Congrats on your new addition!
Do you have natural light that comes into the room he is in? I personally think having a day/night cycle is good for our snakes even if they are nocturnal. I would recommend a day bulb if there isn't any other kind of light in his room (doesn't have to be for heat, just need a light source). Ball pythons aren't baskers so I would definitely recommend getting a heat mat with a thermostat for belly heat in addition to, or to replace the heat lamp, as soon as possible.
I don't think the fact he didn't ball up is a sign of stress; I've had a couple that didn't do this when I first acquired them either, and were more interested in their surroundings. I think the real test on how stressed he is or isn't will be if he eats for you. Hissing and refusing to come out of their ball are signs of stress. Increased respiration is also a sign of a stressed animal of any kind. But handling them when they are stressed isn't necessarily a bad thing (if there's a purpose to it, that is) provided you do it for short periods of time.
I would feed him once a week and make sure his prey is the appropriate size - it should be about as big around as the widest part of his body.
Ball pythons like an enclosed space so I would recommend switching the log hide out with something that only has one opening. He might feel too exposed otherwise and not use this as often. I would also recommend putting his humid hide on the warm side - he'll probably never use it if it's cold.
I don't know how often you're misting, but I would do it a least twice a day.
Reply With Quote