Hello from Arizona!

[Jazzard]

I just moved to Arizona and inherited a ball python as a result! Long story, but I'm very new to snake care (not afraid of handling them or feeding them or anything like that) but I keep getting a LOT of conflicting advice from people I don't really know! haha!

Everyone has an opinion I guess, but I'd rather know I'm getting info from people with experience.

My snake, I've renamed him Snape (original right??) is healthy. When I took over ownership, he was shedding badly (I mean in small little specks and strips) I believe due to the lack of humidity, but I've been spraying his box and moss twice a day and bathing him once or twice a week, depending on how the humidity has been. His shedding is much better, now. The last one was in 2 very large strips and his skin is beautifully clear and vibrant.

He was being starved, too, prior to my taking over, and snapped up 3 large (thawed) mice on his first feed, but he's now settled down to 1-2 mediums every 3-4 weeks.

I believe he's about 2 years old.

I was curious how long he will grow. I've heard they stop within 3-5 years, I've heard they continue growing forEVER, and I've heard that it depends on the size of the cage.

I really want to get him a new, bigger cage, but I'm also concerned he'll grow too big for me to handle.

Any thoughts?

[infernalis]

[TeaNinja]

i doubt a ball python would ever get "too big to handle" im pretty sure they max out around 5 feet, and my dumerils is already over 5 1/2 i think, and he's PERFECTLY handlable.

[infernalis]

I got our BP a similar way..

No need to worry about the cage size, a royal (ball) python will not ever grow into an unmanageable "monster" they will get fat, but length has nothing to do with cage size.

Stop feeding mice, get some small to medium size rats, rats are leaner (more meat less fat) and healthier for your snake.

I will let some others have a shot at talking to you..

Very commendable that you are taking the time to do this right.

[marvelfreak]

Hello and welcome! What kind of substance do you have in the cage and what kind of heat source? How big of a cage is it in now and how long is your snake?
Reptile bark work great for help keeping the humidity up.
You want 2 hides on at the warm end and one at the cool end.

[Ch^4]

^^ Welcome! The others covered the basics and necessities. BPs are great snakes for beginners. They do love to hide and are somewhat shy, so keep that in mind when choosing a location for his/her cage (i.e., don't put it by the front door or kitchen where there will be constant traffic, as this can stress them out. Loud noises, which equal vibrations, and flashing lights will also stress them out).

[shaunyboy]

hello and welcome

cheers shaun

[Jazzard]

Thank you for the warm welcome everyone!

Originally Posted by infernalis

Stop feeding mice, get some small to medium size rats, rats are leaner (more meat less fat) and healthier for your snake.

Thank you!! VERY good to know. Some of the advice was to switch to larger and larger feed, but not WHY I should. I wasn't switching because I didn't want to freak the little guy out!

Originally Posted by marvelfreak

What kind of substance do you have in the cage .

Some sort of shavings, pretty sure it was from the reptile section of the store, but I'm not at home right now to check. Its SO dry here, I have a hard time keeping the humidity up, especially when I have to use the heat lamp during the winter.

Originally Posted by marvelfreak

and what kind of heat source?

Under cage warmer year round, plus I'm having to use the heat lamp during the night hours right now but the heat lamp burns up the humidity faster...sigh.

Originally Posted by marvelfreak

How big of a cage is it in now and how long is your snake?

It's a pretty small aquarium, a 10 gallon I think. He's least as long as my arm so maybe 2 - 2 1/2 feet. I think he's enjoying me taking him out a couple times a week. I've been letting him wind his way up the banister of the stairs for excercise, with supervision of course

It sounds to me like some of my heating and humidity issues might be handled getting the bigger cage and checking out the shavings. Its good to know he won't grow too big! I was even thinking of getting one of those humidity machines, but that may be too much humidity. I'll have to research the different kinds I can get and how much control I have. The cage isn't big enough for 2 hides, but the bigger cage will be.


I'll have to get some pictures uploaded. He's so cute

[Nafun]

I have four ball pythons. I'll just tell you everything, and if you already know some of it, feel free to wrap it up and give it to someone else.

