Help?! New BP Owner and I think I messed up!

[MD_Pythons]

no, i have the little thermometer and hygrometer in the middle of the tank. i was going to get a thermometer for my under tank heater (from zoomed) but the guy that i was going to get it from said that i don’t need it and he wouldn’t want me to waste my money buying it.

Do you have a thermostat for your UTH? If not you need to unplug it ASAP, lest you burn your snake.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...e-a-thermostat

[Ernie Mccracken]

Sorry but your snake is now ruined forever. Not only does it hate you, but it will try to pick the cage lock with his tail so he can go after your family as well.

Seriously, just leave it be for a couple weeks. Let it get a few meals down and acclimate before worrying about handling.

[tttaylorrr]

no, i have the little thermometer and hygrometer in the middle of the tank. i was going to get a thermometer for my under tank heater (from zoomed) but the guy that i was going to get it from said that i don’t need it and he wouldn’t want me to waste my money buying it.

i'm going to be blunt, and this isn't directed at you in any way: that's the dumbest thing i've ever heard, and yet we hear it all the time.

ALL heat sources MUST be regulated by a thermoSTAT. not a thermoMETER; thermoSTAT, like this one. you will burn your snake alive without one; we've seen it countless times here, and it's not a matter of "if" but "when."

a thermostat also protects you and your home from catching on fire. it is VERY IMPORTANT that you unplug the UTH IMMEDIATELY and get a thermostat as soon as you possibly can. a thermostat is literally THE MOST important piece of equipment you will buy for your snake.

EDIT: i want to drill this home to you, so here's some pictures from older threads of burned snakes from people who did not regulate their heat sources. these are just the first few results, as there are countless.

thread 1


thread 2


thread 3

[Ax01]

no, i have the little thermometer and hygrometer in the middle of the tank. i was going to get a thermometer for my under tank heater (from zoomed) but the guy that i was going to get it from said that i don’t need it and he wouldn’t want me to waste my money buying it.

there's a difference between a thermostat and thermometer/hygrometer. a thermostat will regulate the heatsource and maintain it at a temp u set or shut it off when it gets too hot. a thermostat will only measure the temp and a hygrometer will measure the humidity. is 75-80 the ambient temp or the temp of your under tank heater? i'm sure it's much hotter than that and u need to unplug it until u get a thermostat or rheostat to control the temps.

it's not waste of money. it's the most important piece of equipment to have for your enclosure. u would "waste" more money on a vet bill if your BP got burned.

please get a thermostat. Step #4 of this set-up guide provides a few options for your budget: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-With-Pictures!

[Crowfingers]

First off - welcome to the Forum!

Now on to business - if the "guy" you were buying from did not suggest a thermometer for the Under the Tank Heater (UTH) then he may not have mentioned that it needs a thermostat to keep the temp at 90-91*F MAX. If it does not have one of these, turn it off IMMEDIATELY - it can and will burn your snake

The interior of the hot hide should be 88-90*F and the interior of the cool hide 80-83*F, the ambient air temperature should be 78-80*F, I like to aim for the warmer side of that. No temps anywhere in the cage should ever drop below 75 and never rise above 90-91*F

For hides, they need to be tight, dark, and secure - not those 1/2 log things. Your snake needs to be able to fit inside and comfortably curl up, its best if his sides are touching the sides of the hide

If he is in a tank, the top needs to be covered to maintain humidity of 55-70% (depending on shed schedule) or kept around 60 to be safe. Three sides of the tank need to be covered on the outside so he feels covered and safe. Fake plants can be added for cover.

All heat sources (cool hide, middle/ambient, and hot) need DIGITAL thermometers and the tank needs a DIGITAL hygrometer to measure both. The dial ones are not accurate. Also, nothing sticking should ever be in the tank.

Water bowl needs offered at all times.

Feed after a week of zero handling. Get a digital scale so you can weigh both him and his food. As a baby he needs to eat 10-15% of his body weight every 5-7 days. Don't worry about switching prey items yet - just make sure he eats. Once he has had 3 to 5 meals then you can start handling for short sessions. Just make sure not to handle withing 48-72 hours of feeding so he does not regurgitate

tttaylorr and Ax01 beat me to it - guess I'm too long winded lol

[tttaylorrr]

thread 2

this one is actually scale rot. my bad.

[hilabeans]

Hey kiddo, welcome to the forum and to BPs!!

It may seem overwhelming at first, but you must listen to the advice given. The idiot that sold you your snake set you off on the wrong foot, and you handled a little early, but all that can be corrected with patience and immediate attention. You've got your little buddy now, time to set him (and you) up for success.

Shopping List:
Thermostat (for each heat source, so if you're using a UTH and CHE, you'll need 2)
Temp Gun
Hygrometer (can be a thermometer/hygrometer combo)
2 identical hides (small, single opening, no half logs)
Humidity holding substrate (eco earth, coconut fiber, repti chips, reptile prime, and there are others)

Nothing with adhesive backing of any kind in the tank ever. If you've got the stick-on gauges, toss 'em.

With diligence and patience, you will get there! And definitely stick around here and absorb all you can from the world's finest reptile forum.

[Crowfingers]

Forgot to mention that getting an IR heat gun thermometer will make your life a lot easier - they are not expensive and are a great tool to use in conjunction with the digital thermometers. when I was new to keeping I had 5 thermometers and 2 hygrometers in my tank, now I have the IR gun, one in each hide and an ambient monitor

[Zincubus]

Forgot to mention that getting an IR heat gun thermometer will make your life a lot easier - they are not expensive and are a great tool to use in conjunction with the digital thermometers. when I was new to keeping I had 5 thermometers and 2 hygrometers in my tank, now I have the IR gun, one in each hide and an ambient monitor

Very true .

Digital temp guns similar to the one shown below are as little as $8 on eBay


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Team Slytherin]

Welcome! You've gotten some great advice so far - I know it can seem overwhelming, but once you get everything in place, you'll have the most low maintenance pet ever! Don't sweat. Is your snake stressed out? Yes. Is it all your fault and everything ruined? No.

The poor thing is a baby and he was just hauled to an expo, where he was probably displayed in a deli-cup for thousands of strangers in a brightly lit room with nowhere to hide. Then one of those strangers kidnapped him and he woke up in a weird new place. All that happened before you even handled him early. It will be fine; you've just got to give him a bit of space.

I'm only slightly ashamed to admit I've never been able to make it a full 7 days without handling a new acquisition and only 1 out of 6 has shown signs of stress because of it. (ironically, she is now the calmest snake I've ever held) Of course, I'm not advocating that you should mess with him early, I'm simply pointing out that you have definitely not ruined your relationship.

Give him an extra week or 2 to settle in so he can gain comfort and confidence. He deserves that. No need to change his water every day, you can go 2 or 3 days to give him a bit more peace. Baby snakes are prey for all kinds of animals, particularly ones that come from above, so they are understandably nervous.

Follow the husbandry advice mentioned above and let him chill until he eats a couple times. Then you'll have a great new friend for the next 20 years or so