Concerned about my ball python

[angllady2]

I understand your worry sweetie.

Yes the baby is a little thin, but I've seen much worse.

The aquarium is going to be a little bit of work to get it tweaked correctly for the baby, but it is completely doable. I am not sure if the two lamps up above are for heat, or light, or both. It is true ball pythons don't need a lot of light. They aren't like lizards and some other species of snake. That much light is almost certainly part of the stress factor. If you use them for heat, it would be better for the baby if you used a ceramic heat emitter, CHE. These put off heat but no light. For the most part, ambient room light is fine for ball pythons.

If you cover part of the screen top with plexiglas that will help hold in the humidity and will make that a little easier to keep where it need to be. You can also make or invest in a humid hide. If you cover the back and both ends of the tank with black construction paper, it will go a long way towards making the baby feel more secure and help reduce stress.

You've only had the baby a short time, and especially if it was shipped to you, it will take a little time for it to relax and get comfortable enough to be hungry. Pinky anything, rat or mouse, is much too small for him/her. You should try a young adult mouse, just past the crazy hopper stage, or a similar sized rat. You want the prey to be just a little bit bigger around than the baby is. Or at least the size of your thumb, not including the tail, to start with.

The great thing about the CHE, they fit in the same fixture as your lights, so you can buy just the emitter and save money. A small one should be in the neighborhood of $12-$15 I think. Unless the room he is in gets quite cold, one should be enough in combination with your UTH.

Change these few things and give the baby a few days after the changes are made and try again.

Gale