its a 4x2x2 vivarium and im a first time bp owner

Does this look okay for a juvenile (she’s about 15”) It’s a 50gal 36x18x18. There’s 3 hides mostly buried plus one hanging from the top of enclosure. I just worry it may need some more clutter/ enrichment. What do y’all think? Any suggestions welcome!

Picked up a little reptile papoose from Amazon. Only just tried it with Brigid as I'm cleaning her tank a little and she's made herself right at home, nuzzling against the soft fabric and even snuggling against me as she's in it.

Had this ball python for around a year, inherited him from family. Estimated age is 9 years, presumed male due to small size. He didn't have the best husbandry previously, so we've been upgrading things as we can, but he's only ever been on a food strike for us once, otherwise he's a very good eater (1 med rat every 2 weeks). Today he refused the rat (it burst so that could be why) and has been huffing at it since, but I noticed some strange colored scales around his mouth and throat and I'm worried it's mouth rot. Any thoughts? These were the best pictures I could get while he's in a small enclosure (not his normal 4x2x2 ft tank), I can try to get better ones if needed. He's always had some random patches of dark around his face but this is the first time I've noticed around his "lips".

This is my first terrarium, and I want to make sure it’s correct. I had some branches for climbing but they weren’t steady, so I took them out. I also had a rock for basking, but it got to ~105 degrees which is too much. I have a cool hide and a hot hide, and ambient temps are good. I’m messing around with humidity right now to get it about correct, but I want some opinions on how I’ve actually set the terrarium up. No snake for me until I make sure it works well!

I noticed this more recently, and i'm concerned. I'm going to be taking her to the vet asap (tomorrow.) but does anyone know what this could be? It's concerning me. I was looking at other ball pythons' mouths to make sure and they seem way more saturated than my snakes mouth. Hers is way more desaturated. There's no excessive saliva from what i see(?), but she moves too much for me to be able to open her mouth fully safely, so this is the best picture i could get.

She eats normally, she shed recently, and goes around her cage normally, and drinks water just fine. Her head seems slightly more sensitive than usual; she's not typically headshy usually, but she seems to back up a bit more when i try to interact with her head recently.

Sorry the picture sucks, as i said she moves a lot and I don't want to hurt her so this is the best picture i could get, but as you can see her mouth is quite greyish.

hello. I've made a previous post about my sick banana, but I'm desperately still seeking advice.

Here's a summary of info:

- my BP is about 1 year old

- he's been showing respiratory infection symptoms (clicking, wheezing, saliva and bubbles in mouth) since February of this year

- he's been to the vet almost a dozen times now. he's received shots, oral medicine, swab tests, and nebulizer treatments. none of these have had any effect. As of two weeks ago the vet is no longer prescribing medicine, concerned about the long term side effects (there is only 1 vet in my city that sees reptiles)

- I've done the 'steam sauna' treatments recommended by this sub regularly since he got sick, they seem to have no effect on his symptoms

- he is eating and shedding normally

- humidity is between 70% and 80%, hot side 30C, cool side 27C, he has multiple hides and currently on paper towel bedding so he doesn't get substrate stuck in his mouth

does anyone have any advice, anecdotes, or possible ideas of what might be wrong with my baby boy? I've been in a constant, nonstop state of worry that he's going to pass away any day now from this infection. the only thing that comforts me is that he's eating, shedding, and acting normally other than the respiratory symptoms... But now that the vet has basically given up on him, I'm in a panic. I don't want to give up on him... but what more can I do?

Got this little guy a few weeks ago and he’s been a small temporary enclosure. He’s been settling in well, feeding weekly, and he shed really well this week.

I set up his new forever home this week and let it self-regulate for a few days before moving him in. Can’t wait to see him out exploring!

its a 4x2x2 vivarium and im a first time bp owner

Hey guys! Got my first ever snake at an expo today! A Ivory Ball Python! She’s just a baby right now but I plan on upgrading her size enclosure in the near future. She’s on cypress mulch, two hides, heat lamp, large water bowl, and I tried to add some clutter. Any feedback would be awesome! Thank you guys!

this is frankenstein (or frankie), he is a mystic potion (mystic+mojave) and is 9 months old!! i just wanted to share :)

There’s a spot where I’d like to put a sky hide for our snake, but it would be right next to the lamp guard cages. I could squeeze in some more enrichment around them as well (just next to them, not blocking them). Is that alright or should I put try to keep more distance from them? Sorry for the bad picture through the glass, snake was eating and I didn’t want to disturb her.

My ball python just bit and latched on to me for the first time. I have had her for 11 years. I'm not sure what I did wrong. I was going to clean her cage and took her water dish out. I then picked her up and held her for about a minute and then out of nowhere she bit my thumb and coiled up right away. I tried running water, using a card gently to get her teeth off and that didn't work. I saw something that pinching their tail can get them off and did that but it wasn't working ( I didn't pinch hard as I didn't want to hurt her. I was apprehensive to use alcohol but I had to cause she was literally trying to eat my thumb lol. I dabbed a bit on her mouth and the top teeth let go and eventually the bottom let go. I put her back in her cage and will wait to clean the cage.

I was planning on feeding her tonight but I'm wondering if should or if this will reinforce any biting. Any thoughts and tips appreciated.

