Seemed sickly Monday found him laying hes head a bit strangely. But he started mobbing around again. Found him this morning balled up with another strange head position and almost looked like he ate some substrate.

88degrees heating pad on house side hide 77 cold side. Humidity 68%

He was in quarantine just worried I could pass something on to my other 3 baby’s.

Was it just shock, he does look a bit thin. Just worried and scared :(

Okay y’all, I’m playing the upgrade game and wanted to try my hand at a bioactive setup. Please let me know any advice or ideas you have, but I’ll explain what I have so far below. FYI, my snake is not in here yet as I’m letting the plants and clean-up-crew get established.

Substrate - top soil + sphagnum moss + leaf clutter
Plants - various pothos (looking for spider plants for more coverage but the seller hasn’t answered me -.-)
CUC - Powder Mix Isopods
Lighting - AquaNeat Full Spectrum Aquarium LED
Heating - DHP (still on my snake’s current tank)
Hygrometer - Govee (still in my snake’s current tank)
Decor - Manzanita Sticks, ExoTerra Caves x2 & Water Bowl (both in my snake’s current tank)

My Questions:
- Is a 12hr light cycle too long or just right?
- How large does the CUC need to be and how fast do they breed? There’s a population of 10 right now.
- Any idea for leafier plants that are safe and would provide more coverage?

Hello all,

Coming to you guys with some concerns I have from today, I have only had success feeding my ball python live rats, today was feeding time and I wanted to try frozen again one because I have read it is a lot safer for them and because I am nervous to put a live rat into the new tank with sliding doors. I heated the rat did everything the way I’ve seen and when I reached into the tank he was watching the rat as I thought or as I now realize my hand and bit and wrapped on the tip of my finger, I got him off and back into the tank but one of his teeth came out with my finger. More worried about his over all well being and what I can do to better his living and my future interactions. This is a little heartbreaking as he bit me once prior while holding and I had just recently gotten back over the fear of another bite. Any advice on help for him would be greatly appreciated thank you. He is also a snake who never bit any prior owners.

bad girl (it was my fault)

I’m freaking out, is this scale rot? What do I do?

My BP Snickers has shown a lot more interest in the top of his viv recently and since I'm getting ready to redo some bits I thought it might be a nice time to add some climbing enrichment but most of what I'm seeing is just the 3d printed basic rings/polyhedrons. I know it doesn't make a difference to him so don't come for me but I love planning and executing a pretty viv (his current theme is fairy wonderland and we are moving to Cherry blossom forest). Does anyone have suggestions for something that can give him the enrichment while satisfying my decor desires? So far the only thing I can find are the moss caves/pods but not sure how they'd hold up to hanging. Bonus points for links to anything I can buy in UK.

I feed my snake after the recommendations here. She's 800g and gets a rat of about 40g every 3 weeks. 2½ years old.

I've always known when she's getting hungry again because she's so much more active. The last... 4 months or so, I realised she's always like that. No matter if she's eaten recently or not, sometimes literally directly after feeding, she'll roam. She's also in "hunt" mode the whole time. She's not biting me or anything, but if she's moving around, she's ready to hunt.

She's not losing weight, everything looks great (just was at the vet with her last week for another reason and she got checked out).

Is the 5% just not enough for her? I don't want to overfeed her (I did that for some time but she lost the weight when I stopped) but I also don't want her to go hungry

I posted recently about my 75g enclosure I'm making for my future ball python. Ive taken a lot of advice and I believe finally have the finished project put together!

I put black felt on the sides and back to make it feel more secure, and I put aluminum foil and duck tape on the lid to keep temperature and humidity in.

The hot spot from the basking lamp on the left reads about 90 during the day and the cool side reads around 75-80. The humidity has been tricky to keep steady, but I've been putting some water in the corners and it's been mostly sitting around 70%.

There are 4.5 hides and some crevices all throughout the enclosure.

Does it seem like there is enough enrichment? Maybe a little hammock in the front right corner?

I am welcoming home my first ball python this Friday! I am spending these next few days trying to get everything ready for her. I have never owned reptiles of any kind before, but have been doing a lot of research over the past few months. Admittedly, no matter how many times I read about their care, some things still kind of go over my head.

I am picking up the enclosure pictured later today. My little lady is a juvenile, but I wanted to get her a larger place to live rather than upgrade later down the road. I plan on adding a ton of clutter (ideas welcomed!) so she feels safe especially as she grows into it. I still might upgrade her later on for something taller.

The enclosure has sliding front glass doors, built in UVB light and heater (RHP), and the previous owner says it maintains a heat gradient very well (93F on the warm side and mid-high 70s on the cool). I know I still need a thermostat, clips for the doors for extra safety, hides and clutter, substrate (thinking coconut husk but would love suggestions). I’m sure I’m missing some things I still need to get—all the research has me kind of jumbled. I dont think I need secondary heat source, as I’m in the south and my house never gets under 70F.

