Feeding help and what I have tried so far???

[Stewart_Reptiles]

To answer the questions.

My aquarium stile tank is 20 gallon size. I do keep a towel over the entire tank.

The cooler side fluctuates between 75 and 83 degrees. Under tank heating pad for the warmer side.

The hide is a little larger on the warmer side than the cooler side. The cooler side hide is snug. He does fit but barely.

Temp and humidity is measured digitally.

I think he is stressed.

I don't have a way to weigh him. I will get a gram scale.

I think someone said that feeding (2 and 3) in his cage is bad. Everyone said not to handle him. How am I supposed to put him in the feeding box then?

Here are some of your problem for now until you give more details, in a glass cage you want both hides to be identical and snug so the animal does not chose security over thermo-regulation potential issue.

Your temps on the cool side should fluctuate 2 degrees at the most not 8, that is another potential reason for the animal not to eat.

Now for the other questions.

Please post a picture of snake by dollar bill for comparison or in your hand.

Where do you take your reading and what is your temp on the warm side?

How many attemtps total did you make and how many days apart?

DO NOT FEED unless you have answer all question and addressed all problem that have been pointed out so far, and giving it a least a week before offering again from adjusting issues.

[Skyrivers]

Here are some of your problem for now until you give more details, in a glass cage you want both hides to be identical and snug so the animal does not chose security over thermo-regulation potential issue.

Your temps on the cool side should fluctuate 2 degrees at the most not 8, that is another potential reason for the animal not to eat.

Now for the other questions.

Please post a picture of snake by dollar bill for comparison or in your hand.

Where do you take your reading and what is your temp on the warm side?

How many attemtps total did you make and how many days apart?

DO NOT FEED unless you have answer all question and addressed all problem that have been pointed out so far, and giving it a least a week before offering again from adjusting issues.

My avatar is the snake in question. Much larger than a dollar bill. You can see me holding him.

I am investing in a temperature regulating system for him but will not arrive till tomorrow. Could not find locally. Getting one that regulates both temp and humidity. Also my only heating method at this moment is the under tank heating pad. Is this enough? Do I need to get a heat lamp for ambient temp and then use the heating pad for the hot spot only? 4 attempts in 3 weeks. One was with regular white rat. The rest with African rat (was suggested by the pet store). I will get another hide the same shape and size as the one on the cooler side tonight.

[MissterDog]

My avatar is the snake in question. Much larger than a dollar bill. You can see me holding him.

I am investing in a temperature regulating system for him but will not arrive till tomorrow. Could not find locally. Getting one that regulates both temp and humidity. Also my only heating method at this moment is the under tank heating pad. Is this enough? Do I need to get a heat lamp for ambient temp and then use the heating pad for the hot spot only? 4 attempts in 3 weeks. One was with regular white rat. The rest with African rat (was suggested by the pet store). I will get another hide the same shape and size as the one on the cooler side tonight.

You sure you mean a thermoSTAT and not a thermoMETER right? Kira already linked to a good budget friendly thermostat to get started on if you are tight on money. However if you are willing to spend more for a higher quality thermostat with better longetivity I highly recommend herpstats.

https://www.spyderrobotics.com/index...=index&cPath=1

As for African soft furs you'd be better off fixing your husbandry first and keeping with regular rats before pursuing asf. Unless you have readily available supplier they can be incredibly hard to come by on a regular basis and I've often heard of ball pythons being unable to switch back to any other prey once they've been established on afs. So be careful with afs unless you are ready to commit to only feeding asf and finding back up suppliers and hope they stay in business say 5-10 years from now. Just a possibility you may need to consider depending where you live.

But as others already pointed out your first focus is addressing your husbandry before feeding and answer Deborah's questions.

If you are only using a heat pad, which does nothing for ambient temps, then yes you may want to invest in a CHE lamp (on a thermoSTAT) to raise and maintain a steady ambient instead of dealing with fluctuations. And yes have your heat pad for a hot spot. Just keep in mind you will need BOTH your CHE and heatpad regulated by a thermostat.

