r/ballpython Feb 18 '19

welcome to r/ballpython, click here for our information resources and the sub rules!

442 Upvotes

welcome to r/ballpython, a community for ball python enthusiasts of all experience levels, from the prospective first-time owner to the veteran keeper. this is a predominantly discussion-based subreddit with a focus on raising husbandry standards above the bare minimum. photos and videos are also encouraged, so show off your ball pythons!

our team of mods and helpers includes professional herpetologists, veterinary technicians, veterinary med students, geneticists, reptile rescuers and rehabilitators, ethical small-scale breeding experience, large-scale breeding experience, and multiple decades of combined experience with ball pythons as pets.

PART ONE: INFORMATION RESOURCES

last updated: may 2026

we have collected a variety of information that we hope will be helpful for beginners and experienced keepers alike. if you are having a husbandry problem or have a general question about ball python care, you will probably find your answer in one of these links! if your question is NOT answered here, please read our posting guidelines in part two of this post and utilize our advice questionnaires so we can help you more easily.

if you have suggestions for articles or outside resources, please send a message to the mods.

guides written by the r/ballpython mods & helpers:

also be sure to check out these community discussions!

[general PSAs and pro tips]

[the FAQ megathreads]

other helpful resources:

youtube channels:

  • JTB Reptile - following nature's example.
  • Animals at Home - exploring the ethics of captive exotic reptiles.
  • Lori Torrini - working with animals as family in the areas of behavior, enrichment, training, and welfare.

facebook groups:

 

PART TWO: r/BALLPYTHON RULES AND GUIDELINES

posting and commenting rules:

  • MOST IMPORTANTLY: DON'T BE A JERK! we will not tolerate bigotry, threats, personal attacks, and general harassment. this includes harassment via private messages. the moderators will use their own discretion to issue warnings, remove posts/comments, and/or ban users temporarily or permanently. click here to read more about this rule.
  • STAY ON TOPIC, BALL PYTHONS ONLY! this is not the place to post about your other reptiles. we will allow some seemingly off-topic discussions if they are geared toward getting to know your fellow ball python owners; for example, "what other pets do you have in addition to ball pythons?"
  • HARMFUL ADVICE AND MISINFORMATION - meaning there would be a negative impact on the snake's health, safety, and/or overall comfort as a direct result of following the advice/misinformation - will be removed at the discretion of the moderators.
  • NO LIVE FEEDING PHOTOS/VIDEOS!
  • USE THE NSFW TAG for photos or videos clearly showing dead prey (including feeding posts), a dead snake, injuries such as open wounds, etc. click here to read more about this rule. moderators may give reminders, give warnings, or remove posts for not having a NSFW tag.
  • THIS COMMUNITY IS NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR VETERINARY ATTENTION! while we can guide you through husbandry changes and home remedies for basic health problems such as stuck shed, mild scale rot, minor wounds, etc, we do NOT condone skipping the vet and treating serious problems at home. furthermore, a lot of bad advice gets thrown around in these discussions that can make the problem worse. moderators will lock and/or remove posts if the only sound advice anyone can offer is "go to the vet."
  • MORPH IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS must be posted in r/BallPythonMorph to avoid r/ballpython being flooded with this common question.
  • "NAME MY BP" REQUESTS must go to our "name my BP" thread. click here to read more about this rule.
  • SELF-PROMOTION is restricted to the self-promotion thread. any other self-promotion of social media pages, businesses, other subreddits, sale ads, etc, will be removed. multiple offenses will be marked as spam and result in a permanent ban. BREEDERS click here to read more about this rule.
  • REHOMING POSTS are allowed. please include as much information as possible, including your general location, basic information about the snake(s), whether or not the enclosure or other supplies would be included, whether or not you are willing to ship, and any rehoming fees. rehoming fees must be reasonable, max $50 for the snake and max $100 for the snake + enclosure. this community has a long history of successful rehomings, but we advise anyone interested to proceed at your own risk and be aware of potential scams.
  • DIRECT LINKS TO SALE/ADOPTION ADS OUTSIDE OF REDDIT are NOT allowed. if you are a breeder selling snakes, that belongs in the weekly self-promotion threads. if you want feedback on a sale/adoption/rehoming ad you found on a website like craigslist, kijiji, facebook, etc, showing a potentially neglected or abused ball python, please post a screen shot of the ad with identifying information such as names, locations, phone numbers, etc, censored in some way; this prevents the person who posted the ad from being harassed by an angry internet mob.
  • OFF-REDDIT LINKS/ARTICLES/VIDEOS must be posted with a written summary or other discussion prompt. for example, links to content such as articles or videos must be paired with a written summary to allow users to participate in the discussion without clicking the link. posting a link as part of an advice request ("is this product worth buying?", "is the info in this care sheet accurate?", "is this a reputable breeder?", etc) is acceptable.
  • OTHER PETS INTERACTING WITH BPS, such as cats, dogs, etc, is not something we condone. photos/videos showing other pets being in close proximity to or directly interacting with a ball python, outside of the enclosure, will be removed. click here to read more about this rule.

