How to Care for Ball Pythons!
Hey, everyone, here's Snake Discovery with Emily. Hair pythons are probably the most popular pet snakes. At least in the United States they compete very closely with corn snakes. But because everyone wants us to make a video like this, today we are going to make a video like this.
While discussing how to properly set up an enclosure for a hair python and how to care for one, let's start with a proper setup for a hair python. And we will go into other details later.
For which you can take two main paths. Keep your hair python in one of the glass aquariums and another option is a plastic tub or tub. Now there is a big controversy over which works best with each breed of snake. If you want to learn the advantages and disadvantages of each. So, we suggest you just watch this video here.
Because I won't go into details about it today, instead if we had to choose one or the other for the hair python, we would recommend the plastic tote. So, we're going to sort it out.
In today's video you want the size of your enclosure to be large enough to allow the ball python to spread out completely on both sides of the tank or bin and this is the minimum requirement for a ball python. And preferably you want the enclosure to be big enough that they can only expand on one side. And that gives them a lot of room to move around.
But if it's too big, the snake will feel a little open. And they may not want to eat because they feel weak. So, you don't want to put a baby python ball in a large forty-gallon tank just yet. Wait as long as you want. They are so large to grow that the first ball pythons grow to about four to possibly five feet. Usually on the small side for larger women.
So, when they grow, of course you will have to increase the size of their wall. The style of the bin is also important. And this one we're just going to slide into our snake rack. So that we personally don't include a lid but if you are only setting up a single ball python enclosure. You might want something like this at home. Where the lid is a lip on the lid that goes down a little bit and you want that too. That there are positive locks that hold the lid in this style of bin just one of these pictures above and a ball python or any snake in this case is just going to escape by pushing the lid in the middle. While these locks hold the lid in place. So, this is something that seems obvious but it's very important and often overlooked and of course another obvious thing is to make sure to drill holes in the side of the box, we usually have ten holes. Do two rows on the side. I'm sure you have some wiggle room there too but before you add anything to it. Before that we found great work.
It's a little bit but you know it's just going to work on today's video forum we have heat tape that we use for this box. So, we don't want to use that mat but again you want it to be about a third. Size the wall and place the heat mat down.
The wall is not in it. And you want it to be at one end of the wall so that one hot end is generated and then the other end is completely unheated. To create a thermal gradient. And thus, the snake may move to one side or to the next.
You know the thermal regulation according to your need for cooling or heating. The unfortunate thing about cooking mats is that they can get very hot. And it will get hotter, there's no dial or anything in the cord to turn them up or down, so if you want to stop yourself. Save the snake from getting burned and of course, everyone makes sure of that. If you use a thermostat with the mat, that's something you'll have to buy separately.
The one we use and recommend is the Jumpstart brand thermostat. How it works is the heat mat will plug right into the thermostat and then the cord will plug right into the wall and then you can turn the temperature up or down to the recommended 90 degrees. Set it for the hot spot of the ball python and then it will really heat up and control the mat.
temperature of the mat and it will turn it on and off as needed to keep it within 2 degrees or below 90. Now the last note on this thermometer is very important because of what the investigation here will be, the measurement is the thermometer basically and it measures the temperature of wherever it is sitting. And so, you want to set it where the ball python hat will be sitting right on top of the mat as it goes inside the wall. Not outside of it because of course the ball python is inside of it.
The unfortunate thing is that these thermostats come with that little suction cup that you temporarily stick to the plastic. But it doesn't take long for the ball python to push it and then it explodes immediately. And when the probe is opened. Off it reads a cooler temperature because it is further away from the heat mat. And that makes the thermostat think it's cold in the wall. So, it raises the heat mat and then it can get too hot to prevent that from happening.
For that you need to attach the probe very securely to the heat mat and I don't even use a suction cup instead, we use silicone sealant, and you want to use 100 percent silicone. which is safe for fish. Reptiles It just comes alone in a bottle and then you put it in a silicone gun. And then you can press the silicone. Then you can stick the probe right down to the wall. Where it will be of course you will have to wait.
