New owner

[lancoon]

Can anyone help. I have just bought my first R/P. Bought him from a well know pet shop along with all of the equipment needed. However, it seems that they have not given me all of the information needed to keep him happy.
I have learnt a lot just from reading many of the questions and answers on here. But can someone please tell me how I check the humidity levels in his tank. I have set the temp to 27 and the water is away from the heat mat but the tank is constantly steamed up.

[Mr. Misha]

Do you mean a reticulated python or ball python?

I'd recommend using an accurite gauge that has two temp readers and humidity reader. If you live in the States (not sure if you do or not) you can pick one up in Walmart for 12 bucks.

Here's a link: http://m.acurite.com/environment/hum...red-probe.html

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

[lancoon]

Thanks for the info. Walmart will be a problem as I am in the UK but all is not lost. Good old Ebay has everything.
Could you help with another problem please. Although he is striking at the food he wont eat. He is also striking everytime the lid is opened on his tank.

[lancoon]

Forgot to say. Its a ball python.
Cheers

[200xth]

Give all the info on your snake and it's setup you can.

Age
Weight (in grams)
How long you've had him
Enclosure type (tub, tank, etc)
Temps (hot spot, cold end, ambient)
Humidity levels
Basic tank layout (substrate, # hides, anything else in the tank)
Heating mechanism (UTH, heat lamp, etc)
Anything else related to him or his environment

Generally if he's striking he's either scared, pissed off, or hungry. Knowing his info and his environment can help narrow it down.

[steve_r34]

He's in new place and stressed .. if u got a glass tank and he can see thru all sides try covering 3 sides up and each week or 2 take a side off .. and I know its hard with ur 1st snake but try to hold handling to about once or twice a week n then after a couple of weeks add in some more handling time

[lancoon]

Hi, he is 12 weeks old. I bought him a week ago and was told by the pet shop that he was due to feed last Sunday. I am keeping him a vivarium that I bought at the same time. It has glass at the front and on the lid. The heating is from a heat mat which I have set at 27c. The only furniture in the viv is a hide and water bowl. I don't know his weight yet. I am using Aspen substrate.
As of yet I have not tried handling him. Thought he might appreciate a bit of time to settle in.
Hope this helps.

[Mr. Misha]

Hi, he is 12 weeks old. I bought him a week ago and was told by the pet shop that he was due to feed last Sunday. I am keeping him a vivarium that I bought at the same time. It has glass at the front and on the lid. The heating is from a heat mat which I have set at 27c. The only furniture in the viv is a hide and water bowl. I don't know his weight yet. I am using Aspen substrate.
As of yet I have not tried handling him. Thought he might appreciate a bit of time to settle in.
Hope this helps.

Ok, so a couple of questions first: is it an all glass viv (post a photo if you can)? Also, what are you using to control your heat mat and how are you checking your temperature?

The reason I'm asking about heat control and your temperature is because 27c is low because if your substrate is too thick, the heat is probably not getting through to the snake. Ball Pythons need a basking spot of about 32 and ambient temps of about 26.7-29.5.

I forgot to mention about the snappiness: most baby ball python are afraid of humans that might be one of the reasons why he's trying to bite. With time and handling he should be fine. Give him about a week to settle in without handling him and try feeding him again in a week. He might just be a little stressed.


Check out this ball python care sheet:
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

If your viv is ALL glass, check out this link in how to set it up:
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ass+tank+setup

I'd also recommend in getting a digital thermometer like this:
http://zoomed.com/db/products/EntryD...D=2&SearchID=5

[lancoon]

Hi,
the tank is only glass on the front and lid. The sides and back are solid. I am using a Microclimate Mini Stat to regulate the heat mat and a digital thermometer to keep check on it.
I was told by the shop to keep the temperature at 27c. After reading many of the posts on here it is obvious that they know very little. I am a novice and willing to learn but don't want to harm the snake in the process.
Cheers

[NH93]

Hi,
the tank is only glass on the front and lid. The sides and back are solid. I am using a Microclimate Mini Stat to regulate the heat mat and a digital thermometer to keep check on it.
I was told by the shop to keep the temperature at 27c. After reading many of the posts on here it is obvious that they know very little. I am a novice and willing to learn but don't want to harm the snake in the process.
Cheers

You came to the right place! A lot of people on here have strong opinions, so keep that in mind when you read things... as sometimes they aren't the same opinion!
But yes, it is a good thing you are asking questions. The beautiful part of having a thermostat, which we all should have if there is a heat source, is that you can set it to whatever you want. Try upping the temperature a little bit (as suggested by someone previously, 32-33C for the hot spot, and around 27C for the ambient/air temperature). The store wasn't necessarily wrong in the info they gave you by the sounds of it... they just didn't tell you everything. What they should have said is that 27C is what the air or cool side of the tank should be around.

You can try adding in another hide or two as well - nothing fancy, just small cardboard boxes or half tissue boxes to make the snake feel more secure. Having at least on on the cool end and one on the warm end is often a good idea.

Best of luck!