Humidity and Hissing

[Wanka2012]

I'm a first time pet snake owner. I got my Ball Python about 3 days ago and his name is Wanka! She's about 3 months old and is eating what I believe is called "Pinkies" (infant mice). I realize now I didn't get enough information from the Pet Store I bought her from, I guess they just didn't know. I'm glad there is a forum to find information and I want to do everything possible for my snake to live happy and comfortable. I have a 10 gallon tank, a heat lamp, a hide, a "fake plant" for shade, and a large water rock/bowl.

Here's my issue, the pet store could NOT tell me when the last time she ate was (Nor the sex, they said he/she was too young), but could tell me that she was eating regularly and had no issues. I fed her the first night and she didn't wait around, eating fairly quickly. I held her the second day with no issues. The third day is today and she was curled up asleep, I must have startled her or she must have been in a bad mood because she started hissing. I'm assuming this is common, but I don't want my snake to hate me! Maybe someone can tell me if I'm doing some wrong. I don't believe she is in shed, because she isn't showing any signs. (again the pet store couldn't tell me the last shed!!! ridiculous, but I really wanted her so I took my chances)

Last- I have no idea what to do about humidity or what the range should be. I saw them using a spray bottle, spraying the inside of the snake, on a snake that was in shed... Is that common? Any advice would be help.
Thanks!

[ballpython1717]

for your humidity issue, i had the same thing. it should be around 70-80% (closer to 80 when your snake is shedding) and if you have a problem keeping it up cover the lid of your enclosure with a damp towel and spray down the inside about twice a day

[Kingsnakechris]

Give it more than a few days to settle in before handling, good that its eating tho, and the damp towel over a portion of the lid will def. Help the humidity. Your going to need a bigger tank than a 10 gal as well.

[ballpython1717]

for right now a 20 gallon will suffice, but when it gets bigger you will need a 40

[rmfsnakes32]

You can also buy something called a repti fogger that will get your humidity levels on target!

[Kingsnakechris]

How much do those run?

[Wanka2012]

Thanks guys! I definitely know I will need a bigger tank and will after I she gets a little bigger and will use the old one for feeding (I've read you should feed them in different areas). I bought a humidity gauge and a temperature gauge. In the warm spot it's hanging around 90 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity is at 60 degrees. I'm assuming the humidity is a little low so I'm going to spray down the inside of the tank in hopes to raise it. She seems comfortable in her hide and let me handle her again this afternoon. I don't touch her more than once a day, but I'm going to leave her alone tomorrow to give her more time to settle in.

Another issue- I want to know the sex of the snake, but pet shops have told me the snake is too young. I've youtubed ways to tell, but I don't want to mess up and hurt her reproductive organs. Is there any tricks for a ball python or should I let a professional find out for me?

[Kingsnakechris]

Get a Professional... you have plenty of time for it to grow up a little lol.

[Skumbo]

Have a professional do it.

As for humidity - what kind of gauge did you get?

btw its not degrees, its a % of water density in the air.

heres my hygrometer guide: Your humidity may be way off! | Paul The Polymath (http://paulthepolymath.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/your-humidity-may-be-way-off/)


Also - general guide with all new snakes, especially after being fed - leave em alone for about a week. I know you want to play with it because its a new pet, but resist the urge!

Also - try not to handle right after or the day after feeding, especially when the snakes are a big bigger and have a large food item in their body, they can be a bit skiddish or uncomfortable moving around - they want to sit and hide and use their energy to digest - they dont work the same way we do! Think of thanksgiving when you need to lay down and digest cause you feel so full, you dont want to go out and run around after a huge meal do you?

