Ball Python problems

snunior · 08-31-05, 05:50 PM

I am having some trouble with my 16 inch Baby Ball Python. I fed him a small mouse 2 days ago and he still hasd not digested it. He is moving very slowly and looks sick. Can anyone help me?
:medfroner

I am very scared because i love him,.

peterm15 · 08-31-05, 06:12 PM

how are your temps, humidity. ect ect.

give us info on housbrandy and we can help more with your problem

snunior · 08-31-05, 06:22 PM

Hes in 10 gallon tank and theres no thermometer.
its coming in 2 weeks with the rhinoraxx i am getting

peterm15 · 08-31-05, 06:31 PM

ok you got big problems then buddy.. first off,.... how do you know if your temps are ok... you could be freezing or cooking him.. you dont know... hows your humidity.. doubt its good cause theres a screen top..what about security.... he just ate.. you shoulnt see him for a few days...

get a thermo... out of the tank.. and bump the temps if needed

Jeff_Favelle · 08-31-05, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Hes in 10 gallon tank and theres no thermometer.

That's your problem right there. You're keeping your animal in LESS than sub par conditions, yet are expecting it to behave normally. These animals will ONLY thrive if given the conditions that allow them to.

snunior · 08-31-05, 06:42 PM

okay okay.....
the pet shop said i didnt need one

JAdkins2451 · 08-31-05, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snunior

okay okay.....
the pet shop said i didnt need one

Were telling you that you do need one.. Pet store will say what ever you want to hear to make a sale.. hear you going to hear reality.. Your talking to people that keep the sucessfully. So I would take all the advice you can. Also The Ball Python Manuel would be another good investment.

Jamie

snunior · 08-31-05, 07:08 PM

okay thank you guys i will get a thermometer and a beter heating system right away

peterm15 · 08-31-05, 08:31 PM

AND get rid of the tank.... unless you decide to invest alot of time figuring out humidity..

Pet store will say what ever you want to hear to make a sale..

some will some wont... the one i go to gives great advice... and most of the time im there to help along the way in this advice... lol..

they tell ppl to save money and dont get the pet store crap as substrate, just use newspaper, keep balls in rubbermaids or custom enclosures, read before you buy.. ect ect... and even get ppl to bring in there animals to make sure there feeding the right size.. ( some girl was feeding a 3 foot ball 2 adult mice.. 2 hours apart while feeding... the poor thing was thiner than a grown rat snake... )

i suggest to "test" pet stores... ask them questions you know the answer to.. dont tell them there rong, just see if they decide to give you the truthful answer or feed you a bunch of crap.. when you learn to trust them youll be fine...

snunior · 08-31-05, 09:19 PM

I am getting rhinoRaxx with a good system.

Is newspaper better than substrate?

YoungBuck · 09-01-05, 03:02 AM

Newspaper or paper towel are both great inexpensive substrates. I find that the paper towel keeps a bit more humidity. If you don't have a hide...make one. One of my balls is super picky and will only eat if he has a cereal/cookie/cracker box as a hide. Ball pythons LOVE small places to hide. It is crazy the spaces that they can get into.

For the meantime, while you are waiting for your new enclosure, keep him in the 10 Gallon and cover 75% of the screen with a damp towel. Make sure the towel is always damp. I found that helped when I had my first Ball. Even better would be to buy a rubbermaid and drill some air holes in it. I have found all but one Ball prefers a rubbermaid/sterelite and they are fairly inexpensive. Get a large but shallow bowl of some sort to help with humidity as well.

As for temp, make sure you pick up a digital and not a stick-on that you find in most pet stores as they are very inaccurate. You can find everything you need at your local Walmart or what have you. Hope this helps~!

:thumbsup:

Mike

snunior · 09-01-05, 12:14 PM

I already have a pretty big water bowl for him. How would i care for him if he is in a rubbermaid?

kronic2005 · 09-01-05, 01:29 PM

If hes in a rubbermaid or a tank or an enclosure there is really no difference, when u want to feed your snake or take him out to handle him, you open the top and voila, u have full access to his home. u have to drill air holes though. You didnt do any research on ball pythons before u bought it at all. If i where you i'd be asking for caresheet links and asking for advice from as many experts on here as you can.

Here are some links you can check out and research:

http://my.pclink.com/~dkelley/python.html#fee

http://www.anapsid.org/ball.html

Here is a great link as well, lots of great info here:

http://www.kingsnake.com/ballpythonguide/

I wish the best for you Ball python. Good luck

snunior · 09-01-05, 02:03 PM

I did do my research I read an entire book on ball pythons before I bought him and it suggested an aquarium. My pet store said I do not need a thermometer so I thought they were right (i made a dum mistake). The book said nothing about rubbermaids.
How do I heat a rubbermaid?

kronic2005 · 09-01-05, 02:08 PM

Same way you would a tank, Undertank heaters or heat tape, you should go with Undertank heater. And if you read a book on ball pythons it would have told you pretty much everything u need to know, including to have a thermometer to make sure u have the proper temp gradients.