[Skyrivers]

You sure you mean a thermoSTAT and not a thermoMETER right? Kira already linked to a good budget friendly thermostat to get started on if you are tight on money. However if you are willing to spend more for a higher quality thermostat with better longetivity I highly recommend herpstats.

https://www.spyderrobotics.com/index...=index&cPath=1

As for African soft furs you'd be better off fixing your husbandry first and keeping with regular rats before pursuing asf. Unless you have readily available supplier they can be incredibly hard to come by on a regular basis and I've often heard of ball pythons being unable to switch back to any other prey once they've been established on afs. So be careful with afs unless you are ready to commit to only feeding asf and finding back up suppliers and hope they stay in business say 5-10 years from now. Just a possibility you may need to consider depending where you live.

But as others already pointed out your first focus is addressing your husbandry before feeding and answer Deborah's questions.

If you are only using a heat pad for your hot spot, which does nothing for ambient temps, then yes you may want to invest in a CHE lamp (on a thermoSTAT) to raise and maintain a steady ambient instead of dealing with fluctuations. Just keep in mind you will need BOTH your CHE and heatpad regulated by a thermostat.

I ordered this for the over head heat lamp and humidity.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I also ordered the one that was linked for the heating pad. Now lets talk about settings? So much conflicting information here as well. What settings to use for all 3?

[Skyrivers]

I am so grateful to everyone who is offering advice. A little history about me. I have had 2 corn snakes, 1 king snake, and 1 rather mean green tree boa. This is my first ball python. I fell in love with the different morphs and am studying how they are genetically driven. I am so excited to move into the world of larger snakes. I hope what I learn with my first ball will help me become a better caretaker for future pythons I will eventually own. I just downloaded the app that will allow me to share photos.

[tttaylorrr]

I ordered this for the over head heat lamp and humidity.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I also ordered the one that was linked for the heating pad. Now lets talk about settings? So much conflicting information here as well. What settings to use for all 3?

this is where you need to play scientist and run some tests on your own. everyone's environment and location is different so there is no one set way to achieve the proper temperatures. you need to create a 90° F hot spot, a 75-80° F cold side, and ~60% humidity, and how you achieve that with your equipment is up to you and your knowledge.

the thermostat probe for the UTH is placed between the UTH and the bottom of the enclosure OUTSIDE of the enclosure. this is very important, as you measure the temperature of the hot spot inside the enclosure BELOW any substrate. you'll likely have to set the thermostat for the UTH a couple degrees higher than the ideal hot spot (90° F). for the heat lamp, you're going to have to dangle the probe just above the substrate and adjust the settings for the lamp to the temperature readings in the enclosure.

does this make sense?

[Skyrivers]

this is where you need to play scientist and run some tests on your own. everyone's environment and location is different so there is no one set way to achieve the proper temperatures. you need to create a 90° F hot spot, a 75-80° F cold side, and ~60% humidity, and how you achieve that with your equipment is up to you and your knowledge.

the thermostat probe for the UTH is placed between the UTH and the bottom of the enclosure OUTSIDE of the enclosure. this is very important, as you measure the temperature of the hot spot inside the enclosure BELOW any substrate. you'll likely have to set the thermostat for the UTH a couple degrees higher than the ideal hot spot (90° F). for the heat lamp, you're going to have to dangle the probe just above the substrate and adjust the settings for the lamp to the temperature readings in the enclosure.

does this make sense?

Yes it does.

The pet store guessed he was 6-8 months old. Does that seam correct?

Here are some pictures.

Sent from my N9560 using Tapatalk

[tttaylorrr]

Yes it does.

The pet store guessed he was 6-8 months old. Does that seam correct?

Here are some pictures.

Sent from my N9560 using Tapatalk

honestly it's impossible to tell from a photo. weight is a better indicator. and just so you know, he looks very plump. a few missed meals aren't hurting him at all.

[CALM Pythons]

Yes it does.

The pet store guessed he was 6-8 months old. Does that seam correct?

Here are some pictures.

Sent from my N9560 using Tapatalk

Id say yes at least 8 months if its a male & comparing him to the Hand size and length..id say 660 grams although a pic can be very deceiving. Great looking snake though and no where's near underfed or unhealthy. Congrats on the Pet.


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[tttaylorrr]

the thermostat probe for the UTH is placed between the UTH and the bottom of the enclosure OUTSIDE of the enclosure. this is very important, as you measure the temperature of the hot spot inside the enclosure BELOW any substrate.

a picture is worth a thousand words...