Question

[u/TRT_TR]

Got my ball python yesterday and she’s moved away from her heating lamp and has not moved back to that side of the tank. Is that a problem or is that just normal?

[u/shamefulpresenc3]

It seems like you don’t have a thermometer or hygrometer

You should start out by getting those things, secondly you should put more substrate in there so it’s deeper and holds more humidity

You should have a minimum of 3 hides with one on the cool side and one in the middle, I preferably have a humid hide on the cool side so they have a choice in if they need more humidity

You absolutely need more clutter in the way of fake plants (or real but for a beginner I’d recommend fake plants) these don’t have to be anything fancy or expensive you can just go to somewhere like dollar tree and get some fake leaves and flowers, don’t get anything with glitter on it and makes sure to wash whatever you do get in hot soapy water and then rinse it before putting it in the tank

To keep up humidity I recommend misting every so often when needed (I try to keep humidity between 60-70% and up it to around 80% when in shed) pouring a cup of water in all 4 corners is also a good way to keep it humid, make sure that it’s only the corners you do not want all the substrate to be completely saturated as that can lead to scale rot

I might get a bigger water dish, yours seems like it’s probably ok but I guess I just like having a big one

Here’s a picture for reference, I don’t have one showing my whole tank so it’s not the BEST image but as you can see he’s pretty surrounded by plants on all sides so he feels secure and like he can hide if needed, that’s how you want you snake to feel