Just got a ball python...questions....

[thormachine]

Okay....for one it is a two foot long male ball python that we got from a store...We got it a 20 gallon tank with aspen substrate, a hiding place, a water bowl, and a heating pad that goes under the tank. we need to get a thermostat dont we? Is there anything else we need?
also we noticed that he kind of twitched a couple times last night....it looked kind of like he had the hiccups....is that normal?
one more thing...in order to regulate the humidity can we just get a spritz bottle and spritz the tank everyonce and a while? or is there another way to do this that isnt too expensive?

thanks a lot,
Thor and Erin

P.S. ..How good is it to get him accustomed to being handled within the first few days of ownership? We're holding him a lot and he certainly does not seem to mind... he's a total sweetie... but if it would damage him at all, I'd like to know. Thanks!

-Erin (and Thor) :P

[Kent K25]

Its recommended to give the snake a few days, up to a week, to get used to his new home before you handle him. Just to decrease the stress that he is probably all ready feeling from moving to your house. Hard to resist though isn't it. A thermostat would be a very good idea to regulate your temps so you don't get the cage too hot.
Also make sure the UTH (under tank heater) has a little space between it and the glass or it will provide too much heat and can crack the glass, also make sure the cage isnt sitting directly on the wire so as not to damage it.
It could also be a good idea to get a thermometer/hygrometer (to read temp and humidity) so you can see your temps at any time.
As for humidity. The spritz bottle will be fine if you keep up on it. Get something to read your humidity and spritz when necessary and if that works then there is no need to spend a lot of money on something fancy.

Here is a link to a post we had on thermometer/hygrometers just so you can get an idea of what/where to get if you want.
http://redtailboa.net/index.php?name...wtopic&t=15487

Oh and welcome to the site, you'll love it here!

	Under Tank Heater Under Tank Heater

[Diablo]

I think SoPure prety much summed it up. Welcome to the site, and hope to see some pics of that python soon.

[thormachine]

thanks a lot...we will keep all that in mind and pics will hopefully come soon....

[AsRock]

Welcome

Well 1st of you might find this link useful
http://redtailboa.net/index.php?name...er=asc&start=0

And as for testing the temp\Humidity you can get those from places like K-Mart and Radio Shack. I had mine from radio shake and could'be any happier with them. One of them is water proof and ideal for inside the cage ( Cordless ) but that unit will set you back about $50 BUT tell you both humidity and temp inside the cage. were as my othere you use a wire from the main unit and you put the sencer in the tank. which are about $25. BUT these only detect heat by the wire end and not humidity. were is the main part of the unit does both BUT not water proof. Most of these types with wires with sencers at the end DO NOT track humidity.

[Kent K25]

The thermometers that read temp and humidity on the unit and then read only the temp on the sensor (connected to a wire you can put wherever you want in the cage) are great. As you can read in that link I posted above most of us put the unit on the cool side and the sensor (probe) on the hot side underneath the substrate since that is the hottest point possible. The probe won't read humidity but I don't think it is really important to know the cage humidity under the substrate on your hot spot.
The humidity reading you get on the cool side will be a touch lower than what it is on the hot side so as long as you keep that level up you'll be fine.

[thormachine]

ok....thanks for the temp and humidity help....
but i am still worried about the twitching....erin said it looked like hiccups....can snakes get hiccups? is this a sign that he is stressed? what are the signs that a snake is really stressing out?

thanks,
Thor

[Schismatica]

Hey, I'm Erin... thormachine's g/f. Thought I'd come on here and let you all know that the snake (Xerxes) is doing very well and I fed him for the first time last night and he ate very eagerly. I have a nice pic of him, too...

[AsRock]

V Nice pic . Glad he\she is eating.

[haroldo359]

nice pic. how often should you feed a ball python that size?

[Diablo]

Very nice looking Python. Glad you shared the pic. A welcome to you also, Schismatica.

[haroldo359]

yeah, welcome to both of ya!

[toker]

nice looking BP, wish you the best of luck with him.

	Ball Python The Ball Python (Python regius), also known as the Royal Python, is a ground dwelling snake native to the savannahs and rain forests in western Africa, predominatly the countries of Ghana, Togo, and Benin.