Found the Snake! and questions

[obsidianembrace]

Hello everyone!

I got my first Ball Python almost a month ago. I was moving home from college the next week, so I had my family babysit him for a few days until I moved in. Well for one reason or another (no one is claiming responsibility) he got out of his tank. SO he was lost for a few weeks. We just found him on Tuesday under the fridge in our storage room.

I immediately soaked him in lukewarm water to warm him up, relax cramped muscles, and try to get some of the under-the-fridge-gunk off of him. I didn't want to mess with him too much; I was worried he'd be nippy after being alone and hungry for so long. After about 20 minutes soaking, I ran to grab a live mouse -hopper- for him (I'm wanting to switch to frozen but I know he's used to live from the breeder so I didn't want to stress him trying to change). He didn't take it that day; a lot was happening. But yesterday I offered and he took it right away. That was the first time eating for at least 5 weeks.

I neglected to weigh him right as I got him so I don't know how much weight he lost. But I pulled him out for a moment to weigh him today and he's at 220g right now. I didn't look for long (I know you shouldn't mess with a snake for a couple days after eating) but he looks bright eyed and almost clean of gunk. He was dehydrated when I found him but yesterday he was soaking in his dish by himself and I watched him drink a ton of water. I don't think he looks skinny, but he's probably a little thinner than when I first got him. I haven't seen any poop or shedding yet.

--

So that's the story of my snake so far. I've only held him twice. :p

BUT now we're set! His cage has some serious clips now. So here's my set-up info.

10 gallon tank (3 sides covered in black paper)
Paper towel substrate (considering eco-earth once I'm sure he's healthy after his adventure)
Hide (he loves squishing in there, I think it's perfect for now)
Some fake leaves (they suck, actually. But I don't know what he would be interested in. Branches to climb on?)
Big water dish (I'm going to replace it with something deeper instead of just big)
Exo Terra therm/hyg with probe (probe is placed in the very middle of the back wall trying to measure ambient temp. I don't really know where it should be)
Zoo Med small heat pad (covers about 1/3 of tank, placed on the far right)
Herpstat 1 Basic thermostat

My temps are set at 90.3 on the Herpstat. I have the probe for the thermostat in between the heating pad and the bottom of the tank (outside the glass). The ambient temp reads around 70 but has dropped to 65 during the night a couple times. Is this acceptable or should I get a CHE? He has regular daylight. I mentioned I want to do the eco-earth and I think that would handle the humidity once it's in there.

So my questions for you are these:

• Any comments on my setup?
• Are the temps alright?
• How fast should I expect him to gain weight healthily?
• Any tips for how to get the gunk off him (he went over one of those sticky mouse traps..)
• I plan on feeding once a week. Should I start that now or does he need another mouse tomorrow because of his fast?
• Any other comments at all?

Thank you so much for any responses! I look forward to hearing what you guys have to say

-Rebecca

P.S. Pictures will come!! as soon as he won't throw up if I mess with him

[xFenrir]

Your ambient temperatures are way too low. They should be at 80 degrees with a hot spot of 90. As for the heat probe, it should be inside the tank, under the substrate on the glass. For the ambient temp probe, place it on the other side of the tank, since you'll want to know about the coolest part of the tank. Make sure you have about 50% humidity in there as well. If you have a screen top and it's not covered, I'd recommend putting some aluminum foil over 90% of it to help keep in heat and humidity. A CHE or heat lamp will suck the humidity out like you wouldn't believe, so if that's what you need to get to keep the heat up in the tank, make sure you keep track of the humidity levels and mist once or twice a day to keep them up.

If you want to put in branches or things like that, it's totally up to you. He might use them, he might not. As long as you have two hides (one on the hotspot, one on the cool side) that's the only thing they really NEED. Ask yourself how much stuff do you want to clean every month?

As long as he eats on a regular 5 day schedule (how old is he? I'm assuming he's young), he should gain back the weight in no time.

[BHReptiles]

1. Any comments on my setup? I would make sure that you have two hides (one on each side). If you can't fit it, you can trade out the water bowl to something smaller for the time being. I also agree that the ambient temps are a bit low. What you can do (this will also help with humidity) is cover most of the screen top with a damp towel, foil, foil tape, glass, or plexiglas. This will help to hold in some of the heat from the hot spot. If your ambient temps are still low, then consider adding a lamp or CHE on a dimmer. I don't think you'll need too much. As for something to climb on, that's completely up to you. Ball pythons really aren't arboreal in nature, but some will climb on a branch if it's in there.

