I got a new pet. Python Owners sound off.

[thorne]

I got a Ball Python tonight. I had been wanting one for a few years. Tonight I bought a partial striper female.

 

http://bamb.ohiogaming.net/thorne/snake/IMG_0472.JPG

http://bamb.ohiogaming.net/thorne/snake/IMG_0473.JPG

http://bamb.ohiogaming.net/thorne/snake/MVI_0470.AVI

[evan9381]

well, it looks like you have it in a 10g tank. that will be fine, but when it gets larger, youll want a bigger tank. what do you have as a lid? hopefully its solid, with a bulb inside, so it can get the humidity VERY high. to the point theres water build up on part of the glass. if i can see right, you have a blue bulb...i hope you didnt go to the local petsmart and get everything...you will also need something for the snake to hide under. they like to feel secure and have that area for themselves. you can get a hollowed out 1/2 log type thing at the pet store for 10$ or so. mine is now about 30" and is just starting to outgrow

 

also something you may want to do is get something for it to climb on. theyre not climbers by nature, but if its there, theyll use it some times. give me a few min and ill post a couple pics of my set up and my snake now

[Mitch]

I would get rid of the hamster bedding. Very cool looking snake.

 

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

 

Select a suitable substrate

Use paper towels at first. These are easily and quickly removed and replaced when soiled and, with an import, will allow you to better monitor for the presence of mites and the condition of the feces. Once the animal is established, you can use more decorative ground cover such as commercially prepared shredded cypress or fir bark. Pine and aspen shavings should not be used as they can become lodged in the mouth while eating, causing respiratory and other problems. The shavings must be monitored closely and all soiled and wet shavings pulled out immediately to prevent bacteria and fungus growths. The utilitarian approach is to use inexpensive Astroturf. Extra pieces can be kept in reserve and used when the soiled piece is removed for cleaning and drying (soak in one gallon of water to which you have added two tablespoon of household bleach; rinse thoroughly, and dry completely before reuse). Remember: the easier it is to clean, the faster you'll do it!

[evan9381]

i actually think cypress is what terry at captive born said not to use...maybe it was cedar...i cant remember...i know it was something with a "C" lol...

 

i use a stuff called desert snow. its white, sorta like a shredded paper egg crate, but a bit softer. its digestable if he does end up swallowing some. its not cheap though....like 18$ for a big bag, but that usually lasts a few months

 

IF you do get mites (which i hope to god you dont), theyre not tough to get under control. captive born reptiles has a home made solution you just mix up with equal amount of water, spray bottle, and spray the snake. you will have to go through a thorough cleaning of the tank with bleach water...but all this means nothing if you dont get mites

 

few min on the pics. camera battery was going dead and its a dumb take-battery-out-and-plug-into-wall cameras

[thorne]

Thanks for all the info. I got her at Captive born. I wanted a baby but they were out. Well she was what i was looking for patern wise.

 

They sold me the entire kit. the guy :"Not Terry" talked like he knew it all and was like dont listen to the internet they lie...... like I'm a idiots who watches jerry springer. I digress.

 

 

I really dig her she likes to curl around my kneck. I got the bigger aquiarum that I got from you evan. Should i move her to the other tank. the guy said that it would be to big...

 

I don't know its hard to know what to believe when the shop you buy it at contradicts online.

 

 

 

So few questions.

 

 

Her home, Can I put her in bigger? Will it cause problems?

 

How big a light? Its a hard top btw.

She is under a 15 now but that was because they were out of 25's

 

Her bedding is what they suggested, Should I change it ASAP ?It's pine btw.

 

Feeding, Terry told me i could feed her frozen her entire life most likely and this guy told me she would only eat live. Do I just try each?

