Ball Python Shedding and Feeding Problems

[ScatMan]

Okay, thanks guys.

About the enclosure: His tank is about 2 ft tall, a foot wide, and a foot and a half deep. He's got a flourescent hood covering half of the screen top (which slides open rather than lifts, and can only be slid from the outside), and in the winter there's a heat lamp on the uncovered side, but it gets warm enough in the summer for that to not be necessary. The front of the tank opens with lockable double doors. In the tank, he's got his big water bowl, two suction plants, a stiff vine across from the top back left to the front bottom right corners, and a little rock cave. Yes, I am aware that he needs a bigger tank soon, but at the moment, we barely have enough money to fix our laptop. If the "big enough so they can stretch out" rule is any good, he'll be okay for a little while. Also, everywhere I've read said 60% is ideal humidity. What should it really be at?

As for the feeding: Yeah, I did take him out, following my fellow BP-owner friend's advice, to avoid tank aggression. I don't even know where to get a snake pole. And his mice are already thawed using warm water. I've never given him a cold one. He's not getting any live unless he starts getting too thin.

I can't post pics now, since I'm at school. Will do when I get home.

this tank is too small (the footprint is WAY more important than height). it's not just the stretch out rule, there is a generally accepted minimum tank size for adequate thermo-regulation (20 gal long by most accounts), no matter how small the reptile is. the reason is because reptiles need to thermo-regulate (they have to be cool at times, and hot at other times) and to do this you need a tank that can give it a proper *temperature-gradient. this is **extremely important for reptiles, often ignored by keepers and the ROOT cause of many reptile problems!**


fluorescent lighting (or any lighting for that matter) is not necessary at all for snakes and is used only for aesthetic reasons by the keeper. in my experience, snakes are bothered and intimidated by unnatural lights, and several snakes i keep have begun to eat again after removing the lights. a
*heat-pad is a MUCH better tool for the job.


a reptile always benefits greatly from a hot and cool spot (again, thermo-REGULATION). if the enclosure is too warm to add a hot spot, lower the room temperature and add a heat pad.


exact humidity is not a big deal. they can thrive in a decent range (i wouldn't want it to go less than 50 or more than 80) the important thing is to let them choose what they like by giving them several places with varying humidity to hide in; like a *moist hide box (container full of damp sphagnum moss or cypress mulch) AND a dry hide (like your cave). **this is another VERY important factor often ignored by beginner keepers.**


most pet shops are starting to carry these now; call around, look on line or make your own! or buy a pair of leather welding gloves ($10-$20) from a home improvement store.


i guarantee if you follow this advice and cut back on disturbing the snake until eating regularly again, you'll have a fat and happy snake. good luck!

* = can't emphasize how important these things are!

 

[ExoticEctotherms]

You can also use a hair dryer to heat the temp of the mouse up after thawing it. I heat my BP's mice to about 130 degrees before I offer it to him (which is warmer than their normal body temp). I definitely get a better feeding response from my BP with the warmer mouse.

 

[BlackShark11k]

Your tank is a little on the small side. It fits the snake well but you don't really have enough room to keep the right number of hides, warm/cool spots, water dish, etc.

Flourescent bulbs are unnessasary, the only light you should have (and this is only if your house is cold) is a ceramic heat emitter... hardly even a light. These do tend to lower the humidity so adding sphagnum moss and/or regular misting is a must. Humidiity should be at least 50% 24/7, and you should try and raise it to around 70% when he's shedding. If you live in a dry climate you may want to soak him for around 30 min in a plastic bin filled 1/2-1'' with warm water depending on his size.

Also, how are you measuring temps? A decent digital thermometer or an infa-red temp gun is a must. You mentioned your cool side is 70F, this is rather cold. Snakes kept in tanks that are kept under 78F can develop respiratory infections. Generally a cool side should be kept around 80F.

I would definitely not feed in a separate box as mentioned... thawing mice in warm water is great, that's exactly what I do...

HTH

-Tim