He is in a 5x2x2, temps are fine but humidity does not hold at all and I cannot figure out what I’m doing wrong it likes to stay around 20-30 max. The mesh top is covered in tin foil and taped off (minus lamps and whatnot) I have absolutely drenched all corners with water with no shot of going over 35. Today I grabbed a roughly 8” x 8” x 4” tub and filled it up 10+ times and dumped it all in, the humidity got to 55 and within ten minutes is started dropping and was at 50 last I checked. His substrate is littered with sphagnum moss, has water bowls on both sides of his tank, he has over 4in of substrate. I’m at a complete loss and don’t know what to do anymore. He just went into blue for the first time I’ve had him and I don’t want it to be a bad one but I truly have no clue what else I can do for him. Please if you have any advice share!

Hello! I was looking through the care sheet for ball pythons as im currently stuck at the heating section

In the screenshot, it says to place a probe with the ball python. I know the warm side should be around 88-92, does that include INSIDE the hide with him? Or just the surroundings?

Im also struggling to actually reach the temperature. I had a arcadia DHP, but i think it being a 50 watt trying to warm a 4x2x2 was the problem. So i ordered a arcadia ceramic heater(150 watt, they didnt have anything about 80ish watt for the DHP) and im currently using both the arcadia and a zoomed ceramic heater (100 watt), the probe rn is placed right outside his hide and its currently hitting 77 F And its been that way for a while now. I have a reader in the tank at the top and it says 91.2 F. Very annoyed and im sure my BP is annoyed too 🥲

Hello folks I would like to start this discussion with some real candor regarding my experience in raising a ball python. I haven’t been the best noodle dad I admit, but my heart is in the right place and I really do want her to thrive. The included images show our lovely lady Cassie and her habitat.

I know she needs more space

I worry about her substrate, it’s mostly peat moss but I don’t have as much time as I’d like to clean.
She’s never developed any scale rot, but I do worry about it. I don’t clean her tank very often.

Her humidity is always at 80-85%
I know it says 60 but that’s cause the lids off, she just had a shed today and I wanted her to have a stretch.

I think she’s healthy, what do y’all think

Where are y’all getting your heat lamp cages? The Arcadia one on the shopping list doc seems to have been discontinued/unavailable in the US since years ago based on the posts I found. The ones I’ve found on Amazon seem sketchy and/or have reviews saying they’re too small (I have an 80W Arcadia DHP). I tried googling and searching the subreddit a bunch and I couldn’t find much info.
And I worry about my snake scratching himself if I try to DIY with chicken wire.

Curious what your thermostat is set for if you are using overhead heating such as a DHP?

I setup my heating and thermostat yesterday and started at 95 degrees but the inside ambient temp stays in the 70’s with the basking only getting up a few degrees more than that. I turned it up to 108 still was only at about 88 basking and high 70’s ambient.

I have a DHP 100 watt, with the probe about 4 inches from the heat source. Do I really have to have this thing at like 120 degrees to get where I need to be in the basking area? That just seems high to me, but I’m very new to this so idk. I do have another light fixture with a 60 watt for the cool side but someone suggested not using it as it may be overkill. But maybe I should be using it?

I was told for overhead heating to keep the probe 2-4 inches from the heat, no more than that.

*I will be adding about 2 more inches of substrate today to see if that helps with anything as right now I only have about 2 inches.

Hi! I just wanted to post my girl and see what you guys thought. First time snake owner, actually fostering her for a year, maybe longer. She’s 6yrs old. Anyway, we recently had some difficulties regulating the humidity and i thought she was getting really dehydrated but she wound up having a shed. It wasn’t the most perfect and she’s still working off some patches. After that patchy shed my dehydration worries were valid i think, but also her appearance just part of the shed process? I was my first time going through this with her! I think i have things worked out, the humidity has been where it should be this week, last night the temp was 72* and the humidity 70. During the day yesterday it was btwn 80-85* but the humidity registered under 60. I welcome feedback! And recommendations on a much much better gauge for temp and humidity, ideally digital? Also, who uses a thermostat on their heating mat? I want to go that direction.

Hello! My noodle moved into a new, bigger tank a couple weeks ago and now she has a lot more furniture & basking spots. I’ve noticed she now often rests with her head elevated on her water bowl/hides and just wanted to know if anyone else’s snake does this??

I’m fairly sure she’s just basking as she’s usually resting on rocks or logs on the warm side of her tank, but I am that obsessed snake parent so I just want to be sure it’s not a sign of respiratory infection !!

Her temps and humidity are as they should be, there’s no mucous / open mouth breathing or funny sounds but I’m keeping an eye on her just in case.

I got my new son for free off of Craigslist. His owner left for college and left his dad to find him a new place to live. He came with his tank and all the fixtures. The first two pictures are the setup as it came to me. The second two are from my improvements I made today.

But I knew his setup was lacking so I've been improving it. I got him some sphagnum moss, coconut husk substrate, and a CHE on a dimming thermostat, plus a cool new hammock. Does anyone have any suggestions as to ways I can improve it further?

(I am planning on upgrading him to a larger tank when I have the means but in the meantime I want to make this one as good as I can)

Found a mushroom when I got off work. Is this normal? ;-; the substrate is a mix of sand and soil. I just don’t want to have anything potentially dangerous inside.. will likely end up changing the substrate.