An odd newbie imparticular..

[Snowberry]

Ball pythons seem to come in every color under the sun!
I think I'll stick to corns until I gain more experience though. I'm already having thoughts about collecting multiple snakes. I do have another fear though. I have a HORRENDOUS fear of DEAD snakes. Ten times worse than live snakes. I don't know what scares me about it. I used to have wacked out dreams when I was a little kid. I remember I had a dream that I was standing by my kitchen table, but there was a foot and a half of snake corpses under my feet and I was trying to get on the table but all I could do was to jump up and down. Terrifying. And I had a dream once I had a cobra in my hand and I couldn't let it go. Whenever I tried to let it go I only grasped it harder and then it randomly split in two and I was FREAKING! I had this dead half of a snake in my hand! Then I woke up and I was clinging to the corner of my quilt. I haven't slept with that quilt for a long time. I had a dream that there were frozen gartersnakes in my house and they were thawing out and I didn't know but there were some in my bed and I laid on them and they STUCK TO ME! And my dad wouldn't pull them off! Then I woke up and slept on the couch. I blame my dreams for my phobias!

My mom says we can go to the petstore on Thursday. That's my sweet sixteen!
She told me I could pick out a snake (or two ) and get some bedding for it. I already have my tank set up and I can't stop looking at it. I can't WAIT!

Anywho..
I talk too much.

[Joanna]

Snowberry,

Welcome to The Source. It sounds like you are getting everything ready for your new snake. I would suggest that you consider buying a snake from a breeder or a local reptile show. Pet stores like Petsmart and Petco are notorious for not really knowing much about "exotic" animals and having animals that are in less than perfect health.

If you buy from a reputable breeder then you are more likely to get a healthy eating snake and have a resource for help should you run into problems. I would also suggest that you get one snake to start with given your fears and most of us believe that it is better to house corns separately. If you have 2 tanks all ready that is a different story! Good luck with your purchase and Happy Sweet Sixteen!

[poppycorn]

I am going to echo what Joanna said. Don't rush off to the pet store, especially for a snow corn--there is so much variability in them, they can range from pink to coral to chartreuse to white. Or often a combination of colors. You will be having your snake for a long time so a little extra effort up front to pick out exactly the one you want will really pay off. A snow is a great choice...I'm partial to the coral snows myself. Even the most confirmed snake-o-phobe has a tough time justifying being terrified of a pink baby snake. There are lots of breeders on this site that can ship you the snake of your dreams...uhh...well, maybe not THOSE dreams.

[Snowberry]

Having calmed down a bit I think I agree with getting only one snake. I saw a picture of a snake eating another snake and it was scarey.

I might have a guy who might sell me a snake though. A pink/green motley snow!

We just need to work out parental permission and shipping. My parents are elusive sometimes.

I'm happy though! xD

[a_god_s]

You found a good place! I hope you find get the snow you want and have better dreams!

[a_god_s]

When you get your snake don't forget to post pictures. They really like pictures around here!

[Snowberry]

So.. I went into the petshop for breeding mice, and I came out with a very clingy little friend.
I'm going to kick myself for this later, but I got a baby ball python from my favorite petshop. I'm unsure of his/her gender, but I've named my snake Patch. Patch was beginning to shed when I bought him yesterday, and today he has all of it gone except his head and part of his neck. Upon arriving home after a 60+ mile trip, I realized that my breeding pair of mice were both male. Even if they DID like eachother (which they did NOT), I doubt I'd get many fuzzies out of them. So, the mice are smaller than I thought they'd be, but they're still too big for Patchy to eat. I don't know when I'll be able to get back to the petshop, but hopefully I'll get there this weekend. I'm going to ask for some frozen fuzzies and get a couple female mice to accompany my males. I can sell the excess babies back to the petshop.

Anywho, I'd show you pictures, but my camera and my computer hate eachother at the moment.

He's just a normal ball. But I LOVE HIM!

