Leaving the heat light on 24/7?

[Kaorte]

Yeah, only 9 months old, but if he's staying in his hide the whole time, how's he going to tame out later?
Maybe I oughta just let him hide and hope that eventually he'll get braver and come out and see I don't wanna eat him hehe.

Get used to it. It is a ball python and they are happiest when they are hiding. If you want to handle your snake, don't wait for it to come out. Just lift the hide, let the snake know you are there and scoop it up. Easy.

Change doesn't happen overnight. Eventually the snake will get used to the fact that you are going to pick it up. It will relax as it gets older.

Why do you think the snake needs to come out of its hides in order to be tame? This is the behavior of this particular species. They are very docile because they are so shy and like to hide themselves. Thus why I don't keep them in displays.

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[Tricon7]

How old is she? How long did you leave her in the hide before handling her?
She wasn't always thrilled about being handled I'm sure...can you (or others) describe the process of taking a shy/scared young snake and getting them comfortable with you when all they wanna do is be left alone in their hide?

IMHO, the more you take them out and handle them, the better, as long as it's in a gentle, friendly way. The less you handle them, the more they'll dislike being handled. I saw this when I worked as a zookeeper volunteer at this one zoo. The large retics, for example, were never removed from their enclosures (they were deemed too big at 15-ft.), and over time they became virtually wild and would strike at anyone who got near. We would put our foot out for them to strike at until they grew tired, then we'd grab a head, pull them out, put them in the grass somewhere, and I think they loved being outside in the fresh air. They became easier to handle until we stopped volunteering (and I'm sure they're wild again since no one else gets them out).

So I think just being in your hands or on your arms acclamates them to human contact. Over time I think they'll enjoy it and be far less likely to bite or freak out when removed from their enclosure.

[Greekinese]

Thanks for the feedback, guess it's time for some tough love hehe.
Since this is my 1st bp (or snake for that matter), it's a learning process for me too.

I have to overcome my fear of getting tagged while he gets over his fear of me hehe.

[Steve-o M]

Red bulbs are fine for 24 hour heat source you want to stay away from daylight bulbs these are not a good 24 hr heat source. BP are nocturnal and need a night and day cycle.
red bulbs are good for night viewing and will not effect night/day cycle. You should look into a under tank heater BP need belly heat, it helps break down and Digest their Food.
Be carefull with all heat sources as they can become too hot if not controlled with a thermostat or rheostat etc.

[Tricon7]

Red bulbs are fine for 24 hour heat source you want to stay away from daylight bulbs these are not a good 24 hr heat source. BP are nocturnal and need a night and day cycle.
red bulbs are good for night viewing and will not effect night/day cycle. You should look into a under tank heater BP need belly heat, it helps break down and Digest their Food.
Be carefull with all heat sources as they can become too hot if not controlled with a thermostat or rheostat etc.

My only issue is that my bedroom is the only available room in the house where I can put my brand new BP, and that heat lamp does keeps things warm in the room. I love sleeping at night with my window air conditioner on, but I'm afraid I'll negate the effects of the heat lamp if I turn it on. Oh well - I always have my ceiling fan.