Brand new owner as of today! Have one question.

[Lishdaddy]

Brand new owner as of today. We got a normal baby (Hatch Nov 1) ball from Ron Crawford this morning. I researched this forum and others to death before we finally made the purchase. We had the 20G Long tank set up for a week before she was delivered (tank is covered and insulated on 3 sides and has reflectix insulation covering 3/4 of top screen). Were using UTH on both sides of the tank controlled by a Herpstat II Thermostat. A moonlight bulb about 18 inches above (tank) the warm side to help with ambient temps, I have two Acurite thermometers with probes held down by the (idenical) hides. Tempetures are 82 Cool, 93 warm, and ambient of 81. Humidity is holding steady at 55%.

Now for my question: She is currently laid out (not in a ball) along the bottom of the cage resting, but has spent a lot of time today climbing all over the cage looking for a way out and hasn't gone in her hides at all. Is this normal for a brand new snake to spend the first day(s) cruising the tank and not resting in it's hide?

I know I'm probably being way over concerned, but I want to make sure I'm doing everything I should be.

Thanks for any replies and I look forward to being a contibuting member of the forum.

Lishdaddy

I know, no pics... i will upload soon.

[BallPythons9]

I think it's just exploring its new surroundings. If it is constantly cruising the cage non-stop for a long time then something may be wrong. Cruising at night is normal, I think your ball is just fine, however 93 may be a tiny bit too high I
keep mine at around 90 on the hot side.

[gypsygoddess723]

every time i got a new snake or changed the snake to a new cage they would explore every inch til they were happy, give it some time and if the snake keeps doing it make sure ur temps and things are on spot bc that can cause them to stress out but most likely its just making sure its home is secure

[Lishdaddy]

Thanks for the quick replies. I'm almost certian my temps are spot on, as I use the probes and a temp gun all around the cage. The hot side is at 90-91, but inside the hot side hide it's 93. I'll maybe turn it down a half degree or so.

She has cruised around the cage a lot trying to get to the top. She did lay streched out for about 2 hours this afternnon and didn't move my wife said. I'll adjust the hot side down a tad and keep tabs. Hopefully she settles down a bit in the next day or so.

Anyone else have this experince of acitve new snake when you first got it?

Thanks

[gu1do24]

congratulations fellow new owner. im picking mine up on friday and am already addicted. im sure ull catch the bug if you havent

[JKExotics]

It's very normal, it's just the snake exploring the new surroundings. Once it settles down you'll see it hit the hide and only come out once in a while.

[skaplan86]

Just like what everybody else said, just give him some time. You will probably wake up in the morning and say "hey where is the snake?" and he will be fast asleep in the hide.

Major props to your careful husbandry right out of the gate. Your temps and setup sound great. Your setup is a million times better than mine was when I got my BP and probably still is (but not for long, i just built him a fancy new cage and bought him a RHP)

[blackcrystal22]

If he continues to do so, he may be stressed out by the amount of space. You will also notice difficult feedings if this is true.
Some baby ball pythons get stressed out with too much space, even in a 20 gallon enclosure, and roaming is often a sign of stress.

Make sure his hides are tight and the cage is filled with lots of cramped decor to hide in. Don't worry about it too much for a couple weeks. If he still seems stressed and/or doesn't want to eat, you may need to divide the cage or get him a smaller enclosure. :]

[Lishdaddy]

I understand that a 20g Long tank may be a bit big, but I have two hides, a log, 4 decent sized silk plants, and good size rock type water dish.

Maybe I'll throw some crumpled newspaper and/or paper towls in there too to clutter it up a bit.



Thanks to everyone for your input. I won't stress about it unless it continues into the next few days.

I'm loving the whole experience to be honest.

[Melicious]

First of all, welcome aboard. I'm really excited that there's a new owner who did their research! People, such as yourself, who take great advice, are the reason I keep coming back to this forum. You're willing to learn, and that's beautiful.

Hahaha. The cruising is just part of the initial shock of getting used to things. "Oh hey! What's this? Ooooh! What's this? Can do this with this? WHOA! I can!" That sort of thing. My het. albino female I just picked up did that for two days and now I can never get her to come out of her hides. ^_^ Actually, all of my kids did that. O_O Anyhoo.

You're doing great. Just because you're using a 20gallon, I'd possibly clutter it a little more, just to give your new scale kid more security. 90-94F is great on the hot side.

Again, welcome aboard! I'm excited to see pictures.