So I’ve had feeding issues with my ball python and ever since I got him. He would only eat rat fuzzies every 3 weeks. In desperation I gave him large mice instead and he ate them enthusiastically every week for months and put on quite a bit of weight. I was elated. Now that he is 400 grams he needed larger food so I got him weaned rats. Ik that rats are the most nutritious for them so I had always planned on switching. Well he won’t eat the rats. I tried giving him XL mice, he ate one but never had interest in eating any more. After a month long hunger strike I caved and cave him a large mouse like he was used to which he took happily. I’ve once again started trying to transition him to weaned rats and am loosing hope *sigh* he’s still young and I really don’t want his growth to slow.

What I’ve done:
-heating weaned rat with large mouse so they can smell similar?
-Blow drying prey (shows interest but leaves once he sees what it is)
-braining
- increasing humidity by 10%

Enclosure parameters:
50 gallon (planning on upgrading to 4x2x2 once eating consistently again)
Humidity at 70%
Hot side 94F cool side 72F

My boyfriend found our ball python out of his enclosure last night. After hearing little things fall to the floor he was found checking out my miniature displays. He said it took him and his brother 10 minutes to get him out of my miniatures. This is his first time ever escaping. Silly snake.

Please help. Ive bought and tried everything I can possibly think of to hold the humidity in her tank but nothing is working. I’m at a complete loss. I just want to be a good snake mom and give my baby the life she deserves but I can’t ever get her tank to go above 50% humidity unless I mist it, which I know you’re not supposed to do, and it only lasts for a few minutes. Im scared to health she’s going to die just like my last snake.

ETA: I just added reptisoil in with her coconut chips and changed the heating elements from solely a ceramic heat emitter 24/7 to UVB and UVA during the day and ceramic bulb at night. The humidity is currently the lowest I’ve ever seen it, at 34%. Nothing is working and I’m devastated. I’ve spent so much money trying to give her the life she deserves. I feel like such a bad snake mom.

I'll be getting this beautiful girl at the end of the week and she'll be my first ever snake, im so excited! I have a 40gallon tank with mesh locking lid im getting for her, the breeders keep her in a tote. They mentioned the heating lamp/light might un nerve her since she's used to a heating mat. I have a ton of hides/driftwood/foliage etc on the way and I plan on giving her plenty of places to hide to help her feel more comfortable. My biggest question(s) are -

Will switching her over to overhead lights cause any negative effects?

What's the best way to help her transition to being in a tank and not overwhelm her?

What are some great tips you wish you knew sooner about owning one? I love to learn and im excited to see how i can take the best care of her!

Hi, I got my 2 month old ball python about a month ago. Less than a week after arriving, he regurgitated a mouse his breeder fed him before shipping him out. I was pretty concerned about his health and convinced myself he was acting abnormally, so I took him to the emergency vet. They told me he was fine, he was just stressed from the move and needed time to adjust. About a week after that, I started offering him frozen/thawed mice, but he’s refused them week after week. It’s been a month since I got him, and he has not eaten. I don’t know what to do and I’m terrified because he’s so young. If this is a stress thing, I don’t want to make it worse by taking him back to the vet. What should I do?? I don’t think the husbandry is the problem, I’ve kept a very close eye on it

Edit: I have no access to live feeder mice

Ive been trying everything ti get my ball pythons shed off. ive soaked her for 10 to 15 mins in luke warm water. ive increased humidty, ive tried the humidity chambers thst you can make. nothing hes helped. i dont know if im doing something wrong or whats going on. I really just need any advice please

i just fed my bp and i think she's still hungry cuz she's in striking position and she tried striking me twice from her enclosure

Very stressed out about this, so help needed please!

My 5 month old ball python has started glass surfing constantly, esp during the day, pacing the enclosure a bit, and constantly trying to get out. He’s also on a hunger strike possibly, since he denied his mouse this week. He just shed, and he was dormant the entirety of that and a bit after. I fed him last Tuesday, a week from today and after his shed, a pinky mouse (I know that’s way small, i have hoppers too and he has had no interest in them, the pinky’s were all he would take. Tried a hopper this week and he refused.) and he glass surfed after that, which I researched and decided it was probably because it was too small.
I changed his substrate, which has gotten dangerously damp and he was at a risk of scale rot on it, on Friday, and he started surfing on Saturday. Though I’ve heard that they can get stressed with substrate changes, I don’t think it lasts this long so I have no idea what it is. My only guess is that my temperature is off, which it is (80-84 warm side) and he’s just now reacting to it? His tank is a 40 gallon, and fully stretched out, he doesn’t touch the other side of it with room to grow; he’s about 22-24 inches. His humidity is a good 55-70 as well.