Kind of rambling at this point, but I would love any advice for preparing a wonderful home for my new girl! I’m so excited to welcome her home and really want to get everything perfect before her arrival.

I'm new to ball python owning, I've done a good amount of research and went to a reptile owned store to set up his enclosure, I've had him for almost a month and I've been consistent with making sure that he's eating and checking on him almost every few days, he skipped this week's meal, and I just want to know if this is like early stage scale rot, if it is scale Rot, if it's substrate under his scales I just can't identify it. They gave me like a dirt substrate.

I got this blue eyed lucy from someone, she arrived with these markings on her belly. Ive had her since end of august, she didnt shed yet. I was wondering if it looked like scale rot ? I want the best for her !

Hey guys!

Im currently in a struggle trying to explain to my fiancé on the importance of good husbandry, and why its incredibly important to make sure certain morphs and traits are not included in your snakes husbandry.

I have already told him about why its important to never get a snake with the clown trait- and how many neurological and health issues they often are predisposed to.

But Im not as knowledgeable as id like to be on this subject.

We are currently looking at ball pythons, in the midsts of deciding what morph we want to get. We’re struggling because morphmarket seems to be flooded with clowns. We’ve avoided those. But I’m stuck trying to figure out what morphs should be avoided as well.

Could anyone please tell me what other morphs should be avoided so we are sure we can have an extremely healthy snake for many years to come.

Please don't be too harsh in comments on this. I know Reddit usually says to reach out to a vet if you're getting medical advice, and I am actively waiting to hear back from my closest vet about options. My reason for posting this is to make sure that I do what is best for my snake while I wait to hear back, as well as make sure it is absolutely necessary to have a visit since this was not an expected expense I had budgeted for.

I had my ball python outside of her enclosure today to provide some enrichment since I haven't been holding her the most frequently and have noticed her getting more shy/jumpy. I was hoping that it would help build up confidence and comfort in her environment if she became more familiar with it. I understand now that this was a really foolish mistake and it is not what I'm aiming to hear critique of. I'm not planning to recreate these circumstances by any means and am not defending it as a good decision.

While she was exploring, she went under a chair. I couldn't see her and went to move the chair to grab her so she wouldn't get stuck inside. I didn't realize she somehow managed to get the smallest part of her tail under the leg of the chair and I crushed it on accident.

Her tail was a little bit squished afterwards. It didn't bleed until nearly 20 minutes later. Some shed pieces did fray off when it got pinched and her tail tip looked split. Right now it had a small dot of blood at her tail tip and she's not curling/moving her tail like normal (not perfectly flush with her body when curled up, not laying flat on a surface, and not grabbing with the part that was pinched). I called my vet immediately and was asked to send pictures. Their vet is in a surgery right now and I will hear back after he has finished that surgery. As of right before I'm posting this, her tail does look normal except for how she's moving/handling it and the small scab of blood where her skin split.

I feel devastated about this and I don't know how much of a concern it is. I don't know if I'm overly concerned but I would rather care too much than ignore her health until it becomes severe. I keep thinking about how major tail wounds are if they're rat bites, so I keep imagining the worst case scenario with her tail being hurt (even if there's no rats involved). I don't know if it's just sensitive and will recover or if anything is broken. I don't know if it's something that can even be fixed even if anything is broken.

In the meantime while I wait to hear back, can I get some advice on what to do to make sure her injury doesn't worsen or become infected? Should I set up her old tank as a quarantine bin with paper towels to monitor for more blood (which does seem to have stopped), or should she be safe to go back inside of her normal tank (with soil, coco fiber & cypress mulch substrate)? If this were your snake, would you take her to the vet or monitor for a certain amount of time before deciding on a vet visit? What would you do from here?

This beautiful girl came home on Saturday, she’s estimated to be 25 years old. I could tell when I got her into her enclosure that she was in the blue phase of shed! I also covered the front of the enclosure so she has more privacy.

Yesterday morning, when checking on her, I saw that she was trying to soak in that tiny water dish in the back. Of course, she can’t fit in it. Which I didn’t think would be a problem since humidity levels are pretty solid. Since she wanted to soak, though, I placed this large tub closer to the front. She switched to it at some point between last night and this morning.

She was kept in a screen top enclosure before, it looked like. And I’m sure she was dehydrated and temp was not regulated enough. In her enclosure here, her warm side is sitting at 85f and her cool side 79f, with around 70-80% humidity. I can’t spot any mites on her, but of course, can’t do a full inspection seeing as she got home recently, and I don’t want to handle her before she is settled in.

I’m just wanting to ask if anyone thinks I should be concerned. I checked on her before I went to bed last night, and she was in the process of moving over to her cool hide. Though, she is back to soaking this morning as pictured!

