Ball Python problems

[snunior]

I am having some trouble with my 16 inch Baby Ball Python. I fed him a small mouse 2 days ago and he still hasd not digested it. He is moving very slowly and looks sick. Can anyone help me?
:medfroner

I am very scared because i love him,.

[peterm15]

how are your temps, humidity. ect ect.

give us info on housbrandy and we can help more with your problem

[snunior]

Hes in 10 gallon tank and theres no thermometer.
its coming in 2 weeks with the rhinoraxx i am getting

[peterm15]

ok you got big problems then buddy.. first off,.... how do you know if your temps are ok... you could be freezing or cooking him.. you dont know... hows your humidity.. doubt its good cause theres a screen top..what about security.... he just ate.. you shoulnt see him for a few days...

get a thermo... out of the tank.. and bump the temps if needed

[Jeff_Favelle]

Hes in 10 gallon tank and theres no thermometer.

That's your problem right there. You're keeping your animal in LESS than sub par conditions, yet are expecting it to behave normally. These animals will ONLY thrive if given the conditions that allow them to.

[snunior]

okay okay.....
the pet shop said i didnt need one

[JAdkins2451]

okay okay.....
the pet shop said i didnt need one

Were telling you that you do need one.. Pet store will say what ever you want to hear to make a sale.. hear you going to hear reality.. Your talking to people that keep the sucessfully. So I would take all the advice you can. Also The Ball Python Manuel would be another good investment.

Jamie

[snunior]

okay thank you guys i will get a thermometer and a beter heating system right away

[peterm15]

AND get rid of the tank.... unless you decide to invest alot of time figuring out humidity..

Pet store will say what ever you want to hear to make a sale..

some will some wont... the one i go to gives great advice... and most of the time im there to help along the way in this advice... lol..

they tell ppl to save money and dont get the pet store crap as substrate, just use newspaper, keep balls in rubbermaids or custom enclosures, read before you buy.. ect ect... and even get ppl to bring in there animals to make sure there feeding the right size.. ( some girl was feeding a 3 foot ball 2 adult mice.. 2 hours apart while feeding... the poor thing was thiner than a grown rat snake... )

i suggest to "test" pet stores... ask them questions you know the answer to.. dont tell them there rong, just see if they decide to give you the truthful answer or feed you a bunch of crap.. when you learn to trust them youll be fine...

[snunior]

I am getting rhinoRaxx with a good system.

Is newspaper better than substrate?

[YoungBuck]

Newspaper or paper towel are both great inexpensive substrates. I find that the paper towel keeps a bit more humidity. If you don't have a hide...make one. One of my balls is super picky and will only eat if he has a cereal/cookie/cracker box as a hide. Ball pythons LOVE small places to hide. It is crazy the spaces that they can get into.

For the meantime, while you are waiting for your new enclosure, keep him in the 10 Gallon and cover 75% of the screen with a damp towel. Make sure the towel is always damp. I found that helped when I had my first Ball. Even better would be to buy a rubbermaid and drill some air holes in it. I have found all but one Ball prefers a rubbermaid/sterelite and they are fairly inexpensive. Get a large but shallow bowl of some sort to help with humidity as well.

As for temp, make sure you pick up a digital and not a stick-on that you find in most pet stores as they are very inaccurate. You can find everything you need at your local Walmart or what have you. Hope this helps~! ;) :thumbsup:

Mike

[snunior]

I already have a pretty big water bowl for him. How would i care for him if he is in a rubbermaid?

[kronic2005]

If hes in a rubbermaid or a tank or an enclosure there is really no difference, when u want to feed your snake or take him out to handle him, you open the top and voila, u have full access to his home. u have to drill air holes though. You didnt do any research on ball pythons before u bought it at all. If i where you i'd be asking for caresheet links and asking for advice from as many experts on here as you can.

Here are some links you can check out and research:

http://my.pclink.com/~dkelley/python.html#fee

http://www.anapsid.org/ball.html

Here is a great link as well, lots of great info here:

http://www.kingsnake.com/ballpythonguide/


I wish the best for you Ball python. Good luck

[snunior]

I did do my research I read an entire book on ball pythons before I bought him and it suggested an aquarium. My pet store said I do not need a thermometer so I thought they were right (i made a dum mistake). The book said nothing about rubbermaids.
How do I heat a rubbermaid?

