need help ball python!

mickeylove · 05-16-09, 02:54 AM

i just got one three days ago... i got him a heating pad but i dont think it is keeping him warm enough.. so i was wondering what kind of lamp i should buy him and i use desert snow as his floor.. is that ok? and i have him a humid room which he can enter whenever needed and a hiding spot i want to make his cage as comfy as possible... the petshop told me to feed him thursday... but he didnt seem interested and sort of backed away from the fuzzy hes healthy, but doesnt seem to want to eat, any advice?
plz help fellow snake owners! any tips will do

siz · 05-18-09, 06:46 PM

The under tank heating pad (UTH) should be ok...ball pythons temps should be 90f at basking spot and about 80-85f ambient. What makes you think it isn't warm enough? If you use a digital thermometer or temperature gun you can get accurate readings. Those stick-on thermometers don't work very well.
What is 'desert snow'? It sounds like sand of some sort...? Toss it, sand is a terrible substrate for snakes. Aspen is a popular substrate along with kitchen paper towels - they make for easy clean up.
His humidity should be about 60% and much higher during shed...almost 100%.
You should avoid feeding and handling for a few days - you just got him and he needs to settle in. I think iovered everything I hope that helps.

Chu'Wuti · 05-19-09, 04:06 AM

What do you mean by a "heating pad"? Is it a UTH like Siz mentioned? Are you using a thermostat?

As Siz suggested, using a digital thermometer or temp gun is really important for accurate temp readings. Your basking spot should run between 88 deg F to 95 deg F. You also should get a digital hygrometer to measure the humidity.

Can you describe your humid room and hiding spot? Are these both hides? How did you make one humid? Is one located over the UTH (assuming that's what you have)?

I also agree with Siz about holding off handling & feeding for awhile. Give him a week to settle in. Remember that you're Godzilla to him--you're a giant predator who might want to eat him. He won't starve to death in a week or so.

Also, were you trying to feed him live or frozen/thawed (F/T) food?

Will0W783 · 05-19-09, 06:14 AM

I agree with Siz. Any kind of sand substrate is not good for snakes. It can get up between the scutes (belly scales) and cause irritation, and infection if it gets bad enough. Newspaper, paper towels, tank liners, coconut bedding, repti-bark, all are better. I would hesitate with the repti-bark though- my ball python scratched his belly up on it. He now has tank liners, and they are great. When it gets dirty, you pull it out and soak it in a gallon of water with 2-3 Tbsp bleach. Then you rinse it thoroughly, let it dry and put it back in. You should wash it every 2-3 weeks.

citysnakes · 05-19-09, 02:51 PM

desert snow is similar, if not exactly the same, to carefresh which is some kinda paper like substrate used for small animals like guinea pigs and rabbits.

definitely stop wasting money on it and switch to paper towels, aspen shavings or even cypress mulch, for example.

get youreself a digital thermometer and find out what the ambient and basking temperatures are. if the ambient doesnt meet anywhere from 78-82 then get a heat lamp to raise it. you'll have to decide on what wattage bulb to use depending on the size of the enclosure and natural ambient temperature of the room.