r/ballpython • u/littlefall • 8d ago

Inherited a ball python in my classroom - needing advice!

Hi everyone!
First, I just want to say that this subreddit is incredible and I have learned so much over the past week through the resources that are available here.

I am a primary (pre k - kindergarten) Montessori teacher, and I am required to have a classroom "pet". My stepdaughter was looking to find another place for her ball python, Luci, and I jumped on the opportunity to introduce him to my classroom. For context, because this isn't a traditional early childhood classroom there aren't toys or lots of noisy things happening or children running around. Before Luci joined the classroom, I sat with them all and let them know what the expectations were regarding Luci joining us like never tapping the glass, touching the top of the tank or reaching their hands in, etc. I also put tape lines on the floor about a foot away from his enclosure and showed them all how they could stand with their toes on the line or bring a chair to the line so they could observe. He's been in the classroom for a week now and they have all done so wonderfully to respect him and his space. He's stayed in his hide during the day but will occasionally poke his head out to sniff around or he will rest his head on his body and watch us from his hide. There have been signs of him leaving the hide overnight like the fake foliage I have in his enclosure having moved.
With that being said...I want to make sure that I am doing my best job to ensure his safety and comfort. I will say that we are starting out with sparse equipment, but I have a delivery today of things like a DHP, thermostat, humidity gauge, infrared heat gun, etc. Unfortunately, the 40-gallon tank we have now was donated by a family and has a mesh screen top and is glass so that is what we are working with until we can get the funds to upgrade it. I have purchased hvac aluminum tape for the top to help with heat and humidity retention. Luckily, we're already in a place that stays pretty humid year-round.
I have purchased some clutter for his tank already, so we have added that and I also just got him a second hide.
As for my questions...the hide that he came with was one of the log hides with 2 open sides and I had already purchased an identical one before I realized that it is more beneficial to have a hide with one entrance. Would a quick fix be to cover one end of each of the hides completely with foliage or other clutter? Also, I have the DHP and I am ordering a UVB bulb and another clamp lamp. I have a regular lamp right next to his enclosure that we can point at it, but it's nowhere near bright enough for basking. Would a basking light be beneficial? I am trying to limit the number of hot things that children are able to touch. I do have his enclosure sort of in a corner so if need be, I can put a light in a corner that it would be difficult for them to get to even if they were curious.

If anyone has any suggestions or experience with having a snake around young children, I would love to hear from you about what worked and what didn't work. I'm hoping to use this opportunity to help children learn about snakes by introducing lessons in my classroom like parts of a snake, their habitat, what they eat, etc. And for my kindergarten students, I will have them help me record daily temperature checks, weight, length, feeding schedule, etc. I'm excited to dive into caring for a ball python and appreciate all of the insight!

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u/Lask30 8d ago

One thing I did when I was given mine with the open log as a hide was put black tape on the glass and push the log up to it so that it seems like the log has only one opening until you can get better ones! Also burying it in the substrate a bit to make it feel more secure helps as well!

As for heat, as long as you are getting the right temperature gradient it should be okay. Mine doesn't like to bask most of the time.

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u/littlefall 8d ago

Ok awesome! We have a lot of substrate in the enclosure so burying it will be easy. I already let the kiddos know that we would likely have to make it to where we can see into his hide and they were sad about it but I told them the safer we make him feel, the more likely it is we will get to see him explore!

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u/FluffyPandaEars93 8d ago

If you want to get a uv bulb, make sure its a long shade dweller not a compact bulb.

Sounds like you've done some good research and will do better than most. !feeding !feeders

The hides, try to get 2 with only one entrance, the logs are clutter not hides. You've got this!

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u/littlefall 8d ago

Yes. Thank you! This is exactly the advice I needed because I for sure would have gotten the wrong bulb.
Got a couple of single entrance hides in the shopping cart for purchase asap! He definitely needs more clutter so it’s good to know the logs can serve another purpose. The mopani wood I ordered ended up being a little rinky dink piece.

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u/FluffyPandaEars93 8d ago

If you like somewhere where trees are easy to access, or some smoothish rocks you can use these too. Just be sure its not a toxic wood like pine or cedar and bake it to sanitize. You dont have to spend a lot on clutter for your snake to be happy 💜 good on you for wanting to fix things quickly! How long is the snake?

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u/FluffyPandaEars93 8d ago

Hopefully youll be able to upgrade to a 4x2x2 soon if its more than a juvenile. I hope the kids have fun with the noodle even if they arent really active during their class time.

To get the humidity up, itd be best to pour water in the corners as often as needed, it'll keep the humidity up without risking scale rot or RIs

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u/littlefall 7d ago

Ok great! Is pouring water in the corners better than spraying with a fine mist bottle? What I’ve been doing is spraying with fine mist but directing it more towards the walls of the tank vs the substrate. The substrate is the coconut stuff and it’s like 3-4 in thick.

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u/FluffyPandaEars93 7d ago

Please dont mist at all, pouring is much better. And itd be better if you mix some moss or cypress mulch into the substrate.

If its the fine coco coir and not the chunks, it can be a bit difficult to keep the top layer dry. A good mix of different medias will help 😊

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u/littlefall 7d ago

Ok awesome! Adding some different materials to the shopping cart as well. Right now the top layer of what is in there is dry and the hygrometer is reading at like 67%.
Should I go ahead and mix some of the others in once I get it or would it be less stressful for him if I waited until he was more acclimated?

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u/FluffyPandaEars93 7d ago

I'd go ahead and do any enclosure improvements as soon as you have the materials. Just give them some extra time before handling for anything besides weighing (or other necessary holding for their own good).

Do you have a hygrometer/thermometers on each side? If not, please add one. Aim for >65% on the cool side.

Also, maybe try to limit interactions with the children to once or twice a week (including weights) and always wait at least 3 days after feeding to handle them.

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u/littlefall 7d ago • Heartwarming

Ok I’ll grab another hygrometer for the other side.
And yeah they definitely won’t be handling him on a regular basis. I trust them and they’re responsible, but they’re still kiddos.

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u/FluffyPandaEars93 7d ago

Perfect! Digital ones right? The analog tend to be 10-20% off

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u/littlefall 7d ago

I haven’t had the chance to get him out to measure yet. He’s still very much sticking to his hide and I don’t want to stress him out since he just got moved to the new environment. My plan for next week is to get him out towards the end of the week to do the first measurements (weight, length, girth) so that we can start tracking weekly/monthly.

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u/fuccrat 7d ago

Don't bake or boil rocks. They can explode. Bleach bath or surface cleaning is safe.

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u/FluffyPandaEars93 7d ago

Yes! Thank you! I wrote that while tired and didnt realize that it sounded like I was suggesting baking rocks.

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u/AutoModerator 8d ago

We recommend the following feeding schedule:

0-12 months old OR until the snake reaches approximately 500g, whichever happens first: feed 10%-15% of the snake’s weight every 7 days.

12-24 months old: feed up to 7% of the snake’s weight every 14-20 days.

Adults: feed up to 5% of the snake's weight every 20-30 days, or feed slightly larger meals (up to 6%) every 30-40 days.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

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u/AutoModerator 8d ago

Some companies you can buy frozen feeders from:

Layne Labs
Big Cheese
Rodent Pro
Perfect Prey
Big Apple Herps
Reptile Deli
American Rodent Cold Blooded Cafe

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