[kronic2005]

Same way you would a tank, Undertank heaters or heat tape, you should go with Undertank heater. And if you read a book on ball pythons it would have told you pretty much everything u need to know, including to have a thermometer to make sure u have the proper temp gradients.

[snunior]

It did say it but i was dum enough to believe the store.

Thanks for all your help guys

[YoungBuck]

Just because you followed what the pet store said doesn't make it a dumb mistake. Pet stores are "supposed" to be informative of any questions that you may have, but most that work at larger chain stores don't know squat. As for the book you read, it could be fairly old and things change all the time. I have read a book too where they say that an aquarium is perfect with an adequate heat source such as a "basking rock". All you need to do is make sure they have fresh water and live food every 2-4 weeks. Now this was a book from the 80's and mis-informs anyone who reads it nowadays. Your best bet to get info on how to care for your Ball and proper husbandry is online. Specially this forum, so you came to the right place~! ;)

Mike

[peterm15]

Just because you followed what the pet store said doesn't make it a dumb mistake. Pet stores are "supposed" to be informative of any questions that you may have, but most that work at larger chain stores don't know squat. As for the book you read, it could be fairly old and things change all the time. I have read a book too where they say that an aquarium is perfect with an adequate heat source such as a "basking rock". All you need to do is make sure they have fresh water and live food every 2-4 weeks. Now this was a book from the 80's and mis-informs anyone who reads it nowadays. Your best bet to get info on how to care for your Ball and proper husbandry is online. Specially this forum, so you came to the right place~! ;)

Mike


couldnt have said it better myself.. its not like you said.. but this but that... you took our advice very well wether it was condensending or not... your just one of thoes owners that made a mistake but are willing to fix it... that in my eyes makes you a good owner

[JAdkins2451]

Pet store will say what ever you want to hear to make a sale..

some will some wont... the one i go to gives great advice... and most of the time im there to help along the way in this advice... lol..

they tell ppl to save money and dont get the pet store crap as substrate, just use newspaper, keep balls in rubbermaids or custom enclosures, read before you buy.. ect ect... and even get ppl to bring in there animals to make sure there feeding the right size.. ( some girl was feeding a 3 foot ball 2 adult mice.. 2 hours apart while feeding... the poor thing was thiner than a grown rat snake... )



You are right Peter not all petstore are bad, I would say majority are.. But obviously the one he got his info is if they said he does not need a thermometer.

Jamie

[Iggy&Roxi]

Dumb question, but how much are digital thermometers at Walmart...off hand does anyone know??? And would you keep them in the tank or just check the temp every so often...I have one that looks like a piece of film that when hot looks like a rainbow and when cold looks black...do I have the right one???

[peterm15]

no not at all.. and your temps are probably about 10 deg off..

they cost between 10 and 30 dollars depending on which one you want... the ones that are like 30 tell you humidity and for a ball is a good investment

[snunior]

Yes i just got one that is 30 and tells humidity.
Thanks a lot guys.

[xiola]

Not trying to sound stupid, but wouldn't the rubbermaid melt if you put an undertank heater under it??

[JAdkins2451]

The rubbermaid will be fine if you have a rheostat/dimmer.. Or a Thermostat.. If not it "may" be a possablity.. But I havent had one melt.

Jamie

[zero&stich]

Contrary to what some people will say, tanks will work. But in this case, you're keeping ball pythons. I can tell you from experience that tanks do work but are a pain in the arse to keep proper humidity levels, not to mention the glass is translucent. These guys are way skittish sometimes.

My pine is housed in a tank and growing like a weed. My pythons are housed in sterlights and thriving as well.

I suggest to invest in the rubbermaid setup even though its already been mentioned for balls. I have an UTH(under tank heater) hooked to a thermostat with digital thermometers. They are also housed seperately. Temps for me stay consistant at 88-92 for the basking area. My ambient temps are 80 during the summer months.

