Hi everyone!

[igoopy]

Hey everyone! I'm the proud new owner of a Ball Python! thought I'd swing by and say hey!

Been reading through the posts here and decided to become a member

Anyway, heres a pic! He (im fairly sure its a he!) has some sticks now and a rock with holes in to play with.

http://www.black-centipede.com/PICT0053.JPG

I've had him now for a week (hes about 15 days old now), i've handled him once and I have let him settle for the past couple of days as I am going to try and feed him tomorrow night (I tried a few days ago and he didnt eat, I assume its due to a new environment)

Anyway, hes become a lot less reclusive in the past few days and no longer appears to be trying to escape! Preferring instead to climb around on the branches and yawn a lot! Today he even decided to take a nap outside of his hidebox for the first time and he hasnt curled himself up into a ball or hissed at me when I was changing his water so I assume hes beginning to feel a lot better about the whole situation.

Any advice/tips would be appreciated but most of all it'll be nice to talk to some people about my snake without boring the crap out of them!

Thanks

- Dave

[JLC]

Hi Dave! !!


First off, I had to edit your post and change the picture to a link. It was too big and everyone would have to scroll side to side to read your words.

A few tips:
--I would let him settle in for a full week before offering a meal. And if he's truly only 15 days old, he may not eat right away.
--I would offer much smaller hides...they like something they can cram their bodies into and feel "hugged" from the top and all sides. If it seems too small to you, it's probably perfect.
--And lastly, that is a really big enclosure for such a wee little snake....so to help him feel more secure in there, I would offer multiple hides on each side of the tank, and maybe put some silk foliage in there that he can "hide" in when out and about.

What are you using to heat it? And what are you using to measure temps and humidity?

[igoopy]

Hey JLC thanks for the advice.

Currently I have partitioned the tank to provide a smaller area for him until he grows up a bit. I have an Infa Red heating mat which provides a temperature range of about 79-82 F and is unfortunately at the moment unchangeable until i get paid on the 25th and can come up with another solution. He does however have the option of choosing his most desirable temperature within the tank

He has two hideboxes. One a cerial box packed with substrate (its called Aspen) and another is a box of tea which I have not seen him use yet.

He has been spending lots of time in his hidebox, but as I say hes stopped using the early hours of the morning as time to figure out a way to escape and hes started exploring the tank a bit more and loosening up a bit.

If hes 15 days old now, when am I likely to expect him to start shedding?

Incidently, I rescued him from a pet store that was absolutely thick with cigarette smoke when I was in there, when I left to go use the ATM (because they didnt accept card) I came back to find theyd sat him on top of the cash register and the pet store woman was basically blowing smoke at him. I dread to think about the other 50 or so babies she had in a tank behind the counter.

They had a couple of adult ball pythons sat in tanks with a bowl of water, no hideboxes and no heating - one of them looked pretty overweight. It was priced at £195.00 also

[tigerlily]

How are you measuring those temps? The reason I ask is because those heat mats can reach temps over 100 degrees. Without a thermostat to control the heat mat you may have temps that are way too high. You want to shoot for at gradient of 92-94 on the warm side and 82-84 cool side. Try not to let those temps drop under 80 degrees.

I agree with Judy. Let the little guy settle in for a week, and don't try and feed more than once a week as it can stress it out. Also look for smaller hides, and maybe even consider putting paper or something around the back and sides of the tank. Throw in some foliage to provide some cover, or even some loosely crumpled up newspaper will work.

Congrats on your getting the little guy. I hope he/she settles in well for ya.

[igoopy]

thanks - Im planning on feeding him tomorrow. Ill let you know how it goes!


How much can I expect him to grow in the next few months? I only ask because unless my mind is playing tricks on me he seems to be getting bigger every day!

[frankykeno]

Congrats on acquiring our first ball python Dave, I'm sure you'll enjoy him/her. Sounds like you're overseas (we have a number of members from England, Scotland and Ireland here)?

Just a few thoughts....(please don't feel overwhelmed though LOL)...

I'd think about ditching the paperbox hides and replacing them with a couple of identical plastic type things. No need to spend a fortune, a couple of small bowls from the shops with a entrance hole cut out are winners. You want something dark in color and barely bigger than the snake when it's curled up. They love to feel crammed into their hides...make them very secure and a secure, safe snake is a happy one LOL. Some BP's like to urinate/defecate in their hides so plastic is just a lot easier to keep sanitary.

Aspen is a perfect substrate for BP's by the way. A lot of us use that or just plain kraft paper, papertowels or newpaper also works.

We have a lovely caresheet here if you haven't had a chance to go over it yet here's the link. Feel free to ask any questions or concerns you have at any time, we're here to help.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....warticle&id=52

How did you come up with the age on the snake? Did this less than stellar pet shop breed it? Did they mention if it actually ate for them and what they successfully fed it?

If you have access to a decent vet that can do a fecal float for you I'd encourage you to get one done. It's best to know right up front whether you are dealing with a healthy snake or not. You can just take the first poop you find and pop it in a ziploc type sandwich bag, put it in your fridge and drop it to the vet as soon as possible. Some of them will do the float while you wait and it generally isn't a huge amount of money. A full vet visit might be in order as well if you have any concerns that this snake wasn't well cared for.

Do you know if this is in fact a captive born and bred baby snake or could it be a recent wild import? This is important as a lot of imports can have parasites both internally and externally.

As I said don't feel overwhelmed by all this. Just trying to help you focus on a few things here so you can have a successful experience with your lovely little snake.