hide Boxes (one on "hot" side and one on "cold" side)
5) Water bowl
6) Analog thermometer and humidity gauge combo

Current Temperature: 80F
Current Humidity: 50%

I also just have a few quick questions:

1) So the main thing I'm concerned about is the humidity. I seems that 60-70% humidity is ideal, so I'd like to add another 15% humidity to his tank. I read that bigger water bowls and spraying 2x a day will help increase humidity. I'm wondering if anyone knows any other tricks I could try as well? Also, is my 75W bulb too hot? It seems 40-60W is the recommendation.

2) When I first got him home, he explored his tank a bit, took a dip in the water and later curled up and likely took a nap. He has recently moved and is doing the same thing in another location of the tank. I am a bit surprised he has not used his hides at all. Is this normal behavior for their first week or so?

3) Should I let him attempt to get comfortable before feeding or can I go ahead and try to feed the beast?

4) When it comes to handling, should I not be bothering him for the first week or so?

And that's it at the moment. If you can take a few moments and school me a bit, it would be much appreciated.

Thank you!

First of all, welcome to the forum!

I'm going to start with your question and then add a little bit more at the end. I intend for this response to be educational!

1. The heat lamp will suck out all the humidity. You can use a larger water bowl, spray the enclosure a couple of times a day, cover most of the top with a damp towel, or cover the top with plexiglas or foil. That will help you hold in more humidity. When your snake is going into shed, you can add some sphagnum moss under one of the hides to give a little bit of extra boost to humidity.

2. Ball pythons usually will find a place to hide and stay there. Many will tell you a "happy ball python is a hiding ball python". What are your hides like? He may think they are too big or don't offer him enough security. You want hides to be very snug with only one entrance/exit. If they are open, they don't offer much security.

3. I would leave him alone for at least a week before trying to feed him. Then, once's he's eaten 3-4x CONSISTENTLY, then you can try to hold him. What are you feeding him? You want to try and get them eating rats because it's better for them and you in the long run. Some are picky about rats and won't eat them. However, they are easier to switch when they are younger.

4. I pretty much answered this in my response to question 3.

Now, for some other commentary.

1. Depending on how big your snake is, a 20L is probably too big and will make your new snake feel insecure. Try cluttering it with additional hides (I use plastic cool whip containers with holes cut out) or crumpled paper. You want it to look really busy. That will help them move from one hide to the next without getting too stressed.

2. Those analog thermometers are crap. They don't work very well. You want to get a digital thermometer with a probe. There are several brands, most people suggest one called an Acurite thermometer. They also make some with a humidity gauge as well. You want one on the cold side, one on the warm. Then you can measure temps on all sides.

3. Ball pythons really need belly heat. Heat lamps are fine to raise ambient temps, but they need to have an under the tank heater with a thermostat (that's very important...you need to regulate the thermostat). However, if you cannot budget one, you need to get a dimer for your heat lamp and make sure the hot spot isn't getting above 92*. You may need to invest in a temperature gun to help monitor that temp as well.

4. Also, I don't know if your screen top is a locking lid or you have cage clips, but it needs to be secure! Your snake will try to climb up and if the lid isn't on securely, it will be able to push it up.

I hope some of that helps. There are a lot of people on this forum who would love to help you make the best home for your new baby! If you have any questions, feel free to ask!