hi guys im new and need your help. please = (

[borat1]

I recently (about 2 months ago) purchased a ball python it's 1 years old and i bought if off a girl i know.

Anyway

he's very active with me, i've had no problems with him seeming stressed, he sleeps normal, he poo'd, he drinks, doesn't bite or anything, very good snake.

But i need help on his living enviornment i just bought him a new tank idk the ecact measures but it's about 3 and a half feet long so it's pretty big compared to his old cage. i eupipped it with some grass/fake turf kinds stuff on the bottom, a made him a hide box (which he seems to spend most of his time on top of unless he's sleeping, i got his water bowl of course.

but im still new to him and his heat needs i know thats temps he needs, but what should i get.

I have a heat lamp over him with some purple nocturnal reptile bulb i purchased and my room is never cold.

Whats a should i buy to keep the humidity up? thats question one.

question two is he hasn't ate since i got him i offer him a little white mouse every week, he doesn't show much interest.i've tried live and pre killed.i dangle the live sometimes and he comes near it than he just sits there till the mouse scratches him (which i dont let happen of course)

so should i try feeding him pinkies maybe? I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO.

i worry about my snake cause i dont want it to be my fault and i love him a lot for a pet.

also he does not have mites i checked him, and he shedded find and all.

i gave him a warm bath a few times.

BASICALLY EVERYTHING IS FINE CEPT HE WONT EAT = (

help me please

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I recently (about 2 months ago) purchased a ball python it's 1 years old and i bought if off a girl i know.

Anyway

he's very active with me, i've had no problems with him seeming stressed, he sleeps normal, he poo'd, he drinks, doesn't bite or anything, very good snake.

But i need help on his living enviornment i just bought him a new tank idk the ecact measures but it's about 3 and a half feet long so it's pretty big compared to his old cage. i eupipped it with some grass/fake turf kinds stuff on the bottom, a made him a hide box (which he seems to spend most of his time on top of unless he's sleeping, i got his water bowl of course.

but im still new to him and his heat needs i know thats temps he needs, but what should i get.

I have a heat lamp over him with some purple nocturnal reptile bulb i purchased and my room is never cold.

Whats a should i buy to keep the humidity up? thats question one.

question two is he hasn't ate since i got him i offer him a little white mouse every week, he doesn't show much interest.i've tried live and pre killed.i dangle the live sometimes and he comes near it than he just sits there till the mouse scratches him (which i dont let happen of course)

so should i try feeding him pinkies maybe? I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO.

i worry about my snake cause i dont want it to be my fault and i love him a lot for a pet.

also he does not have mites i checked him, and he shedded find and all.

i gave him a warm bath a few times.

BASICALLY EVERYTHING IS FINE CEPT HE WONT EAT = (

help me please

Where do I start first very active with you and you have him for 2 month is not a good sign, hyper activity is usually a sign of stress.


Everything is OK except is does not eat! Well often food refusal is related to husbandry issues.


Now here is what your BP needs a cool side 80-84 a warm side 90-94 not sure are you measure your temps since you do not mention it but here is the proper and accurate way to do it.


You need to measure your temp at the bottom of your enclosure with a digital thermometer/ hydrometer you can get one at walmart and it look like this.


Stick or dial thermometer do not work and saying your room is warm does not mean it is warm enough with the proper temperature for a BP.


Your BP needs 2 tight hides one on each side, that he can squeeze in (all the sides of the hides should touch your BP’s body.


BP needs belly heat to help with digestion and for overall health to provide belly heat you will need a UTH or flexwatt heat tape as well as a thermostat to maintain proper temps and ovoid over-heating of the device.


Now for humidity you have several option.


Have a substrate that holds humidity better (Cypress mulch, repti-bark).
Spray your enclosure

Have a second water dish on the warm side over the UTH

Have a humid hide.


When it comes to maintaining a glass tank properly I will send you back to this post

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=32800



Now for the feeding I would highly recommend you do not wiggle a live prey in front of your BP all you do is stress the prey which will make it more aggressive toward your snake


Now your BP is a year old so do not waste your time feeding pinkies you need to first provide proper husbandry know your temps have proper humidity then once everything is proper attempt feeding


What would help is to know what your BP was eating before being in your care Live, F/T, Mice, Rats?