[FunkyRes]

Originally Posted by Snowberry

So.. I went into the petshop for breeding mice, and I came out with a very clingy little friend.
I'm going to kick myself for this later, but I got a baby ball python from my favorite petshop. I'm unsure of his/her gender, but I've named my snake Patch. Patch was beginning to shed when I bought him yesterday, and today he has all of it gone except his head and part of his neck.

That's called a bad shed and is typical of pet shop ball pythons. The husbandry of ball pythons in most pet shops is rather poor.

If you have not done so already, buy a book called "Ball Python Manual" - you can get it used cheap on Amazon. Never read it myself but I've heard it is excellent.

Since you bought a ball python there are two things you must do -

1) Make sure it eats. If the BP is an import, it might be difficult to get feeding. Many pet store BPs are imports, and while a BP is an excellent beginner snake, one that is difficult to feed is not good for beginners.

2) Make an appointment with your vet. You need to have a fecal float done to make sure it doesn't have a parasite load.

With respect to the bad shed - don't try to peel it off yourself. Soak the snake in luke warm water for about 20 minutes every few days once it starts its next shed cycle, and it should come off by itself. Make sure you provide adequate humidity. A spray bottle that is only used for water can be used to help raise humidity if it is too low.

Good luck with your new pet!

[Mysterry]

Congrads on your new snake and best of luck...

[Snowberry]

By some extraordinary stroke of luck, I rode with my friends back to town while they were shopping for prom dresses, and I went back to the petshop and got female mice. I'm expecting the first litter to show up from May 5 to May 10, and I'm going to give him the fresh pinkies one at a time so he doesn't starve to death.

I do suspect that he is an import. For one thing, he is having, as you say, a bad shed. I have been bathing him for ten minutes every day in warm water. It's hard to have him in longer than that because he strikes at me, which is another reason I suspect he is an import. Last but not least, he is a hatchling(? (slightly over a foot)) of normal coloration and I paid $120 for him. Only afterward did I learn that I overpaid a little, but I could care less right now. He hates me, but I love him!

I'm not afraid of him because I was nipped the first time he struck at me. It surprised me alot, but it didn't hurt at all. I didn't even feel teeth in that mouth of his, but he does have a strong grip. I have this large hollow log with a knothole in it that I've been freezing/thawing over and over to progressively kill anything living in/on it, and it's sitting next to his cage. After he gets his bath, he likes to crawl around the log over and over and over again trying to get rid of the skin on his face. When he gets a little bigger, I'm going to slice the log in half and give it to him as a shelter.

Right now he has a red heat lamp with no "underground" heating, and I really like it. The lamp points directly onto a pile of carefully stacked flat rocks which he loves to hide under. I like this because the top rock is especially large, and it gets very warm. When I want it to be more humid in the tank, I can pour water onto the top rock and it slowly evaporates into the rest of the cage. On the other side, I have a large "slice" of moss propped up slightly by some climbing branches on the cool end of the tank. I use an unglazed clay bowl as his waterdish. I like it because it's rough on the outside and smooth on the inside, and when the ground gets too dry, it automaticly rehydrates the substrate by "leaking" water into the ground. At the same time, if the ground is damp or of perfect moisture, it somehow keeps all its water inside.

I have yet to have a fecal done on Patch, but it sounds like its an important thing to do, so I will definitely have to do it.

So, BP breeders, I need all of you to shout out your individual answers:
What is the best temperature to keep a little ball at?
Petshop told me 85-90, and they get sick at 70.
Internet printout told me 75-80, and they get sick below 65 and above 85.
I've been keeping him 80-90, and when it gets too high, I turn the fan on and open the window until it goes back to normal. When it gets too low, I turn on the baseboard heater and shut the door until it goes back to normal. Today and yesterday it has stayed the same now that I've gotten the hang of keeping it in the right spot.

And yippeee! Today I got him to uncurl and crawl on me without striking!