Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have had my ball python for about a year, and she is still only about 18-20". I feed her frozen fuzzies, and it ends up being every couple weeks as she refused food a lot this past winter. Is this normal? Will she grow, or has her growth been stunted?

Also, she's been stuck in a terrible shed for about a week. It's come off just beyond her head, but other than that is stuck and she won't soak herself or anything. I don't really know what to do -- I've kept the humidity levels up, but it's still been exactly the same.

She just looks so skinny....I'm getting worried. How long can they retain sheds for?

1. For the shed take a tea towel, get it wet with warm water and wring it out good so it is just damp. Take it and put it into a tupperware container and put your snake in with it. Make sure there are holes in the container and put it back into the snakes cage close to the warm side but not directly over the heat pad.

What is your set up? What cage, what heat, what is your gradient what is the humidity kept at, etc. This will help.

2. If you are feeding fuzzies I hope they are rat fuzzies. Balls are born big enough to eat small adult mice, hoppers at the smallest. Most of the time a baby won't eat because there are temperature problems.
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Nita Hamilton
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Ball Pythons
ballpythonworld.com

I have a 29 gallon. Heat is about at 85. I actually don't know the humidity... how do I test that?

They are mouse fuzzies....she has so far refused anything bigger than that.

Buy a humidity guage, you can find them at Walmart, home depot, pet stores, just about anywhere. Did you read a care sheet when you got your snake? That is a bare minimum requirement for them.

I really feel like you snake hasn't grown because the mice you are feeding are so small. I would suggest being persistant in trying to get her to eat larger ones, I'd say small adults to be safe. You'd be surprised how much the snakes can stretch themselves. If she still refuses the larger ones, then when you do get her to eat a fuzzy, right after she's done swallowing, try and get her to eat another, or even better, two more. Normally once they have grabbed the first on they are in feeding mode and will take more without a problem.

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1.0 Spotted Python
1.0 IJ Carpet Python
0.1 Ball Python
1.0 Variable Kingsnake

well 85F is what the temp should be on the cool end and your hot spot for basking should be 90 to 95F without that higher temp she cannot digest properly so she won't eat. You can pick up a little gadget called a hygrometer that will read your humidity levels. Any pet store or hardware store will have them, just ask. I keep mine at 60% or so and then bump it to 80% when they are in shed. A 29G tank is huge for a little baby ball, make sure you have lots of hides a good idea is to get a piece of PVC pipe that pretty much goes the length of the tank and this way your baby can traverse from warm to cool side without feeling like he is out in the open and a target for predators.
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Nita Hamilton
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Ball Pythons
ballpythonworld.com

Also, I use the bed-a-beast substrate. I was told this keeps humidity the best.

In an aquarium bed a beast or cypress mulch is good for humidity. Also covering 3/4 of the top if you have a screen or bar top with a damp towel will help. Are you using an Under tank heater or light for heat? Under tank heaters are best. Even just getting a human one and setting it on low is usually fine, make sure though you are measuring the temp on the glass directly above the heat pad because your snake will burrow under the substrate to get to the heat and if you are just measuring air temp or substrate temp your snake may brun itself.
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Nita Hamilton
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Ball Pythons
ballpythonworld.com