Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK heres the deal: About a month ago we(hubby and I) took in a ball python from my bils bedroom(yes it had been loose without a cage food or water). We put it in a 29 gallon tank and have have been feeding it once a week(a med size rat). It shed in one piece the night we got it and has been urinating and it just dumped today(looked like small dog turds). It is pretty grumpy. It hisses if you touch it and if you do pick it up it tries to squeeze you to death. It doesnt seem to want to bite but I am terrified of snakes and it is really hard for me to do anything with this snake but make sure he/she has a clean house and fed properly. So I have a couple questions. What temp should I keep the tank? I have a under the tank heater but thats all. I keep my house about 72 f. For a hide out I use brown paper bags that I get from the grocery store(also serves as a climbng activity).And I just use newspaper for the bottom so I can take out soiled paper right away. I think this snake is about 37" long(I measured the skin it shed). Is there anyway to tame this snake or will it forever be rotten? My hubby has had many snakes in his past and he still will not fool with this guy(so he leaves it up to me----and im terrified of snakes). I also have a 2 year old son that loves snakes and I really feel bad that he cant really fool around with this one too much. He is very gentle(we have 2 small dogs, a parrot, and a rabbit, did have 2 small hamsters) and he knows how to handle delicate creatures. I guess this is a vent with questions...all advice is welcome....I dont know what to do at this point.

As for temps, different animals have different preferences. I would say that 72 is too cold for the ambient temp. Possibly a low wattage heat lamp could warm up the tank. The hot side (and under tank heat is fine, and preferred by most) should be 85-90. Be careful when you measure temp here not to just stick a thermometer sticker on the side as the actual belly heat the animal gets will be higher than that. I just have a loose thermometer sitting on the floor (which gets messed around with a lot, so I'm getting an IR thermometer).

As for the disposition, it sounds as if your guy is just a big scaredy cat. This is not abnormal for bps. My girl is that way too, she even strikes defensively (usually at air, it's different than going in for the kill). Just regular handleing will tame her. Your's is older and I don't have experience with older snakes being that way but if you try to handle him and get him used to you, he may calm down. It may take longer. If you are afraid, use a towel to pick him up, reaching into a snake cage puts you at a strategic disadvantage. A towel over the head will give you time to get into control.
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1.1 BPs (Syd and Nancy)
0.0.2 Firebellied Toads (Stanley and Stuart)
0.2 French Lops (Jacquotte and Lapine)

When I first started out someone recommended The Ball Python Manual by Philippe de Vosjoli, Roger Klingenberg, Tracy M. Barker and David G. Barker, to learn all the basics. It cost like $10 and covers almost anything you could need to know on the basics. I would get a couple of thermometers, one for either side and bump the temp up to around 90 on one side and keep the other around 80. Also a hygrometer to make sure your humidity stays high enough. Good luck with him!!!!
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- Shelby

1.1 ball pythons, Captain America and Starlet
1.0 Han/TB gelding, Tristan
1.0 fluffy fat cat, Dizzy
1.0 fluffy cute kitten, Chuck
1.0 chocolate lab, Coop
1.0 adorable boyfriend
6.0 crazy roommates

Looking at my stats, I feel like I should be suffering from testosterone poisoning

when i got my second ball he would squeeze my arm very tightly when i would hold him. he still does this. i feel that it is his way of feeling secure, such as he knows he wont fall off. he hisses from time to time, it is his nerves. balls can be very nervous snakes and thus get stressed out fairly easily. if he is still new to you, he is probably very stressed out, and i think i read right but being loose in a room probably was very stressful to him. i would start by just gently touching his body when he is sitting in the cage to get used to being touched. some people will take a shirt or piece of clothing that they have warn and put it into the cage for a while so that the snake recognizes their sent. when i have my girl out if anyone else holds her, she always trys to stretch out to me if i am near, for the first 4 months i had her, i was the only person to hold her or take care of her. start by only handling him for a few minutes a day and slowly work up as he tolerates. make sure that he is not in a high traffic area as vibrations tend to make their nerves get frazzled as well.

i don't know if you are feeding in the cage or not, but some people, including myself will feed in a rubbermaid container instead of the cage. there is conflicting feelings on this. some poeple say that it wont make a difference, but i know myself that i would rather my snake know that when it is a certain container it's feeding time, and that when i stick my hand in it's cage that it's not food. i have my snakes on a schedule and they know when feeding day comes around and they start to roam their cages. like shelby514 said, get that manual, it is a great book to have and reference.

http://www.kingsnake.com/ballpythonguide/index.html that link also has a bunch of great info on balls and their care. another idea for hides is to take smaller shoe boxes(so that he will fit snugly in it) and cut some holes in the sides for him to get into, i use this for my larger girl and they work great, i can throw them away when they get soiled and not have to worry about cost. i'm sure that the size boxes that your son's shoes come in would work great! or now that plant season is coming to an end, look for the planter disks that go under the plant pots, with a hammer you can break a hole in the side and they are another cheap great way to make a hide for your snake.

hope i was of some help to you welcome to the wonderful world of ball pythons which keeps us ball python moms on our toes and always worrying about them
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~dana~

1.1 ball pythons (hailex and roxy)
1.0 cat (whiskers)