[evan9381]

ive tried frozen, he never went for it. also, he has some f'ing issue with eating solid white rats, and will only eat black/white mixed...its wierd

 

if thats the bedding they gave you, use it. was it a middle aged bigger guy who seemed to have an attitude all the time that got you hooked up? i dont like him too much. terry (the bald black guy) or his wife (small asian lady) or the tall skinny white kid w/ braces are the ones i like to deal with

 

hopefully he gave you a solid lid. i have had mine in the 30g since i got him...in a few, ill post pics of how small he was then (or theyre probably on here already). for now, the smaller tank will work, but you should probably get a 29g soon (mine is 30x12x18 tall). theyre about 25$ on craigslist if you look at the right time. i have a 60w (i believe) bulb in now. you can use a regular old 40 cent bulb, or you can get some at the store that will direct the light down a bit better, and not light up the whole room (like mine is doing now)

 

im glad to hear you spent the few extra bucks to go to CBR...you will be much happier than what a local petsmart could have done for you

[evan9381]

march-ish? when i first got him

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y267/evan938/DSC00564.jpg?t=1194150443

 

nov 4, 2007

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y267/evan938/DSC02093.jpg?t=1194150238

 

home...notice solid lid, sorta see the humidity water build up in lower right hand corner. artificial vines, hide cave, log to climb on a bit

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y267/evan938/DSC02098.jpg?t=1194150238

[thorne]

I just read that site. damn that dude was a fucking idiot. Pisses me off I'm going to talk to terry or the nice asian lady. about him. He acted like that he knew all and that i should buy a bigger snake because that was a boring snake.

 

I'm getting him into my bigger tank (The one from evan) and getting him a tree from the pet store.

[evan9381]

what do you have on top for a lid, and what are you using for the heat/humidity?

[87GT]

I have a small corn snake in my bedroom.

[thorne]

she was a water dish kinda close to his blue lightbulb. on top of her board i have can of soup.

[old dirty bastard]

When I had mine I bought a book w/ info on the ball python it helped out alot.The problem I ran into before I bought the book was everyone claimed to be a freakin expert on the snake. I bought alot of my rats from captive born and talked to the owner alot he knew his snakes

[evan9381]

she was a water dish kinda close to his blue lightbulb. on top of her board i have can of soup.

 

word salad again? wtf are you trying to say?

[datsunissan28]

I just read that site. damn that dude was a fucking idiot. Pisses me off I'm going to talk to terry or the nice asian lady. about him. He acted like that he knew all and that i should buy a bigger snake because that was a boring snake.

 

I'm getting him into my bigger tank (The one from evan) and getting him a tree from the pet store.

 

 

Which other "guy" at captive born. I go there a lot and all I ever see in there is Terry, his wife the little asian lady w/her little son, and two younger guys (one's asian and one has red hair. I've never really had any problems or bad advice from them so far.

 

So far reptile-wise I've had an iguana when I was eight and had no idea how big they got. He ended up in a setup that was about 4'wx4'lx5'h and I wish I still would have had more space for him. He lived a little over 9 years. I also have had a bearded dragon, an anole, two plated lizards, and ball python. I took over all those previous reptiles (except for the bearded) as the owners no longer wanted them or couldn't care for them.

 

Currently I have a bearded dragon and a uromastyx. I pick up most of my stuff from Captive born and typically buy all my live food in bulk from them.

[cptn janks]

i use python

 

http://www.cs.siue.edu/news/images/2006/2006-10-28_Python_in_60_Minutes.png

[thorne]

I am talking about a older guy with a very smug attitude he acted like he was god of snakes and told me to not talk to vets because they don't trust them, And that to no read anything on the internet because its all false.

 

 

This was a older white guy. the asian lady and asian teen guy are cool. This was some older white guy he acted like he was the owner but when i asked he said he was not.

[datsunissan28]

I really can't think of who you could be talking about. I know everyone there hates pet stores but that's understandable.

[evan9381]

theres a guy up there, about 40ish, a little fat, and IIRC, i think he had a pony tail too. i dont know his name. he does act like hes a god of reptiles though. i showed him the bedding i got when i first got him, he said to get rid of it, i asked him "he wont like this bedding?" and the answer i got, quoted "you dont see this in any of our tanks, do you?". fuck that guy

[Spidey2721]

Here is a thread that evan started about ball pythons before. read it. its a good start. http://www.columbusracing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33960

 

also if you haven't already get rid of the shavings. like i said in my post in the above mentioned thread. those type substrates can be a haven for parasites.

