Wow this is wrong

[nightrainfalls]

here is some terrible advice on how to keep a ball python. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/ar...articleid=2382 This article includes every single mistake a beginner could make.

[kylearmbar]

Wow, I could not believe a Veterinarian would put that misleading information on there. I may have sent an email updating him on correct husbandry....

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Wow, I could not believe a Veterinarian would put that misleading information on there. I may have sent an email updating him on correct husbandry....

[Nodnarb3do]

It should be made of wire mesh to provide proper ventilation.

Sure, if you live in the tropics where humidity isn't an issue at all.

There are two main things that your Ball Python absolutely must have in his enclosure - a hidebox and climbing branches

So...you'd file water dish under optional?

[nightrainfalls]

I sent them a detailed e-mail. Everyone else should to.

[Nodnarb3do]

I'll stick to snide remarks for now, I've only had my BP for about a month. I'll leave corrections to the more experienced.

[Eric Alan]

If you don't mind my asking, what did you find so egregiously terrible and misleading about the article?

Also, to clear up any confusion, Drs. Foster & Smith is an online pet retailer (owned by Petco as of earlier this month) - not a veterinarian.

[JLC]

I didn't think it was that bad. Not great....will make a beginner spend way more money to house their snake than they need, to...but nothing in there is going to make a snake sick. I think my only main disagreement would be the nighttime temperature drop. But even that is not totally off the charts on the responsibility scale. Many other things I find unnecessary, but not detrimental in general.

As mentioned, it's not a vet writing this, but a pet supplies retailer...and they're hard-wired to create their "care sheets" in such a way as to sell as many supplies as they can. At least they said NOT to use a hot rock.

[OhhWatALoser]

If you don't mind my asking, what did you find so egregiously terrible and misleading about the article?

Also, to clear up any confusion, Drs. Foster & Smith is an online pet retailer (owned by Petco as of earlier this month) - not a veterinarian.

Honestly I thought the same thing. I mean climbing branches aren't needed at all, but there is not much harm in them being there. Same with the night drop temp, water temps, and lighting schedule. A screen top lid might not hold humidity well, but some sort of cover can easily mend that issue. They are making these things harder to take care of than they really are, but I've seen worse advice given within the hobby.

[nightrainfalls]

If you don't mind my asking, what did you find so egregiously terrible and misleading about the article?

We might start with the unregulated UTH. How many posts have we seen on this forum about burnt snakes?

We might add that the snake has to choose between warmth and a good hide since the only hide is on the cool side.

UV light for a nocturnal species. Yeah that is wrong as well.

This set up will lead to a stressed, burnt snake, but other than that it is fine, actually, no it isn't but at least the rest isn't fatal

[Eric Alan]

We might start with the unregulated UTH. How many posts have we seen on this forum about burnt snakes?

Burnt by their blistering hot recommendation of a 90° F hot spot? Just because they didn't include a thermostat on the checklist doesn't mean that they didn't talk about regulating the proper temperatures.

We might add that the snake has to choose between warmth and a good hide since the only hide is on the cool side.

You mean choosing between a hide covered in artificial plants on one side and cluttered up branches and artificial plants on the other? Seems to me like they're recommending a good starting point to try to make a BP feel comfortable in its new environment.

UV light for a nocturnal species. Yeah that is wrong as well.

Sure, they don't need the UV, but it isn't going to harm them in any way. If I still had display cages I'd have lights on them as well. I wouldn't spend the money on UV bulbs, but this guide was written by a pet supply retailer - not a budget minded hobbyist.

This set up will lead to a stressed, burnt snake, but other than that it is fine, actually, no it isn't but at least the rest isn't fatal

Again - what are you seeing as fatal? There isn't anything here that would directly lead to health problems if you follow their recommendations.

The guide was written by a sales team and they got a majority of their facts straight. Kudos to them. After these initial care guides made by the retailers get people pointed in the right direction, those customers tend to do more research for themselves and find places like this site where they can learn all of the nitty-gritty details on how to fine-tune their setup. And we love them for it.