Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I had an interesting off-line discussion about feeding response and temps. My Ball Pythons will refuse to feed once ambient temps get over about 83-84 degrees in the cool end. They seem to do best at about 80 degrees. But I know some people keep their snakes warmer than this.

My "dirty" research shows, parts of Africa where Ball Pythons come from gets as high as 91 degrees. Of course, I'm not sure what that translates to at the location where Ball Pythons hide during the day.

At any rate, what optimal temps do you find you get your best feeding response? Also, is there a considerable temp drop from day to night where you keep your snakes?
-----
Jay A. Martin
Jay Martin Reptiles

Far from scientific but... my racks usually run about 85 with the hot spot being at about 90. I have all great feeders except one slightly fussy het albino female . The temps in the racks are pretty static day and night.

Now my big tank on the other hand runs about 80 cool side and 90 hot spot. The temps in the tank do dip at night a good 5 degrees sometimes more on cooler nights. I have one garbage disposal and one slightly fussy one living in this tank.

My quarantines are in tubs, but aren't in a rack and run about the same temps as my big tank and they do tend to fluctuate a few degrees at night. But I don't usually see a big difference in their feeding responses once they get in a rack. It seems to me as though if they start out good eaters, they continue doing well.

Not sure if this helps or not. LOL
-----
Tosha

"Of course, this is just my opinion...and I believe I am God." -- Christopher Bianco

8.15.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and currently un-named)
1.0.0 Angolan Python
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Dessert Tortoise (Pope)
2.2.1 Fish (1,2,3,4)
0.0.3 Lizards rescued from pool skimmer

Well, my hot spot is between 92 and 95 and the ambient is pretty steady around 78 - 80. I find that all my balls in the racks do very well, at one time I had 2 in a tank together and found one ate the other was fussy, when I separated them into the rack they both started eating. When miss fussy pants started refusing to eat, I double checked and found her hot spot was only reaching 87! Now that it is back up I'm expecting her to start eating proper again. I have also found some are extrememly picky about temp of food, over ambient temps, one female has to have them hot. After thawing I have throw it into hot water, as hot as I can get it from the tap wich is hotter than I will stick my hand into, then she eats it.
-----
Nita Hamilton
4.13 Normal BP's, 1.0 Het Orange Ghost BP, 1.0 Het Pied 1.0 50% poss Het Orange Ghost BP's

I would take into account that balls come from somewhere that the seasonal temp changes are far less than what we have here in the United States. A ten degree difference in average temps is like it changing from summer to winter or vice versa. So if you want to keep them warmer you should give them a few weeks or a month to adjust. Keeping them warmer in the summer will make it much easier to cool them come breeding season. I know people that used to keep them in the mid-low 80's and come breeding time they had to drop into the high-mid 60's to make sure all his females started breeding. Way to put "dirty" research to good use. And on an unrelated note about temps I have a verified account of eggs being incubated with 100% hatch at 83 degrees, so better to go low than high.

>>I had an interesting off-line discussion about feeding response and temps. My Ball Pythons will refuse to feed once ambient temps get over about 83-84 degrees in the cool end. They seem to do best at about 80 degrees. But I know some people keep their snakes warmer than this.
>>
>>My "dirty" research shows, parts of Africa where Ball Pythons come from gets as high as 91 degrees. Of course, I'm not sure what that translates to at the location where Ball Pythons hide during the day.
>>
>>At any rate, what optimal temps do you find you get your best feeding response? Also, is there a considerable temp drop from day to night where you keep your snakes?
>>-----
>>Jay A. Martin
>>Jay Martin Reptiles
-----
Jay A. Martin
Jay Martin Reptiles

I'd have responded, but I don't really have much to add. Some of my animals eat no matter what the temperature, and some refuse either way. I have toyed a little with placing the rat in different parts of the enclosure, though.

After reading about how their heat pits work, I decided to place the f/t rats in the cooler area. I figured it would be easier to "spot" since the warmth of the rat would stand out more against the cooler air temps. I can't really remember if it worked or not. Maybe I'll try it again tomorrow (feeding day).

Good Things,
Chris
-----
“The problem with the Ball Python market rests in the advertisement of true morphs versus pseudo-morphs. Many people are simply taking Normal animals for Granite." – CJBianco

I have one that sits on the cold end even in the winter when the cold end drops to about 65. You pick him up and he is ice cold, but he never skips a meal. I have a pastel that is never one inch from the hot spot which is set to 98 F. He also never skips a meal. Several of my other snakes that go from hot to cold side are my least consistent eaters, while another that cylces back and forth is a good eater. So I haven't noticed any trend. I would bet surface temps in equitorial Africa get up to at least 100 F during the day, but BPs would be hiding then where the temp is more like 80 F. But then, that would mean that they would prefer 80 F temperatures 24 hours a day?

I think consistency is the biggest thing, the more you change things around the more you get them pissed off at you. Kinda like women in that respect...lol...no offense ladies, but you know how you can be sometimes.