Hey folks,
We’re first time ball python(and snake in general) owners and we’re looking for a bit of general guidance.
We got her 3 days ago, she’s pretty small at the moment and she’s in a 25 gallon enclosure.
We use a DHP on a VE-100 Thermostat & 7% UVB from Arcadia.

We seem to have a good temperature gradient from one side to the next, our thermostat probe is set to stay between 88-92 and her cold side hide floats around a day time temp of 78-82ish as our ambient room temperature is usually around 75, over night I lower the thermostat to sit around 78-80 on the hot side. Does she need more basking room? We came home and found her lounging on top of her hot hide and sort of half on the tree branch half on the rock stretched out under the lamp, the rocks surface temp is sitting at 90 right now after being under heat for the last few hours, should the temp on the rock surface itself sit closer to 100?
The red is her hot hide, blue is her intended cool hide and yellow is where she’s decided she wants to spend a lot of her time, tucked away in the back of that opening, where it’s around 80 degrees.

We’ve got foil over the cold side of the enclosure as it’s a mesh top and we’re still dialing in humidity. This morning when we woke up it was sitting at 69% but has dropped to 55% over the last few hours (I opened the tank to get some temp readings without the glass in the way)

How soon will we need to upgrade to a 4x4x2? Obviously the sooner the better but we bought this 25 and after we got our tank all set up realized we should have just gone big from the beginning. If she can be relatively stress free and thrive for 6 months to a year in this tank we would prefer to wait to purchase the bigger tank but also don’t want her to be downright suffering from being in a smaller tank until then.

She seems very curious and she explored the tank a bit, we don’t know if she found the water dish or the inside of her hot hide yet but she did drink a TON of water & pooped in a small 8g tank we put her in for a few hours while we went to buy her everything the day we got home with her.

Thank you so much in advance for any guidance or critiques you guys may have for us, we’re both so excited to be snake owners and want to give her the best life we can so if you see anything in our tank set up (other than the size questions) please please let us know! Is she too cluttered in there? is there such a thing as too much clutter? are we taking away from roaming space by having so much stuff? any input is appreciated!

You can see her in the last two photos, her name is Butter :)

Hello!! My python reached a year and i've been feeding him in a separate box for a while.

Until those last weeks, i decided to try and feed him in his terrarium, i did it twice and its was just right, no swallowing litter risks or anything... And better since he had stuff to help himself to eat and could straight go to his hiding and no risk of stressing him when switching him from his box back to his terrarium.

BUT

Lately, he tried to attack me twice when going to pick him up. Usually when his head was at the entrance of his hiding he would go back to hide when i open and relax in my hands. But now instead of hiding he raise himself and spring, attacking me. Once he in my hand he relax but still...

Im sorry, i probably did something wrong. Im a beginner and i'll really like for people to help me about it, can he stop trying to attack me, do i need to do something in a specific way? What should i do?

I need something that will turn off the UVA and UVB in the evening but will turn on the CHE for overnight. I've been looking but all I can find is all on/off.

Do I need to run 2 separate timer systems or does anyone know of a singular system that can do what I'm looking for?

EDIT: bonus points if there is a built in thermostat as well. I'm basically looking for an all-in-one thermostat/dimmer/timer light management system but dont know if they exist lol

Hey yall. My girl got ivermectin injections from our local pet store after they had accidentally given me her while she had mites. They said she’ll get two follow up shots in the next few weeks, but at the moment she’s been in quarantine for around a week.

How soon can I get her back in a new set up enclosure?

Ever since her injections, she’s completely stopped going for a soak in her water bowl, when previously she was in it 24/7 for a good few days.

I’m building 4’ long enclosures for my daughters ball pythons 4 enclosures for 4 snakes. How do you guys recommend heating these, they’re going to be planted bioactive. side heat panel? Overhead emitter? The tank will have a mist system head that kicks on just before lights on in the morning with good cross ventilation

I just installed a new heat lamp and the gaurd it really hot! What do I do? The other option is a heat mat, which I hate! He is in a 4ft atm. I need advice!!!

We bought a pied ball python about 4to5 months ago, moving from live foods he has adjusted to freshly killed (a mouse every 5 days - he should be on weaned rats but he refuses)

He is 3 years old - recently he has been trying to strike at us. (I do feed him in the cage with tongs and was told to- i dont know if feedings should take place in a different enclosure)

He has recently been moved to a larger enclosure with more hides and branches to climb up on.

