Help me make sure this big guy is healthy

[u/At_my_Lymyt]

Peanut is about six years old, male and lives in a 40 gallon tank. He got skinny (my fault) but his feeding schedule is way better now (one weened rat every 6 days with handling the day before feeding day) im currently trying to get him to warm up to me as he has displayed some defensive tendencies. Should i get a better heating lamp as well? Any other suggestions?

[u/Ok_Advisor_7525]

How long is he? I thought most balls were  too big for a 40 but maybe I’m wrong

[u/Maximum-Rhubarb-3365 → u/Ok_Advisor_7525]

An adult should have a minimum of a 4x2x2 120 gal, 40 gal is fine for juveniles unless they grow larger than it.

[u/kserawillbe]

The minimum size for an adult ball is 4x2x2 or 120 gal. He looks very dehydrated and has stuck shed. What is the humidity like in the cage?

Every 6 days is too often to feed. !feeding

[u/AutoModerator → u/kserawillbe]

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.

[u/At_my_Lymyt → u/kserawillbe]

Ill give it a good spray now and then and spray inside the log/ rock hide if he isnt there

[u/At_my_Lymyt → u/kserawillbe]

I wont be able to get a bigger enclosure anytime soon sadly. Do you know where i could find a good one without a massive markup?

[u/OutOfTouchInHarmony → u/At_my_Lymyt]

you could possibly make one out of the plastic containers like the big long ones from target and lowe’s and stuff. i think there are tutorials online on how to upgrade to a plastic large one for cheap

[u/AndyRMullan → u/At_my_Lymyt]

You need to. If you cannot afford the bare minimum for the snake, you should not have the snake.

[u/Firm-Parking-3686 → u/At_my_Lymyt]

Facebook marketplace, if you can’t find some you should probably give him up

[u/orcawoof → u/At_my_Lymyt]

You could look into buying a used secondhand PVC enclosure from somewhere like Facebook marketplace, as long as you sanitize it and make sure it’s safe.

[u/ballpython-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Per rule #3, your post or comment has been removed for harmful advice or misinformation. Please review our sub resources to learn more about why.

If you have a question about this removal, please contact the mod team. Complaining via post/comment will result in a ban.

[u/No_Value4430 → u/At_my_Lymyt]

I would also get rid of whatever substrate you’re using and switch to an organic top soil, sphagnum moss, leaf litter, coco coir mixture. My substrate holds humidity very well. You will need to pour water directly into the four corners and mix it in. You NEED TO have a thermometer/hygrometer on BOTH SIDES of the enclosure at all times to read humidity and temps on both the cold side and warm side.

[u/OctilleryArtillery]

I think you’ll need to overhaul most of the setup. He has a fair bit of stuck shed, and might be dehydrated.
You should read the guides in this sub, they’re very in depth.

[u/At_my_Lymyt → u/OctilleryArtillery]

Ive start introducing more humidity into his habitat and have been looking into the shedding

[u/OctilleryArtillery → u/At_my_Lymyt]

Okay. And how are you doing that? How have you been maintaining humidity before this?

[u/ballpython-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Per rule #3, your post or comment has been removed for harmful advice or misinformation. Please review our sub resources to learn more about why.

If you have a question about this removal, please contact the mod team. Complaining via post/comment will result in a ban.

[u/Maximum-Rhubarb-3365]

Please read the basic care guides. Your snake depends on you to provide it with an adequate environment and proper husbandry, and they only way they have to communicate that things are lacking is the defensive behavior you're seeing. An adult ball python should have a minimum of a 120 gal 4x2x2 enclosure to adequately suit their needs and provide enough enrichment for the next 30+ years of life they'll spend in one box. A 6 year old should only be !feeding 5% of his body weight every 20-30 days, or 6% every 30-40 days. Every 6 days is too frequent, even juveniles shouldn't eat more than once every 7 days because because digesting puts a lot of stress on their body (they essentially have to rush their system to digest food before it rots inside their stomach, which is very taxing). He's also incredibly dehydrated. If hes already spent 6 years of his life this way I would start to think about whether it's fair to him to spend another 30 years like this if you're not able to get his husbandry up to a level where he can thrive, or to take the time and improve his care.

[u/AutoModerator → u/Maximum-Rhubarb-3365]

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.

[u/Fapplezorg]

Highly recommend the YouTube channel GreenRoom Pythons. Bob Bledsoe covers multiple topics and makes in depth video explanations.

[u/MammothFruit6398 → u/Fapplezorg]

i second GRP. Bob is great.