My new python

[Cookiethepython]

Hi I hope this site helps cause yaho sucks..& ppl who have been having snakes for years are mean..
Well I just got my ball python 3 days ago. She is small so for now I have her in a ten gallon tank with screen top. I can not afford another tank until about September. She has 2 hide box, and a water bowl that I made. She has a UTH & a red bulb light. She has 2 thermometers. One for.the hot side and one for the cool side. & aspen wood chips for.the bottom. The first night she only had the heat mat and no thermometers and she was fine. The second day she didnt come out of her hide box. So I bought a 60W bulb and thermometers. Later I realized the hot thermometer read 100 degrees. So I unplugged the mat and left the light. Well the temp dropped down but she still didnt come out. So I went & got a red bulb. I did not plug the heat mat back up. I keep reading on ball pythons but im still confused on some things. I dont understand the humidity part. That's why I put the towel on half of her top. She is only coming out of her hide box half way on the cool side idk what to do and I sure as hell dont want her.to die. PLEASE HELP

[alessia55]

Welcome to the forum! Please read our sSNAKESs forum rules.

[alessia55]

Congrats on your new snake!

Ball pythons are secretive creatures- it's OK if you don't see her come out of her hide. Remember that she needs to adjust and get used to her new environment with new sights and scents. Let her be alone to acclimate. In the meantime, don't handle her.

Humidity is very important for a ball python's health. For example, humidity will help your snake shed in one piece. The humidity in the enclosure should never drop below 50%. 90% when your snake is getting ready to shed. You should have a digital hygrometer to read the humidity levels in your enclosure. An analog hygrometer will often be inaccurate and won't give you an exact reading.

Your heat source (like the heat mat) must be connected to a thermostat. Without a thermostat to regulate heat, you can accidentally cook your snake. A thermostat will help you adjust the temperatures to exactly where they should be.

If your enclosure has a screen top or too many ventilation holes, you will struggle with keeping your humidity levels stable. You'll want to get a solid top or cover the top as much as possible. Saran wrap or moist towels might also help raise humidity.

Feel free to read through my website in my signature. It has a detailed "Setting Up" page.

Leave her alone for about 7-10 days before you attempt feeding her. Only bother her to improve her enclosure.

[millertime89]

Check out the hygrofarm thermostats for seedling heat mats, designed for plants but I use them with my herps and they work great, hard to beat for under 30 bucks shipped. Ditch the heat lamp for a same wattage ceramic heat emitter too IMO.

[Cookiethepython]

Hi I just got a ball python named cookie..I have searched high & low on how to take care of her..nothing seems to help & ppl who have had.snakes for years are just.mean.
3 days ago I bought my first.snake. I already had a 10 gallon fish tank. So for the time being that is what she is in. I bought aspen wood chips, a UTH, a daytime bulb, 2 thermometers and a red bulb.she has 2 hide boxes that I made and I big bowl full of water with a few blue marbles at the bottom. The first night she moved around with no problem. The next morning she crawled in her hide box on the cool side and.would not come out. So I went a bought the first light which looked purple but when u cut it on it looked like a regular light. It was a 60W. Thats what Petsmart.told me to get. Well I got it and she still did not come out. So finally I went and bought thermometers. Well after a while the hot side read 100° & the cool side read 60°. So I figured that was too hot & unplugged the heat pad. Then she still didnt come out. So I got tired of reading and called somebody. She told me to.go and buy a red bulb and that should be enough heat. Well cookie is only coming out half way of her hide box on the cool side. She has her head on the rock. I dont understand the humidity part. I read to put a towel half way over her top so I did. But am I supposed to wet the towel or inside the tank. Her thermometer reads about 90° on the hot side & 40° on the cool side..PLEASE HELP SO I DONT KILL HER..& NO IM NOT PUTTING HER IN A TACKY PLASYIC TUB..

[infernalis]

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Have a look at this site....

Ball Python Care, Information, About ball pythons

[MrBD1980]

Hmmmm.....a 10 gallon tank with a fifty degree gradient......

[snake man12]

Originally Posted by MrBD1980

Hmmmm.....a 10 gallon tank with a fifty degree gradient......

LOL, Derp...


Get a thermostat so you can control the temps properly and it may be worth it to buy a cheap sterilite tub until you have your ten gal set up properly. Also Why would anyone have any snake at 60 degrees

[limey]

Originally Posted by Cookiethepython

Hi I just got a ball python named cookie..I have searched high & low on how to take care of her..nothing seems to help & ppl who have had.snakes for years are just.mean. So I got tired of reading and called somebody. She told me to.go and buy a red bulb and that should be enough heat. PLEASE HELP SO I DONT KILL HER..& NO IM NOT PUTTING HER IN A TACKY PLASYIC TUB..

Don't mean to be funny but you should probably have done all your research before acquiring your snake. Now you don't seem to know what to do and it sounds like your snake is having a really bad time.

I know that doesn't help the situation you're in now, so I'll leave it at that. But in future always remember to do your reading and research first if you don't want your animals to die.

Having said that... you stated that you don't want your animals in a "tacky plastic tub". Mate... I'll be honest with you, are we talking about your animals welfare or your own ego here? You might not have a choice at this point if, like you said, you aren't understanding the whole humidity thing and you want to keep humidity levels up. Bite the bullet and get yourself a tacky plastic tub... I have mine in a plastic tub and she's healthy and happy.

Secondly, did you visit Alessia's site as some of us advised? I think you'll find it helpful.

Lastly, but not least --- please let us know how you're doing and what progress has been made. We don't like seeing reptile keepers struggle and are here to help. But most of all, we don't want to see pets die needlessly because of misinformation or improper conditions.

Best of luck.

[Cookiethepython]

So I need to wet the towel?? How hot should the tank be and should I use both UTH and red bulb or one or the other??

[limey]

Most of the information you'll need will be on Alessia's site.

But me personally (even though I literally just started keeping snakes) use an UTH as my main heat source aswell as a low wattage red bulb to provide overall ambient heat... so I use both. But this is because I live in a cold part of the world. If I didn't use the red bulb, the ambient temp throughout the tub would be 60 degrees which is far too low.

What is the natural temp where you live? You can make the decision based on that.

Ideally, you want an ambient temp throughout the tank to be about 75 degrees (even on cool side) and the area around the UTH to be about 85.

And yes... dampen the paper towel.

[Cookiethepython]

Well I live in Houston, TX & it is extremely hot this summer. So I keep my house at about 75, 77°. Last night I had the red bulb going all night. Well she was.out for a while then she went in her cool hide and she is still there till this morning..her temp on the hot side reads 80° & 55° on the cool side. So this morning I cut the light off and cut the heat pad on..

[snake man12]

If you keep that snake at 55 degrees it will surely get an RI or respiratory infection.

[mykee]

80 and 55 will KILL your snake.
Aim for a hot spot of 90-95 and a cool side of 80-82. You're fighting an uphill battle behind the eight ball working with a fish cage.
Best of luck.

[maximus30576]

There is no possible way it can be 55 on the cool side if it is 76 in the house , i think your thermometer is wrong . Get you a t stat and hook to your uth and get your humidity right and you will have a happy snake ..