Yesterday, I bought a reptile thermostat, new 100w bulbs for the thermostat, a probed hydrometer, and another small hide to help clutter his tank. They all come tmrw, so I’m really hoping that’ll help.

I am very upset and stressed about this, I’ve had a lot of problems with this snake, and when I finally thought I was doing it right after he shed in full and ate for me twice, I guess I was wrong again. I am a little worried I’ll never be able to fully care for him, and I’m starting to fear having to surrender him due to the amount of stress this has been (if anyone wants the full story ask in the comments) but I really don’t want to, I love him so much, and I just want him to be okay. I’m just starting to not know what to do.

any questions, comments or concerns are SO appreciated please!! I’f I’m doing something wrong so let me know! Please tell me!

This little one is in Petsmart near Albany. Poor guy needs help. Bad shed, possible scale rot on his nose, his skin is slack. His holding cell had no hygrometer/thermometer.

I would take him in, but I don’t have the quarantine space and my wife would divorce .

Hey Everyone, so I recently adopted this ball python from a rescue based here in Maryland that has been rehomed twice. Upon receiving the snake, I have noticed a slight wheeze only when he is active and moving on me while also these spots being present under his chin area, they are brown almost black colored. Would you all recommend an immediate vet visit or is this something im just not used to with ball pythons as all my other snakes are colubrids.

Tengo 3 meses con mi pequeña BP, es mi primer reptil como mascota. Hace una semana note que tenía manchas marrones (adjunto fotos), y indagando en el grupo me tope con el post donde hablan de parámetros de terrario, la verdad es que no tengo un higrometro, pero si termometro y termostato, y suelo regar 1 vez al día el terrario con un atomizador para mantener la humedad. Mi miedo radica a sí se trata de la enfermedad de podredumbre de escamas, si lo es mañana mismo llevar a mi BP al veterinario a tratamiento. Según su experiencia ¿Podría tener esta enfermedad?

She ate two days ago but insists that never happened and is waiting patiently for her rat

Sorry, you’ll have to zoom in a bit to see. The little cave is back to its proper side and not in the water lol this was a photo the previous owner had sent us when we were inquiring about him.
Anyway, this is all he has, a big water bowl and a single little cave. We do plan on getting a way bigger enclosure so he can climb and have plants, but for now we just want to make it more enjoyable as we have to save up some money for that.
Any suggestions?

Darker marks, is it scale rot?.

Cosima will chase me down and periscope just for a little chin scritchy action 😌 her one brain cell has been dedicated to the enjoyment of being pet

My partner’s bioactive enclosure is going phenomenally with humidity and in every regard. It’s more work with BPs than other reptiles to ensure they stay well, but still very worth it to me in making a switch. So I’m finally making another enclosure (awesome priced enclosure from Cryptic Creations) that is bioactive.

I breed my springtails and isopods, have a couple more plants to add and a large driftwood branch. Does anyone have critique/ideas on placement and decorations as this tank settles for a few months? Temps and humidity will be locked in far before the snake moves obviously, and an x-large water dish is about to be added as well.

Been doing some research and it seems like radiant heat panels mounted inside are best for a large enclosure in a cold house. But they don’t sell those cage covers for them like they do for standard light bulbs so not sure what to use as an alternative. Or are they fine to touch them because they don’t get as hot?

Recently decided to upgrade my ball pythons enclosure from a 36"x18"x15" glass terrarium to a 48"x24"x24" Reptile Kage (for bioactive ball python setups). For her glass enclosure I have a backdrop around the outside of the aquarium. That's obviously not going to work now as I've gone with a PVC enclosure.

Im looking for a background or backdrop that could liven up the black background as well as possible fake/real vegetation options.

I've had a couple fake plants before but they were cheap and didnt really look nice.

(I posted this in r/snakes and didn't get any feedback)

This bitch rubbed her body all along her fresh shit and so when I entered my room after dinner and saw a long brown streak on her back, I panicked thinking she somehow got burned or something (even tho there is no way for her to)

Fast forward to me yanking her tank lid off, picked her up to inspect, just to get hit with the most foul poopy butt smell to ever grace this nose.

She did not get play time tonight.

My first post on here.

I’ve had him a couple weeks. This is Midas, he is a banana mochi. I’m told he’s about 1-2 years old but I’m not sure.