Also - lets see some pics! :D

[rmfsnakes32]

The repti foggers run about $40 thru zoo med online

[Wanka2012]

https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=09af5c31af&view=att&th=13a1007c0e73e99c&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=1414412250988412928-1&safe=1&zw

Here's wanka! I know it's not a very good background, but I'm going to leave him/her alone for a bit like was recommended and let him get acclimated

[Lankyrob]

I notice you said there was only one hide, htere should be one at each end of the tank so that the snake can choose heat and security or "cold" and security :)

[shaunyboy]

after feeding,it's better to leave a snake 2 to 3 days before handling,this gives the snake time to digest it's prey,handling too soon after feeding may cause the snake to reguratate

cheers shaun

[MoreliAddict]

Snake sounds stressed, try to keep interruptions to a minimum. Provide a hide at the hot end, and the cool end, and let him be for a week.

Also, he may be able to handle larger prey than a pinkie mouse...

[mykee]

Oh such bad advice in the first few posts.
Lets clear up all that crap, shall we:
1. A three month old ball python should be eating a meal roughly 10 times heavier than a pinky mouse (2-4g). Get it on rats ASAP, the longer you wait, the harder it will be.
2. Optimal normal humidity should be 60%, not 70-80%.
3. Stop handling him after eating (if you can even really call a mouse pinky eating).
4. 95 on the warm side, 80-ish on the cool side.
5. A 20 gallon tank is suitable until that animal is about 700g, you've got a year or so (or 20 years if you keep feeding him tiny meals).
6. And most important: you seem to have done little to no research regarding your new snake prior to your getting him. PLEASE either go to the library and rent a book on the captive husbandry of ball pythons or go to the pet store and buy one (or two).
Good luck.

[Wanka2012]

Mykee
I did research, and the problem is I found many different answers from many different sources. I'm asking most of these questions for clarification really. Thanks for you clearing up the first few posts. Humidity is at 60%, I only current have 1 real hide which is on the hot side, but I have a turtle hide at the cool side which I believe is sufficient for now. The snake is about 3 months old- that's what I was guessing because the store couldn't tell me exactly, (and I'm going off pictures. Yeah, Tough) but I do know the snake is eating appropriately sized mice for her body size and wouldn't feed her anything bigger yet. The temperature is in average ranges from research I've done. I handled her once after she ate because I was fixing his vivarium(rearranging) but after her hissing and a day after a meal I realize I should have waited.

Anyways, from the lack of information about snakes this Pet Store had and it living with 4 other ball pythons, I felt this snake needed to be saved! :)

There you go!

[mykee]

"but I do know the snake is eating appropriately sized mice for her body size and wouldn't feed her anything bigger yet."
Are you saying that pinky mice are "appropriately sized" meals for this snake?
For reference, I feed my babies small adult mice right out of the egg.

[Wildside]

Mykee
I did research, and the problem is I found many different answers from many different sources. I'm asking most of these questions for clarification really. Thanks for you clearing up the first few posts. Humidity is at 60%, I only current have 1 real hide which is on the hot side, but I have a turtle hide at the cool side which I believe is sufficient for now. The snake is about 3 months old- that's what I was guessing because the store couldn't tell me exactly, (and I'm going off pictures. Yeah, Tough) but I do know the snake is eating appropriately sized mice for her body size and wouldn't feed her anything bigger yet. The temperature is in average ranges from research I've done. I handled her once after she ate because I was fixing his vivarium(rearranging) but after her hissing and a day after a meal I realize I should have waited.

Anyways, from the lack of information about snakes this Pet Store had and it living with 4 other ball pythons, I felt this snake needed to be saved! :)

There you go!


Don't save snakes from pet shops that can't tell you when the last time they ate is. You may as well be donating money to rattlesnake roundups.

Mykee's advice is sound and I will second everything he said if you need backup regarding conflicting information. Pinky mice are suitable meals for baby corns. Baby BP's need bigger prey items. As a rule of thumb make the meal just a little thicker than the thickest part of your snake.

[rmfsnakes32]

I agree with Mykee as well he breeds balls and knows his way around snakes and his advice is 100% sound! And it does need to have bigger meals should be on rat pups by now!

[Wanka2012]

Mykee, No. Please go back and read my original post. I am not sure if what I am feeding my mice are pinkies. However I am sure that I what I am feeding my snake is the appropriate size measured by the widest part of the snake. The name really means nothing to me as long as I know it is the correct size.

