Questions about my daughter's new BP

[Craiga 01453]

BP's need belly heat for digestion. Side mounting is no good, ignore the packaging as it is made for many types of reptiles.

Ambient temps really don't matter that much until they go below 70, so no need for any other heating devices besides the heat mat.

I never ever see my BP out unless I take him out. If I did see him out during the day I would immediately think something was wrong. They don't call them "pet rocks" for nothing.

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I have to disagree. BPs don't need belly heat for digestion. It helps to aid in digestion however, but is not needed. I don't run belly heat with any of my pythons.

It's important to understand the heat mat isn't designed for ambient temps. They're designed solely to provide a hot spot. Putting it on the side unfortunately is essentially useless.

Also, ambient temps are important, otherwise they wouldn't be discussed as a part of basic husbandry. You also never want to go as low as 70°. 75% should be the absolute minimum, while aiming for 78-80.

Without knowing where you live or the ambient temperature of the room the snake is in its impossible to determine whether you need an additional heat source. IMPORTANT - ALL HEAT SOURCES SHOULD BE REGULATED BY A THERMOSTAT.
It's fine if the heat lamp is on all day, but likely isn't needed in the summer, but that depends on your location and room temps as well.

Yes, BPs spend the vast majority of their time hiding. Not a concern, especially since the snake is still acclimating to his new environment.
That being said, if they're out and about during the day it doesn't mean something is wrong.

Lastly, I STRONGLY advise holding off on handling the snake until it is eating reliably. You'll have 20+ years for handling. Eating is priority right now.
I always suggest new keepers wait until the snake has eaten 3 consecutive meals without refusal.

Right now, focus on getting husbandry dialed in, leave the snake alone to acclimate and make sure he's eating reliably.

Oh....I actually just looked at the pic of the enclosure....
You'll want to clutter it up more. You may even have to downsize the enclosure for a while. BPs crave security and that enclosure offers almost none. You'll want to black out the sides and back of the enclosure as well.