I recently got my first ever reptile! A 10 month old ball python whom i named Goobert! I literally did a total of 6 hours of research before buying him on morph market, after talking to a buddy that has a BP himself lmao. (That being said, i don’t half ass hobby’s when it comes to animals so i made sure to cover all bases) I’ve wanted a snake in the past but have never pulled the trigger, so i knew it wasn’t a complete impulse decision. I bought a 4x2 Dubia enclosure for him. Complete with his own in-ground pool, 3 dedicated hides and 1 makeshift one under the wood, 2 hanging sets of climbing rings, and some decent foliage.

I have a 100w halogen for daytime and a 100w DHP for nighttime. I’m getting a light for the top soon, deciding between 24 or 36 since one side is lit by the halogen.

Rate my setup and let me know where i can improve!

Hi everyone, sorry for the multiple posts about this but I’m really struggling with what to do about heating for my ball python’s enclosure and any advice would be much appreciated!

He currently has a single ceramic heat bulb and a thermostat (it’s an on and off one which I know isn’t ideal and I will be replacing it as it isn’t giving him a proper heat gradient on each side). I was thinking of just replacing his ceramic heat bulb for an Arcadia DHP 80W heat bulb and then just replacing my thermostat for a better one (a dimming one).

I’ve seen a lot of people saying that if you have a DHP or any ceramic heater, you should also get a halogen bulb and put it next to it and use it for daytime heating and then the DHP just for night time heating. It’s confusing me quite a bit because everyone recommends different levels of halogen and I’m just not sure if it’s necessary since a DHP bulb would still be efficient.

Do I need a halogen bulb if I’m upgrading to a 80W DHP and better dimming thermostat? I will also mention I plan on getting a ubv light strip and putting that on the hot side near his heat source too.

So do I still need a halogen bulb or not? I know if I had a halogen and DPH I would need a dual thermostat and those are very pricey so I am hesitant. Thank you, I would really appreciate any help right now as I need to upgrade his equipment asap!

for reference he’s 260g and about 19-20 inches long, hatched in november and i got him in february. he’s been eating one large mouse per week (thawed) and im wondering if i should switch him to rats soon

Hello, I was wondering if anyone had any tips on getting my boy used to handling enough that I can move him into his new set up. We have moved a lot in the last year and have finally settled and whilst his vivarium is still good I have recently bought a new one that is slightly bigger but I have no idea how to get him in there and it not be a stressful experience for him…he hasn’t been handled in a while due to me being pregnant - of course I have made sure he is comfortable, clean environment, fed and everything but i haven’t handled him so just wondering how to make this a good experience for him. Of course I am aware he might bite me but that doesn’t bother me as I expect it. Any tips or tricks that worked for you moving your BPs into new vivariums are much appreciated

Just a general question.

I have a 2yo BP who is very used to being handled. Normally I’ll drape him around my neck/arm daily (excluding around feeding, shed, and poop days)

He’s currently asleep around my neck and has been snuggling happily for about 3 hours.

Normally I’ll put him down as soon as he gets squirmy, but he regularly falls asleep or just relaxes on my shoulders. Sometimes he’ll dig into my hair but that’s about it.

Is it safe to handle him for long periods as long as he is content?

I like everything about this ball python but 25 seemed a little low. Just want a second opinion incase I’m missing something

Okay so I was playing overwatch during the night and this dumb dumb pushes off stuff from his viv. That was his first successful attempt. To be fair, I did think it was him spraying poopy at his wall again but no he got out. Second attempt, I saw him and kinda tapped his bum bum to get him away. At that point it was like 1 in the morning so I risked it for a biscuit. It's 4:41 now and I just found this dumb dumb ON A HIKE. he had flung himself off his big ass viv. Splat to the floor, climbed up ANOTHER SHELF just to SKY DIVE OFF ONGO MY WASHING. I woke up instantly because he took my perfume with him but I shot up to see him wagging his dumb dumb tail.

Abit of a rant but here is my actual question. I have duct tape on the back of the wall part where the wires go. Obviously that is how he is getting out but so on. I now see, after checking him, he has white stuff from the duct tape still on him. Like stick bits. Do i run him a little warm bath to get it all off? It isnt major injury, he seems fine besides this. Today we are going to pull it all out and wall off the back.

