Just got my first snake, a baby ball python...few questions I have

[Mr. Misha]

Lets start with that the tanks looks like a 20 gallon and definitely not a 40.

Here's a great write-up how to set up a 20 gallon:
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=201740


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[silly_sybin]

Nice looking snake! For feeding, start with mouse hoppers, nothing smaller. For f/t, heat the mouse to around 120F. Get an infrared thermometer gun to measure that and your surface temps inside the tank.

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[ArabianOak]

thanks for all the advice so far...few more things I would like to ask and mention...

*my snake seems to like to burrow under the bedding on the cold side of the tank away from the heat lamp...could this mean the tank is too hot?

*as far as creating humidity...would you guys rec'd a spray bottle and misting the bedding a few times daily?

*could a snake this young really eat live small mice or should I stick with the frozen arctic mice and heat them up as rec'd by a few of you?

[LittleTreeGuy]

thanks for all the advice so far...few more things I would like to ask and mention...

*my snake seems to like to burrow under the bedding on the cold side of the tank away from the heat lamp...could this mean the tank is too hot?
Could be... I would set a thermometer on the substrate under the lamp and see how hot it is. It maybe that it likes to hide, and the temperature under the substrate is what he/she really likes. Could be perfectly fine.

*as far as creating humidity...would you guys rec'd a spray bottle and misting the bedding a few times daily?
That will work, but will be cumbersome for you over time. Maybe try a slightly larger water bowl, or get a small bowl and put some sphagnum moss in it and wet that down a little. That will slowly release moisture and helps a bit.

*could a snake this young really eat live small mice or should I stick with the frozen arctic mice and heat them up as rec'd by a few of you?

Could/would/should... all different. If it is currently on frozen/thawed mice, my personal opinion would be to tell you to keep with the frozen/thawed. They are easy to store and cannot scratch or bite the snake. Many people feed live and don't have issues, but I know for me, i don't want to introduce the potential for injury to the snake if I don't have to. Aside from that, I don't have to worry about keeping live mice/rats alive until feeding day.

Just my two cents....

[Stewart_Reptiles]

*my snake seems to like to burrow under the bedding on the cold side of the tank away from the heat lamp...could this mean the tank is too hot?

The two main reason I see based on your setup are hides too big (it burrows for additional security, and hot spot too hot (not being regulated with a t-stat.

*as far as creating humidity...would you guys rec'd a spray bottle and misting the bedding a few times daily?

It's one of the option however depending on the bedding it can create molds, the best way to improve is to use a UTH instead of a light, use a bedding that holds humidity) , place the water dish partially over the UTH

*could a snake this young really eat live small mice or should I stick with the frozen arctic mice and heat them up as rec'd by a few of you?

They can take live right out of the egg.

There are a lot of things that need to be addressed husbandry wise for an animal that size.

[ArabianOak]

Thanks gang...I ran over to the store and picked up a 30-40 gallon terranium UTH....it doesn't have any options to regulate heat though...I placed it under the tank and put the water bowl slightly on it to create some humidity. I also picked up a temp and humidity gauge...where should I place that in the tank? on the light side or on the darker side?

I will buy another hide tomorrow and keep chipping away. By the way, I filled the water bowl up with fresh water and he came slithering along to have a fresh drink almost immediately...not sure if that is a good sign or not...can't believe how calm and passive this snake is. Being my first snake I expected a lot more distrust, but I have been calm and slow and he doesn't seem to mind me at all. I hope that's a good sign too.

thanks...let me know what else I can do.

[PitOnTheProwl]

...let me know what else I can do.

Unplug that unregulated heat mat until you get a thermostat or rheostat to regulate it before worse happens.

[Mr. Misha]

Unplug that unregulated heat mat until you get a thermostat or rheostat to regulate it before worse happens.

X2

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[ArabianOak]

Got it...I unplugged it...I will pick up a regulator for it tomorrow. I put the humidity and temp gauge on the light side of the terranium...humidity a tick over 40% and temp around 82/83...

[gameonpython]

Hey congrats on your new pet! Ball pythons are the best, especially when they are little worms like yours the setup you bought sounds good, it's just a matter of using it correctly. A baby bp can happily grow up in a 40 gal, so long as you clutter it and give him a ton of hiding spots. I personally prefer heat lamps over heat mats. They distribute the heat more and are a lot less faulty!! It's completely normal for your bp to refuse food after only 3 days. Give him a week to settle in, these guys don't handle change too well. As for feeding size, aim for a rat or mouse the same thickness as the thickest part of his girth. No bigger. I know someone said don't go any smaller than a hopper, but this is entirely untrue. My guy had to start on mouse fuzzies, that's how tiny he was! I tried going bigger too soon, and he couldn't handle it. Regurgitated rodents are not something you want to deal with!


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