First off.

Feeding:

At two years old, a Ball Python will be nearly adult size. At this size he should be getting 1 small to medium rat every week, or every two weeks. Choose a rodent approximately the same diameter as the snake's widest point. It is important to switch to rats as soon as possible.

Here's why: First of all, mice aren't very healthy. They've got a lot of fat in them. Second, snakes are imprint feeders, the longer you leave him on mice the harder it will be to get him off of mice. Eventually he will need to be moved to rats, so the earlier you do it the better. If you have trouble getting him switched, there is a ton of advice available for switching. What has worked for me is scenting (rubbing rat with mouse litter), braining exposing the brains of the feeder (DEAD RATS ONLY!), and fasting the snake.

If you are feeding live, *always* watch the snake until the rodent has been killed. Mice and rats can do serious damage to snakes that are many many times their size. They can even kill.

Second: Housing

An enclosure should be escape proof, of adequate size, and able to maintain heat and humidity levels.

An adult Ball Python should have a 40 gallon aquarium, minimum. Many, especially young balls, like to climb, if yours does, provide an enclosure with plenty of head room for climbing branches.

Temperatures should be maintained at a gradient of about 78-88 degrees, falling to about 75 degrees at night. That means one side should be about 78, and the other side should be about 88. Much hotter or colder than that and your snake could die, or develop serious infections.

Substrates. What you use is largely up to you. Some people like aspen, because it's cheap and lets the snake burrow. Some like eco earth because it's natural and holds moisture better. Some people like astroturf because it's easier to clean. I won't debate the pros and cons, because almost any substrate will work, snakes aren't picky. Here is what you *must* not use.

1. Pine/Fir/Spruce chips.
2. Cedar chips.

Those will kill your snake (and just about any other animal) eventually.

Your snake should have at least two hides. These hides should be large enough for the snake to get completely inside without much room to spare. The more sides a snake is touching at once, the happier it will be. One hide on the warm side, one hide on the cold side.

Water: Your snake should have a water dish that is big enough, and deep enough for it to completely submerge. Just about anything can be used for this. I use hard plastic dog food dishes. They are white, so it is easy to tell when water becomes soiled. They are heavy, so the snake can't tip them, and they are deep enough that they don't overflow when the snake crawls in.

Maintaining humidity - The difficulty of maintaining humidity depends on the ambient humidity of the room, and the type of enclosure you're keeping your snake in. First thing to remember is this: Warm, moist air rises. That means if you're keeping your snake in an enclosure that has a screened or vented lid, it will be difficult to maintain humidity. The first thing you should do is cover about 3/4 of the lid. Depending on how you're heating the enclosure, this can be done with plexiglass, wood, or even plastic wrap. Never cover the entire lid, unless there are other air holes in the enclosure. Second, purchase a digital hygrometer. Do not use a dial hygrometer. Dial hygrometers are slightly less accurate than calling a random number between 1 and 100 and claiming that it is the humidity. To actually get the humidity up, there are a few options. The first are foggers. Foggers will run you $35-$100 and do exactly what it says on the tin. They spay a cool moist fog into your enclosure. The more expensive ones have a built in rheostat to control the amount of humidity. Secondly, you can manually mist. If you're doing this, you need to be careful. Firstly, if you're heating from above, water may simply soak through the substrate to the bottom and puddle there. If this happens, you *will* get mold. Very bad!. Second, some substrates do not cope well with misting. Aspen, for example, molds very readily. A third option for humidity is to make humid hides for your snake. This closely mimics the snake's natural means of maintaining humidity. Simply stuff a hide with wet paper towels or sphagnum moss, replace as they dry out or get soiled. In the wild, these snakes maintain their humidity by retreating into moist burrows.

