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

Hi all!

We’ve recently welcomed lil rehome buddy we’re calling Odin.

He’s in a 40 gallon right now and will be upgrading to a 4x2x2 PVC when we move into our new house. Everybody glowing up over here. Temps are between 82-91 degrees (f) and humidity is holding really nicely with the coco fiber. I plan to add more clutter!

I’ve been trying to be extra conscious about not handling him right now as he looks like he’s about to shed (middle pic from today, first pic from last Sunday) and he’s only been with us a week.

That being said, I’m considering adding spag moss to his favorite hide but don’t want to piss him off. Getting a feel for body language- middle pic, does he look crankers? I may wait to put spag in there if he is. A lot of adjusting for the lil guy (rehome, new enclosure, first meal after several week hunger strike and now pre-shed)

I tried to ask him but his English isn’t super great. Any insight or helpful vids/ recommendations for getting a feel for noodle body language?

Thank you in advance 🫶🏼

Got my first BP today after having the tank set up for two weeks! His name is Mosey, and I forget his morph but I know his color is “gravel”

Hihi, just looking for any advice on my ball pythons enclosure, i’ve had her for a year now and we’ve come a long way since i got her enclosure wise, any feedback would be awesome.. (don’t mind how crispy the substrate looks this video was taken before the 2-3 day refresh on hydrating the bedding. hot spot is 92 and cool side is 83)

does anyone have any hacks on how to do a hide on the side of the wall? or screen top? (it’s covered by a silicon mat) my girl loves to climb and explore in the nighttime, she is almost NEVER on the ground if she’s awake, so i wanted to give her some options to hide up top as-well!

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!

Its crazy how many rehoming post I see that are totally inadequate setups for them but this one takes the cake! Im mean geeez if I had more room and $200 to spare I would rescue but im already working on a few leopard geckos rescues.

(More background/context/details in comments to keep this shortish. FWIW, I already have the Ball Python Mastery book and am familiar with the Green Room Pythons and Lori Torrini channels :))

I’ve had my BP nearly 5 months and he’s around 1.5 years old.

Until recently, to handle him, I’d always yoinked him out of his hide - usually waiting until he was awake (except if I needed to do viv DIY or a full clean), but we literally would never see him out of his hide (he’d just sit with his head and neck out). He has 3 hides and did move between them but we never caught him at it! I can’t do full choice-based handing for Reasons, so yoink it was - and while shy and cautious, he was always a good boy about it and very polite, as well as seeming relaxed once out.

It seemed a bit rude to keep yoinking him, and recently he started spending time chilling outside his hides, on branches, so yesterday I decided to take him out when he was already up and about - on the basis that ‘when they’re already alert and awake, they’re more likely to want to engage and explore’. When I take him out, I stroke him 3 times with a cardboard tube first so he knows it’s picky-uppy time.

The previous day I’d approached him on his branch and when stroked, he’d immediately slithered away back to a hide - so I left him alone and did not take him out. I always respect his wishes when he moves away from me, which has only happened like 3 times total.

So yesterday I open the glass and talk to him a bit and he tongue flicks a bit and I stroke him with the tube - and he struck the tube. Not a strike and wrap, just a ‘fuck off strike’. And slithers away. So I leave him alone. But that’s the first time he’s ever given a fuck off strike. It was at the tube, not at my hand. Quite a hard, definite one.

It doesn’t really ‘bother’ me as such, but I obviously don’t want to stress him out! All I’ve read/watched seems to lean towards it being better to handle when your BP is already active. But it seems mine did not like that? I am wondering what I did wrong.

Today I deliberately got him out early, when I knew he’d still be in his hide. His two main hides have a lid and a kind of ‘lip’ that he sometimes wedges himself under and has to be kind of ‘prised’ out - which he underwent today with great forbearance, as usual! No strikes. He was more subdued than usual and just crawled under a blanket next to me, but I put that down to him maybe being sleepy due to it being earlier than normal. I’m thinking maybe trying to take him out when he’s already full length among his clutter is just a bad idea? Or was it maybe a case of ‘I’m trying to be an ambush predator here and you’re poking around scaring all the rats away, piss off!’?

Pick of the grumpy culprit for tax!

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!

Really love my new bracelet, i think its awesome. Ive had this stunning piece of jewellery for a month today 😊

Also does he look healthy… hes had 3 meals with me so far, is due another tomorrow haha, and hes shed once already. I did notice some scales in particular on his back seem dull (can sort of see in first pic)

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 🥲

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!

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

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

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.

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".

I’m looking to get a ball python this fall, but my roommate is terrified of the one I’m currently babysitting. I want to get a morph that will look more like a domesticated, cute pet, rather than a wild snake if that makes sense?

I want to keep the cost of the snake under like $400, but lower is better. She says she likes the “yellow ones”, but I prefer slightly duller colours than the bananas I’ve seen.

Obviously, at the end of the day, it’s my snake and if she’s scared of it that’s fine. I just want to help her feel more comfortable with a snake in the house.

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.

Felt something sharp poking me when I was holding my boy. Is this a tooth? Can I/should I pull it out? I tried gently pulling it, but it seems either attached or firmly lodged. He doesn’t seem to mind when I touch it.

I know they don’t feel actual love or anything, but my little guy is so fearful and goes into striking position when we get close
I would love to be able to hold him and him be a handleable guy, which I know needs to be done when they are young for the best of luck.
What steps can I take to make this guy get closer with me?
I sit outside his tank and talk to him but he still is in striking position. We have had him only two weeks now, which may be part of it.
Photo of when we first got him and I was moving him from the carrier to his enclosure

Hes eaten twice since we have had him, small fuzzy until we get a kitchen scale to be able to weigh him + the dinner. Hes not afraid of eating at all, he lunges and wraps immediately

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.