How long to wait before force feeding?

[HVani]

Ball pythons don't eat crickets.

For a baby I would say hopper mice. Would be fine. Or rat pups if you can find them.

[CORBIN911]

What are the PLASTIC flower pot saucers for?

Confused by your statement: 55 gallons will not work with an hatchling even if cluttered a smaller tank will likely not be a better option either. 55 gallon will not work but a smaller on is not a better option???

If pinkies are not appropriate, what would you suggest? I've read a few articles that suggest crickets. He's about 14" long and thinner than a garden hose.

This is why educating yourself on the animal before purchasing is good. We all do have questions, but even assuming a BP will eat a cricket? Go out and buy a 10gallon tank OR a 6qt shoe box (with locking lid) and use this till he reaches 400+g, then try him in the tank IF he eats fantastic, if not get a 15qt locking tub..... I say tubs because they are much cheaper and work as well if not better then glass tanks for overall necessities of a BP

[Stewart_Reptiles]

What are the PLASTIC flower pot saucers for?

Confused by your statement: 55 gallons will not work with an hatchling even if cluttered a smaller tank will likely not be a better option either. 55 gallon will not work but a smaller on is not a better option???

If pinkies are not appropriate, what would you suggest? I've read a few articles that suggest crickets. He's about 14" long and thinner than a garden hose.

Not where you have done your research but I would love to see those articles mentioning crickets for a BP.

Plastic flower pot saucers are for hides, I recommend using them to new owner which I assume you are.

55 gallons is WAY too big, cluttering it will not make a difference, you need to move your BP again to something cramped that will offer security at this size a 6 quarts tub is ideal, it provide the necessary security that is needed for an hatchling.

Pinkie Mice are not appropriated because they are colubrid food...WAY too small, no BP hatchlings even a runt would ever eat a pinkie mouse, they get started on hoppers and quickly move to adults , if not eating mice they eat rat crawlers however mice are much more enticing to BP which is why it would be my first choice to get this animal going.

Again, you need to offer a prey that is equal the girth size of your animal for now (no guessing, no weighing just eyeballing it).

Hatching need security, proper temps and properly sized food.

With new owners the number one reason why their animals do not eat is husbandry related which is the case here.

[macnmore]

This is why educating yourself on the animal before purchasing is good. We all do have questions, but even assuming a BP will eat a cricket? Go out and buy a 10gallon tank OR a 6qt shoe box (with locking lid) and use this till he reaches 400+g, then try him in the tank IF he eats fantastic, if not get a 15qt locking tub..... I say tubs because they are much cheaper and work as well if not better then glass tanks for overall necessities of a BP

Mutliple sites mention BP's eating crickets...so I'm not sure what your comment "...but even assuming a BP will eat a cricket?" is supposed to mean.
http://exoticpets.about.com/od/pytho...ll-Pythons.htm

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Mutliple sites mention BP's eating crickets...so I'm not sure what your comment "...but even assuming a BP will eat a cricket?" is supposed to mean.
http://exoticpets.about.com/od/pytho...ll-Pythons.htm

Just go to show that people put to much faith in college degrees , what an expert she is

[CORBIN911]

Mutliple sites mention BP's eating crickets...so I'm not sure what your comment "...but even assuming a BP will eat a cricket?" is supposed to mean.
http://exoticpets.about.com/od/pytho...ll-Pythons.htm

And that site is as useful as a colouring book. Not to be rude but some will eat large nice and maybe small rats IF they get that big... They can eat small rats at 600-800grams. So again please adequate research. Not off ask.com or yahoo

[jasonmcgilvrey83]

On this side there is a caresheet for ball pythons. Check it out. U should put your baby in a ten gallon tank. What type of heat are u useing and what are u keeping your heat and humidity at? Pinkies are way to small. Even a just hatched baby bp can eat a hopper or rat pup. Clutter up his cage and put a hide in there for him so he feels secure and leave him alone for a week before trying to feed him again. He will eat when he's ready. If u feel there's something wrong with him a vet trip won't hurt. I don't know where u got him from but major pet stores like pet smart and petco don't take very good care of their animals.

