My First Snake, My Ball Python!

NicoleElaine · 08-25-12, 08:22 AM

So My Best Friend And Me Went Two Days Ago To Pick Up A Snake She Had Found On Craigslist, We Get There And The Guy Has Two And Is Just Selling The One To My Friend We Ask About The Other And He Says He Is A Very Aggressive Snake He's Missing An Eye I'm Just Gonna Kill Him No One Want's Him, Me Being The Animal Lover I Am Decides To Tell Him I'll Take Him So He Won't Kill Him. I Now Have A 3 to 3 1/2 Foot Long Ball Python And No Idea How To Take Care Of Him. I Do Have Him In A Tank With A Locking Lid And It's Got Water And Some Broken Branches And A Rock So He's Not The Only Thing In The Tank And I Fed Him A Live Medium Sized Rat The Same Day I Got Him He Had It Eaten In A Matter Of Five Minutes. Any Thing I Should Do Or Know To Make Him Happier?

alessia55 · 08-25-12, 08:39 AM

What size is the tank?

Give him two hides, on either side of the tank. He'll need a large water dish. Cover that mesh lid with a damp towel, or anything that can cover the majority of it. The mesh lid will release too much humidity otherwise.

You will need a heat mat connected to a thermostat to regulate the temperatures. The hot side should be set to be 87-90F. Feel free to check out my Setting Up page for a step-by-step instruction.

Becky Goings · 08-27-12, 10:23 AM

I highly recommend Alessia's site. She really knows her bp care. Please also try to switch to frozen/thawed instead of live. Live rodents can kill a snake very quickly. That is probably why he only has one eye. Even if carefully supervised, a rodent can take out an eye quicker than you can respond to it's movement. If you need help with switching the snake over, there are many helpful threads on here. Let me know, and I'll find some links for you if you need them! Good luck, and GOOD ON YOU for helping this little guy out! With proper care and nutrition, I bet you'll find this guy a lot calmer.

NicoleElaine · 08-27-12, 06:33 PM

My Tank Is a 10 gallon tank at the moment i am attempting to get a bigger one. how would i go about switching him to the frozen one's how does it work and where would i get them? and at the moment i have coconut fiber in his tank as the substraight is that bad because i heard it was bad for him but i also heard ceader chips are poisonous to him it that true?

alessia55 · 08-27-12, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NicoleElaine

My Tank Is a 10 gallon tank at the moment i am attempting to get a bigger one. how would i go about switching him to the frozen one's how does it work and where would i get them? and at the moment i have coconut fiber in his tank as the substraight is that bad because i heard it was bad for him but i also heard ceader chips are poisonous to him it that true?

Yes, cedar IS toxic to reptiles. Good options are aspen, reptibark, cypress mulch, or newspaper.

A 10-gallon tank is WAY too small for a 3.5ft ball python. You'll want one that's at least 40-gallons. Please follow the directions I have you in my first post for giving him a better setup.

There are a few ways to thaw a frozen rat. Here is the way I do it:
1. Choose the rat you want to thaw
2. Leave it in a container to thaw... thawing time can be several hours depending on the size of the rat, so plan ahead. You might want to thaw the rat overnight in your refrigerator. Treat the rat as you would thaw a piece of frozen meat for yourself.
3. Once the rat is no longer frozen, you'll want to heat it up above room temperature. I use hot water to do this.
4. While the rat is heating up, set up the things you need for feeding. I separate a paper towel and the feeding tongs.
Note: some ball pythons are happy to eat their prey wet, while some will only eat their prey dry. If your ball python eats dry prey, you might opt to use a hair dryer to heat and dry the rat instead of using water.
5. Check the rat. The head and the hips are the thickest areas and you'll want those to be quite warm to the touch. If they're not warm, you'll want to heat up the rat more.
6. Once the rat is warm and ready, you are ready to feed your ball python!

Here is a video tutorial:

Important: Do NOT thaw or heat up your frozen rat by using boiling water or a microwave. This method will most likely cause the rat to pop or explode!

Enticing Your Ball Python To Eat A Thawed Rat
Some ball pythons will eat a thawed rat if you simply place it in their enclosure. Others will need a little convincing. For this, many owners will do what we endearingly call "the nom nom dance" or "the zombie rat dance." To do this, you'll want to hold the rat by the scruff of the neck, and make it "walk" or move as if it is still alive. This will trick your ball python into believing the rat is alive, and will entice it to strike, coil, and eat the rat.
Here is a video that shows you how I do "the nom nom dance" for my baby ball python, Pika:

You can find more information on the Feeding page of my website.