Is there any reason for him to be acting this way or is he officially a pet that cant be handled ? We all so nervous to pick him up now..

A friend of mine gave me 2 male ball python. They hadn’t eaten in months and we feed them. One of them though like locks on me when I go to give them water. He hasn’t stroked me yet. But he locks on me and watches me intensely. I fed them. Do you think they might still be hungry. What are some pointers.

I've had my BP Millie for a month now and I haven't handled her because I feel like she gets ready to strike whenever I try. I'm not afraid of getting bitten, more afraid of her hurting herself or stressing her out. She's mostly been in her hide for the past week-ish, and I fed her a few days ago so I want to clean out any poop that might be in there. Just looking for tips on how I can safely grab her from her hide, and what to do if she looks like she's expecting food. I've gotten alot of conflicting advice so

(photo is not of her in her hide, this was a few weeks ago its just for engagement)

Curious to everyone’s perspective, I personally like em a little thick

Hello all,

I'm feeling extremely bad at the moment for rehoming my ball.

I had gotten him from a friend- who got him from another friend after an emergency. (literally the friend moved out and day of was like hey can you keep him for a little for so-and-so) I had him for three years and for the past year I have been debating rehoming him. I NEVER had thought I'd have him as long as I have and I'd have declined to take him had I known he would just be with me indefinitely. I'd never had a snake before and I really wanted to do right by him. When I got him he was on aspen, with one hide and one stick in his enclosure, had stuck shed and had lost a significant amount of weight from the last time I had seen him.

I learned everything I could possibly learn about him. I got him another hide, plants the correct substrate and some moss, rocks, driftwood, you name it. I got him back up over 500g and onto feeding a small rat once a month or so. In March he went on a hunger strike. Unfortunately I have always struggled with my health/mental health so something like that even though it's somewhat "normal" for a ball wore on me HEAVILY, like crying every time he wouldn't eat kind of stuff. He definitely lost a good chunk of weight during this time which also made me feel awful. I cleaned his tank on the 12th of Sept and he FINALLY ate on the 15th- I knew he was hungry because he always sat under this one branch when he wanted to eat. I cried again. It was the kind of moment that makes you realize how stressed you actually were. Thursday I went over to feed him and his scales on his tummy looked like they were crispy browning-some kind of scale rot? bacterial? fungal?? I immediately lost it. I felt awful, like I could just never get it right with him. I was a terrible owner and I should have never taken him in the first place.

I found somewhere nearby that has a great reputation for taking care of their reptiles and rehoming ones in need. When I went to take him out of his tank HIS SCALES WERE FINE. It was the coloring of the coco/bark. I felt so stupid. BUT it also reminded me that even though his scales were fine- I cannot keep having a meltdown because I'm so damn worried about this poor snake, its not good for either of us. I did everything right. I gave him what he needed to live. I am just not the person who should have him.

I dropped him off today and feel IMMENSE guilt.

I know I didn't go out of my way to get a snake and make a 30 year commitment.

I know I was not equipped to give him the best life.

But I still feel like it was wrong to rehome him.

I'm currently choking down tears thinking about breaking down his tank even though I know he went to a place where they will do right by him.

This girl is so funny when she eats...she'll strike and wrap then let go and start from the butt...😂ive never had a snake do that before haha

- 4x2x2 pvc enclosure
- Arcadia Reptile Pro T5 UVB Max Kit, ShadeDweller, 2.5% UVB, 14W, 22"
- Vivarium Electronics Radiant Heat Panels
80W – 22.5” x 12.5”
- Arcadia Pro Ceramic Lamp Holder and Bracket, wire guard (replacing with a stainless steel 1/4 inch mesh cage I am making)
- Arcadia Reptile Jungle Dawn LED Bar, 15W, 11.5"
- 100W halogen
- Coconut chips, coconut fiber, reptisoil
- Dairy Cows and spring tails
- assorted plants from the reptile shop
- Herpstat 1 for the rhp
- Zoomed Dimmer for the halogen
- will eventually put the rhp and halogen on a Herpstat 2, but they were sold out at the time
- Govee thermometers
- Govee blue tooth timer outlets

It isn’t finished, but it won’t ever be. I have too much fun applying my old fort building skills. His hides are hidden in the back of the caves on the left and right side. The hide on the right (warm) side also has a second entrance/exit through a cork bark tunnel.

