Humidity and Hissing - Page 2

Wanka2012 · 09-29-12, 11:53 AM

Mykee
I did research, and the problem is I found many different answers from many different sources. I'm asking most of these questions for clarification really. Thanks for you clearing up the first few posts. Humidity is at 60%, I only current have 1 real hide which is on the hot side, but I have a turtle hide at the cool side which I believe is sufficient for now. The snake is about 3 months old- that's what I was guessing because the store couldn't tell me exactly, (and I'm going off pictures. Yeah, Tough) but I do know the snake is eating appropriately sized mice for her body size and wouldn't feed her anything bigger yet. The temperature is in average ranges from research I've done. I handled her once after she ate because I was fixing his vivarium(rearranging) but after her hissing and a day after a meal I realize I should have waited.

Anyways, from the lack of information about snakes this Pet Store had and it living with 4 other ball pythons, I felt this snake needed to be saved!

There you go!

mykee · 09-29-12, 02:37 PM

Quote:

"but I do know the snake is eating appropriately sized mice for her body size and wouldn't feed her anything bigger yet."

Are you saying that pinky mice are "appropriately sized" meals for this snake?
For reference, I feed my babies small adult mice right out of the egg.

Wildside · 09-29-12, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wanka2012

Mykee
I did research, and the problem is I found many different answers from many different sources. I'm asking most of these questions for clarification really. Thanks for you clearing up the first few posts. Humidity is at 60%, I only current have 1 real hide which is on the hot side, but I have a turtle hide at the cool side which I believe is sufficient for now. The snake is about 3 months old- that's what I was guessing because the store couldn't tell me exactly, (and I'm going off pictures. Yeah, Tough) but I do know the snake is eating appropriately sized mice for her body size and wouldn't feed her anything bigger yet. The temperature is in average ranges from research I've done. I handled her once after she ate because I was fixing his vivarium(rearranging) but after her hissing and a day after a meal I realize I should have waited.

Anyways, from the lack of information about snakes this Pet Store had and it living with 4 other ball pythons, I felt this snake needed to be saved!

There you go!

Don't save snakes from pet shops that can't tell you when the last time they ate is. You may as well be donating money to rattlesnake roundups.

Mykee's advice is sound and I will second everything he said if you need backup regarding conflicting information. Pinky mice are suitable meals for baby corns. Baby BP's need bigger prey items. As a rule of thumb make the meal just a little thicker than the thickest part of your snake.

rmfsnakes32 · 09-29-12, 04:51 PM

I agree with Mykee as well he breeds balls and knows his way around snakes and his advice is 100% sound! And it does need to have bigger meals should be on rat pups by now!

Wanka2012 · 09-30-12, 11:41 AM

Mykee, No. Please go back and read my original post. I am not sure if what I am feeding my mice are pinkies. However I am sure that I what I am feeding my snake is the appropriate size measured by the widest part of the snake. The name really means nothing to me as long as I know it is the correct size.

I'll give you a reference: They had tiny stil born looking mice without hair, then they had another size that looked to be infantile mice with a little bit of hair. I chose the latter because it matched the snakes width.

As far as the other advice you have given, I will take it as fact, thanks for the help!

Wildside, There are only two pet shops in my town. One had 1 python that looked to be in terrible shape, and the other pet shop (where I got my snake) looked to take better care of their snakes as far as enclosures. My thinking was that I did not want to get a snake from a reptile expo because they have thousands of snakes who don't get much attention while the pet shop has about 3-4 on hand and can handle them and take care of them. I'm still weary of reptile expo's but I think pet shops are very similar now. If I get another snake I'm going private seller who is not a breeder so they take better care of the snakes individually.

mykee · 09-30-12, 12:06 PM

Pinkies are newborn mice; pink, no hair.
Fuzzies are mice with fuzzy fur; you can still see the skin through the fur.
Hoppers look like mini mice, usually 10-12 days old.
then small mice, then medium mice, then large mice, then jumbo mice.
I feed my 3 month old ball pythons rats that would be equivalent in size to large mice.

Wildside · 09-30-12, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mykee

Pinkies are newborn mice; pink, no hair.
Fuzzies are mice with fuzzy fur; you can still see the skin through the fur.
Hoppers look like mini mice, usually 10-12 days old.
then small mice, then medium mice, then large mice, then jumbo mice.
I feed my 3 month old ball pythons rats that would be equivalent in size to large mice.

Hopefully he is feeding pinky rats

mykee · 09-30-12, 02:34 PM

Even pinky rats (6-9g) are too small. Better than pinky mice I suppose...

rmfsnakes32 · 09-30-12, 06:38 PM

Hell my 6 week old burm is eating rat pups and its skinnier compared to the baby balls I have seen recently! It needs rats now otherwise it wont switch when the time comes

Wanka2012 · 10-09-12, 07:28 PM

So I went to the store and got medium size mice to feed my ball python. I followed Mykee's advice like everyone suggested which was to feed my snake at a minimum, medium size mice. I was feeding my snake fuzzies (which I now discovered was the name). I thought this was sufficient but I decided to move up because I didn't want to be underfeeding or starving my snake. Today she ate a medium mouse because rat pups where just far to large. She had it half way swallowed once, then regurgitated it. She tried again and struggled, but eventually it took her just at an hour to get it down, then laid there not moving for another 30 minutes. The adult mouse is protruding out of her body and is very noticeable. Any words of wisdom?

Now that it's later she seems to be doing just fine now.

Ivanator · 10-13-12, 09:37 AM

I don't know if this was mentioned at all yet but you should also replace the heat lamp with an undertank heater. Heat lamps tend to dry the air out more causing more problems with keeping the right humidity.

**Aaron_S** · 10-13-12, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wanka2012

So I went to the store and got medium size mice to feed my ball python. I followed Mykee's advice like everyone suggested which was to feed my snake at a minimum, medium size mice. I was feeding my snake fuzzies (which I now discovered was the name). I thought this was sufficient but I decided to move up because I didn't want to be underfeeding or starving my snake. Today she ate a medium mouse because rat pups where just far to large. She had it half way swallowed once, then regurgitated it. She tried again and struggled, but eventually it took her just at an hour to get it down, then laid there not moving for another 30 minutes. The adult mouse is protruding out of her body and is very noticeable. Any words of wisdom?

Now that it's later she seems to be doing just fine now.

Leave it alone. I of course know now that you took it to a vet to 'regurge it'. Maybe pictures would help everyone. Along with the snake eating and after it eats next time.

Wanka2012 · 10-14-12, 09:44 AM

I didn't take it to a vet and ask the vet to regurgitate it... That was the vets suggestion. And I did post a picture, ON THIS THREAD. I don't know why I'm even posting on this forum. I'm done with this place.

**Aaron_S** · 10-14-12, 10:42 AM

I want pictures of the prey item.

See you later. Come back and let us know how fast it took your ball python to die.

**Pareeeee** · 10-14-12, 02:25 PM

Some people don't want help.