[ZEKESMOM]

First Hello and Welcome
You will want to check the caresheet here on the keeping and caring of a ball python. The care sheet will give you all the info you need on setting up your tank "properly" You want to have a cool side of 80 degrees a warm side of 90, 2 identical hides; one on the cool and one on the warm. You can use a uth with a thermostat to control your heat and keep the temps constant. With out seeing the size of your snake you may have him an enclosure that is to large. You want him to feel secure. Do you have a weight on your snake. Mine is aproximately a year old and last time weighed(2 weeks ago) was 352 grams. My Zeke is feeding on rat pups, a mouse fuzzy is to small. Are you feeding live, f/t, or p/k, and what was he eating before you got him? There are many more experienced keepers here who will give you any info that I have not and more

[Ginevive]

Welcome to the forum
Hm.. well, normally they spend the daytime hours curled up in their hide spot.. I prefer and recommend undertank-heaters for a nice toasty hidespot. Flexwatt is a great brand to look into with a thermostat attached; definately don't use a heat rock! They are irregularly surfaced, and too much heat can build up and burn the snake.. Have you read over the caresheet on this site? I would just be repeating most of the things it says if I went on more about husbandry; but for humidity, just get a new unused spray bottle, spray down the tank with warm water, and cover most of the screen lid with saran wrap (leaving some open for air exchange.)
As for mites, I heartily recommend Provent-A-Mite. I am unsure of the exact site to buy it from; hopefully someone else has the link.. think it was Pro-Products..

[ZEKESMOM]

LOL we posted at the same time and looks like I just repeated some of what you said...
told you there were good people here to help you

[borat1]

Thank you guys so much i'm sure i sound like a real idiot right now lol.

I'm just very determined to take great care of my new snake as you all probably were when you first got yours. I have a few replys

To GA- He's not overly active, he spends most of the day in his hidbox, but when i handle him he seems fine, like i know snakes are not domestic pets, but im trying to get him more use to me.

To Ginevive, im using a heat lamp in the middle of the cage, and one of those plug in electric heaters to add to the heat of his cage. I dont have the money to get expensive things so im managing him as best i can, but it's deff a warm enviornment.

I have one hidebox on the left side, so i should put another one on the far side?

To zeke's mom: thank you for your concern, i'm not sure of his weight is there a specific scale i should get to measure my snake?

Thanks everyone!

[ZEKESMOM]

He definitely needs 2 hides. It does not cost alot to get an accurite digital thermometer that will measure your warm side temp, ambient airtemp and humidity. You can get one at Lowes for about $12. You can buy planter bottoms in the garden department for your hides, get a size right for you snake. You cut a whole in the top or side and melt where you cut so there are no sharp edges. I got a digital scale from a friend that owns a pawn shop, but I know there are reptile supply stores that obviously sell them. Was your snake feeding on live before you got him? Was he eating mice or rats? As was said in the above posts.....if your husbandry is not right that is most probably why your snake is not eating. If you correct your husbandry and then let the snake acclimate for atleast a week after correcting your husbandry you can try feeding.

[RoyalGuardian]

Water hides are good ideas too! mine is just a tupperware dish with a hole in the lid that has moist moss on the bottom. look around for good ideas on how to add humidity. also, silk plants are a good idea

[dr del]

im using a heat lamp in the middle of the cage, and one of those plug in electric heaters to add to the heat of his cage. I dont have the money to get expensive things so im managing him as best i can, but it's deff a warm enviornment.

Hi,

So does that mean the central heatlamp keeps the whole tank at around 82-85F and the heat pad ( please say it's not a hotrock ) heats the warm end to 90-93F?

Getting the initial temperature gradient and humidity is a tricky thing but while you can spend hundreds on it there are cheaper (notice I didn't say better though) ways to do it.

I think the main thing is not to panic over a few missed meals - just as long as he's not losing a lot of weight you can go ahead and worry without panicking. The reptile metbolism is a wonder to behold at times.

That thread on setting up glass tanks probably covers it but changing the substrate might help the humidity a bit.


dr del