New owner with some questions ☺️

[nightrainfalls]

but it is true.

The pet shop is often not a good place to get advice. The employees may mean well, and be animal lovers, but they may have very little experience.

They have given you some bad information, and sold you the things that are not optimum. Fortunately, all of the problems can be remedied.

First, changing the snakes cage during the settling in period is stressful so it is best to set the tank up correctly the first time. It is already to late for this, so let the cage stay the way it is until the first feeding. We just need to fine tune the temperature. This fact is important: Ball python's are nocturnal and do not need supplemental light. Unless you have living plants, you do not need a day light. In order to fine tune the temps, just use the night time light and get consistent temps. I run 88 degrees F on the warm side, 72-75 on the cool side. The exact numbers are not that important, since the snake can move to select the best temperature. The snake will not freeze to death on the cool side, but it may cook to death on the hot side. Snakes can get burned easily, so my never exceed temperature is 90 degrees. This gives a good safety margin.

Once your snake is settled in and eating, the other problems can be fixed one at a time.

Problem one: your sensors are in the wrong place, and of a type not known to be reliable. The sensors may be accurate but are too high in the tank to be of much good. Move the sensors down to the substrate, or better yet replace them with Acurite or similar thermometer/hygrometers with remote wire sensors. I like this one http://www.acurite.com/thermometer-w...red-probe.html . The snake will spend most of its time on the substrate, so that is were you want your temps to be optimum.

Problem two: The hide is too large for your snake. Ball pythons tend to like to cram themselves into very small hides. Two or three smaller hides placed along the heat gradient will be more comfortable. The card board tubes inside of paper towels or toilet paper are just about perfect, though unattractive. Put one in the large hide, and I will be you find your ball curled up in it relatively quickly. Once your realize how small a space balls take up, you can get an appropriately sized hide. Be creative. Use PVC Tube, or clay pots, or small cardboard boxes etc.

Problem three: The screen top and mister. When you upgrade your tank size, do not use a glass tank. Humidity rises and so does heat, so screen tops work against good husbandry. The towel you have on the top is a stop gap that makes your tank work, but a better solution is a tank designed or repurposed for snakes. Most of these tanks are made of plastic with a minimal amount of ventilation on the lower part of the sides, closed ceilings, and doors in front. If you have an appropriate sized water dish in a good snake enclosure, you will no longer need to mist.

An inexpensive option, though one that does not look good, are sterilte containers. You can easily put holes in these with a drill or hot nail, and they hold humidity really well. More expensive but better are t8 or t 10 tanks.

David.