New owner, please help!

[Pkiefer131]

So I'm re-posting my first thread. I put it in "general" and I messed up, it hsould be here under care, if a mod sees this can you pull my post in general? It probably should go here.

Hi everyone!

New owner here and new to the forums. This is my first snake ever, I'm super happy! My girl got shipping to me on Tuesday from Hippie Herps in Atlanta GA, via Jason, super nice guy (she was born on 7/15/2013 I think or maybe 2012, I can't recall or know if that fact matters). As a new owner I have some general concerns now that I've had her for a few days.

1) Humidity - I have been able to maintain around 50% (it bounces from 40% to 60%-ish). However, I went to bed at 1am and woke up at 7am and the tub was at 99%! Her hides are cardboard so of course they were soaked ans she was in one. I changed everything including the hides to new stuff in a panic. So, should the spike be a big deal? I'm wondering about respiratory issues. Call me an over protective parent!

To solve the issue I moved her water dish to the cool side (it was about halfway from warm to cool side) hoping that will help the water evaporate slower and moved a fan near the tank (not really a fan, I have an ionizer and the exhaust I angled just a little toward the tank, it seems to help and is nice fresh air) but I'm at work so I can't monitor it right now. Her water dish has only about 1/2 inch of water in it and it was nearly all evaporated. Is that enough water if she needed a bath?

2) When I saw her this morning she had her head hidden in her coil, why would she do this? Any other time I find her, her head is on top. Obviously I'm wondering if this is related to the poor tub conditions last night.

3) She moves around from hide to hide and appears active but has not gone near the water dish at all so far. Any ideas?


Here is my tub setup since I know this helps answer better:

28qt rubbermaid with air holes drilled around the top ( a lot of them probably 60 or so).
Two under tank heat pads that create a 10 degree grade, 85-88 on the warm, 74-78 on the cool.
Newspaper bedding and cardboard hides (I know the hides should probably be plastic, any ideas on what to use that would be big enough for her?
Water dish is a plastic rectangle Chinese food container, like a to go box.

SNAKE - Female Ball Python, last weight from dealer, 270 grams and I think born this year but I could be wrong since I don't have the paper work in front of me (like I said, I'm at work). Appears healthy, nice round size, no dry skin, such and such.

[patientz3ro]

I wouldn't think the humidity was high ling enough for an RI to pop up, but it's still concerning. It sounds like you need more holes on the warm side, and move the water dish to the cool side. If you just dumped A fresh bag of substrate in the tub, that can spike humidity as well.

Being deep enough to bathe shouldn't be a big deal. Some BP's do it, some don't. Definitely want to do something about those hides, though. You could just get some kind of Tupperware type container of an appropriate size, and cut a hole in the top. I would melt the cut edges to get rid of any sharp spots.

270 grams sounds about right for a 2013.

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[Crazymonkee]

I wouldn't worry about one spike, she should be fine.
I take it your uths are controlled? Cardboard hides are fine... no real need for plastic. 9 times outta 10 you won't see them at the water bowl... they get most of their water from there prey.

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[200xth]

I don't think the humidity spike will be a problem. They live in termite mounds in Africa which are sky high for humidity. I've knocked over the water bowl in my tubs and seen the humidity skyrocket as well. Just out of curiosity, what are you measuring the humidity with?

As far as where her head is when she coils, you'll find her laying in different positions sometimes. As to why she did it, who knows. She's a snake, doing snakey things.

Mine don't normally do anything in their water dish. I never see them drink, never see them soak. I wouldn't worry about her not going near her water dish.

At 270g she was almost assuredly born in July 2013, not 2012.

If you're hotspot is 85 to 88 you may want to bump that up a couple of degrees. 88 to 90 seems to be a good range.

You can make the hides out of almost anything. It's just something they need to be able to crawl into to hide. There's a thread somehwhere on this site of things people use to make their own hides. Litter boxes, flower pots, plastic thingies, etc. If you don't want to make your own, you can buy them...something like: http://www.reptilebasics.com/hide-boxes

[Pkiefer131]

I wouldn't think the humidity was high ling enough for an RI to pop up, but it's still concerning. It sounds like you need more holes on the warm side, and move the water dish to the cool side. If you just dumped A fresh bag of substrate in the tub, that can spike humidity as well.