The silicone has a few hours to dry before moving on to the next step but for today's video the box is not being set up again as you might be setting up at home our snake rack we Not connecting the probe in this video so I'll clean it up to make it a little easier to follow but let's assume I have the heat mat and thermostat connected for the sake of this video. And by the way I will put the links to all.
These products are detailed below once you've hooked up your heat mat. So, you can add substrate for the bottom ball. Pythons spend most of their time in hot humid termite mounds. But at night they come out and hunt in the drier climates of Africa.
Of course, since they spend so much time in termite mounds people often think they need a tropical setup like they want a permanently humid environment. But it is not true that they do not spend all their time in humidity. They also need some dryness. For hair python bedding or substrate, recommend going for a drier route rather than a wet route such as tropical soil.
Some people will use tropical soil or cypress or some other moisture-retaining bedding. But if a ball python is sitting on a continuously wet bed. They can develop scale rotting problems in their stomachs because if you think about it in a termite mound, it's humid air.
But it is not actually wet when they are sitting on the substrate, we recommend because all these are just cheap old aspen fibers you can also use things like newspaper or paper towels. But as soon as the ball python goes to the bathroom that will be soaked in paper products. And this will increase the humidity. And then ball pythons also sit more in their feces than in the fibers of the span. They soak up the poop like a kitty litter box and then you can just clean as needed.
You don't have to change everything. Months after the snake goes to the bathroom, because pythons do not have hair. Like hognose, you don't need to provide them with a very deep bed, just an inch or so will be fine, it's perfect.
In such an amount that I didn't expect that now I'm going to change my mind, I'm going to throw this heat mat from the bottom of the tank to the ground. To remind us that this is going to be our hot side of the wall. After bed it's time to add decorations to the wall. First and foremost, you need hides or caves for which you want at least one hide on the hot end and one height on the cold end. so that the snake can hide whether it is hot or cold and some people will use like half a log.
Thus, they do not really count as one of the two hides. Because they can't be completely hidden inside them you can add them. Anyway, just to add Richmond but you still need the cages. If you prefer, you can buy fancy rock or resin style cages at pet stores online.
But honestly, mushroom containers cleaned with a little door cut out work fine. So, I'm just going to set it aside for the young ball python. It will be the hot end cave and once again we can do whatever you want. There are pros to recycling it and it also makes it a bit cheaper.
We will add our second part. Then hide at the cold end. You can't forget to keep a dish of water that the snake can soak inside. You can buy again reptile or you can buy dishes for small animals.
If it doesn't matter. It contains water and a snake can fit in it. The only thing you need to keep in mind though is that you are getting a dish that is deep first so that the water doesn't evaporate quickly and that you want a heavy base otherwise the snake will just eat it. give a tip.
I recommend adding water. If you put it on the hot end, it will evaporate immediately and increase the humidity throughout the enclosure, and of course this is good for tropical species of snakes that require an overall higher humidity environment. But with the ball python we again recommend more of a dryer setup to replicate the termite mounds that the water dish provides for the snakes as a warm humid retreat like they would experience in the wild. That you can't quite fit a termite mound into a wall.
So instead, just give them a moisture container. It's just a Tupperware container that will serve as your termite mound, and it's big enough that the snake will probably crawl halfway through the moss. The moss can be moistened. Moss and we use sphagnum moss any way you can take it. And you can just put it back in by submerging it in water. You don't want standing water inside the humidity box because if it sits again like standing water that can cause scale rot. I just wet myself. And in three marriages the moss has been hydrated.
Put the lid back on here, there should be a hole that is cut which is of course big enough for the snake to get in and out I won't put the entrance on the side. Because then as the snake comes out it's just going to take all the moss with it, I think it's best to put the entrance to the humidity box up and we'll put it on the hot end of the wall, so it stays put. You can build a hot and humid kind of shape inside.
The substrate is therefore easy for the snake to access and now it may take a few weeks for the snake to figure it out. They don't know how to use it, but once they do, it seems like just the right amount of hair pythons are very good at not using too much of it.
In the humidity box you will usually see them here when they are about to shed their skin. And if you use a humidity box. So, you will never have a problem shedding your snake. I can almost guarantee that we have never had a problem with a trapped shed since. Their use has now begun to return to this half of the log.
