new member..new snake..

[dca367437]

hi everybody. i am a new member to these forums and i have also bought a new bp for the first time and i am having a problem. i know this is probally common with most bps but i just wanted to see if anybody could help. ive had him/her since april 15 2006 and when i bought him/her the pet store employee said they were "babies" yet its almost 2.5 feet long. everything seems to be pretty healthy. it has eaten 2 live mice within 2 weeks. its deficated once it looks very nice and vibrant (no ashy scales) and at night it is VERY active. the terrarium is set up pretty well (i think) i have a 20 gallon aquarium with astroturf 2 hide spots a few branches for climbing with a heat lamp that stays on/off for 12/12... however every time i even get too close to the aquarium it strikes at me. i understand that its getting use to a new home and needs some space to adapt but its been 2 straight weeks without being handled or bothered at all. i would really be dissapointed to have a snake i cannot handle. is there anything i could do?. any help would be appreciated thanks !!

[JLC]

Hi and welcome aboard!! :


First off, check out our caresheet and make sure temps and humidity are ok:
http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....warticle&id=52

Sounds like your basic setup is fine, although there are easier ways to get and maintain the proper environment...but I shall restrain myself since that isn't what you're asking.

Sometimes snakes just need longer to settle in than others. Especially snakes bought in a petstore because, at the very least, they have been kept under extremely stressful situations with less than optimum conditions.

One trick that one of our experienced members recommends for helping a snake feel more secure is to loosely crumple newspaper and fill the entire cage with it. (Not tightly wadded balls) This gives the snake a feeling of being able to hide even when its moving around. After a week or two, start to very gradually remove papers from the top of the pile...until eventually it is all gone.

Besides that, just consistent, gentle, short handling sessions (after the newspaper routine has been completed is best). Takes patience and persistence. One of our great mods has a ball python that was a wild-caught adult when she got it....it was extremely aggressive and stressed out...but after a lot of patience and working with her, she's turned into a model of good behavior and "happy" snake! Hopefully she'll chime in here with her experience.

[dca367437]

hey thank you so much for the help judy i really do appreciate it. you seem to know what your talking about so i have another question

(for you or anybody else)

im thinking about getting a 2nd or maybe a pair of a different type of snake.
if i do get another snake im not sure what i would like. as much as i LOVE the appearance and everything else i know i would not be able to take proper care of a boa constrictor. so i think i'll wait on that idea. im thinking maybe perhaps a corn snake? or a couple garter snakes? living in chicago i dont have many choices seeing is pretty much everything you do or have is illegal here. i have a very young niece who i would like to be able to hold it. also with corn snakes they too eat mice. so it would be a 1 stop trip for the meals for my ball and my corn snakes..... i have NO idea on prices for cornsnakes at all... are they expensive?... ive looked all over the internet and seen prices from 49.99-300.00!! that doesnt help much.

once again thanks in advance for showing kindess to a newcommer

[dca367437]

i also have a few pictures of my ball python.

i do not have my digital camera yet i had to take them with my sidekicks camera so the quality is horrible.

[tigerlily]

to the site!! Please feel free to post pics. Unless they're so blurry you can tell if it's a snake or a belt. lol

As for a second snake you may want to look at spotted pythons, rosy boas, and even kenyan sand boas. They are stay relatively small. I've been wanting a nice spotted for awhile now. If I find a nice adult, I probably won't be able to help myself. lol. Anyway there's a couple suggestions.

[dca367437]

lol the pictures arent that bad..at least not as bad as a belt... maybe a rope
i might be mistaken but the 3 types of snakes you named arent at any pet stores i know of where i live.. i only recall a few types of snakes such as
ball pythons
red tail boas
garter snakes
corn snakes


here are a couple pictures from the first day he/she was brought home..
keep in mind the geniuses at the pet store said they were "babies" now im not the brightest person when it comes to snakes..... buuuuttt it doesnt look like that much of a baby to me.. how old would you say this lil rascal is?...

[tigerlily]

You can purchase different species, online. Just find a reputable breeder to deal with. I know I have seen spotteds and rosy here, but no kenyan sand boas. If you are near a reptile show, I'd advise you to research and then attend.

Without a size reference it's hard to tell how long/big he is. Although he does have a nice pattern to him. Very nice.

[dca367437]

thanks

as i said earlier its really hard to handle him so im not sure how to weigh him i really dont wanna stress it out to much after the eating is going so well

[Cloud7659]

to the site!! Please feel free to post pics. Unless they're so blurry you can tell if it's a snake or a belt. lol

As for a second snake you may want to look at spotted pythons, rosy boas, and even kenyan sand boas. They are stay relatively small. I've been wanting a nice spotted for awhile now. If I find a nice adult, I probably won't be able to help myself. lol. Anyway there's a couple suggestions.

check out http://market.kingsnake.com/detail.php?cat=7&de=402768

Just helpin

[JLC]

Gorgeous pattern on that guy! And like Christie said, it's hard to tell how big he is with those pictures, but I would guess a juvenile. Just guessing, though.


As for another snake, corn snakes are great. They come in a LOT of different colors (morphs) and that is why you see such a wide swing in prices...kind of depends on how common or rare that particular morph is. You can always find affordable cornsnakes though. And they're very easy to take care of.

If you're looking for something your niece can hold, keep in mind that a baby or young corn can be highly agitated and flighty. Not at all suitable for very young hands. This is true for most any baby snake I can think of. Your best bet with a youngster is to hold the snake yourself and let her pet it, which you can do just fine with the BP, too.