Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I need to know what kind of substrate to use. I'm having humidity problems so would a waterfall be beneficial? I'd like to have one in there, but I wanted to make sure it didn't pose a threat to the snake. Its been almost a week, I haven't seen him out of his hide.... anyone that can help me?

Jeff

I don't know about the water, but you can put a larger water dish in there for your snake, and have a retreat box that is fill with damp sphagnum moss, so the snake have some place that is humid to retreat to. To make a humidity retreat box, use an opaque rubber-maid plastic container large enough for the snake and cut a hole on the lid for the snake to get in. Fill the container with damp sphagnum moss ( or cypress mulch if you like...don't cidar mulch--it is toxic ) then close the lid. I hope this help you. Good luck with your snake. You can reuse the sphagnum moss if you like when it dries out...just resoak them in water.

I don't know about the water, but you can put a larger water dish in there for your snake, and have a retreat box that is fill with damp sphagnum moss, so the snake have some place that is humid to retreat to. To make a humidity retreat box, use an opaque rubber-maid plastic container large enough for the snake and cut a hole on the lid for the snake to get in. Fill the container with damp sphagnum moss ( or cypress mulch if you like...don't cidar mulch--it is toxic ) then close the lid. I hope this help you. Good luck with your snake. You can reuse the sphagnum moss if you like when it dries out...just resoak them in water.

A healthy and happy Ball rarely, if ever comes out of its hide spot. mine is basically in his 24/7, with breaks to defecate or eat or shed. Balls are not particularly active nor do they climb about a lot.
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*~Ginevive~*

Okay, thats good to know. However, Striker earned his name because he likes to strike. I want to tame him down, and I just didn't think dragging him out of his hiding place was a good idea. So I guess if I have to take a few bites to calm him down, what can I expect worse case? I know he doesn't have teeth, but what about jaw pressure... should I expect any brusing or drawn blood?

Jeff

Your baby ball python does indeed have teeth, they just aren't very big. They will be able to draw blood however, and you should be prepared for that if you are struck. They are highly unlikely to bite down, so I wouldn't be worried about bruising from a bite. It is more like a bunch of razor nicks. Put some pressure on it, and it will stop bleeding. If you present the palm of your hand, they have a hard time getting in a good bite (their jaws don't quite open the 180 degrees this requires). I bet with a bit of handling, your snake will calm down.

Well, the folks at the pet store told me he was snapping because he had just fed. He was still snapping 3 days after that. A friend of mine said it was because he was still hungry, does any of this sound right? He isn't due for a feeding until Sunday, should I go ahead and feed him now and see if he calms????

Jeff

Pet stores are not gurus, but some do have knowledgeable staff... Striking you HAS NOTHING to do with hunger. It is a condition you can work through with patience.

I'll probably get some flames from this, but here goes: with a young snake, the more you can get it to eat (within reason) the better for the snake. I'm not talking powerfeeding over a long period of time here, but constant feeding of a baby snake is rapidly converted into mass, and more mass equals better odds of overcoming adversity. In the wild, that would be periods of food scarcity, adverse weather conditions and time spent hidden from predators. In captivity, predators shouldn't be a problem but there are less diverse conditions available to the snake, and it will be better able to adapt to what is available if it is bigger. This isn't a knock on your animal husbandry, but you have no way of knowing if your snake is feeling "a little under the weather" (not that he is) without visible signs. In the wild, a snake would search out a different temperature (in this case warmer) which might not be available in your setup.

That being said, a snake that is snappy day after day, even the day after feeding (when they usually like to hunker down and do some serious digesting) is probably biting defensively. If you want to know for sure, you can offer a food item. If the snake snaps at it but doesn't constrict and eat it, that is a sign of a defensive strike. Don't worry about it. Your snake will get over it when it gets a little older and more confident.

Over fed snakes live shorter lives....

I knew somebody was going to say that. I'm just amazed at how fast the response came (what did that take you, like 30 seconds there). As I tried to say in my email, getting a snake beyond the hatchling stage, in my opinion, is the most important issue here. Most of these snakes die early, and getting them from their 50 gram hatchling weight to 250 grams or even 500 grams gives them a much better chance of survival. Then you can have the debate about how much to feed. I'd wager serious money that the snakes that survive in the wild feed early and often when they are hatchlings.

Feeding a snake and OVER FEEDING are two different things...

Feeding a snake simply out of the fact that they are striking can lead to over feeding...

Hmmm...

I was unaware that scientific studies had been done linking "overfeeding" with shortened life span. Please do not throw out dribble like this without at least adding that it's your opinion.

Taking into consideration how little is known about snake physiology, how few snakes are necropsied and how few vets actually are somewhat knowledgable in the herpetological dept, I'd say this assertion is a bit premature.

What exactly is the expected life span of a captive ball python? We don't even know for sure how long they live in the wild. What other variables can affect life span...genetics, type of food, illness, reproductive efforts, gender...

We do know that they CAN live UP TO forty years or more in captivity, but you know what...not near enough ball pythons have been raised in captivity or tracked in the wild to make a difinitive figure.

People have been known to live over 110 years, but the average lifespan is 70ish. Horses have been recorded in their forties and ponies as old as the lower fifties, but the average lifespan for a horse is 20.

It's going to be a couple decades before anyone can make that type of correlation with any authority. For now, I suggest feeding how ever you choose, but keep good records that might lead to the conclusion of this debate once and for all.

Thanks,

You make my point far better than I did. I'm with you all the way -- science and research vs. knee-jerk opinions is what will settle this issue in the long term.

Pythons do have rolls of needle like teeth...so you can expect the bith to be painful. And the teeth are pointed towards the back of the mouth, making getting the snake's jaws off your hands or your face difficult. I suggest you use gloves at first and don't bring him too close to your face.

That isn't necessarily so... They are not teeth in the 'normal' sense of the word...pins or needles are a better description. The best thing for striking BPs is to:

1) Feed them AWAY from their enclosure, or they get used to the 'sound of cage opening and the presence of food' conditioning, Pavlov wasn't just right about dogs...

2) DON'T GO BARE at a striking BP.... ALWAYS wear protection, i.e. a set of leather gloves-(USED ONLY FOR THIS PURPOSE)-you don't want to react to the BP when it strikes, because your defense movement will stress the snake out more... Remember their action is a defensive one out of fear/survival.... Over time, as you handle your snake, EVENTUALLY it should warm up to you...

I forgot to mention that. Mine would hide all day only coming out to roam at night. She loves to climb that one is.

you can use Aspen Cypress or newspaper but cypress can increase the humidity so that can help with the humidity problem.

HOPE THIS HELPS