Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Today I got my first snake, and he is a Ball Python. I love him. He is VERY gentle, even though I met him today. He loves the nighttime heat lamp I have on right now. He has half of his body sticking inside of his hide box, and the other half looking up at the heat lamp on top of the box. I noticed white blocks in a wet area on the newspaper, which are called "urates" correct? I love him and I hope that I will have a good time with him. Any pointers to a newbie, would be really appreciated if anyone knows something that most newbies should know. Thanks!

You should keep the cage very warm. The ball pythons need quite high temperature to fair well. Basking area should be 90-95 degree which should leave the rest of the cage 80-85 constant which is perfect. If you don't keep them as warm because these are cold blooded reptiles, they can get sick...their immune system and their ability to supress pathogen actually suffer and can be potentially harmful and might even lead to death. Do not feed your snake now! Wait 2 weeks or until the snake has acclimated to the new surrounding and leave him in the cage, do not handle! The stress from frequent handling could easily kill a snake right now. And if you feed it before he acclimates, he can regurgitate the food and this is potentially bad for its health. If you want to read more on how to care for the ball, go Melissa Kaplin's website. She has written many good book and the most famous of her books is the care on the iguanas. Here's her link. Or you can get a book call "The Ball Python Manual" by Philippe de Vojolis. Have fun with your snake!!
Melissa Kaplin's website

I have only handled him, when I bought him and put him in his cage. I may handle him a bit, each day, but not too much, so he can get used to me. I planned to feed him a week later and the lady said recommended that I fed him that day. The snake actually seems to like me, but he does get nervous when I make sudden movements, but he actually crawled over to me when I was buying him. Plus he seems to like the place, but I want to put more in it. I will not handle him too much for a week or two though. Can I atleast change the newspaper substrate tomorrow? Becuase he released his waste and I did pick up the white particles, but it still smells a little bit, and plus I am sure that it would be better for me to clean it up, more than it would be for him to stick around in a bit of his liquid waste.

I think you should wait until the snake has acclimated before handling him. Then gradually for short period of time handle him until he is accostom to you. He may already tame , but to be certain that you won't stress it, you should let get use to the new surrounding.

And, yes, you should change the newspaper everytime he goes to the bathroom. I usually replace the entire newspapers.

Good lucck!

Yeah, I did change the newspaper, and all I did today, to handle him, was just place a few of my fingers on his body for about a minute. He was still inside of his hiding place.

Hi Travis, congrats on getting a new ball python. A really accurate and helpful caresheet that is in kingsnake's caresheet area about ball pythons is

http://www.kingsnake.com/ballpythonguide/index.html

Its also linked below.

As for feeding and handling, you should wait a week at least to try and feed your snake a frozen-thawed mouse or rat, whatever is most appropriate for his/her size. If it reguritates after feeding, remove the rodent, and wait another week before trying to feed a smaller prey item again. I wouldn't recommend handling right now except for what is minimally necessary to clean the tank. Later on, handling your snake regularly except for the day of and after it feeds is a good idea. Start with a little time, and work your way up, pretty easy Where did you buy your ball python? Do you know if its imported? Captive bred?

If you don't already, you should look into getting an undertank heat pad to provide a constant heat source. I would also suggest doing a lot of reading online at at a local library or bookstore. There are also a few videos available from some big breeders, and having seen them, I would highly recommend them.

If you have any more questions that the caresheet below doesn't answer, feel free to ask. -Whit
A Trouble-Shooting guide to ball pythons

Congrats!! They are such cool snakes! The best thing you ca do is research...what temps they need, what humidity, how other people handle their animals, etc. Then, see what works best for you and your snake. I've handled mine since the day I brought them home, fed them after a few days of settling in, handle them after feeding, feed while shedding....all things people don't recommend. All snakes are individuals, find out what works between YOU and YOUR snake. The input we all give should just be a guideline. Good luck, and post some pics!
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1.1 Ball Python
0.0.1 corn snake
0.0.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.2 fish
1.2 cats
3.1 kids
1.0 husband