General Discussion

[i][b]Disclaimer[/b][/i]: I originally made this thread on Furvilla, but I am more active on FlightRising and will instead be updating here from now on. [quote=12/10/2019] Two weeks ago today, I got my first ball python, so I figured it is high time to share with fellow snake-lovers! My baby BP (named Solaris) is an albino leopard morph that hatched October 3, 2019. Below are pictures that were provided to me by the breeder before I purchased this beautiful boy. [img]https://i.imgur.com/LTQwh6L.jpg[/img] [b]Solaris[/b] [img]https://i.imgur.com/hYdMRNw.jpg[/img] [b]Solaris and the rest of his clutch[/b] [img]https://i.imgur.com/QiyeYmR.jpg[/img] [b]Solaris's parents[/b] I plan to post more pictures of Solaris tomorrow, as well as updates and whatnot. If you have any questions, feel free to ask! Also, if you have any advice or tips and tricks, offer away! I have done loads of research regarding BPs over the last several weeks, but I feel as though I still have much to learn! [/quote]

Pinglist:
@sciencesparrow @OrigamiCrane @PepperClove @ShadowStorm1404 @Windowz @FivePebbles

[quote=12/11/2019] Here are pictures from the day that I got Solaris! [img]https://i.imgur.com/gAHg9Eh.jpg[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/ERrf6Rq.jpg[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/pPRHswx.jpg[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/VWAI4Wi.jpg[/img] Notes about Solaris: * He is very curious and loves exploring! He also enjoys climbing, but I don't think that will last long since it will be difficult once he gets bigger. * Weighed 85 grams on December 27th. Weighs 102 grams as of today! * Has thus far only eaten live mice, but I am attempting to switch him to frozen. Friday is feeding day, so hopefully he will be hungry enough to try something new. * He has yet to defecate since living with me but does not seem constipated. * Prefers to eat in his terrarium as opposed to a separate feeding container. I think he feels more secure hunting in his "natural" environment. Notes about Solaris's vivarium/terrarium: * I have tried a few different substrates over the past couple weeks, including coconut fiber, paper towels, and an Exo Terra Moss Mat. Everything has its pros and cons. I like the coconut fiber because it is soft and greatly retains humidity, but the particles kept getting in Solaris's infrared pits. Paper towels are easy to change out and make it easier for Solaris to feel the under tank heater, but they do poorly at maintaining humidity levels. The moss mat is soft, easy to clean and change, and retains humidity, but the UTH can barely be felt through it. I plan to primarily use the moss mat and have ordered a new thermostat to make the UTH a bit warmer (my current thermostat has a max setting of 95 degrees F, and the UTH has a max temperature of 100 degrees F). * Since taking these pictures, I have also changed Solaris to a different tank. The original was a standard 40 gallon breeder (36x18x18") and had trouble staying warm. The new tank is an Exo Terra front-opening model measuring 36x18x12". * Baby ball pythons should usually be housed in 20 gallon long tanks, but, since Solaris loves to explore, I felt bad putting him in a small tank (also, my 20 gallon long tank shattered the day before I got Solaris). To make him feel less exposed and therefore more comfortable, I applied tropical backgrounds to the back and sides of the tank, placed three hides and one humidity cave in the tank, and put five artificial plants in the tank. Solaris seems to enjoy his habitat and is comfortable enough to eat. He can also find both the hot side and his water bowl without trouble. * The UTH has been moved from the side of the tank to underneath the tank. I have also invested in three thermostats to monitor and control the temperatures of the UTH and heat lamps. * I originally relied on the circular thermometers and hygrometers that the pet store provided but quickly realized how inaccurate they are. I now primarily use a Zoo Med digital thermometer/hygrometer and a temperature gun/meter. [/quote]

[quote=12/12/2019] Here are some pictures of Solaris's tank (you can see Solaris sleeping in one of his hides if you look close enough). [img]https://i.imgur.com/RvGTERB.jpg[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/XoHcUh1.jpg[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/xvuwVrQ.jpg[/img] Note: The aluminum tape has since been removed from the probes, and the probes have been moved to touch the moss mat. [/quote]

[quote=12/13/2019] Update! * Solaris pooped for the first time today since I've had him, and it looked nice and healthy. I was so excited and started shouting "the baby boy pooped!" My boyfriend seemed confused but congratulated Solaris nonetheless. * After cleaning up the excrement, Solaris decided to come out and explore the tank. I suppose he was happy that I picked up his waste since it was inside his warm hide and he had to move to another hide. * Solaris continued to explore the tank for a couple hours, so I decided to try giving him the frozen/thawed mouse. He definitely seems to understand that the mouse is not alive (despite my best efforts to make it warm with the hair dryer) since his response was entirely different to seeing and hearing a live mouse in his tank. After about twenty minutes of re-heating the mouse and making it move around to seem alive, I gave up since Solaris had no interest whatsoever. At one point, I was hopeful because Solaris approached the mouse and began flicking his tongue right beside it, obviously curious and able to tell it was a mouse. After smelling it for about a minute, though, he turned around and went back to exploring. I did not handle Solaris for twenty-four hours beforehand, and his temps and humidity are perfect, so he should be hungry. * I will likely offer a live mouse next Friday, then offer a F/T mouse again the following week. I want Solaris to grow at a steady rate since he is so young, so I do not want him to go multiple weeks without eating. [/quote]

[quote=12/18/2019] Very small update! Solaris used his humidity cave for the first time today. No signs of an upcoming shed, so maybe he just finally realized how cozy it is in there. [img]https://i.imgur.com/ZrvX9z1.jpg[/img] [/quote]