2. Are the temps alright? I covered this above, but your hot spot temps are fine.

3. How fast should I expect him to gain weight healthily? He wasn't gone for too long and ball pythons are well known for fasting. I would just keep an eye on his weight and make sure that he's always gaining weight. You might be tempted to feed him large meals, but I would stick to feeding hoppers for two or three weeks then he can bump up to adult mice for a week or two and then up a size again. If you have access to rats, now would be a good time to get him started on those. It will be more convienent for you in the future.

4. Any tips for how to get the gunk off him (he went over one of those sticky mouse traps..) Make sure that he didn't injure himself. Those can pull off scales if you aren't careful. You can try soaking him in warm water (85-88*) with a drop or two of dish soap. See if you can work it off with a wash cloth. If you can't (don't rub too vigorously), then don't worry about it. He'll probably go through a shed cycle pretty soon and it'll come off with his skin.

5. I plan on feeding once a week. Should I start that now or does he need another mouse tomorrow because of his fast? Like I addressed above, just feed him weekly and start off with small meals and work your way up. He'll regain his weight back in no time.

6. Any other comments at all? I think you've got most of your bases covered. I'm glad you found him!

[obsidianembrace]

I would stick to feeding hoppers for two or three weeks then he can bump up to adult mice for a week or two and then up a size again. If you have access to rats, now would be a good time to get him started on those. It will be more convienent for you in the future.

You mean baby rats, yes? Could he potentially have problems getting used to rats instead of mice?

[BHReptiles]

You mean baby rats, yes? Could he potentially have problems getting used to rats instead of mice?

yep! baby rats. He's probably big enough to eat fuzzy rats (babies with fur - some have eyes open, some have eyes closed). A fuzzy rat in the 20-30g range is perfect for a 220g snake. Most don't have an issue switching to rats if you start them early enough. I've got some that switched immediately. They saw dinner and didn't care if it was a mouse or a rat. I have another who took a little bit of convincing to switch to rats, but now I don't have any issues with her.

Switching to rats will have headache in the future because you won't need to feed 4 mice at a time. You would only need to feed 1 rat. Now, your snake can still grow and thrive on mice, it's just you'll have to feed multiple prey in one sitting or offer frequent meals.

Once you feed him hopper mice for a week or two, then feed him an adult mouse, then the next week feed him a rat fuzzy and see if he takes it. If he does, then don't give him mice ever again! If he doesn't eat it, ask for some used mouse bedding and let the fuzzy roll around in it. Then offer and see if he'll take it.

[obsidianembrace]

If I want to switch to frozen should I do that once he's established on the rats?

Is buying frozen bulk cheaper than live? The hopper I got was like $3.20

[xFenrir]

If I want to switch to frozen should I do that once he's established on the rats?

Is buying frozen bulk cheaper than live? The hopper I got was like $3.20

It's absolutely cheaper. I get 25 F/T jumbo rats for $25 at an expo near me. If they're an established live eater, try live rats first, then switch. Seems like the logical way to do it.

[obsidianembrace]

It's absolutely cheaper. I get 25 F/T jumbo rats for $25 at an expo near me. If they're an established live eater, try live rats first, then switch. Seems like the logical way to do it.

Sounds like this poor college student will definitely be switching to frozen, haha.

[BHReptiles]

Yes! It's much cheaper! Once you get him eating rats regularly from you, go ahead and try frozen. If you have an expo near you, buy frozen from there so you don't have to pay shipping (the most expensive part of buying frozen in bulk). I usually buy for 6-9 months at a time. It's a lot initially, but I don't have to buy any later. Granted, you don't have to buy that much at a time, but if you only have an expo that comes around once or twice a year and don't want to pay $40 to ship rodents to your door every time you need rats, then bulk order. I bought a mini fridge/freezer and just used the top for my rats/mice. My roommates refused to put rodents in the human freezer

[obsidianembrace]

So how long do I have to wait to handle him after feeding? If I'm planning on feeding once a week, how often could I actually hold him? The goal is a "friendly" snake that we don't have to be as nervous about him biting someone.