Mildly aggressive BP

[kc261]

Feed him in his enclosure. Moving him to feed him is an additional cause of stress. The only reason I've ever heard that is even semi-valid for moving a snake to feed it is to avoid swallowing substrate. But, snakes swallow "substrate" in the wild and it at least mostly doesn't hurt them.

Having the snake by the window will just cause temperature swings. It can get extremely hot if direct sunlight hits his tank during the day, and it might get quite cool at night (expecially in the winter). I'd suggest moving it further from the window.

[bcr229]

Having the snake by the window will just cause temperature swings. It can get extremely hot if direct sunlight hits his tank during the day, and it might get quite cool at night (expecially in the winter). I'd suggest moving it further from the window.

This. Also, do you have a thermostat regulating his under-tank heater? If not it can get hot enough to burn him.

[Skiploder]

Thank you guys for all responding. I didn't mean to put too many new things on my little guy at once. I can imagine how he feels right now :/

i took him him to the vet because my previous ball python I did not take to the vet and found out he was sick with a bacterial infection from the pet store :/ so, I took my new one immediately. I didn't know it would be so stressful for him and now I feel horrible!

Im going to give him alone time until next Sunday to get used to his surroundings and new tank. On Sunday, I'm going to try to feed him. I was going to feed him live small mice (even though I want to switch him to frozen thawed) because I was thinking too many new things are going to stress him. Right now he has a 40 gal tank. Would y'all recommend feeding him in his home (40 gal) or a 20 gal extra tank I have as a new feeding tank? I've never fed live before so I'm not sure what will be best for him! Thank you all once again!

1. Put him in a low traffic area - no foot steps going to a fro. Do not hold him, show him off to friends or even gaze at him for long periods of time.

2. Cover three sides of the tank. If you can manage it, cover the entire tank with a sheet for a week.

3. Make sure he is in a room that is quiet - not next to a TV, a stereo or anything that can make loud vibrations.

4. Make sure your husbandry is 100% correct using real measurements with real instruments - not stick on thermometers and WAGs. You need to have an idea of what his basking temp is, his warm side hide temp, the cool side temp and the overall ambient temp.

5. Make sure he has several places to hide in several temperature zones.

6. Do not move him to feed him. In fact do not feed him until 10 days have passed since you last messed with him. he will not starve.

7. Peek in on him every two to three days - briefly.

[towelie4365]

Be careful with humidity in that setup-- don't forget to monitor that as well. Make sure its 50-60% normally, and that you can bump it up to 70% during his shed

You should leave him completely alone for at least a week before handling him. I'd recommend 2-3 weeks of adjustment time, and 2-3 meals in his new home before taking him out for anything other than cleaning.

He also might just be disposed to striking, in which case you need to learn his body language to be able to handle him--which you might not really be able to do.

Edit: I also agree on covering up his cage for a bit. Maybe put some plastic vine plants in there to add more clutter too.