Ball head python advice?
- Thread starter jartist15
- Start date
50 gallon tank is too big, I did a 10, then moved it to a 20L as it grew. If your snake ends up being one of the larger, a 40 gallon should suffice. Snakes don't like open areas, due to predators, and are quite comfortable in small ones (unlike fish).
Your setup can vary, but keeping the temps. good are necessary, sure you can go glass, but plastic tubs make it easier for this. If you go glass, I suggest wrapping most the top with aluminum foil, shiny side down, otherwise you will lost quite a bit of heat, and moisture. Get an acu-rite from walmart, put the probe under the warm hide (I would put an identical one on the cool end too), and the unit itself on the cool side of the cage (cool side). Now you have your warm and cold readings, as well as humidity. Furthermore, make sure you have a thermo or rheostat, you can create one with a dimmerswitch and extension cord if you need to save money, as long as you monitor it carefully.
Your setup can vary, but keeping the temps. good are necessary, sure you can go glass, but plastic tubs make it easier for this. If you go glass, I suggest wrapping most the top with aluminum foil, shiny side down, otherwise you will lost quite a bit of heat, and moisture. Get an acu-rite from walmart, put the probe under the warm hide (I would put an identical one on the cool end too), and the unit itself on the cool side of the cage (cool side). Now you have your warm and cold readings, as well as humidity. Furthermore, make sure you have a thermo or rheostat, you can create one with a dimmerswitch and extension cord if you need to save money, as long as you monitor it carefully.
i am having problems getting him to eat . i have moved him to a 10 gallon, with an underthe tank heater. he has a hot and cold side. temps are at about 95 and 80. he has a logg in the middle and a skull on the hot side and a castle on the cold side. he spends most of his time behind the skull or in the castle. oh and i have paper towel wrapped around 3 of the side to make him feel more secure. i also have tried a few tricks to get him to eat, like using tongs the show him the food. leaving him with the food in a small box. leaving the food in over night. so far no luck. right now i am attempting to feed pinky mice and rats
ball pythons are the easiest snake in the world to keep, true, the dude needs to do some research, but BP's are NOT a difficult snake and are generally reccomended for the first timer.lmartelli77;3085789; said:
it can be hard to get them to switch from mice to rats when they get older, but if you get a CB baby it will have been eating F/T pinkies its entire life. and there is NO reason to get a WC ball python, there are hundreds produced every year in the hobby that are disease free and alredy eating.
i did my research. i just didn't realize the cage size was a huge deal. With most pets bigger = better. But i have switched to a ten gallon . Warm side cool side. Regular temp checks. And i have tried to get him to eat but i assume since he is still new i should give him some time. i am just a worried new owner. it hasn't been 3 weeks since i purchased him. as of now no signs of sickness, or weight loss, just looking for feeding tips
Those arent even similar in size? Just stick to regular mice if its a younger bp. As far as tricks, I assume your doing frozen. While you thaw it, leave it in the room to scent the room for a bit, making it anticipate the feeding. Make sure its completely thawed too, as otherwise it won't digest properly at all. As far as the skull and castle, they are to be hides, and if hes going behind them and not in them, they are not suiting their purpose. As far as temps, the warm side is a tad warm, the other is allright, however I see no mention of humidity, which could be another problem. Lack of husbandry is usually what stops a snake from feeding, and like i pointed out above, some of it appears to be lacking. Try correcting all that, and see what happens.jartist15;3131557; said:
Give him a copple of days. Just to be shure your python is cb rigth? Because if is wild cauth may be big trobble ahead to make him eatthanks again i haven't been doing humidity check as often as i should, i am going to go buy a humidity reader for both sides today. and i will try and find a new hide for his warm side. i'll try the pot trick with the hole trick. Also i have been told that pinky mice are too small. And my friend at the LFS told me a rat would be better. I did unthaw the rats/mice near his tank. Still didn't get any results. Also tried slitting the head open of the rat to get some blood. also didn't work
Have you waited the copple of days with no messing with your snake like Ive told? Leave it completly alone, then put in the mouse. You can increase your chances if you wringle the mouse with a graber or twezzers and warm the mouse to body temperature to make the snake think its still alive. And its your snake cb or not?
