Help with Care.

[deeplove]

Hi there guys. I'm totally new with taking care of a Ball and my question come from the fact that my brother in-law can't take care of his any longer. He says that it's about 3' now and he has had it for a long time. The housing is a big box with one lamp on the right side, in the middle you can place a fixture and the back has a mesh opening. It's pretty big.

Now, his house doesn't have Central AC like mine and it's always hot. We live in Miami Florida. My house does stay cool. The temps in the Ball's home is about 80F.

I've seen it a couple of time when he comes out, but he's always balled up in his hide out right under the UV light. I'm worried. It hasn't eaten in about 2 - 3 weeks. how much more light does he need to raise up that temp? My home is on a steady 75F all day because of the wife.

I'll post some pictures also cause I know that he finished shedding, but I'm not sure if some skin is still on his eye. Can you guys let me know if he seems healthy?

Thanks in advance.

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Sorry if the pictures are too big. I originally saved them this big.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

BP do not need UV light they do however require belly heat and very specific temperature.

In a lot of cases food refusal are due to husbandry problems, which is obviously your case. The good news it can be corrected with a little work.

You need to offer gradient temps and never let temps fall below 75 degrees.

Temps below 75 degrees will increase the risk of RI, respiratory infection.

Here is something I wrote a while back that will cover the basics from proper supply to husbandry requirements.

Supply Check list

1 Enclosure

Your enclosure should not be too big the bigger the enclosure the more stress you will cause to your Ball Python, remember that in their natural environment they spend 70 to 80 % of their time in a tight termite mount.

You can use a glass tank, keep in mind that is you do it will be harder to control temperatures and humidity.

If you get a baby you will only need a 10 gallons to start with and if you chose an adult a 30/40 gallons is all you will ever need. Use the rule of thumb the enclosure should be 2/3 of the length of your Ball Python.

A lot of people chose plastic tubs (Sterilite or Rubbermaid), which allow an easier control of the temperatures and humidity and make Ball Pythons feel secure.

When it comes to plastic tubs here are the sizes you will need according to your Ball Python's size (Remember you will need a drill or solder wand to make holes for airflow)

Up to 500 grams – 15 Quarts (17"L x 11 1/8"W x 6 3/8"H)

Up to 1500 grams – 32 Quarts (23 1/2"L x 16 1/4"W x 6 3/8"H)

Above 1500 grams – 41 Quarts (34 3/4"L x 16 1/2"W x 6"H)


No matter which enclosure you chose remember to secure the lid as Ball Pythons are real escape artists.

1 UTH (Under Tank Heater)

Here are some products that will allow you to provide belly heat and achieve the required gradient temperatures in your enclosure: Ultratherm Heat Pads, T Rex Cobra Pads and Flexwatt Heat Tape (Unlike some other they do not stick permanently to the enclosure).

1 Thermostat

Regardless of the device you chose to provide heat you will need a thermostat, this will allow you to maintain proper temperatures and avoid over-heating.

I would highly recommend you to invest in a digital thermostat such as Ranco ETC-111000 and Johnson on the lower end, or Herpstat Digital Proportional Thermostat and Helix on the higher end, they might seem expensive but they are worth it. Keep in mind that if you get a cheap thermostat like the ESU 1 outlet or 3 outlets starting at 25 dollars you will get what you paid for, considering how long your BP will live you will want to invest in something durable, reliable and safe.

2 Hides

Provide one hide on each side of the enclosure. Ideal hides must be dark, tight (All side touching your Ball Python's body) and identical so your Ball Python does not chose between security and thermo-regulation. In my opinion the best hides are ESU/Zilla Creature Cubbyholes.

1 Water Dish

Contrary to what many believe the water dish does not have to be big enough for your BP to soak (Healthy, mite free BP rarely soak).

1 Thermometer/Hygrometer

When it comes to temperatures and humidity you cannot guess you MUST know. (Avoid stick and dial devices as they are not accurate). To get an accurate reading I would recommend a digital device such as Acu-Rite Hygrometer/Thermometer that can be found at Walmart for 12$ or Zilla Terrarium Hygrometer/Thermometer.

Substrate

Here are some substrates that can be used in your BP's enclosure: Newspaper - Paper Towel - Aspen - Repti-bark - Cypress Mulch etc. DO NOT use pine or cedar bedding as they contain phenols that can be toxic to your snake.

Basic Husbandry

Temperatures

You will need to provide your Ball Python with a warm side between 90-94 F (32.5-34.5 C) degrees and a cool side between 80-84 F (27-29 C) degrees.