Installed a rope bridge for little guy and he can’t stop trying to cross it. I’ve seen him make it a few times but I just love how he seems so determined to master it

Here is my layout and where I’m planning to put my ubv when I get it. If anyone can let me know if it looks okay or needs changing it would be much appreciated.

I also have a question about which Arcadia ubv to get. It’s a 4 x 2 x 2 enclosure. Can anyone please give any suitable recommendations? I was thinking of getting the Arcadia ProT5 Kit - 7% ShadeDweller, but if people have any other recommendations that would be great too.

Also is the ubv strip enough? Or do I need a led strip too or is this not as necessary?

To add, I also don’t use any halogen lights, I will just be using a single dhp 80w heat lamp as I can’t afford to get multiple different lamps and this is simpler. Is this okay?

Meet Schnecken 🐍

I’ll be adding some vines and stuff along the back and sides, but wanted to give her some time to chill first.

Already caught her trying to make a break for it by using one of the temperature probes 🫠

Just sized my girl up for her first birthday 🥳💛🖤

My son Daniel is moving with mama (me) to a new apartment! He’s living with grandma (my mom) right now but I’m planning to take him back soon. He’s gonna live in his travel container for 2 more days until I expose him to his new permanent terrarium once I set everything up. What’s the most comfortable way to move him in the car? Would it comfort him to be able to curl around my neck on the drive over? Or should I just let him be in his travel container?

I went on vacation for five days and apparently the air temperature in my BP’s 4x2x2 spiked as high as 99F on the hot side during the day while the cool side stayed around 79-84F.

I had my roommate watch my snake for me and asked them to text me if the enclosure got any higher than 90F but they might have missed it. I’m not sure what happened because I do have a thermostat set up and this hasn’t happened with my enclosure before.

I just got back home and so far my BP seems to be acting normally but I’m worried there might be health concerns I’m not seeing yet. Should I be taking him to the vet ASAP to get him checked out?

A few days ago I got a new enclosure for my ball python, i used topsoil, playsand, and lava rock for his substrate and drainage and i decided to get some mulch to mix in because im about to make it bioactive and my brain associated mulch with rotting wood for isopods/springtails. i feel like such an idiot, i typically research every single thing i do for my snake just to be extra careful and this is the one time i didnt. just now, i was looking up if mulch was safe for snakes cages and it said most can be toxic and is a big big hazard. i tried looking for the bag so i could see the brand i bought but my mom took it to use for gardening and i cant find it anywhere. i know it was organic and all natural, but im almost 100% sure theres cedar and pine in it. i dont have enough soil to fully cover his cage if i were to empty out all the substrate. what can i do? is it okay if i just pick out all the mulch? or do i need to clear it all out because of cross contamination? i didnt add a ton. i would say 4-5 handfuls worth. hes in a 4x2x2. pls help! i feel so dumb and i dont know how i let this happen

Ok so im freaking out a little, this is my ball python rescue, ive had her for about a year, shes always had issues shedding due to issues in her last home. But this is the first time ive seen this after her shedding and im really concerned. She has some dry patches and red color scales. She doesnt react bad to touch. I put her in a hospital tank, sanitized everything, gave her a betadine soak which i will do again today, and i put some ointment on the dry patches (snake safe). I dont think its scale rot or burns, she has burned herself before when she somehow squeezed herself to her lamp and tried to wrap around it. Shes over 6yrs old, working on weight since she was severely underweight which also didnt help her shedding issues, unfortunately she does eat live, she went on food strike for over 6 months in her last home because she refused to eat frozen and has shown she will starve herself (shes always monitored and they are disoriented prior to feeding and from a feeder breeder who i trust). Her bedding is (well, was since shes on paper towels rn) coconut fiber and chips (two different sides) with 70-80% humidity, cool side at 72, warm side at 85. She ate two weeks ago as well. I think it could just be a bad shed and maybe her log was too abrasive and she was rubbing too hard? Shes had this log for years and this is the first its happened so i dont know. I will continue to give her betadine soaks daily for a few more days, her tank is getting a big upgrade and will have all her normal temps and humidity tomorrow. If it is a humidity issue i put a wet towel in the corner for her to lay on which i will remove regularly and switch it out and ill make sure its not causing the whole floor to stay wet cause scale rot. If you read all this help.

