ball python problems

tgimp1 · 09-30-08, 04:00 PM

hi i bought my first ball 3 days ago and am housing him in a glass vivarium with aspen substrate ,underneath pad heating and a hide on the cool and warm side with a water bowl in the middle. i have afew questions for you fellow members. my snake(inspector gadget) since moving into his new home has remained under the warm hide night and day is this behaviour normal?it is a week since he last ate in the pet shop and i planned on feeding him tomorrow and starting handling him also is this too soon? iplan on feeding him in aseperate plastic tub(thawed small furry) and would like 2 know how long must i wait after feeding before i can transfer him back to his tank?

LadyParvati · 10-01-08, 01:11 AM

It's normal for BPs to hidemost of the time and especially during the day, as they are nocturnal. How long is he? He probably needs more than one "small furry." What type of "small furry" are you planning on feeding him? He can eat something that's at least as big around as he is or a little more. I have a BP that's close to 24" long and 1.25 inches in girth (well, probably more now--that was two weeks ago). He eats rat pups (27 gm); I will soon switch up to larger rats.

Also, there are varying opinions about taking the snake out to feed. I also take mine out and feed him in a feeding container, because I was told that was best, but other people believe leaving them in their own home is best. It seems to work either way, as far as I can tell. I take mine out about twice a week and only feed once a week so he doesn't think being taken out always means feeding (at least, that's what I've been told to do, though I'm not really sure a snake can learn that much).

When I'm going to feed, I put him in the feeding container and give him 15-20 minutes to settle down; at least, I did that at first. Now that he's used to the process, he's ready to eat in just a few minutes. Then I feed him. Then we let him settle for at least 15 minutes to 30 minutes before moving him back into his home.

Apparently some snakes are really sensitive to being moved after being fed and regurgitate their dinner. Mine doesn't seem to care at all. If yours does, then try leaving it alone for an hour or so after feeding it.

I'm sure others on the forum can give you more info; this is just my personal experience over the past four months and what I've learned so far from asking questions here.

tgimp1 · 10-01-08, 02:03 AM

heya he is about the same size as your snake and the furry is about the same girth.what time of day do you suggest handling him? i attempted to move him late last night and he seemed quite agitated?

**Aaron_S** · 10-01-08, 08:42 AM

Sometimes ball pythons aren't always friendly. Your best bet is to just handle him anyways. He'll get used to it. As well as he may just seem that way when he's in his enclosure. What did the snake do to make you think he was agitated? Handle him anytime you really want.

tgimp1 · 10-01-08, 03:18 PM

hi Aaron he was curled in a ball when i lifted his hide off him and jumped as i did so.i think he just got a fright i handled him today and he seemed ok.one more concern i have is he seems to be breathing heavy.what i mean by this is i can see his body in his mid section rise and fall like a persons chest does when they breathe.is this normal? i have never noticed this behaviour in my other snakes

**Aaron_S** · 10-01-08, 08:08 PM

He's stressing out. That's what it means. He should stop doing at eventually but for now I'd keep the handling sessions to a minimum.

mykee · 10-01-08, 08:22 PM

Stop touching him.

LadyParvati · 10-02-08, 06:09 AM

Is he breathing heavily when you're touching him,or do you see him breathing heavily even when you haven't been touching him? According to everything I've read here & elsewhere, it's easy to overdo the handling, which is why Aaron and Mykee are saying to back off some. He's stressed out because he's in a new, strange place; he'd probably been moved and handled a lot before you got him. Let him get used to the place first.

When you get ready to pick him up, move very slowly so that he knows what you're doing. Remember, you're Godzilla to him--he's afraid you'll try to eat him.

A fuzzy about the same girth is OK for now, but you can go up in size some, I would think fairly soon, and he might need more than one a week. According to some people, weighing is a good way to make sure the snake is being fed well enough--he should be growing, not losing weight. Also, if you can easily see his spine, he's not getting enough to eat. BPs should look kinda fat compared to something like a king snake or milk snake.

tgimp1 · 10-02-08, 07:26 AM

hiya lady parvati i have only held him once as he is under his hide all the time.i plan to feed him later today but he id breathing like this if i lift the hide off him

SerpentLust · 10-05-08, 05:38 PM

I'm one of those people on the other end of the spectrum for the feeding outside the enclosure rule. Especially with BP's. I feed all my snakes in their own enclosures and have done so since day one. My reasoning for this, especially with my BP, is that I don't like to handle them right after they've eaten. (to define "right after", I mean that day, not a matter of minutes).

As LadyParvati stated "Apparently some snakes are really sensitive to being moved after being fed and regurgitate their dinner. Mine doesn't seem to care at all. If yours does, then try leaving it alone for an hour or so after feeding it."

Mine is like that. Hence why I feed him in his own enclosure, he's the last snake to eat on feeding day and then I just leave the room.

C#@$e · 10-05-08, 06:31 PM

Yo surpent lust i really like your avatar

SerpentLust · 10-05-08, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by C#@$e

Yo surpent lust i really like your avatar

Haha um thanks? Photoshop is a wonderful tool

tgimp1 · 10-08-08, 02:45 AM

hi serpent lust i have tried to feed my ball yesterday in his enclosure with no success. he came and investigated the mouse but lost interest very quick. ihave him 2 weeks now and he hasnt eaten in three although he is just coming to the end of a shed.im am becoming quite concerned and wish he would eat please help!!!

SerpentLust · 10-08-08, 07:44 AM

Snakes can go an exponentially long time without food. When I first got my BP it took him two months to adjust to his surroundings and eat for me. I'll reply more later, right now I have to get my butt to school

Don't stress

**Aaron_S** · 10-08-08, 08:00 AM

Just hold out. Don't play with the snake at all and if it is going through a shed cycle it most likely won't eat. Once it's shed, attempt it again. Ensure that if you are using frozen/thawed prey to make sure it's warm, and that you might want to mimic live prey with it. Move it around and such.