New Parent; Help!

[Rue]

Hi there, I'm a first time parent to my new BP seeking general advice in almost every category (I apologize in advance!)

Overview

• Purchased Friday March 13th, 2015
• Colombian Red Tail Ball Python (At least that's what I was told, I'm not experienced)
• Named RUE (Former name was Shiloh, which wasn't fitting in my opinion)
• He is currently 4 1/2 years old (no documentation or records to prove it, store owner was in possession of him since July of 2014)

• He is approximately 4 1/2 feet long.

• His skin is shiny, silky, very soft.

• He appears healthy, no RI or other illness symptoms.

• Rue is also very alert to things around his tank, He sees my pit bull walking around the room and recognizes when I return home from work.

Feeding

• Rue eats LIVE rats; The store owner educated me on the benefits from feeding live rats.

I have a concern when it comes to feeding live rats. During the second feed, while Rue was uncoiling I noticed the rat had BIT him underneath his jaw. Though I didn't see any wounds and he wasn't bleeding from the bite, I'm worried about the possibilities and complications that come with feeding live rats. As soon as I saw him uncoil I called the reptile store owner and she reassured me that sometimes they do get bite, she walked me thru looking at the wound as well as having me explain the satiation. She does sell frozen/thawed rats if i so choose to change from live rats. I want Rue to be able to have the nutritional value from live as well as keeping his hunting skills strong. I'm just worried he will get wounded from a bad bite. Any advice on what to do if he does get bite very badly? Or even a small bite that makes him bleed?

• I always sanitize when it comes to handling Rue, but when it comes to feeding I sanitize 3x more without even thinking about it (my poor hands....they get so dry)
• Rue has a very healthy appetite; everything related with feeding goes very smoothly. Rue is quick to recognize there is prey and coils very fast. He has never hissed, or struck at me before/after feeding.
• I was advised that rue is conditioned to eating in his enclosure. After all the research though I wasn't comfortable with the idea, I decided to purchase a LARGE (2ft x 3ft) see-thru plastic container from Walmart for feeding. Its a typical container with latching sides but when I feed Rue I usually only put the lid on 2/3rd's of the way with a towel so he feels secure with enough privacy. Honestly, I'm not comfortable with putting the lid on all the way or even latching with fear he won't have enough air.
• I leave Rue in his container for about 20-30min AFTER he has FULLY swallowed his meal, after the 20-30min I place him on the warm side of his tank where he lays under his lamp, on top of his heating pad for HOURS (4+) after his long nap he usually slithers to his hide until the next day.
• I clean Rue's container with water/bleach solution before/after all feedings.

1. The day I took rue home (Friday, March 13th) I was provided with a small rat (about 3 1/2 inches) with instructions to feed him stating it had been 7 days since he last ate. About 4 days later, i found fecal matter in his hide which was surprising because most forums say BP's usually soil in water. Equally surprising, his fecal matter was almost equal size to my adult Pit-bulls fecal matter. Also, up to this time frame no urine as of yet.
2. March 19th 2015, Rue's appetite was in full swing he was very adventurous in his attempt to search the whole room for food. The owner of the reptile store supplied me with a larger rat this time (4 1/2 - 5 inches)

• Last night March 23rd, 2015 I found Urine (which almost is surprisingly weird looking, Egg like) I cleaned it up after checking his whole tank for any other surprises. Around 4 hours after finding the first urine deposit, i found another. Is this normal? This is the first urine since i purchased him.

Enclosure
When I purchased Rue, He had a lot of things included (mostly everything I need for him) with the very expensive bundle. I have purchased a few things myself from different locations.

• New 55 gallon Tank w/ lid. Don't worry, I scrubbed it before putting my precious Rue in it. Water/bleach solution. His tank lives on my desk which fits it like a glove, it slide right in, so there is wood above it as well. I also keep a black towel over his tank that meets next to the lamp.

• Fluker Night lamp w/ bulb, on the right side of tank.
• Fluker Large heating pad, i have it taped up underneath his tank directly under the lamp.
• Cocoa dirt. I was amazed when it expanded! Also, one of his favorites!
• Aspen substrate (he's not a huge fan, i don't think ill use it again)
• Moss (He loves it!)
• Water dish (stone) The water dish is currently to small for his to soak his WHOLE body in, I plan to get him a ZOO MED XTRA LARGE within his week. I change his water daily.
• 2 Thermostates (cool;warm) Warm side: stays 89f - 92f Cool side: 82f - 86f
• Hide - Half log. I baked it in the oven before putting it in his tank (also, I think its a tad to small, when he lays under it the log becomes uneven it goes up into the air I'm guessing its a large, I do plan to buy an EXTRA LARGE half log within the next week as well.
• Water bottle (Misting) I fill it with hot water everyday. I mist Rue, his substrate, and empty the remainder into his water dish after emptying out the old water.
• ROCK - My boyfriend brought home a huge rock from the beach (bowling ball size) I baked in the oven for about 45min and let cool over night before putting in the enclosure. It sits under the lamp, above the heating pad. He loves climbing on it!
• Humidity - It stays around 50-70 % with the misting everyday. Im curious about buying an automatic mister because he loves being misted. I just haven't researched it enough yet.

