Posted by:
Finnigan
at Wed Apr 6 12:23:53 2005 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by Finnigan ]
I hate to say it, but I don't think you are doing this right.
Here's what I think you should do:
Step 1 - Simple Enclosure:
1) Ensure the temps are accurate in your enclosure. Use a digital thermometer or temp gun to measure and a thermostat to control temp.
2) Ensure the enclosure has LOTS of small, dark, tight hides (1 hot, 1 cool, 1 in the middle at the very least)
3) Use a non-particulate substrate.
4) Appropriately sized water bowl
5) That's it.
Step 2 - Leave snakey alone for a month
1) Do not look at him, do not handle him, do not reorganize his enclosure, do not try to feed him
2) The only contact you should have with him is removing waste and refilling water. If he's in a hide, do not lift it up
Step 3 - Learn about Ball Pythons
1) The KS.com forums are an OK source of information ... is OK the quality of life you want to provide?
2) Find and buy The Ball Python manual ... read it 2 or three times start to finish, then leave it in the bathroom and read it every time you're in there (Since you aren't seeing snakey for a month, you've got plenty of reading time).
3) Find and buy another ball python book, like the one by the Bartlets, and read that many times too.
4) Read 100 caresheets from RELIABLE sites on the internet. Check out Ralph Davis' site, NERD ... all the big breeders, and then all the small breeders, and then all the kids who had to make a website for a school project.
5) Read and re-read the entire proexotics.com FAQ
6) Talk to people who you know have ACTUAL experience with ball pythons (none of that "I heard from a guy who knew a guy who said mustard makes rats taste better"
Step 4 - Feeding
1) Get snakey to eat something (you will have learned all the tricks to doing this during your intensive research)
2) Repeat Step 1 four times before you consider handling snakey
3) DO NOT FORCE FEED OR TUBE FEED YOUR SNAKE
4) 10 week fasts are very common, I'm sure many people here would rather a 10 week fast then whatever it is they are dealing with.
Note: A healthy ball python will live way more than 20 years. The best thing you can do now is leave this guy alone. Even if you don't look at him for 6 months, you'll have 19.5 years left with your happy, healthy snake.
Good luck,
Joel
-----
0.1 Ball Python
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake
1.0 Leopard Gecko
1.0 Berber Skink
[ Hide Replies ]
|
Sorry, a stern lecture... - Finnigan, Wed Apr 6 12:23:53 2005
