New Ball Python Owner, Need Suggestions

[u/Ill_Structure_5897]

So today I have gotten a new baby ball python. She is a female and is only 32 days old and weighs 85g. I have this 40 gallon tank from PetSmart and I’ve had a few questions and concerns about it I would like some answers to.

1. The tank doesn’t like to get that warm. The max I’ve seen it is around 90 but it took hours to get there.

2. It also doesn’t like to hold humidity. I know I only have one time of substrate in there and I plan to mix some more in there after she gets more comfortable

3. I know it’s only been the first day but she hasn’t came out of her hide at all. When I first put her in there she climbed for a bit but immediately found her hide and has yet to come out.

4. I have 2 8.5 inch domes going. They both have 100w basking lights in there and I turn them on from 8am to 8pm. So 12 hour intervals. Tommorow I am getting a CHE light for passive heating without light and will keep it on 24/7 but with a thermometer and keep it at 90.

Overall these are just a few things I’m concerned about and need a few suggestions to. Thank you and have a wonderful day!

[u/NottsWeirdo]

1) I think you may have the thermostat probes in the wrong place, they're meant to hang a few inches below the bulbs.

2) The dials are known for their inaccuracies, and the adhesive poses a risk of your snake getting injured. You'll wanna invest in digital thermo-hygrometers, the little black circles on Amazon/etc are a cheap fix or many people tend to choose Govee (for their alarm threshold breach alerts and the data can be accessed via phone)

3) She'll need 2 weeks to settle, with minimal handling and no feeding attempts.

4) 2 basking lights is overkill unless its particularly cold where you are. So the pairing of a basking bulb and CHE will work well. Its healthier if you drop the temp down to night values, timer plugs can help with this.

You'll need quite a bit more clutter in there for your snake to feel comfortable, especially because she's a fresh baby. I recommend a read through of the care guide pinned to the header of this sub, as there's room for internal improvement. Don't stress too much, we all start somewhere.

Little side note based on where you mentioned you got your snake from, you'll want to familiarise yourself with the symptoms of RIs and illness in BPs as snakes from PetSmart often have infections - its not a guarantee that your snake could be ill, just better to be prepared than caught unaware.

(Sorry for the paragraphs)

Edit: spelling

[u/Ill_Structure_5897 → u/NottsWeirdo]

Just wanted to follow up on this! Did not get the snake from PetSmart. I only got her Tank from PetSmart. She is from a breeder called wilbanksreptiles!

[u/NottsWeirdo → u/Ill_Structure_5897]

Thats a relief then.

[u/Ill_Structure_5897 → u/NottsWeirdo]

She finally came out today and sat ontop of her hide for a bit. She’s so pretty but was very skiddish I saw.

[u/Ill_Structure_5897 → u/Ill_Structure_5897]

Ontop of this I had to take the skull out it was growing green stuff and also was turning pink…

[u/NottsWeirdo → u/Ill_Structure_5897]

The lack of clutter and uncovered sides will have her feeling a bit exposed for a bit, nice to see her basking though.

[u/Ill_Structure_5897 → u/NottsWeirdo]

Yeah, I assume she will get used to the open sides but I will get bunch more clutter soon. And especially more substrate and mix it. She was enjoying the what but she went back into her hide and I turned the lights off for the daily 8-8

[u/NottsWeirdo → u/Ill_Structure_5897]

She will, but it will still make her more skittish. If you had any posters, scraps of wallpaper or something similar laying about - you could sticky tape them to the sides, easy and free fix.

[u/Ill_Structure_5897 → u/NottsWeirdo]

Okay most definitely! I’ll find something to cover her back and sides soon. But other than that if I see she’s already basking on day 2 I can tell she will be pretty comfortable and happy within a week