Hello everyone. I recently bought a ball python and have been researchinh all about them. My ball is about 17" long and I got it last week. To be honest I was once terrified of snakes due to a bad childhood experience, but I have always been facinated by them. Im over my fears now (most newayz), and I have some questions. First, how often should I handle my python? And how should I handle it? Sometimes it opens its mouth very wide for a brief moment and then closes it. I have only seen it do this twice, once while it was in my hand. Is it mad at me? Is that a sign that it may bite me? When I put it back in the cage it "runs" to its hide box. Is that normal? Why does it do that? One time while handling my python it wrapped around my wrist pretty tightly and tensed up every time I tried to remove it. Why did it do that? What do I do if it tries it again? How can I tell when to leave my python alone and when to handle it? Also what other steps can I take to avoid bites and if I do get bitten what should I put on it? Thanks in advance for all ya'llz support! P.S. My new house has a room that has nothing in it, Im thinking about making it a reptile room. Any other herps that you would suggest I take a look into?
Congratulations on your new family member First of all, leave the snake totally alone for a good week to a week and a half. This will allow it to settle in and get comfortable with its surroundings. Don't handle it during this time. Only change the water and clean up feces/urates. Keep the cage in a quiet area with very little foot traffic. Make sure you are measuring your temperatures and humidity accurately with a DIGITAL unit. A good combo unit that measures temps on both sides of the enclosure and the relative humidity in the cage can be found at WalMart. The brand name is Acu-Rite, it should run about $14.99, and it is found in the outdoor thermometer section, by the lightbulbs, behind the household paint section(hopefully). The analog temp gauges found at the pet store are notoriously inaccurate and will not allow you to correctly measure the temps and humidity. For ball pythons the temps on the cool side need to be between 82-84 and the warm side between 93-95. Humidity can be between 45-65% when the snake isn't in shed, and around 70% when it is getting ready to shed. To keep the temps steady, a good thermostat or dimmer should be used on the heating pad. Heat lamps dry the air out and do not create a good temp gradient. What size enclosure is the snake currently in? If it has a screen top, glass enclosure, this will be fairly difficult to maintain proper heat and humidity for this particular species. Plastic sweater boxes like Iris tubs, rubbermaid or Sterilite are more appropriate enclosures for this species as they are easily stressed and do not fare well if there are temp fluctuations. If you decide to go with a plastic tub, one that has more floor space than height is a good choice, and it should have a locking top. Target is a good place to find these. At this size, the snake should be on 1-2 adult mice, or a rat pup. Has the snake been eating live prey or pre-killed or frozen/thawed? Every 7 days at this age should work well. Try to feed in the evening. But it is best to wait at least a week, preferably two, to let the snake settle in and destress. If the snake doesn't eat the first time, wait a week, and try again. Your question about the snake opening its mouth, just sounds like it is realigning its jaw or yawning. Nothing to be concerned about. Ball pythons are not a very active species and will hide all day and part of the evening. As I said above, don't try to handle it at this time. Wait at least a week and a half to try and feed, get it eating consistently, and then try short handling sessions. It is more important to get the snake eating than to try to get it used to you. You have all the time in the world to introduce yourself Make sure you have at least two hides in the cage, two dry hides, one on the warm end and one on the cool, and maybe even a humid hide. That will help with shedding properly. How are you heating the cage? What are you using for bedding? When your snake wrapped around tightly, that means it is feeling insecure and feels that it is going to fall. Right now it is very nervous, and since it is a baby, it will take it quite awhile to get used to you. Right now it feels that everything is going to eat it. Move slow and make deliberate movements. Don't make any quick movements towards the snake's head, as ball pythons in particular are very headshy. After the snake has settled in and eaten which will take about 2 1/2-3 weeks total, you can start short, 5-10 minute handling sessions 3-4 times a week. Don't handle the snake 48 hours after you feed it, so it will have time to digest and won't regurge the meal. If you do get bitten, you probably won't know it unless you actually see the snake bite you. Neosporin will work fine if you do get bitten. I think that is about it, and if you have any other questions, just ask. A good ball python-specific site like www.ball-pythons.net will work well for you. It is very family-oriented and we love new people
Lets see, I have a 10 gallon tank, 1 hide box, a water bowl, a branch, and fir bark. I have 2 analog thermometers, one on either side of the tank, and an analog humindity one. I started playing with him soon as I got him. Should I start now and leave him alone for a week or two? He is scheduled to eat on friday, since I did not give him time to adjust should I post-pone the feeding?
