Hello

[SparkyBeauty]

I just recently bought 2 Ball Pythons. I've always wanted a pet snake and now I have 2 :). I still have a lot to learn about their care. Any tips would be appreciated. Well first of all I have them in a 20 gallon tank (they were together in the store and are still together now). I bought the snakes a week apart. The first snake (Sparky) ate a few days later and again today. The other snake (Beauty) will not eat. How can I get her to eat (pretty sure they are both females). Thank you in advance

[Albert Clark]

Welcome to the snake nation it's nice to have you here. The first thing you need to do is separate the ball pythons. They need their own enclosures and space. The only time that bp's come together is to breed normally. Captive bred bp's are usually put together when they first hatch out of eggs and that is mainly done only for them to have their first shed. After that, they are separated into their own space. Until you separate them the one bp probably won't eat. She probably is being dominated by the other one. And she also is stressed by not being able to escape to her own area. A 20 gallon tank is really a huge amount of space for a young bp. You're going to have to maybe cover the 3 sides of the glass with dark construction paper to add security to the one that is going to stay in there. Think also about cluttering the tank with plastic leaves and ornaments. But the one that is not eating has to be put in a different enclosure.

[SnoopySnake]

What he said^ also if you're using a heat mat it HAS to be regulated by a thermostat. There has also been cases of cannibalism in ball pythons. Separate them asap.

[SparkyBeauty]

Is there a way to divide the tank, so I don't have to get a whole other setup? I've seen people use tubs for their snakes, how would I regulate the temperature for that?

[Albert Clark]

A small 6 to 12 qt tub for the bp would be ideal. You could purchase a ultratherm heat mat and a rheostat or hydrofarm thermostat to regulate the mat. I prefer the ultratherm bc it is a safer built heat mat. The other thing would be to shop around for a 3 tub commercial rack with built in heat tape. For the tub, make sure to get one that has locking handles to secure the lid.

[SparkyBeauty]

Thank you all for your help. I am working on getting a second enclosure ��