New Owners, New Snake, please help

[Thelittlecoggirl]

Welcome, congrats on your new snake...

1. BPs don't need any sort of light cycle and actually prefer dark, hidden spaces.

2. I'm not 100% sure what you mean here, but based on your enclosure size and 4 different hides, your snake probably hasn't found a "comfortable" spot yet. It is advised to have identical hides of the appropriate style and size. With such a huge enclosure, you'll probably want 3 or 4 hides, preferably identical. BPs can be very finicky and will often sacrifice temps for a hide they like that fits properly, so identical hides will often remedy this situation.
-Your snake may also be hungry. What and when was your snakes last meal?
-As mentioned above, a hiding BP is a happy BP generally. But if his head is outside his hide or he's exposed at all, he's not comfortably hidden.

3. That enclosure is HUGE for a juvenile BP, so dividing it may be a good idea at some point. If you want to try keeping your snake in that enclosure it's up to you. However, heating and humidity control will be difficult, and security may be an issue. Husbandry is the most important part of keeping a healthy BP. If your BP isn't eating, it is usually husbandry related, and that starts with the enclosure itself. Temps and humidity are also extremely important and part of your husbandry.
- If you fill that enclosure with tons of clutter, get the temps and humidity dialed in properly and your snake is healthy and eating well you are probably fine using that enclosure. However, if your husbandry is off, your snake may not eat and the enclosure/husbandry will be the most likely reason.

4. As long as the enclosure is secure and the cat isn't jumping on it and what not, sure. My cat comes into my snake room occasionally, looks around, loses interest and goes on her way. Where you have your snake in your bedroom and the cat sleeps in there, I'm guessing your cat will be curious, check things out and lose interest fairly quickly.
-I strongly advise putting the cat in a separate room when the snake is out of it's enclosure though.

5. Tips for beginners: Read, read, read. Study the stickies on this forum about husbandry, study and research all you can about BPs as pets, Learn all you can about the species as a whole. The more you know about the animal, the better you are equipped to properly care for it. Watch your snake, observe the movements, mannerisms, etc...and learn what they mean...
Ask questions. The majority of the people on this site are happy to help as long as you're willing to learn. There are decades of experience on this forum, knowledge acquired through years and years with thousands upon thousands of snakes. You'll learn pretty quickly who the experienced keepers are who give good advice. These people are willing to share their experience, knowledge and time, take advantage...


Now, tell us more so we can help you more...

A) Are you regulating your temps (UTH and lights) with a thermostat?? This is probably the most important thing you can buy for your snake.
If not, your are risking serious burns or worse to your snake. Those heat mats can spike to temps as high as 120, which can be fatal. If it's not on a thermostat, please UNPLUG it ASAP.

B) You use an infra red thermometer (I assume you mean a temp gun?), but where are you measuring temps? Have you got other thermometers?

C) You say the humidity is right where you live, but how do you know that without a hygrometer? The relative humidity in the air where you live will affect your enclosure's humidity, but it will be different inside the enclosure.

Some pics of your setup will also help us help you.


Oh also.....As tempting as it is to handle your new pet, leave your BP alone to get acclimated into his new home. No handling for at least a week. I always wait until my snakes have eaten 3 consecutive meals with me without refusal before doing much handling. 48 hours after the first successful feeding it's ok to start with very minimal handling, but I like to wait until they are on the right track and eating well. With proper care, you'll have this snake for 25-30 years. waiting a few weeks to handle is in the best interest of the animal


For a beginner though, start with the stickies about husbandry. There is a lot to learn and it all starts with having the proper setup and getting your husbandry dialed in. Get your setup right and go from there...

Good luck! We're here if you have any further questions.

1. YAY! Thats really good news.
2. I provided a photo in a reply. He was fed Sunday. We plan to feed Wednesdays. Looking at other comments I'm going to cut down some plastic containers and see if that works better. Bigger hids can come out when he grows.
3. I will pick up humidity stuff ASAP today. Both measurement and a dehumidifier for the room. Where we picked him up from didn't bring up much if anything on humidity control.
4. Thats what I've been doing! I love reading and I love animals. Mostly I'm just upset at how unprepared we are and how large the range of opinions on care are. Don't get me wrong, I knew there would be some as I grew up with dog breeders in AKC settings. Wow, reptiles have so much stuff with so many competing view points....

A. YES I would never get an animal in a tank without a thermostat. We have an infared one, is that ok? I'll post a photo on the bottom.
B. See photo below, and now we don't have others, should we?
C. I will pick up humidity control ASAP

I know that now. I feel really bad because I read about that right after I had taken him out for a little bit... My own fault for not reading more sooner.

Ok! I wlll work diligently to improve out setup.