Shedding

• On Sunday, March 22nd 2015 I noticed my little Rue has a pink belly! When i purchased him, the store owner advised me that he should be shedding soon. His scales are only a little bit dull and his eyes aren't blue yet. I've read very mixed opinions on BATHING. I would love to give my Rue a warm bath in the tub for about 10-15min to help with his shed. I do not want to bath him if its going to do more harm than good i.e. stress, anxiety, etc.
• He is due for another yummy rat on this coming Friday March 27, 2015. He hasn't produced any fecal matter from the second feeding yet. I've read that most snakes don't have much of an appetite while in shed, Thoughts? Should I hold off getting a meal until after his shed? Should I try to feed him the rat? How long can I keep the rat before it is no longer good?

Temperament

• Rue truly is a python. He is docile, gentle, and loving. He loves to explore, being held, and even taking a nap in my hair from time to time. He has been very patient with me, as I am still learning. He has never hissed, struck, or even been aggressive with me. The only time his brat side comes out is when it comes time to go back into his tank, he tries hold onto everything just to send more time with me and outside the tank. I hold him before work for 10-30min and after work 1-2 hours every day.
• Is burrowing normal? One day I returned home from work thinking he had escaped form his tank. He was burrowed underneath his substrate 100% I called the reptile store (that poor lady, I call her a lot though she said she doesn't mind) and she said he is probably just getting comfortable with his new enclosure. He was burrowed on the warm of his tank, it was only a couple of days after I brought him home. He has only burrowed that one time, hasn't since. His hide was in his tank at the time.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my novel! I'm glad I joined the BP forums as I have many questions for my loving BP's health, safety, and quality of life. Hopefully I can seek the advice I need hear instead of calling the poor lady that I bought him from all the time. Though, I do buy my rats there so I will still be able to give her updates which she said she would enjoy when i bought him!

[Asherah]

wait... pictures... You have sort of stated that you have two different things a Colombian Red Tailed Ball Python (to my knowledge) is not a thing.
These are two different species. Unless there's a new morph I don't know about. Either you have a ball python or a Colombian Red Tailed Boa...

- - - Updated - - -

*edit - if its the snake in your picture you don't have a ball python you have a boa.

[Rue]

This is the exact reason I wanted to join these forums. She said she wasn't sure "it might be a morph" and I don't know much about the breeds. So, I don't have a python. I have a boa? What type?

Also, thank you for responding!

[Asherah]

Can you post more pictures? I'm not a boa person but it looks to be a red tail. They have different requirements from Bp's and will need a large enclosure and they can reach over 10 feet.

[C2tcardin]

Congrats on your pick up and welcome to the forum.

A red tail is a Boa though so one of the mods may move your post over to their sub forum just so you get better responses. From what I can see everything you put was, well for lack of a better term, awesome! talk about all the right info and in a first time posting, I'm sure others here will appreciate your thoroughness. I would say that it is likely that Boa's are the same when it comes to feeding in their tubs or not. There is always spirited debate here on which method is best, having done both with my BP's I can say feeing in their tub is easier and really makes no difference. These animals eat so any time you open their tank/tub and they're awake they're thinking food. As for live vs F/T most say it's the biting of the snakes that worry them the most too which is why I prefer F/T over live. You may be able to switch him over to F/T if you let him skip a meal it's amazing what being hungry will make anyone do.

[Rue]

Before I take it down from python and post it on boas which will end up having more questions now that some things might need to change. I wanted to post a couple of pictures i JUST took of him just to be 100% for you guys to look at. Thank you for responding! Let me know if I need to post a different picture, i can take him out of his tank and take pictures (he's a patient doll) if needed for verification.
It only let me copy and paste, Im sorry! Still getting the hang of this!


file:///Users/daytonrufuswagner/Downloads/image1.JPG
file:///Users/daytonrufuswagner/Downloads/image2.JPG

[Rue]

I put links to the pictures. Thank you.

[C2tcardin]

From the close ups in your profile I say definitely a Boa not a Python, their heads are shaped differently. No problem though a lot of the guys and gals on here have Pythons, Retics, and Boas. If you're not getting much of a response here just kindly ask one of the mods to move it for you, don't create another thread as that just gets confusing. One big thing, and someone touched on it earlier, is that Red Tail Boas can grow up to an average size of 7 to 8 feet in length with rare cases reaching as much as 10 feet. If you had planned on a ball python getting to 4 feet or so you're going to be in for a surprise in a few years.

[Sauzo]

I cant see the links but if it was sold as a Colombian Red Tail boa, it is a BCI(Boa Constrictor Imperator) vs true red tail boas which are BCC(Boa Constrictor Constrictor). BCI are easier to care for and much more forgiving on husbandry issues. They generally are smaller than BCC although that's not to say you couldn't up with a 10' female BCI. On average though, males are around 6' and females are around 8' Both my girls are BCI and I love them to death. They are sweeties and have never hissed or bit me. Rosey did head butt me as a baby but I scared her. Since then, she is just a 6ft lounge snake.

[Rue]

I honestly am at a loss right now if Rue is BCI or a BCC.