I think my bp just hissed at me???

[jclaiborne]

My snake was a gift for my birthday I didn't know I was getting him then right after I got him I went on leave to Cali then got transfered to Virginia I'm trying to catch up on info now

I may have missed it but all this being said is your bp in a proper enclosure with correct temps etc?

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[QueenBree]

With it my husband gave me a tank that I've seen at Petco for snakes a heating pad a half log, a tiki man hide & a branch with leaves, temperature wise I'm not sure. We also use bark on the bottom & he always has fresh water

[le miow]

My snake was a gift for my birthday I didn't know I was getting him then right after I got him I went on leave to Cali then got transfered to Virginia I'm trying to catch up on info now

Ah, in that case I would do some reading. There's loads of care sheets that are handy to make sure you're doing everything correctly.

There will be times that snakes do things that you haven't read about, one of mine for instance likes to sleep with his head hanging out side his hide. I was worrying like crazy at first, checking temps, hides, scales for anything to indicate his behaviour, but he's just my little weirdo (:
It doesn't take too much time to read through things, I'm far from an expert and have learned a lot reading different sheets and even blogs from first time snake owners.

I find myself still reading through things just for peace of mind, but I'm a worrier lol.

[Daybreaker]

With it my husband gave me a tank that I've seen at Petco for snakes a heating pad a half log, a tiki man hide & a branch with leaves, temperature wise I'm not sure. We also use bark on the bottom & he always has fresh water

Good place to start: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...s%29-Caresheet

Heating pad needs a thermostat asap as those heat pads unregulated can burn your snake: very costly vet bills. In the meantime a lamp dimmer will do the trick, but only temporarily ($10 at Home Depot)

I would give two identical snug hides (no half logs) for him: this way he doesn't favor one over the other and will thermoregulate himself instead of only staying in one.

Temperature needs to be measured for the well being of the animal: I recommend Accurite brand digital ones (those stick on ones in pet stores have never been accurate for me): also cheaply found at Walmart. You need to measure ambient temps and hot side temps: this info will be in the above caresheet.

Not sure if you've mentioned feeding but if you have issues I would clutter up the tank, black out three sides with construction paper, or simply throw a towel over him for security reasons. Sometimes when things are too open it makes little ones not want to eat.

[DooLittle]

With it my husband gave me a tank that I've seen at Petco for snakes a heating pad a half log, a tiki man hide & a branch with leaves, temperature wise I'm not sure. We also use bark on the bottom & he always has fresh water

Do you have a thermostat controlling the heat mat? If not, you need one asap, as that unregulated can burn your snake. The half log hides aren't very secure and could be why he was hissing, he's not happy. Could also explain why he was defensive in your other thread when you try to take him out. You need to read a care sheet and get your temps within range, and know your temps. A heat pad alone is not going to get yoir temps where you need them. Too cold your snake can get sick, too hot on the pad, a bad burn.

[DooLittle]

Was going to get the care sheet link, but see Daybreaker beat me to it.

[jclaiborne]

Daybreaker and doolittle gave you great advice...it sounds like you kind of got thrown into this...that being said you need to play catch up...and to bw honest take what you hear from petco and petsmart with a large grain of salt...what size enclose is the tank? What type of bedding are you using? How thick is the layer of bedding? Do you have any space below the tank and what it is resting on to allow air to flow underneath? If not an unregulated heat mat will get hot enough to crack the glass. Not trying to put you down but these are all things that need to addressed pretty quick...if you are unsure post up pictures.

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[QueenBree]

He has no trouble at all with feeding but thank you I'll get to the store asap I love this guy I don't want him to be unhappy or in pain

[QueenBree]

I just uploaded some images to my profile

[DooLittle]

Maybe I'm just missing them, but I don't see any pics.