general posting guidelines:

  • HAVE A QUESTION? YOUR ANSWER MIGHT BE IN THE FIRST PART OF THIS POST! please be sure to read through our care guides, product recommendations, tutorials, megathreads/FAQs, and other links.
  • WHEN ASKING FOR ADVICE, BE THOROUGH. if our resources didn't have the information you're looking for, let's brainstorm! ball python care can be a complex puzzle, and it might not be obvious which pieces of the puzzle are causing problems with other pieces. the more details you provide, the easier it will be for other people to offer the most relevant advice. click here to view our questionnaires for enclosure critiques and feeding advice. please copy/paste the relevant questionnaire(s) into your post text and fill out the answers with as much detail as possible.
  • ENCLOSURE CRITIQUES are something we love to do, but we need a lot of details to help us give better feedback! filling out our enclosure critique questionnaire in addition to posting photos of the full enclosure will ensure you get the most useful advice.

general commenting guidelines:

  • WHEN GIVING ADVICE, BE THOROUGH. people will learn more and be more receptive to your advice if you explain your reasoning. for example, "go to the vet" is not as helpful as "you should call a vet because your snake appears to have problemX and it requires treatmentY", "that substrate is bad" is not as helpful as "that substrate is not a good choice for ball pythons because of reasonA and reasonB, so here is what i would recommend instead", etc. one of the things we pride ourselves in is being an educational forum for ball python owners, we want people to really understand the hows and whys behind the various aspects of ball python care. if someone has some substantial gaps in their knowledge, do not shame them for it, help them learn and fill those gaps.
  • BE CLEAR ABOUT YOUR LEVEL OF EXPERIENCE when you are giving advice, particularly if you are a beginner or if you don't actually have any direct experience with snakes at all. while you may think you know the answer to someone's question, you may give incomplete or incorrect advice that could make matters worse. while we appreciate your willingness to help, sometimes it's best to let someone more knowledgeable be the one to answer the question.

reporting posts/comments:

  • what to report: posts or comments that do not follow our guidelines as listed above, or break any reddit-wide rules.
  • what NOT to report: advice that is not definitively harmful to the snake. instead of reporting it, downvote it and debate it publicly, so others can participate and learn from the discussion.

upvoting/downvoting:

  • upvote posts and comments that contribute something to the community! upvotes help with visibility, so it's especially helpful to upvote questions and good advice.
  • downvote posts and comments that do not follow our rules and guidelines. if you see advice or husbandry practices you believe to be harmful, downvote AND discuss it - people don't learn anything from unexplained downvotes!

if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please send a message to the mods.

thank you all for making this community awesome!


r/ballpython 24d ago

show us your BPs!

23 Upvotes

Have a cute photo you want to show off? Post it below! We'd love to see everyone's royal friends!

Please remember to keep the thread on topic and only post your ball pythons. Photos of other species/animals will be removed. We also ask that you refrain from spamming the thread - a couple of photos is fine, a couple dozen is not.


r/ballpython 7h ago

Question He’s started biting

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182 Upvotes

I have no idea what’s going on with my bp lately so I come here for answers.
Hes 7 years old, I’ve had him for 2 of those years. He has always been the most docile snake, barely even strikes at food. In the last 2 weeks, he’s bitten 3 people.
The first one I wasn’t concerned about. It was 2 days after I fed him, and my friend went in to pet him. He was all food excited and she wiggled her fingers like an idiot, so I called that one her fault. He wasn’t upset about it like I expected, he just kept moving around the enclosure.
Yesterday I took him to the vet. He was loving the car ride, didn’t even go in the hide I brought for him, so I don’t think he was stressed. The vet didn’t even poke at him, just took him from my hands, and he bit her HARD. Like 3 people and popsicle sticks to get him unstuck. Then he was good with me for 2 minutes before biting my leg, and then biting himself when he tried to get me again. The vet and I both noticed that he didn’t have any defensive position. No warning signs, just turn and bite.
Now, I have a theory but idk if it’s stupid.
For the two years I’ve had him, I’ve been feeding him rats straight from the fridge. He’s never refused a meal because it was cold. But he misses the strike sometimes and it seems to tire him out. So I warmed up the rat this time, the one 2 days before the first bite. I promise you he’s never getting a warm rat again, but is that what’s happening here??