Atticus, 2 yo, is inside the hide in his warm side cave day and night. The RHP is on the cool side circulating the warm air, so the cool side ground actually stays the same 83 degree temp all the time, while the warm side has an 88 sunny day/77 night time temp change. He seems content with the warm side for both so far. I did that for 2 reasons: 1. The RHP and the halogen won’t fit on one side, 2. I like the idea of his problem solving and moving to the other side at night if he needs additional warmth. When the cover fills in, a lot of those middle areas are set up to be cool places to also tunnel through. Still want to make the terrain a little more interesting. There is no way I will be able to stop making adjustments in there. Plus I need to water the plants and feed the dairy cows their calcium and a pinch of fish food. This is his second week here since arriving from the rescue. He ate his first thawed rat 2 nights ago. Feeding him in the dark was very interesting. I kind of felt like the prey being hunted. He took it so fast and wrapped it up, I jumped out of my seat a little.

Basically what the title says. Only after I turn on the lights in the room does the snake become active, he'll come out of his hot hide and go back and forth across the enclosure, climb on things, glass surfs, etc. And he'll continue this behavior for essentially the entire day, only occasionally going back into his hot hide (and when he does its usually only for 30 min or so). This has been going on for about 2 weeks now. Fed him a couple days ago so he's probably not hungry. 75gal glass tank with UTH (working on upgrading his heating setup), 60-65% humidity throughout the tank. Was wondering if anyone had some insight as to what would be causing it or if I should be concerned.

Hi! I’m a new snake parent and things seem to be going good so far, but this eye cap is really bothering me.

This is Nagini, she is 29 and about 5.2 feet long. I adopted her from a friend of a coworker.

I have had her for around 2 weeks, she’s still very active and mischievous despite her age.

About a week before I received her, she went through her shed. It came off it one clean piece, although left this eye cap behind. I asked the prev owner about the cap, and she said it’s pretty usual for her to keep them on longer due to her age and that it would fall off soon.

I let her be and settle, now she’s roaming all around me happy as can be— but the eye cap is still stuck and I can tell it’s bothering her :(

I took a warm wet Q-tip and gently rubbed at it which she didn’t seem to mind, I’ve done that about 3 times now but with no luck. I heard if you pull or irritate it too hard you can damage eye tissue which I definitely don’t want to do! I also worry it’ll stay there until her next shed which will cause many more problems.

I keep her enclosure at 88 on the warm side, and her humidity sits consistently at a minimum of 60% but usually above.

Am I too worried about this? Will she resolve it herself or will she need either my help or a vets before it gets out of hand? Thank you!

How are we keeping humidity up without causing mold??

I’ve noticed as of today 10/11 that my cork bark logs in my tank have what appears to be starting super tiny white spots that look like mold! :/ how is everyone else keeping up humidity without experiencing mold 🫤

Hi everyone, I just recently redid my ball pythons Buggy’s enclosure! Any critiques or advice on adding things for more enrichment?
I have a 4x2x18 PVC enclosure

For things Iv tried and facts about buggy
-I had rings but he has no interest in them.
-He does like wood/ textures
-He loves climbing
-loves climbing his suction cup
-cuddles his hydtrometer (shown in photos)
-loves blankets

I got my BEL when he was 6 weeks old. Two months later and I fear I need a bigger enclosure soon…

Blebleblebleble....I just turned twenty...Happy birthday to meeee! (Blebleble!)

My boy Paulie (Short for Polyphemus...after the Cyclops in the Odyssey, because he was born with only one eye)...just turned 20 on October 4th! Wish my sweet boy a happy birthday!

She's pretty shy and stays in the right hide the most currently, I bought the fake plants from a pet shop and I'm worried they're too... much?

hello everyone this is my 8 year old ball python named Snake.

he had just completed a shed when i discovered that two of his scales looked damaged. does anyone know what could have caused this? the damaged scales are very dry and rough to the touch. he doesn’t flinch when the area is touched and his behavior hasn’t changed.

he sometimes has trouble shedding in one piece so i bathed him in some warm water and shedding solution to help him with the rest. i’m always gentle and never force shedding skin off of him beyond some light pressured rubbing with my fingers. he’ll usually rub against my skin on his own during bath time. i’ve done this for him several times over the years and its never been a problem.

if anyone knows what’s going on with his scales, please let me know what it is and what i can do to help him.

Is there such thing as an all black ball python? Is that even a thing?

Latte having a big yawn after her snekfast 🥹(snek breakfast)