Dealing with bad sheds! I would say that the vast majority of bad sheds (around 90%) are due to bad husbandry. Usually a deficiency in humidity. However, this is not always the case. If your snake is having bad sheds, make sure his humidity is adequate. Humidity for a ball python should be in the 50-70% range, with a particular focus on keeping it up when he's in blue (shed). A second, less common, cause of bad sheds can be an infection. An infection under a scale can lead to bad sheds. If your humidity is high, and your snake is still having consistently bad sheds, consider taking him to a vet. To treat a bad shed: First, you need a snake bag. The easiest and cheapest way to get a snake bag is to buy some thick coarse cotton or linen cloth, and a length of rope or twine. Sew the cloth into a bag shape, use the twine as a draw string. How does this solve a bad shed? Simple! Put the snake in the bag, pull the draw string, then wrap it around the neck of the bag and tie it tightly (if you just pull the string tight, the snake will escape). Now, take a shallow dish, fill it with about half an inch of warm water, place it inside your snake's enclosure, and then place the bag in the dish. The warm water will soak through the bag and create a warm, 100% humidity environment. The snake's retained shed will become soft and supple and he should be able to slither his way out of it overnight. In the event that, in the morning, he still has retained shed, take a wash cloth. wet it with warm water, hold it in your hand, and let the snake slither through it. A bad shed can even cause damage to the underlying layer of skin, causing a subsequent bad shed.

Heating! -

Temperatures, as stated above, should be maintained in the 78-88 range, with a drop to about 75 at night. Temperatures should not be allowed to fall much below that, or rise much above that. When most people think about reptiles, they think of animals that love warmth. This is true, but misleading. Reptiles need warmth to maintain their body temperature, however, they are generally much, much more sensitive to excessive heat than insufficient heat. Sustained temperatures of over 100 degrees will kill most snakes. A temperature drop will initially merely make your snake sluggish. It can lead to a respiratory infection, and excessive temperature drop can lead to death, but heat can, and will kill your snake much much faster than cold.

There are three basic ways to maintain heat.

Heat from above.
Heat from below.
Heat from inside.

To heat from above, you use a ceramic fixture with a reflecting dome and either a ceramic heat emitter, or an infrared heat bulb. The advantage to these is that they create the most heat. The disadvantage is that they consume the most electricity, and much of the heat is lost through an open top.

There are two ways to heat from inside. You can use a heat rock (note: do not use a heat rock), or you can use heat cable. Heat cable is very efficient, and is safe to be used inside enclosures. The main disadvantage to heat cable is that, you have to affix it to the bottom of your enclosure so that it stays in the proper pattern (a series of switch backs), like the inside of an electric blanket. The simplest and easiest way to do this, is to tape it down with waterproof tape. Unfortunately, that breaks one of the cardinal rules of snake keeping, Never use tape inside an enclosure. If you use tape, your snake will eventually end up with it stuck to him. If you're lucky, this will mean you have to wrestle with a panicky snake as you slowly pull the tape off. If you're unlucky, the snake will lose scales and get seriously injured. My advice is to cut a piece of plywood the exact inside dimensions of your cage, then using electrical staples, affix the cable in the proper configuration and place the whole thing on the bottom of your enclosure, beneath the substrate.

Undertank heating is generally accomplished either through UTH pads (available in petstores), or with heat tape (the kind of stuff you wrap around your pipes to keep them from freezing.) Undertank heating is efficient, and safe. Unfortunately it is rather underpowered. You will have a very hard time keeping your snake warm with nothing but an UTH. These are more suited to creating a basking area (hot side) if the room temperature already coincides with the "cold side".

Emergency! OMG What do I do?!?

Find the nearest reptile vet. Find out what their hours are, and their fees. This way, when there is a problem, you don't have to look up this information, you'll have already planned ahead.

If you lose power, or have to keep your snake hot or cool during transport to a vet, I recommend keeping a supply of heat packs. Similar to the kind they sell in hardware stores to keep your pockets or gloves warm. Put your snake in a snake bag, set the bag inside a cooler, and put the heat and or cold pack inside *but not touching* the snake.

[percey39]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

[Jazzard]

Originally Posted by Nafun

I have four ball pythons. I'll just tell you everything, and if you already know some of it, feel free to wrap it up and give it to someone else..

Great info, thank you!