[quote=12/19/2019] Today, I moved Solaris's tank from my living room to guest room. This change is to reduce the noise and light (on at night) he is exposed to, as well as offer warmth primarily via space heater as opposed to heat lamps. The heater is set to 85 degrees F, and the ambient temperature in the terrarium is 86 degrees F. I will continue to monitor temps with the digital thermometer and temperature gun, but so far this seems like a better method for maintaining ambient temperature. The only downside is that the terrarium humidity seems to be evaporating much faster than it did with the lamps. On another note, Solaris was prowling around his tank a few hours ago so I offered a live mouse. He missed his first strike and landed face-first in the moss mat (which he tried to constrict for a couple minutes). After killing the mouse, it took him nearly thirty minutes for him to locate the head (even with me re-positioning the mouse and trying to help him) and eat his meal. He was determined to swallow it head-first, but kept grabbing it by the side and letting go once realizing he could not swallow it like that. Poor baby boy isn't so bright. Thankfully, watching Solaris hunt a live mouse (for the second time since I have had him) has provided me with a bit more insight as to how I should try feeding frozen/thawed. [/quote]

[quote=12/26/2019] Today (and attempted yesterday) was feeding day. About fifteen minutes ago, Solaris ate a live mouse weighing 19 g. I was worried this might be too big for him, but it was the only (healthy) live mouse available at the closest pet store. He swallowed the mouse like a champ, and appears to still be in hunting mode (even though he should feel very full). After watching his hunting patterns for a third time, I had a realization as to how I might be able to switch Solaris to F/T. More about that in a moment. Yesterday's feeding attempt was with a F/T mouse scented with sodium-free chicken broth. I attempted to mimic a mouse's movements with the feeding forceps, but Solaris seems to immediately know the difference between a live and F/T mouse. After thirty minutes of re-scenting and re-warming the F/T mouse, I decided to put Solaris and the mouse in a large, covered bowl for thirty minutes to see if he would bump into the mouse and eat it. No luck with that either, so I discarded the mouse and decided I would have to feed another live. Come back to today's feeding and I realized that Solaris gets a little too ahead of himself with hunting. Last week, I mentioned that Solaris missed the mouse on his first strike and proceeded to (try to) constrict his moss mat. The same thing occurred today: Solaris was in his (now favorite) rock cave and struck as soon as the mouse passed by. The mouse scurried away, but Solaris tried to constrict the mat for a few minutes after striking. After releasing, he proceeded to sniff (run his nose along, so probably feeling more so than smelling) around the mat, looking for dead mouse. This gave me an idea, which I hope to use in transitioning him to F/T. Even though Solaris did not kill the mouse, he thought he did. Next week, I will try to pool a switcheroo of sorts. I will purchase a live mouse and place him/her in the tank as usual. Solaris has about a 66% chance of missing said mouse on his first strike (based on the three times that I have fed him thus far) and trying to constrict the mat. When he does this, I will place a warm F/T mouse beside him and remove the live mouse from the tank. My hope is that he will see the dead mouse and think that he killed it, then eat it. This plan is definitely not foolproof, but it seems to be the best option at this moment in time. Hopefully Solaris continues to be a terrible aim. If that plan fails, my backup idea is to put the live mouse in the tank and let it run around enough for Solaris to ready his strike pose. I will then remove the live mouse and dart a F/T mouse in front of Solaris with the feeding tongs. Preferably, he will be in his cave so he has less visibility of my hand and the tongs when he strikes, since he seems to be wary of both. That's my Plan B. [/quote]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/Y4RZx6h.jpg[/img] [i]balled-up shed and censored poop[/i] [img]https://i.imgur.com/cXDfxXx.jpg[/img] [i]un-balled shed[/i] [img]https://i.imgur.com/uF2nx7B.jpg[/img] [i]freshly shed baby[/i] [img]https://i.imgur.com/o1spOpG.jpg[/img] [i]picture perfect[/i] [img]https://i.imgur.com/G1D2XCQ.jpg[/img] [i]enemy (my cat Jamie) spotted[/i] [img]https://i.imgur.com/N7ejTMi.jpg[/img] [i]long noodle[/i] Here's a long-awaited update (for those who followed the thread on Furvilla before I transferred it here)! I was waiting for Solaris to eat a frozen/thawed mouse before updating, but after two weeks of no success, I decided I'd update on Solaris's first shed (since I have had him) instead. Solaris went in blue (cloudy eyes and pale skin) about a week ago, so I immediately raised his humidity levels to 60-70%. I also moistened the moss in his cave, since I usually keep it dry to prevent scale rot. A few days after the blue phase ended, Solaris sloughed off his old skin almost perfectly (two pieces instead of just one). I am super proud of him though since he got his eye caps and everything else off, meaning that I did not have to soak him to help remove stuck shed. The one interesting thing about Solaris's shed is that, when I found it, it was tightly balled up as opposed to being in a long strand. I had never seen anything like this before, so, when I first looked inside the cave, I thought the shed was a massive wad of urates. Thankfully, this was not the case and I carefully unballed the shed to make sure that it was complete. On the topic of feeding, Solaris has eaten twice since the last update. Both times I have tried unsuccessfully to feed him frozen/thawed mice, so I ended up giving him live instead. Despite snakes being kind of dumb, Solaris definitely knows the difference between F/T and live. Hopefully he becomes less picky in the future. Minor Updates: * Solaris now weighs 120 grams! * Solaris's last few meals have weighed 19-22 grams. * Solaris is getting a bit chunky and has slight "cleavage," so I am going to feed him a smaller mouse this Saturday (feeding day) if one is available at the local pet store. I am not too concerned about his fat though since he is still a young, growing boy. * I plan to make a necklace out of Solaris's first shed but I have to find the supplies first. * Solaris's strike accuracy has greatly increased, so he now wraps a mouse on his first strike.

SOLARIS IS SO CUTE OHMYGOD