You have been given some good advice so far, but I thought I would add a few comments:
I have a few questions about a snake I just bought a few months back. I just got a ball python just over 2 months ago and am in a way not too happy with it. More on this in a litte tho.
It sounds like you need to temper your expectations of the snake. Baby ball pythons (I am assuming this is a "farm hatched" baby) are very shy snake that can take several months to get used to gentle handling. Be patient.
The tank had forest bedding and a small log to hide under when needed. I have a bowl as a water dish for him/her so it can soke in if needed. (Boy does he/she love to sit in the water)
Forest bedding can be very dessicating. I used to use it for snakes, but I eventually gave up on it due to the dust and how dessicating it is. I prefer shredded aspen.
You might get a small sprayer and spray down the bedding with water at one end of the cage every few days. That will increase the humidity slightly, although Ball Pythons are not as sensitive to dry conditions as other python species.
As mentioned by the previous posts, it is important to determine why the snake is sitting in the water dish. This is an unusual situation and one you should investigate thoroughly.
BPs tend to sit in a water dish for one of several reasons -
1. The snake has mites. These will appear on the snake or dead in the water dish like little black poppy seeds. You can often find them on your hands after handling the snake or dead in the water bowl after it has been soaking. If you do have mites, I would get a can of Provent-a-mite (you may have to order this online somewhere - accept no substitutes - other remedies either don't work or can be dangerous to the animal).
2. There is no secure hidebox. Sometimes a snake will soak preferentially in its water bowl if its hide box isn't secure enough. I generally don't like those log-type hide boxes because they are open at both ends and don't provide much security to a small snake. I much prefer to make my own hide boxes out of plastic or terra cotta planter saucers that you can find in the garden centers at Wal-mart or Home Depot type stores.
I get the appropriate sized saucer, cut an appropriate sized entrance on one side and place it upside down in the cage. These saucers are better because they are cheap and available in a variety of sizes and colors (darker is better). I also like them because they are cheap and you can buy several so you always have a clean one waiting to switch out if need be.
Here is a pic of a few of my hideboxes -
3. The cage temperatures are wrong. This is your problem, I suspect. You should get a reliable thermometer (those digital indoor/outdoor ones with the probe cords are good for this - about $10 at Wal-mart). The temps at the cool end of the cage should be about 75°. The temperature at the warm end should be about 90°. I suspect your BP is soaking because the cage is too warm.
I feed the snake 1 pinkie (mouse) once a week. I take the snake out of the tank and put it in the tub when feeding it. It eats fine most of the time. Infact, it eats while I am watching it. It would not eat only twice, and both times ate the following week.
Most small BPs readily take hopper mice. I would offer it a pre-killed hopper every week or so. A pinkie is an inadequate meal for a snake of this size.
I have 2 lights on all the time to the right of the tank. One a black light and the other is one of them heating lights? (no light coming from it) These 2 "heat" lights cover one half of the tank. Both lights are sitting ontop a wire like top. (they rest on top of the tank)
I don't like using lights as a heat source for snakes in general (except arboreal species). My experience has shown that snakes do much better in captivity with under tank heaters. I suggest you get an under tank heating pad and put in under one end of the cage. Then plug it in to a rheostat/plug in dimmer so that you can control the temperature above the pad. Place a hide box at each end of the cage (one at the warm end, one at the cool end) to allow the snake a secure place to hide yet still give it temperature options.
It just finished sheding after about 2 weeks. The skin came off in flakes. NOT as one or 2 peices. What does this mean?
This generally means the cage is a little too dry. This is probably due to the forest litter stuff. I would switch to shredded aspen.
I also suggest you watch for the next time you expect the animal to shed and you mist the cage lightly each evening until it does. Watch for the snake to go opaque then clear up again. Once it clears up, you should mist the cage every evening and that should help the snake shed.
Last but not least, I want to play with my snake a LOT more. Just let him chill here while I am on my computer, show him/her off to friends, ect. But just about everythime I go to get the snake out, it runs underground of starts to ball up on me. I am scared of what it might do after balling up.
Again I think this is a problem of expectation on your part. This is not a toy, it is a shy live animal. You never get to "play" with a snake. You can take a snake out and handle it gently, but you can not "play" with it. I know this is simply a matter of word choice, but I think it is important to realize the difference.
Remember that, at best, snakes tolerate handling. They don't "enjoy" it. So you should expect that until the snake gets used to the experience, it will be shy and engage in its natural defensive behavior (which is balling up - for other species it is biting!).
Handle the snake for 10-15 minutes every day or so. For the first week or two, this may only mean having the balled up snake in your lap. With time it will learn that you aren't trying to kill it and will stop being as afraid of you. It shouldn't take more than a month of this type of handling to get it to relax somewhat and start exploring while you handle it.
However, you should not handle it on the day you feed and the following 2 days. This means you can only handle the snake 4 days a week (assuming you feed weekly). If this is unsatisfactory, then you should consider getting some kind of animal other than a snake.
There are lots of good online BP resources you should check out. I think the care sheets at VPI.com are good (scroll down the page a bit for the caresheets). It sounds to me like your pet store is just interested in selling you things and not very knowledgeable about the captive care requirements of Ball Pythons. Do some research online and you will find all you need to know from people with expertise.
You sound like you have the best interest of your snake at heart. Learn as much as you can, and be patient and you should have a satisfactory companion for the next 20+ years!
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Chris Harrison
...he was beginning to realize he was the creature of a god that appreciated the discomfort of his worshippers - W. Somerset Maugham
