New BP, first time snake owner. Advice appreciated!

[Firsttimer99]

Today I purchased my first snake, a juvenile BP. It is around 18 inches long. It was purchased from petsmart, and the people working there said that she was a very regular eater, having ate the last 5 times food was offered and to not panic if she went a month with out eating. They told me the snake was well socialized and use to being handled, and let me hold it before i purchased. I didnt get any bad vibes as it just kind of crawled around a little in my hand and hung out. No freaking out or trying to get away on the snakes part so i took this as a good sign. The employees told me that it has been raised on frozen mice and always fed in another container besides its home (more good news). When I got her home i put her in her tank and have left her alone all evening except for one time i took her out to take a photo, and she still acted what i assume to be 'friendly' for a snake. I dont really plan on handling her again for a few days to let her get use to her new surroundings. When I put her in her new enclosure she curiously crawled around checking everything out for about two hours then finally crawled up in her hide. I have her housed in a Zilla Reptile Starter kit (like the lady at petsmart suggested) and have also added a hide, a big limb looking thing she can crawl around on, and a shallow water dish big enough for her to curl up in. With the lamp and heat pad the kit came with the temp of the cage is running about 78 F and the humidity is around 25-30%. I know i need to pick up a water bottle to occasionally mist and keep up the humidity (detail i overlooked today) but also should I get a higher wattage light to put off more heat? Any other suggestions? Im trying really hard to take care of my new pet! Here is a link to the type of kit I have if that would help:http://compare.ebay.com/like/2611284...Types&var=sbar

[TheSnakeGuy]

Congrats on your new Ball Python, and welcome to the addiction. Sounds like you got a good snake from PetSmart. Please read as many care guides as you can find. Included is the link to the BP.net care guide. What is the wattage of that blue bulb? It likely needs to be increased because your "hot" side of your terrarium needs to be around 90 degrees with a cool side of about 80. I suggest a 75watt red bulb that needs to be run 24hours to maintain temps. Please UNPLUG your under tank heater. In a 10 gallon terrarium you do not need it. It can overheat and hurt your animal without it being regulated by a thermostat. Also to help increase your humidity you should cover 60-70% of your screen lid with a damp towel. Buying a bag of Reptibark or some aspen wood shavings for your substrate will help that too. It's more pleasing to the eye than the green felt carpet. Please ask the forum any questions you might have. The search bar is a very useful tool because most questions have already been asked one time or another. And Welcome To The Forum!

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...s%29-Caresheet

[bpdesign]

I wouldn't worry about the humidity too much. When your snake goes into a shed, be sure to mist a lot until it sheds. Other than that, humidity isn't an issue. I haven't ever had a respiratory infection in my collection and know other breeders that also haven't - our common denominator in our collections is low humidity unless the animal is shedding. I hope you enjoy your new BP!