How active are Ball Pythons?

[nightrainfalls]

There have been some great answers on this thread. Please let me help you a little bit with husbandry. I think you are clearly very dedicated to your snake, your cage is beautiful, but you have made a few rooky mistakes that you can easily fix.

1. You got a snake before you had the tank set up and running perfectly. You should have had the UTH in place before putting the snake in. I run a tank for a few days before I move a snake in, to make sure everything is good. That said, your tank is beautiful and has plenty of hides. Contrary to earlier advice, a large tank is fine as long as there are plenty of hides.

2. Substrate, what is it? It looks like pine mulch. If it is, it should not be. Make sure you have a snake friendly mulch. Aspen or cypress are alright. Keep in mind that mulches are harder to clean than paper substrates.

3. Screen top glass aquarium. I wish pet shops would stop selling these for snakes. You are loosing heat and humidity through the top. Block as much of that off as possible. You need a restricted air flow. Your dial humidity sensor seems to read below 50%. That is too low. I shoot for 50%-65% with a small high humidity hide at 75% to 90%. A wet sponge will keep a small hide humid. Your snake will use a humid spot before shed.

4. I did not see a water dish. You need a large one. BP's drink a lot. A large water dish helps with humidity.

5. You are feeding too soon. Your snake has just been through a terrible trauma. I don't feed for at least a week. When I do feed I make sure the mouse is thoroughly thawed and then I use hot water (150 degrees f) to get the mouse to ~100 degrees. I use a laser thermometer to make sure the temp is good. I also try not to handle the snake during the first two weeks.

6. The white lights are fine during the day. You should use a timer to maintain a 12 hours on off cycle. Use a ceramic heat lamp at night.

7. Find a vet boarded in exotics right away. I try to get the first stool checked for parasites and the snake to the vet within the first month for an exam. I have found that pet shop snakes can have worms and mites.

Please keep us posted on your progress. Best of luck.

David