Hi everyone I am a first time snake owner. I have had Pedro for about 2 mths now. Up until the last 2 wks he would sleep over his heating pad and sometimes bask under the heat lamp. Here lately he has not been getting on the heat pad or under the light. He goes under the newspaper on the cool side of his cage. He is eating every Sunday and pooing once a wk but I have noticed his poo is not black here lately it is very small yellow is that normal? Is it ok for him to not be using the heat pad? Any help is geatly appreciated. I love my boy and want to make sure he stays healthy.
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Ball Python not using heat pad!
Aleda
Dec 28, 2007 11:26 AM
Replies (5)
pheonix
Dec 28, 2007 12:37 PM
I've noticed the same thing with my 2 females that i've had for over a year and a half. They have been steadily finding ways under the paper and staying on the cool side. I swear when i take them out they feel like icecubes ! I'm glad i'm not the on,y one seeing this and can't wait for an explantion!
FatBoyBallPython
Dec 28, 2007 01:57 PM
As long as you keep his warm side warm and his cool side cool don't worry. The snake and God will take care of the rest. Snakes can regulate their heat by laying where they need to. If he is eating once a week you must have the heat and humidity right.
Link
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www.fbballpythons.com
robyn@ProExotics
Dec 28, 2007 06:34 PM
god is not going to step in and set your thermostat for you.
having "hot" and "cold" is not sufficient. 250F is hot. 30 below zero is cold. and yet that wouldn't work very well for a setup.
know your husbandry and know your temps. for a ball, offer a hot spot of 90-92, with a daytime ambient temp in the low to mid 80s.
if you are cycling for breeding, then nighttime lows can go into the low 70s without much issue.
without the original poster giving any indication as to cage temps, there is no way to "internet-diagnose" what the issue might be. maybe it is way too cold. maybe it is way too hot. more details are needed to address this question responsibly.
and saying that "god" is going to keep the snake safe is awfully shortsighted.
provide some actual temps and perhaps folks on the forum could actually help...
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robyn@proexotics.com
FatBoyBallPython
Dec 29, 2007 09:56 PM
WOW pretty extreme reply there robyn. If the snake is eating every week it is not experiencing the "extreme" conditions you used as an example. The poster did not ask for temps, just stated that the snake was staying on the cool side instead of the warm side. Your post was definately more imformative than mine but I think the poster just wanted to be reassured that laying on the cool side was ok.
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www.fbballpythons.com
robyn@ProExotics
Dec 31, 2007 03:57 PM
wasn't trying to be extreme, just trying to get the original poster to include details with the question.
with literally no context, you could assume just about anything about the setup. maybe the heat pad is made of cherry fruit rollups and the snake doesn't like cherry, ya know? : )
it is like asking "is my setup poor?" yet giving no details on the setup. frankly, if you ask such a question in such a way, then yes, your setup is poor, so is your knowledge, you wouldn't ask such a poor question otherwise.
why won't he use the heat pad? "Is it ok for him to not be using the heat pad?"
to answer that question, without any context, over the internet no less, is impossible.
being a responsible and successful keeper means much more than plopping a snake in a box and plugging in a heat pad. and yet LOTS of folks do ONLY that.
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robyn@proexotics.com
