finally gonna get my BP! first snake! tips anyone?

AlexCrazy · 06-25-15, 08:52 PM

HI! my dreams are finally gonna come true! im gonna get a male BP..
i would love some tips! name ideas... and i have a cuestion..
can i use dry-id leaves for beading? it will look really natural... theres lots.. and its one of my only option other than shavings....

level of happiness is so freaking high! hahahaha soo happy!
and my tank size is 24x63 inches.. is it okay? i know they say not to use big.. but my wallet is small and it was my dads old fishtank..

AlexCrazy · 06-25-15, 09:06 PM

All so.. is it okay to..(for the meantime) fead hamster fuzzys? my seller cant send me frozen or live food

then ill get the mice..

Albert Clark · 06-26-15, 07:22 AM

Congrats Alex! I am happy for you. I really wouldn't use leaves from outside bc they may harbor bugs and elements that may be unhealthy for your bp, first piece of equipment you will need is a thermostat to regulate the heat. Paper towels are a good clean floor covering and can make it easy to see areas that need cleaning. A couple of hides to give a sense of security to the bp. Make sure to divide the enclosure into a warm side and cool side for him as well. And a water bowl.

AlexCrazy · 06-26-15, 11:03 AM

Thanks! I bouhgt 2 thermo/hydrometers and a heat pad.
Don't snakes go around leaves in the wild? I guess they could have some sort of dirt.. or i dont know.. but it seams pretty natural and normal to me..
Im still wondering about the hamster thing

i dont whant to feed the rong thing..

Albert Clark · 06-27-15, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexCrazy

Thanks! I bouhgt 2 thermo/hydrometers and a heat pad.
Don't snakes go around leaves in the wild? I guess they could have some sort of dirt.. or i dont know.. but it seams pretty natural and normal to me..
Im still wondering about the hamster thing

i dont whant to feed the rong thing..

Snakes in the wild are different from snakes in captivity. Wild snakes harbor more ectoparasites and more endoparasites. So, what we try to do as keepers is to maintain a level of safety for our captives and not expose them to unnecessary conditions that are inherent to the wild population. There is a higher standard of care for captive reptiles. Even the wild caught animals wind up faring better in captivity. But their physical conditions are a testament to the dangers and risks that they are exposed to in the wild. So, just be sure to get all the aphids, slugs, and slime off of the wild outside leaves as well as any tick larvae and microscopic insectivores that may or may not be visible. Just a IMO.

Oh, and I was referring to a thermostat not a thermometer for your heat regulation.

MDT · 06-26-15, 12:49 PM

Alex..dried leaves are fine. Lots of people use dried leaves. You're correct...snakes are all up in the dried leaves in the wild. Same with ingesting bits of substrate....snakes do that in the wild too...with no ill effects. However...you gotta have your husbandry spot on. In captivity they don't have the luxury of being able to adjust over distance like they can in the wild. Your snake is confined to a relatively small ecosystem. If it isn't what their physiology requires, then bad stuff happens...and it's all on you.

I personally use manageable substrate (cage liners, paper towels, newspaper, etc), it's just easier for me to clean. Currently, I'm using a material from cageliners.net and covering with cypress mulch.

My guess is that after you've changed your leaves a few times when your Python drops a big dump and smears it around, you'll be looking for a new substrate 😀....

Post up pics when you can!!

ManSlaughter33 · 06-26-15, 12:55 PM

I would say no to the hamsters...

AlexCrazy · 06-26-15, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ManSlaughter33

I would say no to the hamsters...

why? i read there aggressive.. but its just until i find the mice.. hes coming on sort of a short notice..my dad found one at last.. so.. my weekend is gonna be busy!
Ill maybe use the leaves.. but to be safe.. ill start with paper towels! thanks everyone for the advice.. its nice to have support on something so important!

DDW · 06-26-15, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexCrazy

why? i read there aggressive.. but its just until i find the mice.. hes coming on sort of a short notice..my dad found one at last.. so.. my weekend is gonna be busy!

The aggression isn't the reason I think. They are a lot of fur with little nutritional value to make up for it. That and some snakes, like ball/royal pythons, tend to get stuck on a particular prey item and refuse anything else. Picky eaters are not a good thing to work with. You should be able to order f/th online and get them next day shipping I think. I think it would be better to put off until you can get appropriate prey items unless the snake is supper skinny. Snakes can go for long periods of time without food without much more than a little lost weight. A few days won't hurt. And I think bps somtimes get hooked on mice and refuse rats when the time comes also but I throw that one to more experience people. How long until you can get those mice? All else fails, ask the previous owner where they got the snakes food. They should know for sure how to get hold of some.

AlexCrazy · 06-26-15, 08:18 PM

ahhh.. i could also shave them HAHA but yes.. the picky part i forgot..
depending on the info that the seller will give me about his diet.. ill se if i will wait..
but i will have to change for sure one day... my dad will only accept rats in the house if they are necesary.. so it will have to be mice for now... ill try not to start on hamsters..
the funny thing is that the seller seed theres no problem with feading him hamster O.o

DDW · 06-27-15, 04:07 AM

Hmm:/I'm just stating the reason hamsters are usually not used. And if I remember corectly, rats are just a little more fat content (which I'm not saying is badXD) why will he not allow rats but allow mice?

AlexCrazy · 06-27-15, 04:39 AM

Im not 100% sure... but he just dosent like rats... ha ha
mice are cuter in a way... XD maybe ill even just have rabbits and not rats... it will depend on his mood at that time.. ha ha

DDW · 06-27-15, 06:57 AM

Rats tend to have better dispositions(my sister had pet rats) and usually easier to handle. But rabbits are usually used for the larger snakes. Idk if bps ever get big enough for them.

SnoopySnake · 06-27-15, 10:33 AM

Ball pythons won't get big enough for rabbits.

**Aaron_S** · 06-27-15, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SnoopySnake

Ball pythons won't get big enough for rabbits.

It's happened before. Just need small rabbits.