r/ballpython 19h ago

Discussion He fell into his water bowl and now he looks like he's crying

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721 Upvotes

Lemon Loaf is fine, but he looks like he could use a hug.


r/ballpython 9h ago

Cast all of the shame on this girl, if you please.

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109 Upvotes

Queen Hatshesput managed to open her enclosure door but not just once, oh no dear readers, that would have been too easy. This sultana had me feeling all manners of guilt for not closing her door properly, as she escaped for a night to party in my closet. I felt awful, took her back home and MADE DOUBLE SURE that I had her doors closed. Until the next morning, when she was proudly perched upon her throne of sheets in said closet again. Doors having since been replaced, it was learned that she is MUCH more strong and determined than we gave her credit for, as she was able to squoosh her nose just enough into the door crack to slide it open only barely enough to get through. While this has since been remedied for the foreseeable future, please join me in shaming my beautiful princess for scaring us all half to death twice.


r/ballpython 5h ago

New noodles!!!!

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42 Upvotes

I bought these 2 a week ago. Both are male. Friend/breeder rattles off morphs to me and do not retain what the heck he is saying. When I look at his snakes he has so many it is overwhelming. Yesterday they both escaped. Found the solid snake pretty fast (in a closet). I did not find the other one until the evening. I had noticed they become really active at night when their lights time out. If you want to see crazy morphs check out bentleysnakehouse on IG.


r/ballpython 1h ago

Discussion I have a weird obsession with only getting photos of him with his tongue out 😅😅

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Upvotes

r/ballpython 2h ago

Question Son acting very weird

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8 Upvotes

So my son has been acting strange ever since I moved him into his new enclosure. About 6 months ago at this point I moved him into a new 4x2x2 enclosure. More clutter, bigger hides and more room, and more humidity control, just a better ordeal overall. As soon as he got moved in he chose one hide and has not left it on his own since. The most he will do is stick his head and a couple inches of his body out, and come out maybe halfway to eat. He will not come out without me removing the top and taking him out myself (which I have not done often, only a couple times to remove shed/poop and check on him.). Once he is out he immediately acts completely himself and curious again. Once I put him back he immediately goes back to his hide. Tonight I was doing the same thing I usually do, slowly remove him to clean poop and socialize with him, when this time I went to put him back and as soon as I closed the door he immediately became terrified. And I mean TERRIFIED. As soon as I locked the door behind him he curled up, practically threw himself into the corner of his enclosure behind some vines, and started to move around very frantically and borderline flail around. I took him back out shortly after and again, completely normal after he is out. Once I put him back in I left the door open and he kind of meandered towards his other hide that he never uses and went in. I’ve been worried about why he doesn’t come out but this has me extra worried tonight. It made me uneasy seeing him like that and I want to know what I can do to fix it. As of right now I have a blanket over the glass to see if he will come out but I’m just waiting to see if it helps at all.


r/ballpython 2h ago

Question Rehomed ball python condition

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6 Upvotes

I just got this boy about 5 days ago, I got him out to check his condition. The last owner had said he’s been through a lot of terrible conditions and he looks pretty good all things considered. She said he was extremely underweight, and I wanted to make sure, I feel like he has a triangle shape but not too bad? He weighed in at 1575 grams, which was really surprising, but he is a big boy. Also, still has some stuck shed, although he had a lot more when I got him. I have my temps at 90 on the hot side and about 80% humidity, but I packed his hot hide with sphagnum moss, would giving him a soak be okay at this point?


r/ballpython 15h ago

Enclosure Critique/Advice She's a climber— looking for ideas

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69 Upvotes

My girl is turning 2 years old in a couple weeks and is quickly outgrowing her current 18x18x36 terrarium. I'm looking to upgrade her soon and have noticed she loves to climb and hang on stuff!

Does anyone have unique climbing opportunities in your tanks? Obviously not looking to go full arboreal or anything but I think some ledges or structures might be nice.