I would get rid of the analog thermometers as they are just decorations. They do nothing. The digital combo unit will be your best bet in successfully caring for this snake. When you get the digital unit, place the unit itself flat on the floor of the cool side and run the probe and place it under the warm side hide. It will measure the temp of the floor of the cool side, the temp of the inside of the warm hide, and the humidity. If you don't measure the temps on the floor, you don't know what the snake is actually experiencing. He/she could be burning or freezing. Yes, definately leave the snake TOTALLY alone for at least a week and a half. It will be hard on your willpower, but it is the best thing for the snake's wellbeing. Wait at least 2 weeks to try to feed. If you wait that long, the snake will be more likely to eat, and keep the meal down. Good hides can be made out of the small 4" in diameter clay pot bottoms/saucers. Knock a hole in the side of TWO and place one on the warm side and one on the cool side. You need two hides so the snake doesn't have to give up security for thermoregulating properly. Two hides will give him the choice. But please, get the digital unit and then you will know you are measuring the temps accurately. You will also want to get two of those clay pot saucers from WalMart or another place like Lowe's/Home Depot. They are low to the ground, dark, and round, which will make the snake feel secure. Also, you may want to join the Ball Python site I mentioned above. It is more Ball Python oriented, and there are many ball python breeders that frequently visit. They are the ones who have been doing this for 25-30 years and know what kind of care these guys require.
Its usually best to feed the snake at least one week after you get it. As BP's are sometimes very finicky eaters, i wouldnt feed him for at least one week after you got him.
At night how low should I allow the temperature to drop or should the temperatures stay the same as with the daytime?
You're better off getting a good sized plastic tub thing and feeding in that. This keeps him from associating cage openning with feeding. You can get a huge one cheaply at Walmart/Target/K-Mart etc. The one I feed my 7 foot boa in cost about $20. i put the snake in, kill the rat and open the lid and dangle it in there (by tip of tail with leather gloves). If he doesn't take it out of my hand I toss it in and leave it for one hour. After that its cool and he's unlikely to eat it.
He is scheduled to eat tomorrow, if he does not come out by then should I wait to feed until he does?
Nah, fetch him out. Hide boxes are very important for snakes, makes them feel secure Some snakes spend a lot of time inside, others less. Its not a big deal as long as he has a place to get away from it all. You already had him over a week so its no biggie. You won't traumatize him by taking him out of it, especially to feed him.
Umm, I disagree with wreckwriter, sorry. If you just got him last week, I would leave him alone for at least the next week. He probably won't eat if you 'fetch him out', and you'll end up stressing him out, which could prolong the period that he won't eat. That's just my opinion.
I figure a week for acclimation is enough. Since he's a ball he may be a finicky eater no matter what.
Yes, he may be finicky, but with any new snake or reptile, you should give them the proper adjustment period. I wouldn't take him out of his hide to feed him just yet. I wouldn't even try to handle him yet.
Ok, now im having a little more trouble. I turned on the ac in the house and now I am having trouble getting the hot side of the cage up to 90. The highest I can get it is 85-86 and 80-82 on the cool side. The humidity is perfect though. I have a heat pad under the cage and a spot light/red light for night time. Do I need stronger bulbs? Thank you all for all your help. Im sort of a perfectionist and feel like I have to know everything. I dont want my snake stressed out. Plus if I have success with this one I plan on acquiring one or two more. (They are kind of addictive). The care sheets I have found on the internet only cover the basics and minute details. Once again thanks for helping!
You could get a bigger bulb or you could through a towl over part of the tank so more heat is trapped in. as for music... it depends of the individual snake I can pump the base and one my snakes do not seem to be bother by it but the others balls just freek out so I have to tone the DBs down a bit to appease the snakes. so rember that snake are sensitve to sound viberation so figure that it will stress it out.