[TTQ B4U]

he's more than half right on the internet thing regardless of the topic.

 

I am talking about a older guy with a very smug attitude he acted like he was god of snakes and ...............And that to no read anything on the internet because its all false.

[thorne]

Here is a thread that evan started about ball pythons before. read it. its a good start. http://www.columbusracing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33960

 

also if you haven't already get rid of the shavings. like i said in my post in the above mentioned thread. those type substrates can be a haven for parasites.

 

c an you show how your tank is layed out? I'm goiung back to captive to get her first meal tuesday. I decorated her back ground damn I'm a geek. It says Legend of Zelda I made some background using the inkjet printer.

 

 

I'm a geek what can I say. her name is zelda.

[Spidey2721]

theres a guy up there, about 40ish, a little fat, and IIRC, i think he had a pony tail too. i dont know his name. he does act like hes a god of reptiles though. i showed him the bedding i got when i first got him, he said to get rid of it, i asked him "he wont like this bedding?" and the answer i got, quoted "you dont see this in any of our tanks, do you?". fuck that guy

 

He is most likely just telling you the truth. even those beddings that are advertised as being able to be digested can cause serious problems for reptiles if ingested.

 

c an you show how your tank is layed out? I'm goiung back to captive to get her first meal tuesday. I decorated her back ground damn I'm a geek. It says Legend of Zelda I made some background using the inkjet printer.

 

 

I'm a geek what can I say. her name is zelda.

 

 

i currently dont have any reptiles. thinking of getting a Centralian Carpet Python also know as Bredli's Python (Morelia bredli). anyway.. i doubt i have any pics anywhere of any of my previous setups.

 

 

here is a link to a couple setups. Some good reading there.

 

CLICK ME There is two setups in this one. The first has pictures. I dont care for the substrate he used in the first setup. I have used it before without problems. Although I removed it after a short time do to the fact that I was worried about ingestion and cleanliness. This is one of the substrates that is said to not cause problems if ingested. The simple truth is that anything if ingested in the right amounts can cause impaction.

 

One thing he points out that I really want to make known here is this:"Keep in mind that you don't want the substrate WET, this will cause scale rot and possible respiratory infection." This is also true for not just the substrate but the entire enclosure. Mouth rot, scale rot, and respiratory problems are common in reptiles that their owners have kept too moist. 60 percent humidity is all you want in the enclosure. Along with a bowl that the snake can easily submerge their entire body in.

 

The second setup described in this link uses "Repti-Turf" style substrate. Its like a outdoor carpet. This is the style substrate that I personally use most. Can be easy to clean and sterilize. Although it like any substrate should be inspected often. If it starts to get worn and fray get rid of it. Same hold true if it start to stink or become overly soiled. Also a "UTH" is a "Under the Tank Heater".

 

The forum these are from can be a great source on good info on these snakes.

 

Oh can't remember if I mentioned it or if it was mentioned in the links(most likely). You want to provide a hide area for the snake to comfortably rest in on both the warm and cool end on the enclosure. Also they use the ole "length of enclosure + width of enclosure= the length of the snake". I always liked to have the length of the enclosure to be no shorter then the length of the snake but thats just me. OK that should be enough for now. hollar if you have any other questions. The other thread that Evan started should have a good bit of info there for general husbandry. Although you should read and learn as much as you can. Feeding with "Python Regius" aka, "Ball Python" aka, "Royal Python" can be a royal pain should yours decide to not feed. That was covered a little in the thread Evan started that I mentioned earlier.

 

 

Also her is a link that goes thru all common substrates and gives info about they and pros vrs cons about them. you can check it. http://www.repvet.co.za/herp_substrates.php#Carpet

 

 

OH! I am sure it has been mentioned already somewhere but... you will want to change the snakes water daily or anytime it gets dirty. Which ever comes first.

 

Hope I didn't lose ya.

 

Later,

jay