New Ball Python Owner, Need help and assurance.

[FeathersRuff]

Another little update. She seemed to take to her cardboard coke hide, but she seems to be curling herself under it. I'm starting to think maybe I should just take her out of the tub and put her in the tank with her actual rock hide that is much larger but more sturdy. Then again I dont want to stress her though.

[Jon14]

Another little update. She seemed to take to her cardboard coke hide, but she seems to be curling herself under it. I'm starting to think maybe I should just take her out of the tub and put her in the tank with her actual rock hide that is much larger but more sturdy. Then again I dont want to stress her though.

Just clutter the tank up and she should do fine. Also, tape some paper on 3 of the sides so she doesn't feel so exposed.

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[chrid16371]

Just clutter the tank up and she should do fine. Also, tape some paper on 3 of the sides so she doesn't feel so exposed.

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Exactly what he said. Putting paper on the outside of 3 walls will make her feel secure. As far as putting her in the bigger tank I put my male in a 48x26x12 enclosure and cluttered it up a little and I can tell he is happier and he now eats better. All bp are different so you may not see the same results as me. Defiantly use 2 of the same hides with an enclosure that open and big, lots of fake plants and stuff to. People that don't use hides or only have 1 hide have there snakes in a tub in a rack so they feel secure already. With regular enclosures like I said above they are more open and they need the security so another hide on the cool side helps them cool down there body temp without being exposed. If they don't have that option they may stay in the hot hide and never get the chance to cool down bc of the lack of security. If the rock hide you have isn't snug on your snake she won't feel secure either so if it's to big you may need to buy or make a snug fitting hide and wait until she grows into the one you have. Another option is if the rock hide is a little big you can stuff it with sphagnum moss or news paper to make it more snug. As far as the coke box one not being sturdy there's tons of things you can make hides out of, just be creative! Sounds like your doing a good job, more questions you ask and more advice you take the happier you and your snake will be!

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[FeathersRuff]

Exactly what he said. Putting paper on the outside of 3 walls will make her feel secure. As far as putting her in the bigger tank I put my male in a 48x26x12 enclosure and cluttered it up a little and I can tell he is happier and he now eats better. All bp are different so you may not see the same results as me. Defiantly use 2 of the same hides with an enclosure that open and big, lots of fake plants and stuff to. People that don't use hides or only have 1 hide have there snakes in a tub in a rack so they feel secure already. With regular enclosures like I said above they are more open and they need the security so another hide on the cool side helps them cool down there body temp without being exposed. If they don't have that option they may stay in the hot hide and never get the chance to cool down bc of the lack of security. If the rock hide you have isn't snug on your snake she won't feel secure either so if it's to big you may need to buy or make a snug fitting hide and wait until she grows into the one you have. Another option is if the rock hide is a little big you can stuff it with sphagnum moss or news paper to make it more snug. As far as the coke box one not being sturdy there's tons of things you can make hides out of, just be creative! Sounds like your doing a good job, more questions you ask and more advice you take the happier you and your snake will be!

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Again thank you guys for all the advice, I'm really feeling easier for it. Right now shes curled up under the coke hide under the red bulb. The temp is a little high so I lifted the lamp up a bit and opened my window. Theres not much else I can do so late at night. Tomorrow though my uncle is visiting to take a look at her tank. I'm thinking I'm just gonna go ahead and put her in there. It'll be less of a hassle than the tub. He gave her her rock hide and new water dish but I don't think he has another similar hide, at least not one the same size. I only bought one plant so far but I'll see what else I can do. Her rock hide might be a little bit too big for her, so I'm gonna stuff some wood shaving bedding in it so its more of a snug fit.

I think once I have her in her tank, things will be a little easier. As silly as it sounds, I'm just really nervous about not taking proper care of her. Everyone says they're so low maintance but so far its been a lot. Once I have her in her tank and everything, I'm planning on letting her rest for a week or so (expect for wendesday when she needs to feed) and see what happens next.

[chrid16371]

Your doing good! It takes a little time to adjust and make sure everything is working right but after that it won't be as much of a hassle. If you don't have a similar hide still put another one in for the opposite side your putting the rock. Its better then nothing. Just make sure she uses both but if you see her never using one then you will need to figure out how to get 2 of the same. You won't know till you try and it may end up she will like both hides even though there different. What were your temps at that made you open the window? If your using heat lamps or che you can get a $15 lamp dimmer at Lowes to dim them with so they will give off less heat.