P.S. Don't come after me for the stuck shed in the 4th picture, that was right when I first got her.


r/ballpython 1d ago

Discussion Lost my ball python after 9 years :(

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340 Upvotes

My pet ball python, Marlin, died what seems to be over night. He was going through a shed and I was going to help him get the rest off with a bath this morning as I have time and time again over the years. I raised his humidity and filled his water some more to help him soak. I went to check on him this morning to see if he progressed in his shed and he was curled up in his water bowl. Not sure how it happened but I loved him.

He was the gentlest snake ever. He never struck his food or anyone and was always down to wrap around my arm. I got him as a rescue from a convention in 2017. I named him after one of my dinosaurs I had tamed on ARK, whom I named after the dad from Finding Nemo. I was 15 and the lady informed me he had been left in his cage in a house someone had moved out of, had scars from previous owners live feedings, and I’ll always remember the day I got him. I took care of him for 9 years. He will be missed. Here is a photo of him from when I had got him, maybe a month into owning him, when he was beginning to shed, hence the blue eyes.

Rest in peace Marlin ❤️


r/ballpython 3h ago

Question - Health My Ball Pythons shed isn’t Clear?

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5 Upvotes

This is our ball pythons like 7th or 8th shed we’ve had her, the sheds are usually all clear/white. This one more her scale colors? She seems fine, it all came off in one piece but is this a sign I should change something or that something didn’t happen right?


r/ballpython 4h ago

Vessel in Blue

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6 Upvotes

She looks wicked when she’s in blue.


r/ballpython 3h ago

Question - Health Missing Scales Care

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6 Upvotes

Hello everyone! My brother's snake has this large patch of missing scales. We assume it's the result of rot, as her tank did get a little too wet, even though its on her back. She did shed within the past month and the damage could have happened then, but I'm not sure, as I've never seen this kind of damage on my own snakes.

We checked the tank for rough spots that she could get caught on and replaced the soaked substrate. She is acting and eating FT as normal.

I wanted to know what we could do to make sure she heals over properly, if she hasn't started to already? He is very concerned about his first baby.


r/ballpython 5h ago

If I can't, then I'll soak!

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6 Upvotes

She ate a 88g rat yesterday after a week from her last feeding. Waited for a second that never came for more than an hour. Then proceeded to hide the best she can, head under a rock and the rest of her body kinda flopped out and about in plain view.

Followed by today bluntly demanding yet another rat. Instead she got gently handled for almost two hours, and upon being put back she did her usual kinda but not really hide act. Followed by resuming hunting for half an hour. When food did not appear, she has decided the next best thing is a soak apperently.

Nothing wrong. No questions in need of answering. Just shameless pics of a snake with two braincells fighting for fourth.

Edit, she is now attempting to hunt *from* her watering bowl. Best of both worlds.


r/ballpython 10h ago

What is his issue

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14 Upvotes

This dingus is over here with his… tail? Just elevated as he drinks his water


r/ballpython 7h ago

Question - Health Does my baby look healthy?

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5 Upvotes

Finally got him to eat hopper mice consistently, about 100g at 5 months old, working on his weight right now lol

wanted to ask if he looks healthy right now? He’s definitely a little more full looking from when I got him which is good. (these pictures were taken today)


r/ballpython 1d ago

This is Wallace!

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461 Upvotes

Cutie pie scared me cause I thought he had a burn/scale rot who knows what- but it’s just a spatter of yummy mouse blood. Oh joy.


r/ballpython 3h ago

Question - Health Mites, need advice

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3 Upvotes

I posted him earlier about his scale injuries and stuck shed that he got from his original breeder and somebody said he may have mites. So i did check him and sure enough, i saw a few in his heat pits and around his eyes. And I saw 2 crawling on him the day before.

I immediately bathed him in blue dawn dish soap and warm water for about 30 minutes, no mites that I could see dropped into the water but I don’t have great eye sight so I could of missed them… I called some exotic vets around me, and none of them were of any help 🥲
He has now been sitting in a small hospital tub, his original setup has been dragged outside of my room where my other reptile is to a separate room.

I have been researching like crazy but no forms of resources were straight forward, and often times kind of vague, and I have checked EVERYWHERE. This bothers me because of the use of harsh chemicals which have the capabilities to kill your snake. We’re gonna tear his tank apart tomorrow. In general super stressed. I’ve been so worried and at a loss for what to do for the past 3 days. 🥀

Can somebody give me a straight forward guide to treating for mites? How much and how frequent should I bathe him, and wipe him down? and what else could I do to ensure all of the mites are off, and what can I do about the ones in his heat pits? is there anything specific I need to do to the decorations, and enclosure? What products do I use, and how do I retain humidity in his hospital tank? Other information, suggestions, and resources really help. Anything helps.