Also digital gauges range from 12-40 dollars US depending what you want out of it. My thermometers w/probe will give me temps from left/right and humidity all in one unit. I think I paid like 25 for it in US. Alternative is a temp. gun. Which I have that to in case my thermometers crap out on me, lol.

Good luck. Hope this helps more.

[zero&stich]

Not trying to sound stupid, but wouldn't the rubbermaid melt if you put an undertank heater under it?? Not a stupid question at all. This is the first thing that intially scared me when I switched over. I actually have my pads on cookie cutter pans lol since metal isn't flammable and the pads can't burn through metal. And have the sterlites raised bout an inch and a half from the pads them selves.

So far, I'm still sitting in my house and nothing has burnt to dust yet. *knock on wood*

[The Gawd]

i agree with whay everyone is telling you, How ever i do work at a petstore.... and 10g arnt for permant housing, their more for like sick/babies/one or two dsys maximum, my rule is you want an enclouser that is 2 times the snakes length 3/4 its width and 3/4 its height, and i know you allready said that you read a book... then you should allready know this... especially about the temps..... Always question your petstore employees, always, if you know more then..... My sugestion is re read your book quickly and get your snake set up properly... Also did you ask if it was an import or captive bred.... that could be your problem.... take a stool sample into a qualified vet.....

Al

[CARLiTO_]

I am having some trouble with my 16 inch Baby Ball Python. I fed him a small mouse 2 days ago and he still hasd not digested it. He is moving very slowly and looks sick. Can anyone help me?
:medfroner

I am very scared because i love him,.

How can u tell if he has digested it or not? Did he tell u? :confused:

[snake kid]

he probally can still see the lump in his belly

[peterm15]

How can u tell if he has digested it or not? Did he tell u? :confused:


lol.. now thats a dumb question.. loll... no no im just kidding... i really liked yoyur post.. it gave me a laugh i needed... did he tell you.. i like that man... i love sarcastic comedy... :mednormal

[snunior]

Not a stupid question at all. This is the first thing that intially scared me when I switched over. I actually have my pads on cookie cutter pans lol since metal isn't flammable and the pads can't burn through metal. And have the sterlites raised bout an inch and a half from the pads them selves.

So far, I'm still sitting in my house and nothing has burnt to dust yet. *knock on wood*


Okay i am switching to rubbermaid will my human heatpad burnthrough a metal pan on top of it and can i plc the rubbermaid on top of the pan or what i ever i use

[snunior]

are you guys against using a human heatpad?

[zero&stich]

Okay i am switching to rubbermaid will my human heatpad burnthrough a metal pan on top of it and can i plc the rubbermaid on top of the pan or what i ever i use I use cookie cutter pans, lol. There is a small indentation in the pan itself which does cause a gap for me where the pad and my sterlight rest. So the sterlight is actually not rested directly on top of the pad itself. But I still have it level by adding a VHS tap on the right. (I heat everything from the left. I am a true left handed person.)

Human pads, well I used to use them for colubrids since most require little to no heat. Some people I've talked to say they are fine to use others say they are unstable and not meant to be on 24/7. I am with the second opinion as I believe human pads could potencially be unstable and could be a fire hazard.

If you want to use UTH's, you have a couple of choices. 1. Those 'speciel' reptile heat pads like ZooMed, heat mat, heat tape and heat rope/cord. The cheapest way to probably heat would probably be eaither heat tape or heat rope. I would probably go heat tape since tons of breeders and hobbyist use it. I haven't heard too many use heat rope, but I could be wrong. Whichever heating element you choose to fit your needs make absolutely sure that you are using a thermostat amd have a reliable thermometer/temp gun so you are 110% sure at ALL times what your temps are.

No one wants a cooked or frozen snakecyle.
Good luck.

[Slannesh]

no human or reptile heat pad will get hot enough to melt plastic. It's a moot point anyhow since your snake would be long dead before that happened anyhow. That being said, having some airflow and a way to control the temp of the pad is critical.

Personally I use a proportional thermostat, but those are a little pricy for most people. ($200ish) But a lamp dimmer works just fine as well. The important thing is to keep a close eye on the temperature till you have a good idea of what sort of fluctuations happen with it.