nygma. wrote:i got a snake three months ago from a petsmart (aaa, i usually don't like getting pets from petsmart considering the way the are treated sometimes, but he was so small and crammed in a little tank there and i just fell in love with him and he's such a sweetheart and i needed to take him home :'''''') )) but he's very small. he's a ball python, presumed to be male (could be wrong but y'know). i just feel like he should be slightly larger? even at 5 months the snakes look double his size. if someone could perhaps help me place an age on him that would be amazing.
here's two pictures of him on a 9 inch x 12 inch artist pad for reference:
one and two
also side note, but i just bought him some vines for his tank, and he now spends all day on his vines climbing or hiding up in them.
the tank is super secure, so i'm not too concerned about him getting out at all, plus i think it's good for him.
what a cutie
he's never bitten anyone, and he loves coming up to my face to touch my nose to his, and he likes hiding in the hood of my hoodies if i hold him while wearing one. he also likes laying on my cats side while she sleeps, and he just curls up and lays there, it's so sweet.
he's truthfully a great snake, and he eats well and everything.
i have a 100 watt (i do believe) heat bulb that has uva and uvb for him and leave it on during the day. i also just bought a 100 watt night lamp (it's dark blue lighting), so i'm hoping that i'm properly taking care of him. the last thing i want is to be improperly caring for him because i really do love him a lot and i want to make sure he's healthy. if there's anything i should do just in case, please let me know. i don't want to be treating him badly without realizing it.
also in addition, i hold him nearly every day, even if for just 10 minutes, so he's very socialized with people.
Congrats on your new snake! He does look pretty small, but that's normal for snakes coming from petsmart/petco. They often don't keep their husbandry correct, and it can be very stressful on the snakes which makes them go off feed. Some places intentionally don't feed them properly because it keeps them small so they "look cuter." Some places even just lie and say they're older when they're not. It would be impossible to tell his age based on his weight due to that (and the fact that snakes grow at different weight). However, I can say that your snake is about 1ft 8in (I just used
this site). Both of my snakes were about that length when they was one month old. I'm not sure how accurate weight-to-age is, though. Despite his size, he's not overly thin. How much does he weigh (in grams), and what are you feeding him?
It's good to have vines in, and while ball pythons are terrestrial, they can sometimes climb so giving them the opportunity is good. However, if he spends all day in the vines or moving around, that's not good. Ball pythons are ambush, nocturnal predators, so they tend to spend their days in hides and nights is when they may come out. Considering you mentioned you have a heat bulb, it sounds like he might be climbing in order to get toward the heat. What's your hot spot temperature, ambient temperatures, and humidity? If you can, measure with a temperature gun (measures the hot spot) and a digital thermometer/hygrometer. The analog/dial ones you buy at places like petsmart are known to be inaccurate.
I would also recommend switching the bulb to a ceramic heat emitter. Ball pythons can still see the light emitted by a night lamp, so with the set up you have, it's like he's getting light 24/7. Since they're nocturnal, that can stress him out. A ceramic heat emitter gives off heat, but no light. The regular light cycle in your room (whether from your house lights or from a window) is fine. But this way you also don't have to give up heat if you take away the night light. Just be sure you screw the bulb in a porcelain socket; CHEs are very, very hot.
OH, also, I would highly recommend not letting your snake interact with your cat. Snakes aren't social creatures like dogs or cats, so the interaction may just stress them out (as cats are seen as predators). Not to mention, cats are also covered with gram negative bacteria (from grooming) which can cause infections in snakes (ex. accidental scratch). Their claws also get contaminated from fecal matter which can contain dangerous strains of microflora which can lead to illness. And then your snake (many herps actually) can carry strains of salmonella naturally which can also infect other animals without proper decontamination (which is why you should always wash your hands after holding your snake).
-fireflii