Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.

Click for 65% off Shipping with Reptiles 2 You
Click for ZooMed
Click for 65% off Shipping with Reptiles 2 You

Just bought my first BP

Karbon Mar 09, 2008 08:16 PM

I just bought my first BP yesterday after wanting one for a long while.

I ended up getting it at Petco, which was very reasonably price and has bi-weekly checkups on their reptiles by a local vet.

The BP has very clear eyes, shining, smoothe skin, pretty much picture perfect.

The one thing I did want to ask is this:
My BP is slithering all over his cage and doesn;t seem to be aftraid of me at all. Did I just get super lucky or do they sometimes acclimate very quickly?

I have a Cali Kingsnake which I keep houased seperatly, had him for 2.5 years now. He is still somewhat shy but has never bitten or snapped at me. Strong bugger!

I have held him a few times abd he's never snapped at me, yet, which I hope he never does. It's just odd! He hatched a little over a month ago and he's about 13 inches.

Hes's in a 30 gallon Critter cage, have a heat pad under the cage and a heating lamp. Have temp ad humidity gauge and 2 hides climbing sticks and branches.

Other than that, any tips on what I should get for him other than what I have or any somewhat secret tips floating around out there?

Hope to have a picture soon.
Thanks in advance!

Replies (2)

JESpythonz Mar 09, 2008 08:38 PM

Well, if he is from Petco he is probably imported which means he may, not for sure, but may have internal/external parasites. Get a fecal sample and take it, and the snake, to a vet that knows something about reptiles. Petco's vet will probably just say it's healthy even if it isn't because they probably know squat about reptiles.
What kind of hides are you using? If they are the half log type, ditch them and get something that is more secure. Or just tape cardboard to each end with a small opening a little bigger than the snake on one end.
Do you have a thermostat on the cage, if you do not, you need to get one. You need to have a hot end of about 88 degrees or so and a cool end of about 80 or so. When you put the thermostat probe put it on the substrate so you can read the temps that the snake will be feeling.
If you can keep up the temps without the heat lamp, ditch it. It will only dry everything out and keep the snake from shedding well.
Odds are the ball won't use the branches, but they make the cage look nice.
The water bowl should be on the cool side. Good luck with him/her. If you have any more questions, just ask.

j3nnay Mar 10, 2008 12:23 PM

>>I ended up getting it at Petco, which was very reasonably price and has bi-weekly checkups on their reptiles by a local vet.

How do you know about the bi-weekly checkups? Did a sales associate tell you? They were probably lying. Unless Petco modified thier procedures, it's not in their policy to have reptiles checked twice a week. If it's the vet that comes to the store to do the shot clinic, unless that vet is outstanding and goes above and beyond his/her job, they are not likely to know much about reptiles, and they are not there to check anything up, they are there to do shots.

>>My BP is slithering all over his cage and doesn;t seem to be aftraid of me at all. Did I just get super lucky or do they sometimes acclimate very quickly?

It's not acclimated; it's exploring the cage to determine where it has landed. It will probably decide on a 'secure' place to hide and then you will hardly ever see it again. That's what ball pythons do.
Ball pythons are such great pets because they rarely exhibit real fear responses to people, and if they do, that response is to hide in a ball.
However, just because the snake doesn't act like its scared, doesn't mean its not stressed. Leave it alone and in the cage until it's eaten a couple times for you, so that you can be sure it has settled in and will continue to eat.

>>I have held him a few times abd he's never snapped at me, yet, which I hope he never does. It's just odd! He hatched a little over a month ago and he's about 13 inches.

Did the sales person at Petco say that? And did the sticker say "Captive Bred Baby Ball Python"? If the stickers don't say captive bred, assume the animal is imported. There is no guarantee of how old that baby is, regardless of how long or big it is. They grow at different rates, even when well fed and well cared for.
Like I said before, leave him alone the first couple weeks so he can get settled in. With ball pythons, security is everything, so you want him to feel safe and secure at your house before you start handling him. If he doesn't feel secure, he won't eat, and then you have a problem!

>>Hes's in a 30 gallon Critter cage, have a heat pad under the cage and a heating lamp. Have temp ad humidity gauge and 2 hides climbing sticks and branches.

Watch his next shed carefully - if he doesn't shed well you may have to ditch the heat lamp. The lamps just tend to dry out the air, and the humidity gauges usually found at petco aren't very accurate (at ALL).

The biggest 'secret' tip is...what I've said already - leave the snake alone until it's eating regularly. The thing with ball pythons seems to be that if something goes wrong in their enclosure, they'll do one (or both) of two things: shed poorly, or stop eating. If it eats and sheds well, and is a nice fat little snake, then whatever you're doing is working.

Good luck! We look forward to pictures.

~jenny
-----
"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire

Site Tools