Humidity

You should provide your Ball Python with a constant 50%-60% humidity level. This level can be increased to 70% during the shedding period if necessary.

[dalvers63]

Welcome to the wonderful world of ball pythons!

As far as the eye goes, it looks like there may be a retained eye cap, though I am not sure (someone else might have a better idea, I'm sure)

When it comes to caging, it sounds like you might need to look into something different for the snake. Ball pythons really do best with a thermal gradient. This means that he would need a cool side temp of 80-82 and a hot side temp of 92-94. You'll find that this may be easier to obtain if you switch him to a tub or even an aquarium if you cover a screen top with aluminum foil. You can find some great posts on setting up the right husbandry by checking the Sticky posts at the top of the husbandry section.

Do you have any pictures of his current set up?


Edit - See, Deborah already beat me to it!

[deeplove]

Alright, it's about 29" across, 24" depth & 24" height. As you can see,the thing on the right holds the Heat Lamp. It's one of those black light ones. That's what he gave me. The left is some driftwood and his water bowl. The middle has one of those heat rocks.

I'm totally new to this and he really didn't explain to me anything. I really want to care for it cause it's such a beautiful animal. The middle have the opening for the fixture and the back has a grill opening.

I spoke with the wife about getting a breeder tank (aquarium) or such. About 20 - 30 gallons. I would actually like a long one that why I mentioned breeder. But help me guys. I don't want this kat to suffer. The more I take him out and handle him, the more I care for it.

[MelissaFlipski]

First, get rid of the heat rock, they can burn BP's. Second, before investing in the set-up, go ahead and get the enclosure you want for him (for now, not necessarily forever once he's big). Third, yes you need belly heat, an under the tank heater with a dimmer or rheostat on it to make sure it doesn't get too hot is good.

Temp. gradient is important like others said, with identical hides on each side. Also, humidity should be 50% to 60%.

The eye cap may still be there, hard to tell. Can you check the shed skin to see if they are both shed?

[deeplove]

He gave it to me once he shed. As you can see in the 1st picture, it looks like some stuff on his eye. So that's where I thought that he might just have something on it. It was taken with a macro lens. But I don't know it's enough to show the info.

The rock isn't connected at all. It's just there. I kind of thought about it the first time since it doesn't have anything to regulate the temps. So that's why I didn't plug it in.

It will be a while till I can get the housing cause I really need to pay bills. He didn't have it as bad as I do, but maybe next month I'll get at least the tank and heat.

As far as the heating goes, what's the most inexpensive I can go with but enough to keep him comfortable in a 20 - 30 gallon tank. I'm really going to try for a breeder tank which I think is a 20 or 29 long. Can't remember, I've quit fish keeping for a while.

Also, if he does have that cap on his eye how can I take it off? And how can I make him feel a bit better so he can eat.? What can I do to make his current home a bit more nicer for him? Can I buy something to heat it up for the time being?

I just went through some of the setups you guys have and I'm going to try and imitate it. It looks so much comfortable for the Balls.

Great site by the way.

[deeplove]

Ok guys, he came out of his hiding. He's sliding around and hanging around the driftwood. I offered a mouse and he was all over it but didn't strike. So I won't force it. So I'll check tomorrow.

Now...

If I were to start over and forget about the whole display tank and I just want him to be comfortable and go for a minimalistic look, what do you guys recommend? I've read the post and I have ideas, but I want to see what you guys would go for. I would rather keep him in my room and just bring him out once in a while.

Minimal cleaning, minimalistic look but yet comfortable.

[bender29]

The second pic makes me want to say that he has a retained eye cap. Although it may just be the glare of the camera. Are those crease-type things present when you look at him?

[deeplove]

Even my wife noticed that the right eye is a dark black compared to the left. I want to say that I'll wait for the next shed or I'll even try a warm damp towel just to see if it's true. You can tell he can see of the left eye. I tried sudden movements from far on both eyes and he responded the same way. I'll try it tomorrow with something cold to see if he notices. I know that the heat I radiate can play a part in it, so that's why I'll try something cooler.

As far as the housing, do you guys think it's better to go with something way smaller? After looking at some of the setups around here, it's a pretty radical change from what I have.

[kc261]

Based on reading about other people's experiences, a single layer of retained eyecap is likely to fix itself with the next shed as long as temps and especially humidity are good in the meantime. So I wouldn't worry about it too much since you aren't even sure if there is one retained or not.

Instead, focus on fixing up the environment the snake is in and/or getting a new enclosure. You said you aren't attached to doing a display tank, so look up information about how to set your BP up in a tub. It is less expensive than a tank, and makes it easier to maintain the proper temps and humidity.