New owner

[Gaius Marius]

I recently acquired a baby ball python. I am completely clueless to these animals. Ive been doing some reading. I know its a wild caught guy. More or less Im looking for help into proper care. I have it in a 30 gal tank, it has a weighted water bowl, a place to hide, aspen bedding, secure hood. I bought it fuzzies to feed. I was told it ate a week ago and tried to feed it yesterday but it didnt eat after 24 hours. This maybe normal due to stress, wild caught or whatever. I wanna hold it but i dont wanna freak it out. Ive only held it once. It seems pretty docile. Its pits are clear and doesnt appear to have anything wrong with it. However, im clearly a novice and have no idea what to look for. clear eyes, clear skin nothing abnormal. Is there any tips or help i can get to make sure i provide a good enviroment for this little serpent. To tame it. Anything will help.

[frankykeno]

Start here. It's our caresheet and will give you all the basics you need to know so you can compare your housing with what the specs are. 30 gallons is pretty big for a baby ball (I assume it's a baby you've just gotten) so you may want to consider using a small plastic tub with a secure lid as a home for it until it grows a lot bigger.

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

[recycling goddess]

also... from my personal experience... it's very important to treat for mites even if you aren't sure if they have them. "Provent-A-Mite" is an excellent easy to use product. (referred to as PAM on this forum)

wait a week to hold your snake... do change the water etc during the week, just don't bother your new baby. allow it to get comfy in it's new environment.

i know nothing about wild caught balls but i'm sure there are many others here who know heaps.

welcome to bp.org!

[frankykeno]

With any snake, wild caught or not, you need to prioritize husbandry, feeding, then worry about handling down the road. You've got upwards of 20 years of time with this snake so there's no rush that way.

[Gaius Marius]

I see also I need a humidity guage. I have a smaller aquarium to put him in since fish has been my hobby of choice for a long time. He/she is approx 16-18" in length stretched out. Im also a bit nervous of touching it for the time being but when the time comes, how do i approach handling it. How do i pick it up without aggitating it or pissing it off.

[Gaius Marius]

Im very concerned about feeding and husbandry. Im not sure how to feed it. Ive read removing the snake into a different container to feed it so it doesnt associate your hand/lid with feeding, reducing the risk of getting bit. I kinda threw a mouse in there last night but it didnt touch it and i kinda expected that. When should I be concerned about feeding it. When should I feed it at this point i.e. how long do I wait to attempt a feeding

[elevatethis]

Ive read removing the snake into a different container to feed it so it doesnt associate your hand/lid with feeding, reducing the risk of getting bit.

If you argued that reaching your arm into the snake's cage once a week would condition them to expect food each and every time you reached your arm in the cage to do other things, you could make an equally convincing arguement that feeding in a seperate enclosure and removing them from the cage each time to do so would condition them to expect food each and every time they are removed from the enclosure.

In other words, the whole "feeding inside the enclosure increases aggression" arguement is a load of crap.

Your snake will need about a week to get accilmated to its current setup. Make sure you have lots of cover on the ground, lots of places to hide on both the warm and cool side, and consistent, optimal temperatures. A couple of weeks in those conditions should turn a scared, stressed bp into a warm, hungry mouse murderer.

[frankykeno]

When it comes time to start handling (after you've got some weeks of sucessful feeds in your snake), I'd suggest you start in the evenings when the snake is naturally awake and aware and then just reach in, stroke it gently down it's back then lift it out. Don't hover over it or grab at it with quick jerky movements. You don't want to trigger a strike or come across as a predator yourself.

[Gaius Marius]

Well I have time and patience. After keeping reef aquariums for a few years, Ive learned patience

[Gaius Marius]

Ok new questions today. I live in a drier climate, Northern Nevada where the temps are high but the air is dry. During the day at this time of year I can keep the temp a constant temp. BUT, Humidity any suggestions to maintain humidity? For now i have a lamp over the water bowl to create some humidity. I have to invest in a hygrometer (right sp?) this weekend. Im taking my bulbs back after reading about the lighting not necessary for it. Im gonna invest in one of those red bulbs (any suggestions on that ie brand and type). Also I have young kids and was wondering down the road when this thing gets bigger will it pose a threat to them (other than the kids might aggitate it and make it stressed and potentially bite) but aside from that any real risks?