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[FeathersRuff]

Right now the temp is around 87. I think I need a better thermometer than this sticker on the glass. I'm also actually going to get a dimmer cord in the near future as well. It was mainly gonna be for the UTH I have but I could get one for the lamps as well, it would make temp control a whole lot easier right?

Probably the final time I'm ever gonna handle her for a while will be when I move her into her tank. After that I wont disturb her until its feeding time.

[chrid16371]

87 is decent for warm side 88-92 for the warm side is ideal and 78-82 for cool. Yes dimmers will make it easier but you will need to adjust them if the room temp changes where as a thermostat automatically adjusts to change so make sure you still watch your temps close with dimmers. If you ever get the chance to buy a good thermostat you should do so, it will make your life easier and a more stable environment for your snake. Those sticker thermometers are junk. You need a digital thermometer with probe. Acurite is what a lot of people use. You put probe on hot side and then set the unit itself on cool side so that way you can get the hot side temp, cool side temp, and humidity all from 1 unit. You can usually find them at Walmart for around $12. Here is a link to one similar to the ones I use.

http://www.amazon.com/AcuRite-00891A.../dp/B001BO8CUE

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[FeathersRuff]

Thanks! I found the same one of Amazon.ca ( I live in Canada so the shipping wont be as much). But I will definitely get that.

I do have a couple more questions to add on before I forget them.

1. Is it the daytime bulb is the hot side and the night time bulb the cool side? or is it vice versa?
2. How can I control the humidity?
3. She hasn't been very active at night. Is it because she still stressed or unhappy?

[chrid16371]

1. What is the average temp in your house? If its around 80 you don't need anything on cool side. If its colder than that in your house you will need another night time bulb bc when you shut off the daytime light the temp will drop and there is not suppose to be a night time drop. Since your not using uth right now I would put the night time bulb over the hot spot, some of the heat from that bulb will travel to the cool side. When you start using the uth you will use it as your hot side and then if your cool side is colder than 78 you will move the night bulb to the cool side and dim it down until you get between 78-82.

2. If your tank has a screen lid you need to cover as much as you can with aluminium foil or something the lights won't melt. Leave only enough of the screen uncovered to put your lamps on. This will help keep the humidity inside. You will want to mist the cage until you get a level of 50-60% humidity and bump up to 70 for shed. When you switch to uth putting the water bowl on top of where its at will help evaporate water into the air. The only thing is that glass tanks can be pain to keep humidity in especially with heat lamps but it can be done. Some people make home made foggers from humidifiers and put them on a digital timer, there are tons of YouTube videos showing how to do this.

3. It doesn't mean they are stressed or unhappy. Mine sometimes never come out at night either and sometimes they do. I don't necessarily think it means anything. Once you have had her awhile you will know her better and know when something is wrong but her not being active at night is nothing to be worried about. A lot of bp are pretty lazy and will hide and sleep all the time and might only come out a couple times a week or even just to eat Lol

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[FeathersRuff]

I'm not really sure what the temp usually is, but during the summer it is pretty warm. I just ordered that thermometer you showed me so once I get it I can take proper temps of my room and her tank. If you saw from the photos I posted I have her daytime lamp on the left and her night time on the right. I only leave one on at a time. The daytime one is sitting right on the wood just above the mesh screen. The night time bulb is a little raised to not be as hot as the day time. Once I take a temp of each side I'll adjust the lamps and their power (when I get the dimmers) correctly to stay at the perfect temps at all times. And what your saying is when I start using the UTH I dont need a daytime bulb anymore, just the night one? The night one is already on the cooler side, if thats what you mean. I would susspect the night time bulb would be less warmer than the daytime one.


The top of her tank is a homemade wood base with a mesh screen that the lamps sit on/hang above. Its not a terrible big space, with one bulb on each side it prett much covers the whole thing.Once I measure the humidity I'll be able to change it if I need to. I'll probably use a spritz bottle to give her tank a little light mist. A little condensation on the glass isnt a bad thing right? The question is she just shed a few months ago and she's not showing signs of any shedding now. So should I still keep the humidity to the norm until she shows signs?

Ok I was just unsure. Because the only time I ever see her move around a lot was when I put her back in her tank from handling her. She would move around looking at the tub walls and then eventually settle down. I don't know if that was stress or just her being all curious. I'm sure when I put her in her tank she'll explore it a bit as she did once before. She does show stress signs for sure sometimes, this I know. And as much as I feel bad for stressing her out I really want her to get comfortable.