Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got my baby ball python 2 days ago and today when i was handling it he seemed a little bit jumpy. when i would try to touch him closer to his head he would jump back very quickly and he just seemed nervous or something....this is the first snake i've ever owned, so i'm just curious if this is normal behavior. That, and he is just sitting in his tank....not moving at all. that normal? He looks dead....but i know he's not..lol How do i know if he's happy?

a lot of snakes get defensive when it comes to their heads, the term "head-shy" came to mind reading your post. its generally best to not try to touch the head, snakes tend to dislike it, cant say i blame em.

now, a couple of things in your post concern me! if you got the snake 2 days ago you should not be handling it! its probably incredibly stressed out, and being played with is probably making that snake feel even more stressed out. i understand the want (almost need) to handle a new, not to mention incredibly interesting, pet. but, in this case, its best to leave it alone for ATLEAST 3 days, a full week would be better, and waiting until it takes a few meals without hesitation is probably best. i am by no means an expert, ive just worked with alot of snakes.
also, tanks are for fish, not snakes. theyre made to hold water, not heat or humidity. with alot of work, which can be stressful for both you and the snake, a tank can work, its just not the first choice in housing, but i understand new keepers "need" to see their snakes. for more established snakes being seen is fine, theyre acustomed to it. for younger, newer snakes, it can cause problems. i personally reccomend rubbermaid (or other similar plastic storage boxes), their translucent sides allow us to see them if needed, but also allow for more security for the snake. they are also very good for holding heat and humidity, even when well ventilated. i keep most of my snakes in rubbermaid, everything from my ball python to my red blood pythons, white lipped python, scrub pythons, carpets, the list goes on. i can tell you they work. just a few thoughts

J
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Jaymz
"got a bowlin ball in my stomache, got a desert in my mouth. figures that my courage would choose to sell out now..."

I've done quite a bit of reading on pythons and didn't see anything about not handling the snake for the first few days. but i WILL take your advice and leave it alone. and about the tank...that kind of shocks me because i've seen tons of pictures and have been to all kinds of pet stores and most of the pics i've seen and all the pet stores i've been in keep their snakes in an aquarium. Also, http://www.kingsnake.com/ballpythonguide/#CAGING talks about using an aquarium...it does go into detail on what i need to buy for it...He isn't moving around a whole lot in his cage right now...he hasn't even made a move to go toward his hide box. he is kinda wrapped around a rock under the heat lamp like he has been for the past 8 hours, even when the heat lamp was off. if he is stressed, how can i make him unstressed? Oh, and while i handle him..he doesn't seem nervous untill i touch near his head (which i won't do any more)...he seems very active and crawls around all over the place. i let him roam around wherever he wants to go (of course i make sure he keeps close to me and i bring him back whenever he gets too far from me). any other helpful tips? do i need to take a picture just to let you know what the tank set up looks like and stuff like that?

Different people have different opinions on when to handle them after bringing home. Most of the care sheets I found said wait 2 weeks. I'll admit I didn't listen to that rule too well myself. However, I never take my BP out of the tank unless he climbs onto my hand. I don't like to force him out if he doesn't want to come out. Unless of course we have a vet appointment, etc. My BP doesn't mind me touching it's head. I just stroke it a bit and it doesn't jump - as long as I don't surprise em too much.

What kind of hide(s) do you have in the tank? I've found that my BP prefers the hides that he can fit snugly into and ball up - can't be too big. I too use an aquarium and yes a lot of care sheets said it's okay. It can just be a pain to hold the proper temps and humidity with an aquarium - especially if you use a screen top. Some have no problem. Mine holds temps well, but not humidity. There are ways around it - which can be a lot of work.

The question that I have about all the people that say that aquariums don't hold humidity well is, aren't humidity and ventilation inversely proportional to each other? Isn't your humidity going to decrease with more airflow and vice versa assuming that the ambient air outside the tank is less humid than the air inside the tank?

this is how i think of it when it comes to tanks, unless you do considerable things to keep heat and humidity in they litterally just go right out the top! you are correct in your thinking, the more ventilation in a cage the less the humidity. finding this balance in a screen topped cage is very hard, it takes considerable work, and often times ventilation is too comprimised. i dont know about you, but, i really like to enjoy my animals...i honestly dont like to spend alot of time lifting heavy cages, cleaning out very tight 90 degree corners, or adjusting my temps and humidity...i prefer ease of maintenance. simply put adequate ventilation and heat retention is easier in a rubbermaid, you can also ventilate rubbermaids in ways so that heat doesnt just pour out of the cage. i personally prefer the more major area of ventilation to be on the lower half of the cage, id drill or solder 1 or 2 rows of holes about 2 inches (less in rubbermaids that arent as tall) from the bottom of the enclosure, and then add one to 4 (or more, again sizes vary!) more ventilation holes about 1 inch from the top of the cage. since i use rubbermaid (or similar storage boxes) exclusively, and also bottom heat, the holes along the bottom draw in fresh air, while the holes in the top allow for convection without losing too much heat. my set up works great for me, it took me quite a bit of trial and error to get here. ive also found thru the years that the less "work" i had to put into keeping up at times large collections the more i enjoyed the animals. i personally get into cage cleaning, since my current collection is small its not a big chore, i get to spend some hands on time with my snakes, check em over, and really enjoy them, since i dont often handle my reptiles. the other advantage of rubbermaids, no harsh 90 degree hard to really get into angles, much much easier to clean and disinfect. glass also doesnt hold heat as well....some random thoughts as they came out after a very long day at work...

J
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Jaymz
"got a bowlin ball in my stomache, got a desert in my mouth. figures that my courage would choose to sell out now..."

Yeah it just hit me that i can go to wal-mart and buy a 30 gallon rubbermaid for him...and i sprayed my tank just now and watched as the humidity went from below 50, to 70, and back down to about 60 in about 15 minutes...i see exactly what you're saying now...as soon as i work up the money i'm going to switch his tank for a rubbermaid. i appreciate your advice!!

What are your temp and humidity readings?

If you have a pic that would be a great way of getting some feedback.

But are you SURE you actually read the care sheet that you said you did AND provided a link to? I did a word search for "handling" and this is what I came up with. You said you couldn't see where it said not to handle the snake initially? Hmmmm.....

A snake that is not stressed and acclimated will eat, and generally be a better pet. After you've patiently waited a few weeks, I would try and feed it it's first meal See Feeding Strategies. Once it eats a few times for you, it's OK to start handling your snake for short periods of time. I feel it's better to get them out of the cage with a snake hook×.
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i read a good portion of it...and i do remember reading that now. i havn't had him out of the tank all day. i'm going to follow all of those rules...Thanks for pointing it out to me.

Keep asking questions. There's more than enough qualified people here to set you off in the right direction(s)!!

And remember, the biggest snake expert you have access to is your snake itself! Think about it. That snake can tell you sooo many valuable things, its not even funny. You just have to be willing/able to listen.
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It's normal for your BP to just lay around. They are nocturnal(sp?) so it'll be much more active at night. Mine will sometimes do some exploring during the day but usually not until lights outs. And with that said it is also better to feed and handle them later in the day. The only times i ever have my snake hiss at me is in the mornings when I try to pick her up. Who would want to get woke up when the just went to sleep?

And I hope you enjoy your snake! I have only had mine for a little while and I love it!