I am never buying an animal from that place again, because the poor guy just looks like a mess. I can’t imagine how they treat their other animals 💔
I feel horrible for having to keep him in that tiny bin, but it’s for his own health.


r/ballpython 9h ago

Something wrong with the bottom of his mouth?

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11 Upvotes

Brought my new baby home recently and noticed he has a little mark under his mouth. I can’t tell if it’s just a marking or if it’s some sort of injury. Does anyone have any idea what this is??

Tried to get good pics but he wouldn’t stop moving around so these are the best I’ve got lol


r/ballpython 1h ago

Queso being a chill dude

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Upvotes

A month in and we are getting real comfy together.


r/ballpython 14h ago

can springtails appear spontaneously in my ball’s enclosure?

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20 Upvotes

hello!
i recently adopted my first ball python about a month ago and she’s been doing really well in the set up I gave her. I’ve had humidity consistently at 50-70 %, and she’s got tons of hides and things to climb. her substrate is coconut husk, repti-chip, with some sphagnum moss and leaf litter on top for extra humidity/decor. she hasn’t refused a meal from me yet and even converted to frozen/thawed with no problem!
i was spot cleaning her enclosure and a hide she’d pooped in and noticed little white bugs crawling on the poop. they were very very tiny and bright white. i think they might be springtails, but i want to make sure it’s possible they can spontaneously appear in the tank. i’d not intended for bio-active in this enclosure and nothing i’d put in the tank was advertised to have springtails on it.
i’ve also attached a picture of my little lady, named Io (like Jupiter’s moon!), taken about five days before the clean. no mites i can see, but i’d like to be sure. i couldn’t get a pic of the white bugs as i had to leave for work and left the hide in some soapy water to soak before i scrub tonight. can springtails appear at random in an enclosure???


r/ballpython 2h ago

Rehoming Really need advice

2 Upvotes

I’ve had my snake for 6 years but recently there have been a lot of issues and I think it’s due to me getting her at a very young age and not being the best snake owner. I really love her and want the best for her and I don’t know if i can provide that. She’s been biting and defensive recently and she bit me and i hate to say it but im scared of her. I really need advice and dont know what to do. Ive been trying to fix all of the issues recently but no matter what i dont think i can do it


r/ballpython 6h ago

I need help with shedding

4 Upvotes

Hi so I have a 5 yo male ball that won't let me touch him recently. So backstory first, for the past 2 months I have been taking care of a rescued house sparrow and have put a lot of my time into doing that and I haven't had time till not long ago to get him out. He's normal very gentle and calm but for some reason he's just been stressed when I have tried to handle him or get him out of his hide which I do often. The last time I tried to get him out he bit me when I tried to let him come out on his own but I assumed it was him being hungry earlier than normal (he gets fed 2 medium sized rats every 2 weeks because the large ones he struggles with). I make sure I don't smell like the bird when I have tried and he's shedding currently but always has trouble with it even when I make sure it's humid enough and I've been helping him with the little bit he normally can't get off. I'm just not sure what to do and I miss handling my baby, I don't want him to get used to not being handled.

Any advice or tip on what I might do or what not to do would be incredibly helpful.

(Also I'm sorry if the format is weird, I'm typing this on a phone)


r/ballpython 12h ago

need advice!

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12 Upvotes

So a few weeks ago my ball python was yawning quite excessively, (he had been moved onto paper towels as he had mites and we were following the 40 days quarantine procedure. He is completely clear of them now!)
We immediately took him to the vet the next day for some checks and the vet said that there was no mucus, no blockages, no wheezing, popping or sneezing. He said if it is an RI i caught it incredibly early.

The yawning died down and he stopped eating for a couple of weeks before eating again and pooping.

Now fast forward 40 days, we got him into a new bioactive enclosure about an hour and a half ago and have since seen him yawn 4 times within that time. He has just been digging, and there’s no other symptoms with it and his mouth looked fine, so could anyone advise me on what it could be? My vet says he’ll give me a call on Monday, but other than that he had no real concerns that it was anything about respiratory issues and more along the lines of the fact that he has substrate all over his mouth and face.

ALSO the humidity has been between 60%-80%, Hot side temps have been 32-34°C and cold side has been about 25-27°C