Ok, so you all have been life savers in the past few months. I'd be lost without this site, but I do have some more questions.
1.Do you think snakes prefer colored over white mice? It just seems like when we try to feed her the white mice, it takes a few days for her to eat it, but when we get colored, its like only a few min and its gone.
2. This may be a stupid question, but I should probably change the wattage in the bulb now thats its getting warmer here in Rhode Island. (I noticed the tank getting warmer during the day) It should be about 80 right?
3. Does it matter the time of day I turn the light on as long as its 12hrs on and 12hrs off? Like it usually gets turned on at 12noon until 12midnight.
4. A few times at night its sounded like she is coughing, is this normal?
Thanks so much for your support.

I havent had snakes for years but I never heard of them preferring one color over another. Has anyone else?? I would change the wattage of the bulb but I dont know what temps a ball should have off hand. I would go for a more normal day to night cycle for the light. I would listen to her breathing it could be something like a respiratory infection...when in doubt call a vet. So you found her?? I must of missed that post so good deal
Someone here will chime in on the correct temps for those kinds of snakes.

__________________
Just because you have an animal that isnt dead doesnt mean you know how to take care of it

Ive had a few ball pythons that were very picky eaters. I had one, houdini, that would only eat live white mice... You're not keeping a live prey item in with her for those few days are you? If so, it could eat your snake, or wound it, or just kill it. Ambient temps should be 80-85 and a basking spot needs to be at 90 during the day and at night ambient needs to be no less that 73 with a basking spot of 80... And I have no clue about the coughing, id see a vet about it, and keep the night time temps at the day time temps till you see a vet, just in case of a possible respitory infection

__________________
"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." ~ Immanual Kant

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." ~ Anatole France

oops I got you confused with another poster lol sorry you didnt lose a ball python haha

__________________
Just because you have an animal that isnt dead doesnt mean you know how to take care of it

It depends on the snake. wild caught animals sometimes have a problem with white mice because there aren't any wild white mice. Some WC specimens won't even eat mice. Ball pythons in the wild eat mostly gerbils and other small mammals. The cough could be a resperatory infection. Take her to the vet immediately.

Some snakes, ball pythons in particular have been known to imprint on a certain color of prey or a certain species. Thats why I make a point of changing out colors from time to time. Are you saying that you are leaving a live mouse in with the snake for days? Very dangerous situation.
You can lower the wattage or put the bulb on a rheostat or a thermostat
It would be preferable to have the light cycle on a similar schedule to the day night cycle outside. The only way an altered time schedule will work is if the room has no windows for ambient light to skew things and no one turns the room light on during the snakes "night"
No. This could be a sign of a respiratory infection. Better have her checked.



Ball pythons are from Africa, gerbils are from Asia.
You are thinking of jerboas/gerboas, a very similar animal.

__________________
Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

no no im deffanetly not keeping the mouse in there usually about half hour or hour but my sons always sittin there watchin her.i also went out today and got a timer for the light . also not sure if this question makes a diffrence but does it matter if we put the mouse in before or after we put her in the feeder tank?

I have found that it is best to put the snake into the feeder tank first and then followed by the prey item. I have a few snakes that have a very good feeding response and if I do it the other way around the snake begins to get really excited while I am still transferring it to the feeder tank. I have had several Ball Pythons and have noticed that some of them will more readily take colored mice over white mice.

thanks ya all I get all this some day

I would recommend putting the BP in the feeding box first and giving it a bit of time to adjust before adding the mouse. Doing it the other way around may get you bit, if he smells the mouse and sees your warm hand reaching for him! (ouch)
Some snakes don't like white mice. It sounds like yours is one of those; try to get darker ones.
Feeding live prey is VERY VERY dangerous. "Watching carefully" just means that you will be a witness when the mouse bites (and possibly kills) your snake. It is much safer and more humane to feed pre-killed or frozen-thawed (warmed-up) mice. The snake CAN be converted to dead prey. If you're thinking "but it's not natural" -- there is NOTHING natural about keeping a snake in a tank with an artificial light and heat source either. In the wild, if the snake is not hungry, it can get away from mice and the mice have a chance to get away from the snake. In a feeding box: it's life and death with no escape. A snake that is not hungry will usually not defend itself if the mouse or rat starts chewing on him (even his face.)
Snakes should not cough or sneeze. What sort of substrate are you using in the tank. Is he breathing with his mouth open? Are there bubbles coming out of his nostrils? A respiratory infection is life-threatening and must be diagnosed and treated quickly if you want your snake to live.

__________________
Andrea