1st snake

[rosehaired1979]

Well after sitting in a accident traffic jam on the interstate going towards Carolina Specialty Pets for about 2 hrs we finally get there. Roy decided to get a baby ball python. Roy has named him "Mickey". So anytips for this snake would be useful right now till we get a reptile heat mat we are going to use a heat pad and a basking lamp (50w) He/she is in a 10gal tank right now.

Oh btw he wants to go back and get the baby Calif. kingsnake and he has already named it "Sylvester"

 

[Raindog]

Traffic in Hendersonville is usually murder anyway but this time of year I imagine it is particularly bad. It sounds as if you have your bases covered on heating, I would allow some type of hide box though. When you add the basking light it would be a good idea to run it on a thermostat with the sensor placed as near the hot spot as possible.

 

[Schlyne]

I'd recommend getting two hides acutally, one on the cool side, and one on the hot side. That way your snake can theromregulate and still feel safe.

(I have no idea what you already know, or what kind of research you've done, so I apologize if i'm repeating stuff you know).

Make sure you've got a good thermometer (go with a digital, you can get a therm that does humdity and heat with a probe on it for 15 to 20$ at wal mart) so you can accurately measure your temps. The analog stick on stuff is pretty much worthless. Those can be off as much as 20 degrees.

I've never put a snake in a 10 gallon, my baby ball lives in a 20 long right now. With the basking lamp you may have humidity problems. Make sure you don't overheat the little guy. You're going to want to bump up the humdity during shed (70 to 80%), and there are several ways to do that. If you get your humidity right, you will start getting perfect one piece sheds

Keep in mind that around a year or older, ball pythons are notorious for going off feed during the winter months. This is pretty normal for breeding season. As long as the snake is not losing weight, you're ok. They can go off feed for several months.

I recommend you feed pre killed, or frozen/thawed instead of live. Live feeding can be done if supervised properly, but I wouldn't do it personally. I prefer my snakes avoid the possiblity of getitng scratched or bit by live food.

Feed 1 to 1.5 times the width of the thickest part of the snake.

I can't think of anything else to mention right now. I could probably write a caresheet on these guys from memory at this piont. ;P

Again I apologize if I'm telling you stuff you already know Welcome to the world of herps, they are an addicting lot.

 

[wayneo]

best advice would have to be read as much about them as possible BEFORE you buy an animal.

Wayne