[Eric Alan]

I don't know where u got him from but major pet stores like pet smart and petco don't take very good care of their animals.

To be fair, there are smaller stores with "less than adequate" care as well. There is no reason to universally throw the big box stores under the bus, as there are plenty of caring people who work there and take good care of their animals. You can get both good and poor advice from anywhere - it doesn't matter what logo might be on their shirt (or what degree they might hold).

As a customer, it is your responsibility to have at least a small working knowledge before you walk in to a store and take home a new pet. That way you can spot those folks who are there because it's "just a job" and don't care enough to take it more seriously. This doesn't just apply to the pet industry, of course.

[macnmore]

I have a 75w basking light and a 60w night light. In his enclosure there is a fake tree for him to climb up on to get closer to the heat source and right next to that is a small cave like structure for him to hide in. On the other side of the cage is his water bowl and a bunch of the plastic green leafy stuff for him to hide under. I put the thermometer at the top of the cage where his light is so I could make sure he wasn't getting too hot and it's around 86-88 degrees with the basking light. I plan on getting 2 more thermometers, one to put at the bottom of the cage on the hot side and ont the bottom of the cool side so I can better regulate his temperatures. I currently don't have anything in the cage to check humidity but will run to the pet store over lunch to get something for that. Any recommendations?

In getting him last Thursday, he was very reluctant to move around the cage but from when I got home yesterday till I went to bed he was non stop moving. He climbed up the tree, went to the opposite side and drank some water, went back to the tree, and so on. Made his way around the cage for 3-4 hours straight. Checked on him this morning and he was under the green leafy stuff on the cool side of the cage. He has yet to go under the cave structure though.

If the 75w is only getting it up to 88 degrees max, should I look at upping that to a 100w bulb? Are the stick on thermometers adequate? If he continues to move around the cage actively, should I still move him to a smaller cage is is that a sign he's getting comfortable with his surroundings?

I did do research before buying him, but like everything else, there are so many sights that contradict each other I tried to take the most common suggestions from each site. Of course actually having the snake has raised more questions than I thought about before getting him. If anyone thinks it would help, I can take some pictures of the snake and cage tonight so you guys can see my setup and make recommendations from that.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I have a 75w basking light and a 60w night light. In his enclosure there is a fake tree for him to climb up on to get closer to the heat source and right next to that is a small cave like structure for him to hide in. On the other side of the cage is his water bowl and a bunch of the plastic green leafy stuff for him to hide under. I put the thermometer at the top of the cage where his light is so I could make sure he wasn't getting too hot and it's around 86-88 degrees with the basking light. I plan on getting 2 more thermometers, one to put at the bottom of the cage on the hot side and ont the bottom of the cool side so I can better regulate his temperatures. I currently don't have anything in the cage to check humidity but will run to the pet store over lunch to get something for that. Any recommendations?

In getting him last Thursday, he was very reluctant to move around the cage but from when I got home yesterday till I went to bed he was non stop moving. He climbed up the tree, went to the opposite side and drank some water, went back to the tree, and so on. Made his way around the cage for 3-4 hours straight. Checked on him this morning and he was under the green leafy stuff on the cool side of the cage. He has yet to go under the cave structure though.

If the 75w is only getting it up to 88 degrees max, should I look at upping that to a 100w bulb? Are the stick on thermometers adequate? If he continues to move around the cage actively, should I still move him to a smaller cage is is that a sign he's getting comfortable with his surroundings?

I did do research before buying him, but like everything else, there are so many sights that contradict each other I tried to take the most common suggestions from each site. Of course actually having the snake has raised more questions than I thought about before getting him. If anyone thinks it would help, I can take some pictures of the snake and cage tonight so you guys can see my setup and make recommendations from that.

Get a 6 quarts plastic tub (15 quarts at the very most)

Use aspen as bedding

Provide 1 or two PLASTIC flower pot saucer

Provide a hot side of 88 degrees. (Heat pad plus t-stat or lamp dimmer.)

Leave your BP alone for a week, NO HANDLING

Offer a live appropriately sized mouse (equal you BP's girth size)