I still want to use it. This won't count as a single hide, but it will count for enrichment adding some climbing branches is great for this ball python most of the time it hides but when they If they are hungry, they are active at night. So, you can also give them some things to explore. So, you can use fake addresses of fake branches. You can use half logs, not only can you get fake plants. Pet stores but you can buy
They are very cheap at craft stores. You can also grab branches from outside if they have not been sprayed with any kind of insecticide and sterilized by baking them in the oven or boiling them in boiling water. To be cleansed. Put some decorations again and you must look at it and think if it's too much for my python ball. Because there's pretty much one thing you want to have enough room to slide around and honestly this half log is probably one.
A little big for this wall we'd recommend the smaller version as it takes up a lot of space, so I mean it's debatable but if it reminds me of closure, I'd probably swap the larger for a smaller one. I would change but this is the only one we have today, so this is the one we want to use. Not only do these rocks and leaves and structures make the environment more natural and appealing to the eye, but they are essential for the snakes on which they live. Climb and explore. And the scent provides me. Stimulating and enriching your snake throughout the day is very important for their mental well-being. It is important to ensure that at least some structures have rough surfaces so that the snake can rub its body against them while it is shedding.
If you just use plastic skins and plastic moisture boxes to help peel off that old skin, there's no rough stuff to rub against and then the skin can stick but like a few rocks in a tank. Something simple will do. Don't want to forget Amphibians are now too sensitive to chlorine in city water to add water to the water dish. But I have noticed that with all our snakes you can use tap water. City water well water works fine I don't need to call it natural.
One water to avoid for snakes is distilled water because it removes all natural minerals from the water. And some of these minerals are good and essential for snakes. So once everything is ready, don't use distilled water. Let it sit for a while on the heat mat with the thermostat just letting it settle and then a tools.
We recommend it to every reptile owner. I think it would be correct that you have a temperature gun that some people use. Small circular thermometers but they don't work because they stick to the back of the wall like in a high place where the snake is not, and you want. That the temperature should be read exactly where the snake is hiding. Temperature gun you can click it all around the enclosure.
You can test the temperature wherever you want, under the hood, make sure the hot spot is around 90 degrees, give or take a few degrees and you can verify that all your parameters are correct. Snake Once you make sure your temperature is right and everything is set up, you can do the most exciting part, which is attaching your new Fall Python to the wall we just set up. Going to do and I'll set it there we'll do.
See where she wants to go. Ball pythons are not quick so it may take some time for your new ball python to settle in after you bring it home. It is enough. Get used to its new environment and then after a week you can try feeding it for the first time. Baby ball pythons should be fed once every five to seven days, we recommend frozen and thawed. Rats should be fed for life as live rats have better health. If you talk to any veterinarian about possibly biting the snake back, they will all give this advice. Once your ball python gets bigger and bigger, it will take bigger mice or more food.
So, you are going to reduce the frequency of feeding your snake. - Once a week - Every other week Depending on the age of a Barras, in Europe they are often called royal pythons because they were often worn around the necks of royalty, but in America we call them hair pythons because when they are scared are They are usually of course used to people too but they curl up into a ball and protect their face in the middle so hair pythons although this setup works great for hair pythons it can be any type of colored. Also works great for which is usually kept.
As a pet king snake, you can use this type of setup for corn snakes, milk snakes, hognose snakes, bull snakes, and for some species of snakes you will need to monitor the humidity box to ensure that so that they don't use it much after Monday. We will but I won't go into details about it here just to cover it, so they are very easy to take care of as long as you know how to do it correctly and they are very difficult. Amazing first pet like snakes if you want to learn more about some of the other subjects we didn't cover today.
Like feeding them inside their enclosure or outside their enclosure or keeping them in a glass tank vs a bin I will link to these videos. That's the end of it so you can find out more there but anyway thanks for joining us today and learning about the ball python cage setup and we'll see you next time she tries to prove again that she is Okay really, let's get it out of you. I'm glad you didn't do that to me now yes, we're going to take care of her first and then she'll be empty and wait to finish it until we're done shooting then you can have more If you really want to fix it, try it.
Post a Comment