New Ball

[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.

[CntrlF8]

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.

[bigrich0086]

i have the uth only on half way and its reading 83 if i turn it all the way up itll ready almsot 98 at the surface fo the mat but 89 top of substrate. and im useing a wooded bottom viv with glass sides. so the uth is inside the tank under a inch of substrate.the heat lamp cost way too much to run raise electric bill 20$ this month.

[CntrlF8]

i have the uth only on half way and its reading 83 if i turn it all the way up itll ready almsot 98 at the surface fo the mat but 89 top of substrate. and im useing a wooded bottom viv with glass sides. so the uth is inside the tank under a inch of substrate.the heat lamp cost way too much to run raise electric bill 20$ this month.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but... Take the temp at the surface and reduce the thickness of substrate?

What's your cold side reading?

[bigrich0086]

cold side is reading about 75-78 with my central air on cuz its 98 outside with 90% humidity. if i reduce the thickness of the substrate it iwll get hotter in there i jsut dont wnat him to move it aside and rest on the heat pad since its inside the tank. i can mount it outside but it wont reach over 80. and the store i got him at had him at 80 dagrees fine for a week andhe ate no problem.

[CntrlF8]

cold side is reading about 75-78 with my central air on cuz its 98 outside with 90% humidity. if i reduce the thickness of the substrate it iwll get hotter in there i jsut dont wnat him to move it aside and rest on the heat pad since its inside the tank. i can mount it outside but it wont reach over 80. and the store i got him at had him at 80 dagrees fine for a week andhe ate no problem.

What the store had him at and what is actually healthy can (and often are) two very different things. Set your UTH to read about 92-94 degrees at the surface, then reduce the amount of substrate you have. Also do what you can to get the cool side/ambient temperatures up above 80. 75-78 are winter night temps.

You might want to give the FAQ's and caresheets at the top a read also. Since you're new to BP's all the reading material you can find should be looked through, studied, and studied again to make sure you're providing a safe, secure, appropriate home for your new friend. I'm new too and don't even pretend to know even close to everything, but what I've told you is correct according to what I've read and the advice I've read on this site.

[bigrich0086]

yea i read in this online book that since my tank is big to mist the tank once a day to keep humidity up and put a towel or plastic wrap on half of the top screen to keep in the moisture

[bigrich0086]

heres some images of the tank and the lil guy . hes on the cool side has been ever since 520pm tonight. the foil o nthe tank back side n side is to keep direct sunlight out so it dont get too hot but i did leave a 6inch by 9 inch hole on the side to allow some light in to heat the side up when the blinds are open.<br>

[bigrich0086]

thanks for the help guys i thined the substrate and it rose up to 96 dagrees

[Chase13]

I would suggest 2 hides on either side so he can regulate his body tamp and feel safe on either side. The half log thing works ok but cave hides seem to give a more secure feeling. Becasue of such a large tank with such a small ball, make sure there is enogh foliage to make the snake feel secure throught such a large home. Cool setup BTW.