Help Please!!!

[Draculasgirl]

Hey Everyone, Im new so if I posted in the wrong place I am sorry...

I got my BP from a pet store and it is CB. The tank I have my BP in is a 20 long and I keep the tank in my room so there is not a lot of noise. I don’t know how old she is but she is about 3 1/2 feet long. She hisses at me when I try to touch her. The temp stay about the same, hot side is 80 and the cool side is 75. The humidity stay between 50 to 60 %. I have one heat source a 25 watt red bulb. I keep her in the same tank when I try to feed her and I offer her live mice. I usually offer her food at night time but I have tried both day and night. How would I raise the humidity? One more thing, when I got her she was dull looking and still is, it is just getting worse.

Now that I have told ya’ll all of that I have a couple of questions. 1) I have had my BP for a month now and she still wont eat. What do I do? 2) The humidity gage pretty much stays at 55 or so. What is it suppose to be on and how do I get it there? I have read a lot on BP and everything I have read all says different things!! 3) The temps on each side of the tank are not were they are suppose to be. What temps are the hot and cold side suppose to be set at? How do I get the temps right on each side? 4) How many heat sources do I need and where do I put them.

I had read so much on Ball Pythons and everybody says different things, I just don’t know what to go by and everything I have tried so far has not helped me at all. Could someone PLEASE help me. All helpful tips would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Smulkin]

What is on the lid of the glass tank?
What kind of probe are you using to measure temps?
Have you been to the vet?
Any sign of parasites (external)?
How's the p00p look?
When was the last shed?

Get the warm side up to 90ish (make sure the temp readings are accurate = DIGITAL) - dont let the cool side fall below 78 (again make sure your readings are accurate)

Increase humidity with a larger water dish and/or cover the lid with contac paper (leave corners open for air exchange)

You can do well with a single heat source on the warm end - go for UTH (BPs are nocturnal)

Try offering pre-killed laid in front of an occupied hide

Wait a week between feeding attemps.


Hope some of those can help - please let us know more and asak all you like.


CRITICAL - accurate temperature readings - so much stems from this.

[Marla]

There's a lot of information out there and it can be hard to sort it out. There's a lot of combined experience on this forum, including breeders and long-term keepers, so you've come to the right place.

First things first: you MUST have accurate information regarding temperature and humidity at the cage floor level. If you are using analog (dial-type) thermometers and hygrometer, they can be wrong by a very significant amount. I highly recommend you get an AcuRite digital thermometer-hygrometer combo from WalMart for about $15, or get a similar unit of a different brand from Matt at www.mgreptiles.com .

Second, your warm side needs to be 90F to 95F, not 80F. 80F is about right for your cool side temperature. Ball pythons use belly heat for digestion, so it's a really good idea to either provide an under-tank heat source (such as from a human heating pad without auto-shutoff) or provide a surface that will absorb radiant heat well (such as a large ceramic tile or clean stone) and use a ceramic heat emitter or proper wattage reptile heat bulb. You generally will only need to provide a heat source on one side of the cage in order to create a good temperature gradient.

Do you have hides in there for her? If not, you need at least one for the warm side and one for the cool side, so she doesn't have to choose between safety and thermoregulation. Once you have security, proper temps, and good humidity, chances are that she will decide to eat on her own for you.

[Adam_Wysocki]

Ball pythons use belly heat for digestion, so it's a really good idea to either provide an under-tank heat source (such as from a human heating pad without auto-shutoff) or provide a surface that will absorb radiant heat well (such as a large ceramic tile or clean stone) and use a ceramic heat emitter or proper wattage reptile heat bulb.

Huh? I kept ball pythons in Neodesha cages for years with over head heating a newspaper on the floor. No ceramic tiles or clean stones. Just as long as temps are 82-84 on the cool side and 92-94 on the warm they do fine, doesn't matter if you use UTHs, bulbs, heat panels, etc.

You mean ball pythons use the temps around them for digestion right?

-adam

[Smulkin]

I assume so - as nocturnal creatures radiant heat sources (warm rocks/surfaces) would be their prime means of grabbin some heat, right?

[Adam_Wysocki]

I assume so - as nocturnal creatures radiant heat sources (warm rocks/surfaces) would be their prime means of grabbin some heat, right?

Sure, but just because the only heat available at night when they are active is heat from below does not mean that they "NEED" belly heat to digest their food. If they could find a thermal mass at the right temp to lay next to they would as well in order to absorb heat.

Plenty of racks systems are set up with back heat and the snakes do fine. It's the warm "temperatures" that they seek, how they get them is just a matter of what's easiest for them to find.


-adam

[Smulkin]

BACK to the request for help at hand though . . . .

[Adam_Wysocki]

BACK to the request for help at hand though . . . .

But of course ....

-adam

[Draculasgirl]

Thank you Smulkin and Marla.


Do I need a digital thermometer on both sides of the tank and where do I set it? What is a hygrometer?

What is the proper wattage for the heat bulb and where do I get a reptile heat bulb?

The humidity in the tank stays about 55%, what is it suppose to be?

What can I use for the hide spots and my tank is not big enough for two hide spots and a water bowl... Sorry for all of the questions, I just want to make sure everything I do for my BP is correct so I dont end up hurting her. How can you tell if it is a boy or girl?

[Marla]

Huh? I kept ball pythons in Neodesha cages for years with over head heating a newspaper on the floor. No ceramic tiles or clean stones. Just as long as temps are 82-84 on the cool side and 92-94 on the warm they do fine, doesn't matter if you use UTHs, bulbs, heat panels, etc.

You mean ball pythons use the temps around them for digestion right?

-adam

Adam, this is already a situation in which the temps are significantly lower than optimum. As you should be well aware, ceramic and stone retain heat a good bit longer than glass, paper, and most plastics. Without a constant source of heat from underneath, a heat-absorbing and radiating rock or tile or similar can be useful in increasing comfort and promoting healthy metabolism. Is it a necessity? No. Is it a good useful strategy? Yes. The ball python, as a cold-blooded creature, relies on its environment to provide it with the temperatures it needs.