Quote Originally Posted by bigrich0086
i jsut recently purchased a ball python today for incredible price of 30$ normally 89 there. anyways i have him in a 55 gal tank with zoo med UTH at about 83 dagrees. my main concern is how long do i give him to settle in to the new enviroment and then after hes settled how long for feeding. hes fed every friday. one large fuzzie. pictures will be posted shortly.
83 is too low for the hot side, but just right for the cold side. You need a hot spot of 90-95 for proper health and digestion. if you've just got a UTH in a 55gal you'll probably need at least 1 light, maybe 2. Also, a 55g is generally going to be regarded as too much space for a ball python. It's also got a lot of unused air volume which is going to make it nearly impossible to keep the humidity up and stable.

If he's accustomed to eating every friday I'd say skip this week's meal. The general rule I've been told here is to leave them as undisturbed as possible for 7 days. Meaning only mess with him/her to spot clean and change the water. Don't try to handle or feed, or you'll just serve to stress them more.