Being deep enough to bathe shouldn't be a big deal. Some BP's do it, some don't. Definitely want to do something about those hides, though. You could just get some kind of Tupperware type container of an appropriate size, and cut a hole in the top. I would melt the cut edges to get rid of any sharp spots.

270 grams sounds about right for a 2013.

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Thank man, I appreciate it. No substrate, just newspaper. The place I bought it from said that is what he was using so I'm trying to copy her last set up 100%. She is still very cranky!

[Pkiefer131]

I wouldn't worry about one spike, she should be fine.
I take it your uths are controlled? Cardboard hides are fine... no real need for plastic. 9 times outta 10 you won't see them at the water bowl... they get most of their water from there prey.

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Sadly, they are not controlled. I need to buy a thermostat and get that going. For now I have the tub on a shelf and am using wood blocks to elevate it up from the heat pads. So logically one side is higher than the other making the temp grade. It looks silly as hell but I'm getting really consistant temps! Oh I should mention I do have temp/hum probes (good ones) right on the bottom of the tub for the best reading. This guy did his homework, ha!

[patientz3ro]

Thank man, I appreciate it. No substrate, just newspaper. The place I bought it from said that is what he was using so I'm trying to copy her last set up 100%. She is still very cranky!

Try using the comics.

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[Pkiefer131]

I don't think the humidity spike will be a problem. They live in termite mounds in Africa which are sky high for humidity. I've knocked over the water bowl in my tubs and seen the humidity skyrocket as well. Just out of curiosity, what are you measuring the humidity with?

As far as where her head is when she coils, you'll find her laying in different positions sometimes. As to why she did it, who knows. She's a snake, doing snakey things.

Mine don't normally do anything in their water dish. I never see them drink, never see them soak. I wouldn't worry about her not going near her water dish.

At 270g she was almost assuredly born in July 2013, not 2012.

If you're hotspot is 85 to 88 you may want to bump that up a couple of degrees. 88 to 90 seems to be a good range.

You can make the hides out of almost anything. It's just something they need to be able to crawl into to hide. There's a thread somehwhere on this site of things people use to make their own hides. Litter boxes, flower pots, plastic thingies, etc. If you don't want to make your own, you can buy them...something like: http://www.reptilebasics.com/hide-boxes

LMAO a snake doing snakey things bahahahahahah. Love it! Thanks for the water dish info too. I'll be making new hides tonight out of something other than cardboard just so this humidity issue doesn't keep ruining her homes. The one hide she was in was all busted and laying right on top of her, poor girl!

- - - Updated - - -

Try using the comics.

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I was thinking that, I don't need her reading the politics section

[Pkiefer131]

I don't think the humidity spike will be a problem. They live in termite mounds in Africa which are sky high for humidity. I've knocked over the water bowl in my tubs and seen the humidity skyrocket as well. Just out of curiosity, what are you measuring the humidity with?

As far as where her head is when she coils, you'll find her laying in different positions sometimes. As to why she did it, who knows. She's a snake, doing snakey things.

Mine don't normally do anything in their water dish. I never see them drink, never see them soak. I wouldn't worry about her not going near her water dish.

At 270g she was almost assuredly born in July 2013, not 2012.

If you're hotspot is 85 to 88 you may want to bump that up a couple of degrees. 88 to 90 seems to be a good range.

You can make the hides out of almost anything. It's just something they need to be able to crawl into to hide. There's a thread somehwhere on this site of things people use to make their own hides. Litter boxes, flower pots, plastic thingies, etc. If you don't want to make your own, you can buy them...something like: http://www.reptilebasics.com/hide-boxes

Oh yea, sorry I missed a part you asked what I'm using to measure. I have a "All Living Things (ALT)" Thermo/Hydro prob and an additional normal temp prob that way I have three probs, one on hot one on cool and the hydro is right in the middle of the tub. I know ALT is not the best brand, but I needed one in a pinch and it seems to be accurate. I have a cheapo hydro/temp in my bearded's cage (just because it was laying around unused) and the ALT seems to be more predictable.