I'll give you a reference: They had tiny stil born looking mice without hair, then they had another size that looked to be infantile mice with a little bit of hair. I chose the latter because it matched the snakes width.

As far as the other advice you have given, I will take it as fact, thanks for the help!

Wildside, There are only two pet shops in my town. One had 1 python that looked to be in terrible shape, and the other pet shop (where I got my snake) looked to take better care of their snakes as far as enclosures. My thinking was that I did not want to get a snake from a reptile expo because they have thousands of snakes who don't get much attention while the pet shop has about 3-4 on hand and can handle them and take care of them. I'm still weary of reptile expo's but I think pet shops are very similar now. If I get another snake I'm going private seller who is not a breeder so they take better care of the snakes individually.

[mykee]

Pinkies are newborn mice; pink, no hair.
Fuzzies are mice with fuzzy fur; you can still see the skin through the fur.
Hoppers look like mini mice, usually 10-12 days old.
then small mice, then medium mice, then large mice, then jumbo mice.
I feed my 3 month old ball pythons rats that would be equivalent in size to large mice.

[Wildside]

Pinkies are newborn mice; pink, no hair.
Fuzzies are mice with fuzzy fur; you can still see the skin through the fur.
Hoppers look like mini mice, usually 10-12 days old.
then small mice, then medium mice, then large mice, then jumbo mice.
I feed my 3 month old ball pythons rats that would be equivalent in size to large mice.

Hopefully he is feeding pinky rats

[mykee]

Even pinky rats (6-9g) are too small. Better than pinky mice I suppose...

[rmfsnakes32]

Hell my 6 week old burm is eating rat pups and its skinnier compared to the baby balls I have seen recently! It needs rats now otherwise it wont switch when the time comes

[Wanka2012]

So I went to the store and got medium size mice to feed my ball python. I followed Mykee's advice like everyone suggested which was to feed my snake at a minimum, medium size mice. I was feeding my snake fuzzies (which I now discovered was the name). I thought this was sufficient but I decided to move up because I didn't want to be underfeeding or starving my snake. Today she ate a medium mouse because rat pups where just far to large. She had it half way swallowed once, then regurgitated it. She tried again and struggled, but eventually it took her just at an hour to get it down, then laid there not moving for another 30 minutes. The adult mouse is protruding out of her body and is very noticeable. Any words of wisdom?

Now that it's later she seems to be doing just fine now.

[Ivanator]

I don't know if this was mentioned at all yet but you should also replace the heat lamp with an undertank heater. Heat lamps tend to dry the air out more causing more problems with keeping the right humidity.

[Aaron_S]

So I went to the store and got medium size mice to feed my ball python. I followed Mykee's advice like everyone suggested which was to feed my snake at a minimum, medium size mice. I was feeding my snake fuzzies (which I now discovered was the name). I thought this was sufficient but I decided to move up because I didn't want to be underfeeding or starving my snake. Today she ate a medium mouse because rat pups where just far to large. She had it half way swallowed once, then regurgitated it. She tried again and struggled, but eventually it took her just at an hour to get it down, then laid there not moving for another 30 minutes. The adult mouse is protruding out of her body and is very noticeable. Any words of wisdom?

Now that it's later she seems to be doing just fine now.

Leave it alone. I of course know now that you took it to a vet to 'regurge it'. Maybe pictures would help everyone. Along with the snake eating and after it eats next time.

[Wanka2012]

I didn't take it to a vet and ask the vet to regurgitate it... That was the vets suggestion. And I did post a picture, ON THIS THREAD. I don't know why I'm even posting on this forum. I'm done with this place.

[Aaron_S]

I want pictures of the prey item.

See you later. Come back and let us know how fast it took your ball python to die.

[Pareeeee]

Some people don't want help.

[OSMDEATHOWNER]

my bp born july 19th has been on rat pups ever since i got her from the breeder and she isnt even 3 months yet. theyre all right. Also a bp, to me, is too big from birth for a 10gal tank. Good luck owith your new friend, hope to see more pics soon.