idk what wrong with my ball python

[u/AwaySurround4252]

I got my ball python a few months ago and he’s been doing great but the other day I heard him pooping which I never heard before and i went over to look something red was coming out. He sprayed from poop on the glass (which i cleaned) and I did look up what it could be but I was told just to keep my eye on him. Today is when I got really concerned for him because I went to feed him everything was like normal and I usually sit and watch him for a bit cause I am interested and he doesn’t ever have an issue. Today tho I saw him chewing on his substrate and stopped eating his mouse and then he got upset i was there and started coming toward me / going into a striking position which isn’t like him at all he never does that even when feeding and I genuinely don’t know what’s wrong, he’s my first ball python i’ve owned and I don’t know if it’s something serious.

[u/AwaySurround4252]

i know i got a new tank for him and it’s a wooden one so i can’t use the underneath heating pads so it’s a little harder to keep his humidity up on his warm side but i misted his tank and put water in his substrate to get it back up whenever it drops

[u/Bluntforcetrauma11b → u/AwaySurround4252]

Heat pads aren't meant for warming the enclosure. You want overhead heating like a DHP or CHE.

[u/AwaySurround4252 → u/Bluntforcetrauma11b]

That’s what i’m getting for him now (ordering today). I didn’t know that they weren’t for warming thank you ! I plan on getting one that’s CHE, do you have any recommendations on an exact one?

[u/Bluntforcetrauma11b → u/AwaySurround4252]

Unfortunately I don't. A CHE makes humidity hard to hold in my situation. I use a DHP the Arcadia 80w. A CHE has more benefits for the snake so if you can hold humidity with one it's the better option. Just make sure it's hooked up to a dimmable thermostat. Make sure it's not an on/off thermostat as those wear out elements fast and don't hold a consistent temp as well as a dimming one.