First post, check out my setup give me criticism!!

Kiljosh · 07-19-11, 07:22 PM

Hey hombres, so I posted in the intro forum, said I'd post here with pics of my buddy Stubbs and would love to but hes currently sleeping in his new log that he seems to looooove.

Anyway this is my enclosure....
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I have given him the hot/cool side gradient, water on the cool side. Hot side is at 91F cool is at 84F. At night I switch the lamps off and the temp gets to about 80F on both sides. I placed a ceramic pad heater on the warm side next to his hide just in case he got chilly at night. Humidity is sitting at just below 60% with 2 heat lamps and a screen top, gotta love basements. I bought him a UV Lamp as well but heard it doesn't really matter.

He is very friendly. Ive had him home since Sunday night and he was crawling around on my chest and around my neck the first night I had him out. The next day I attempted to feed him and he ate without problem, just some dangling and he gobbled this pinky right up...

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Very odd because from what Ive read here it takes a week or so before they adjust and eat, but I think he trusts me already and loves to be pet/wrap around my hand and stare at me.

Anyway, since he is sleeping I figured a pic of him the day I got him home would suffice, ignore the tacky water bowl for a dog, its now the bowl to heat his pinkies up!!

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Any advice is welcome as I am a new snake owner and want him to love me! Do you guys think I should try to feed him another pinky in a day or two? I'm not sure of his age or his weight.

stephanbakir · 07-19-11, 07:26 PM

Snakes cant "love" anything.
That pinky is way too small for that snake.
The 1 week time period is to let the snake settle.
Other then that great start

Kiljosh · 07-19-11, 07:33 PM

My snake can! He is a lover not a fighter.

So you think I'd be ok feeding him another one soon? I only bought a six pack of them. Use them up I guess and see if I can get him to eat baby rats? I have heard there's a rule of thumb that the prey should be about the snakes girth but I figured better to error on the small side and just feed him more than have him not be able to eat!

stephanbakir · 07-19-11, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiljosh

My snake can! He is a lover not a fighter.

So you think I'd be ok feeding him another one soon? I only bought a six pack of them. Use them up I guess and see if I can get him to eat baby rats? I have heard there's a rule of thumb that the prey should be about the snakes girth but I figured better to error on the small side and just feed him more than have him not be able to eat!

For bps, lean towards slightly wider then the widest part of the snake.
Swap him to baby rats of possible.

Kiljosh · 07-19-11, 07:45 PM

OK thank you very much for the advice!

I was thinking of getting him a bar to chill on elevated off the ground maybe some leafyness in there. It's so open I feel like he will hide less and explore more with some more cover on the ground floor but I don't want to crowd the tank.

stephanbakir · 07-19-11, 07:49 PM

Ball pythons may climb a little as babies, but as adults they are lazy beasts who stay on the ground.

infernalis · 07-19-11, 07:53 PM

Ball pythons prefer platforms to branches.

They are a terrestrial species that spends a lot of time under ground, not up high.

NennaMeerkat · 07-19-11, 08:00 PM

You can certainly go to bigger prey items. Bet he will enjoy a fat rat pup rather than those small mice pinks. Eventually you will be feeding bigger rats anyways so it is good to go ahead and get him used to the smell of rats as food anyways.

SnakeyJay · 07-19-11, 11:44 PM

Sweet looking ball.. Congrats. I definately say pop a few plants in there and he should explore more.. It took my brb 3 months to start exploring properly while I was awake

citysnakes · 07-19-11, 11:56 PM

if youre getting your temperature readings from those dials then chances are youre not providing the animal with proper temperatures.

those dials are pretty much useless and measuring the temps way up high doesnt help when you have an animal spending 100% of its time way down low on the floor of the enclosure.

i would pick up a few digital thermometers and place the probes on the floor of the enclosure, inside each hide, one on the hot end and the other on the cool end.

also, your snake should be eating something closer to the size of a rat pup. pinky rats are too small even for fresh hatchlings...

looks like youre off to a good start though. good luck.

**Aaron_S** · 07-20-11, 12:42 AM

I'll just second what Julian said!

marionsclan · 07-20-11, 02:49 AM

Nice looking snake and good starter setup. Given that Pythons are more earth bound I would consider upgrading the tank to a longer version and not so tall. They don't really like the openness and feel more comfortable in anything that resembles their original habitat, bushy/leafy. But for now just keep an eye on the humidity and temp and you're good to go for a while.

NennaMeerkat · 07-20-11, 02:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marionsclan

Nice looking snake and good starter setup. Given that Pythons are more earth bound I would consider upgrading the tank to a longer version and not so tall. They don't really like the openness and feel more comfortable in anything that resembles their original habitat, bushy/leafy. But for now just keep an eye on the humidity and temp and you're good to go for a while.

This is what I have been thinking since the beginning. Wasn't sure if I was off on that thought or not...

marionsclan · 07-20-11, 02:57 AM

I have a 55 gal and I have 3 hides in it for each gradient and a water bowl on the cold end and a water dish on the hot. Then I put in a branch with fake leaves attached everywhere which covers a good part of her hides so she can feel like she is hiding under a bush. The branch is also big and wide enough for her to climb up.

Lankyrob · 07-20-11, 02:58 AM

The only other thing i would add is that aspen bedding can mold with the humidity that Balls need so may be worth using repti bark or something similar whcih actually aids humidity too.