NicoleElaine · 08-29-12, 05:37 PM

So Where Would I Go To Get The Frozen Rats? The Pet Store I Normally Go To, Petco, Doesn't Carry Frozen Rats. I'm In The Process Of Getting A Bigger Tank For Him. And Another Thing. How Do I Know If I'm Pissing Him Off? Like I'm A Little Nervous To Pull Him Out Of His Tank I've Rubbed His Side Moved Rocks And Branches In His Tank But I've Not Actually Grabbed Him And Picked Him Up How Would I Go About It My Friend Said To Grab Him Towards The Head So He Can't Bite Me But I Feel Like That's Kinda Mean And If He Doesn't Want Me Picking Him Up I'm Not Going To.

alessia55 · 08-29-12, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NicoleElaine

So Where Would I Go To Get The Frozen Rats? The Pet Store I Normally Go To, Petco, Doesn't Carry Frozen Rats. I'm In The Process Of Getting A Bigger Tank For Him. And Another Thing. How Do I Know If I'm Pissing Him Off? Like I'm A Little Nervous To Pull Him Out Of His Tank I've Rubbed His Side Moved Rocks And Branches In His Tank But I've Not Actually Grabbed Him And Picked Him Up How Would I Go About It My Friend Said To Grab Him Towards The Head So He Can't Bite Me But I Feel Like That's Kinda Mean And If He Doesn't Want Me Picking Him Up I'm Not Going To.

Handing: There is no need to grab your ball python by the head. That will only stress him out. Ball pythons are generally docile, but if he were to bite you because he's stressed, it doesn't hurt all that much.

Here is a video I made that should help you out with handling:

You can order frozen rats online. There are quite a few that do this. You can also look up your local reptile store; they usually carry rats too. If you find an upcoming reptile expo/show, you can buy frozen rats there, and they're usually cheaper too.

Kaetlinv · 08-29-12, 05:47 PM

Don't try picking your snake up by the head... If anything you're going to scare the poor thing. I've learned by personal experience that softly rubbing the tail or middle of the snake before picking them up will make them aware of your presence if they weren't already from you taking their hide away.

If you're nervous about picking him up, pick him up by the middle and he will automatically coil around your hand a little to get a grip. Until you're comfortable and used to handling / picking up your snake the best thing to do is not make any sudden movements, and to not move extremely slow. Try and act normal and at a steady speed just scoop him up by the belly.

If your snake REALLY doesn't like what you're doing he will either hiss or try and bite you. Like in Alessia said in her video, they'll just kind of tense up. Ball pythons got that name for a reason. When they're scared they tense and ball up to protect themselves. As a new snake owner, you should be prepared to be bitten a few times. I haven't been bitten, but I was careful and I'm still fully prepared to be bitten despite the fact that my three Ball pythons are angels.

Trying to grab any snake by the head will likely cause a defensive reaction and you might get bit...
Put yourself in your snake's position, and imagine you're nice and cozy under a rock asleep. Someone takes that rock away and wakes you up and you're somewhat apprehensive as to what's going on. Would you rather be firmly but gently picked up round your middle where you can tell what's going on and can still see?

Or would you rather something large and scary coming at your face to scare the bajeebas out of you?

Also, listen to Alessia more than me, She's the expert. :P

NicoleElaine · 09-16-12, 08:05 AM

So I Have Recently Noticed That My Ball Python Had Gotten A Milky Looking Eye. (He Only Had One Eye Anyways) He Will Not Move Around He Lays In The Same Spot All The Time. I Often Have To Check And Touch Him To Make Sure He Is Still Alive. I Don't Know What To Do Anyone Have Any Idea What It Is Or If He's Fine Or What I Should Do To Help Him?

h3h · 09-16-12, 08:34 AM

Don't think anyone covered this, but if the rocks and branches you put in there are from outside, you either need to heat treat them, or get something else to put in the cage...With the latter of the two being the preferable one I believe. Any rock, stick, dirt from outside could carry parasites and possibly harm, or kill your snake. If they aren't from outside then disregard my statement.

If your snakes eye looks milky there is a good chance it may be entering shed. Also known as "blue." This is a "private" time if you will, and this process will probably take a week or so. Try to limit handling during this time, and keep it only to necessity. Especially if your snake is very defensive to begin with. Your snakes vision is clouded, and that increases your chances of getting bit.

Ball in blue:

[edit] Ball pythons don't move much, I don't think it is a bad idea to check on him daily, especially if he was in poor condition when you received him. My personal experience says a snake in shed moves even less than usual (which shouldn't be very much for a ball anyway.) If it's moving, it's exploring it's new habitat or looking for food/water. Balls are "lap snakes" unlike Colubrids that are very flighty, and skittish. [edit]

I'm not trying to be rude, but I have to ask...How Do You Type Like This. With Every Word Being Capitalized? It Seems Pretentious, No Offense.

- h3