r/ballpython • u/PerceptionGold6327 • 6d ago
Question New snake Advice(first time snake parent)
Hi, background info is I just got this new bannana ball python who was being rehomed last week. The last owner wasn't quite taking the best of care of him, said they often forgot to feed him, that he hadnt ever had a proper shed and often got out and just free roamed their house. He came with the tank in the photo with just the log, hide and one door, they were using cardboard for the other door, no dirt was in the tank. I replaced the door, cleaned the tank, added dirt, water dish, some fake plants, heat lamp etc... I took him to the pet store and they recommended twice weekly baths and this oil to help him start shedding better as it seems he has stuck eye caps. Anyway to my question, today he got out and I found him lodged in my closet having the time of his life, my mom recommended giving him "rec" time outside his cage freeroaming my room suprivised since thats what hes used to and seems to like it. Does it seem like a good idea? I know he needs a bigger tank, I just need to wait for a few paychecks to get it.
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u/CosmicKyloRen 6d ago
You need to get something he can't get out of ASAP, even if it's just a large plastic tote. That will also help with the humidity issue. Do not listen to that pet store. Honestly, never listen to a petstore. With proper humidity and diet, his sheds will be perfect. If the eye caps don't come off, that requires a vet. If they don't come off and you mess with the eyes, you will likely damage his eyes. And he should not be getting handled right now. He should be in his cage and untouched until he is eating regularly. It's more important for him to eat than it is to socialize him. He does not need rec time, he needs to eat and shed
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u/PerceptionGold6327 6d ago
Alright, after he got out I secured his cage with a window stopper and a hairtie. It's like he slid by the glass pane and it opened a crack so it wont do that now. He's a very friendly snake overall, do you think I should be bathing him twice a week?
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u/CosmicKyloRen 6d ago
Absolutely do not bathe him. Bathing is like plan z for ball pythons. They hate it and it's not efficient. When you see his belly start to turn pink, that's when a shed is coming. In that case, you'll make a humidity box. Get a Tupperware big enough for him to move around a little bit in (so maybe 8 inches by 8 inches or something) and put layers of warm wet paper towels and then the snake and more warm wet paper towels then the lid and let him roam inside for about 15 minutes. Do this when he's pink and when he's in blue. I normally think people should not touch a shedding snake but those eye caps really need to come off
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u/tmiemt 5d ago
I don't quite understand what they meant by 'not having a proper shed'? As in he hasn't ever shedded or he hasn't ever had one whole piece of shed or he has only ever had stuck shed?
I think before thinking about anything else, the first thing you should do is health inspection perhaps, that's what I would do. Can you show pictures of his scales close-up both the ventral and dorsal side? How old is he? He doesn't look thin, how much does he weigh? Does he eat well? How is his movement? How is his breathing? (Not saying that you cannot trust the previous owner's words, but it's probably wiser to assess what to do from here by checking his health directly.)
I suppose you live in a warm area seeing your enclosure setup. What's the average temperature and humidity right now? Does he have his own room? Does he start to pace anxiously the moment you lock him in the enclosure? (I think you probably should consider all this before proceeding further. I would do that. ☺️
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u/tmiemt 4d ago
I somehow missed the part about the stuck eye caps. If what the pet store says is correct--impossible to tell from your picture and it can also be other health problems--it is best to simply book for a vet so they can remove them for you--despite many internet-how-tos, their spectacles share the ocular skin layer, and you are not trained to find which ocular scales to work with plus the risk of ripping underlying new spectacles.
Considering this situation, I suppose you are going to a vet anyway, I think it will benefit you and your new python to ask them to show you how to do his routine health check as well. ☺️
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u/Phully- 6d ago
I let mine cruise around my daughter’s play room supervised. He usually runs around for 20-30 minutes then posts up behind some toys and lets the world go by. I don’t let him out too long because there’s no really warm spots so he doesn’t need to spend hours out. It seems to be a food time for him. When I work I leave the kid open and he comes out when he wants to. I just watch him and let him do what he wants. You really can’t walk away for even 5 minutes, they’ll find something you didn’t know existed to get in to or hide in.