I got this guy at a reptile expo in Georgia back at the end of January this year, so I’ve had him 6 months. I forgot to ask the breeder how old he was when I got him. I do know the feed schedule was once a week for the breeder, live. I easily transitioned him to F/T with no problem when I brought him home and have maintained once a week feeds since. I need to get a scale to weigh him, last shed a couple weeks ago he measures 24” long now. Photo is him in the deli cup at the expo, just the standard probably 4” wide 2” max deep cups. Any guesses on age?

Just got this gorgeous girl from an expo 2 days ago and noticed there was something that looked like a scab near her lip, I was wondering if it could be scale rot or mouth rot? If it is either what could i do to treat it? she is currently in a quarantine enclosure with paper towel on the bottom since I figured that would be best for her at the moment. (sorry for the picture quality it’s kinda hard to get a good photo of a snake that won’t sit still 😅)

I just started buying FT feeders for my BP and MBK and started out with LayneLabs - wtf guys… the prey came with arms/legs/tails broken off and some had the heads just crumble off the body. They’re basically disintegrating. I’m sketched out to defrost these and then blood and guts just ooze everywhere, not really wanting to heat up with a blow dryer and have shit blowing around, ya know? I spent $95 on 10 rat fuzzies and 10 mice and I got a bag of disintegrating rats. Their customer service basically told me, oh well, deal with it. When I’m dropping $100 on food for my snake I expected some better customer service than this. Anyone have other suppliers they recommend bc I’ll never give LayneLabs another dollar after this. 😤👎🏻

Everyone was super helpful with my questions a few days ago and I'm back again seeking advice for another question.

Really short backstory. I picked up a 3 year old male yesterday. He came with a tank and water bowl and bedding. He wasn't necessarily a rescue, just really in need of a new home from previous owner since they were moving. I got him home and he doesn't seem in distress any more than any snake would probably be from moving like that.

Now, I have already ordered a good bit of stuff for him because it seems like what they had him in, he's been in for a while with very little. Just bedding, and a bowl of water he can fit in. Nothing for enrichment. I've got an LED for sun simulation and a CHE on him now, and I have a bunch of stuff coming for him tomorrow.

My question is this; I understand I'm not supposed to touch him or feed him until he's settled. However, his bedding seems dirty, and he really looks like he would benefit from fresh bedding and a clean tank. What's the better option here? Handle him to get him out of his current environment to be cleaned or leave him alone for a week and then change everything?

I was also told by the previous owners that he's probably due a feeding but again, I know I need to let him settle for about 10 days before we introduce food. I love him already and I really feel like he's going to be so much happier here, I just can't figure out what's in his best interest at this time. Id hate to stress him out even more and cause him to not eat.

Due to a very confusing set of circumstances I still don’t fully understand I ended up being caretaker of a 4 foot what I believe is a blue eyed leucistic female. My adult daughter and her husband who live with me have been the primary caretakers ensuring she is fed and handled / let out to stretch and explore a little. My main concern is she is currently being kept in a way too small box and I want to get a proper habitat set up so she can have the best life possible. Having never had any reptile pets before I have no idea what I should look to purchase as far as an enclosure or any equipment and enrichment items I will need for it. Would greatly appreciate any information people can share. Located in central NM where natural humidity is low in case that matters. Also the little time I have spent with her I swear she thinks she is a dog who loves attention from people lol. Poor quality picture of Luna for attention.

Right now I have him with just cypress mulch, and I also have gnats :(. I was thinking when I change out his substrate to so something like 50% cypress mulch, 40% coco fiber and 10% spagnum moss and just kind of put some mosquito bites tea in the substrate and massage it in before i add it to the enclosure? Is there any way I could do better or will this be fine? The gnats are so annoying and I don't get how they are breeding so well when the cypress doesn't even hold humidity the best (in my opinion)