First time Owner: Loads of Questions

[JulieAnne]

Tank Set Up...I took everyones advice and improvised a second hideout but I think the opening is too big! Will post another pic, but I am on a cell phone and doing this tge hard way!

[JulieAnne]

[treaux]

I know you've spent some money on the aquarium and all that so this may be hard to hear, but the best thing for your snake is to go buy a cheap Sterilite 15 quart tub (I like this one: http://www.sterilite.com/SelectProdu...=252&section=1 ) at Target or Walmart. Then read this thread: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...e-Basics-*DUW*

Make a basic tub setup and your snake will be much happier and start eating. I've had two baby snakes that just couldn't handle the glass aquarium and turned around within about a week in the tub enclosure.

[JulieAnne]

Wow...that just looks complicated. My sister bought the snake and its enclosure and since then I am the one caring for it. I will keep covering the tank, and hopefully with an additional hide and proper humidity she will start to feel happier. I will move soon and will have a walk in closet which if need be I can make the arrangments to put her in there.

I know you've spent some money on the aquarium and all that so this may be hard to hear, but the best thing for your snake is to go buy a cheap Sterilite 15 quart tub (I like this one: http://www.sterilite.com/SelectProdu...=252&section=1 ) at Target or Walmart. Then read this thread: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...e-Basics-*DUW*

Make a basic tub setup and your snake will be much happier and start eating. I've had two baby snakes that just couldn't handle the glass aquarium and turned around within about a week in the tub enclosure.

[gaitedappy]

I would clutter the tank a little more to make her feel better and to help humidity you can put plastic wrap on half of the screen top (I do that with mine). Also a heating pad from a pet store will create a hot spot if you don't have one already.


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[Asherah]

You've already got a tank, no need to go buy another enclosure. Tanks are not the best for ball pythons, but they can certainly be made perfectly suitable with a little work. If you search the forum you will find a number of display tanks and tank setups that people have done that can help you with ideas.
Close off as much of the top as you can, while still providing airflow and mist a couple times a day. You will be fine.

From the picture I would go with mice that are a step up from hoppers but not quite adult mouse size. Look for mice that have been weaned for a week or two. That should put you in an appropriate size range for her. This is just a guess based on a picture, so make sure you pay attention to the size of the mouse compared to the largest part of her body.

That is also a big tank for such a small guy. You've done great with adding the extra hide. I would add a bit more clutter for security. Do you have some driftwood, a log or some fake plants that you could add? Try to pick something that will not be overly difficult to clean. Stay away from cedar as well. Even balled up newspaper will work, though it wont look the best. Clutter up the tank so she feels less exposed.

You're on your way to providing a great home for her. Keep on reading and asking questions. Let us know how it goes.

[SekiMoshu]

Fake plants would be a great way to add some clutter in her tank, give her some more cover and make her feel more secure. Keep her heat up as other people have been suggesting with a warm spot of 90 and the cool side being in the low 80s. Something i've done for my little boy is I took some pieces of scrap-booking paper and covered the sides of the tank on the outside so it felt a bit more closed in and it looks great with his backdrop image. It also helps keep the tank a bit darker as well. These snakes are usually nocturnal and mine is pretty much a pet rock most of the time. If the plastic wrap trick doesn't work for you (strangely enough plastic wrap doesn't work in my house) another option is to wet a towel and place it over the top of the tank to keep the humidity between the recommended 50-60%. I usually have to do this all winter as it gets dry where I live. You might want to look into buying a kitchen scale to weigh her. I'm terrible at eyeballing the size of rat my baby needs to eat so I weigh him and then check the rat's weight every now and again to see about how long before he moves up to the next size. If you're good at eyeballing that's not as necessary but being able to check her weight if she's not eating is a good indicator if a vet trip is in order. Like the others said, if she's on frozen it's probably a good idea to keep her on frozen and she may be scared now since she's already been bitten. It's a life or death struggle for both parties if you feed your baby live and if she ends up sick at some point and that live rat or mouse is in there with her and she won't eat with you in the room, that rodent can very well start chewing on her and eat her alive. There are some terrifying horror stories about it around the web. I know it may be uncomfortable for you to deal with dead animals but she seems to be used to being left alone when she's eating in which case the only safe route is f/t or freshly killed. Keep us updated and hope this info helps a bit.