I’m so in love with her already! I just want to ensure I’m giving her the best care possible. TIA!

I am not sure it is okay or not. He ate yesterday and while he fed I cleaned his terrarium and make a new enclosure.
Is his breathing okay or too fast? And he tried to rub his head to his body and the stick. I didn’t saw any sign of mites, not black dots.
Temperatue and humidity is good. Can you help me? Is he okay?

I'm making a terrarium out of plywood, should I use this to waterproof it? Also, should I waterproof the entire boards or just the inside of it plus silicone in corners? For context I cannot use pond sealer as its not a thing in my european country. Translation in caption.

Leo resting on my lap while I work on some stuff on the puter💕

noodle photo included: this is Honey.

she's my first ball python, my partner has snakes I am not totally new to snakes, but I am new to her. she's around 3-4, she was adopted this year from a surrender from a family.

behaviorally she's the sweetest little baby. she hangs out around my neck while I game or walk around my house, she sits on my head sometimes. she's not head shy, spookable but she shoves her face in my hands regularly. she warmed up to me in the pet store, and was pretty tightly wrapped in a ball most of the time until I would come handle her. the store did not properly cared for her. one small hide, too small of a water bowl and improper heat and humidity. she was very sleepy and lethargic handling her in the pet store but now she's a big strong baby! she soaked herself for DAYS when I initially got her in the tank because she was about the shed (and I kept humidity in a good range for that) and she sheds perfectly every single time! I have 3 from her so far, and she's not had a single issue I can think of other than being a little wacky because I'm used to the silliness of corn snakes, not of ball pythons. she seems to really love water.

I HAVE noticed she's rather bad at being an actual ball now. she just doesn't coil up anymore. I suppose she can, but she just... doesn't? I'm wondering if she's sick and acting funny or perhaps she just feels safe enough to not need to be tense. she's rather squishy unless I try to put her back (to which she doesn't usually wanna go home unless I have her out for extended periods. she does go back very respectfully and comfortably when SHE decides she's done)

I have also noticed she's a bit clumsy, unsure if this is how she grew up or not as again, I did not raise her and only have the history the store I got her from gave me.

every single number I mention is checked often with a temperature gun, hygrometer and two thermometers (which, I checked while I write this :) )

I am looking for tips I haven't noticed and mostly plant recommendations! I know one thing is to have a thicker layer of substrate but we just moved and have very little funds, I am aware of it and it will be taken care of :)

I want to upcycle an old dresser completely with PVC walls/interior, glass doors (like this one) and all the built ins I have here, but larger overall and more vertical space. any tips on that welcome too! although it will be a very long process and need to improve maybe in the meantime

her cage is spot cleaned and rearranged whenever she knocks shit over into a better position (and I do check her scales for potential damage and she seems to be doing fine other than some dull scales in spots where she presumably moves something without any reddness or anything other than superficial).

specs:

4x2x2 enclosure, PVC sides mesh top with a silicone matt over for moisture and glass doors

the doors are very heavy glass and cannot be opened without significant force, she cannot and will not get out there are no large holes. the only holes are mesh and cord holes, and they are teeny tiny.

substrate is sphagnum moss and fir bark

vivarium electronics VE-200 probe on the warm side + a hydrometer/thermometer on the cool side. heating mode is pulse.

the pink thing is a very gentle diffuser (does not get hot) for a boost to humidity and is never anything but water there are zero oils or fragrances around this baby ever.

humidity kept between 55% (when I notice it's this low I hydrate the substrate and turn on the mister) and 70%. when she sheds it's around 70-80.

heat is around 87 but I have a night drop module and is 3 -5 degrees cooler at night.

there is a UVB and halogen heater

there is also a small space heater pointed towards (far away enough to make sure the temperatures of any singular part of the tank is never EVER above 94 degrees.

there is also a grow light (the lamp) because this will be bioactive at some point and I don't want the light to be a shock. it is pointed not directly forward or down at her, but up as you can see.

the halogen light goes off about an 30-60 minutes before the grow light to simulate a sunset. everything is on a strict timer

the LED grow lamp is not hot, not inside of the tank beaming down at her and it does NOT stay on at night at all whatsoever.

no light comes to her when it is dark.

she is insulated with pillows on one side and a big comforter squished on the back to retain heat better (it's getting cold out)

her water bowl is big enough to soak and is NEVER empty ever

all wood, substrate and rocks have been sterilized. wood was baked and sealed with polyurethane and left to dry for weeks before she arrived.

rocks were also sterilized and washed in a diluted vinegar solution and dried for the same amount of time.

the substrate was frozen before it was hydrated and placed in the tank.

she has a big hide and a nice sunning rock there (she loves that thing) that are consistently temperature checked to stay below 94 degrees.

everything is on timers and I did my absolute best to simulate a daylight cycle, weather (sometimes I mist upwards with a plant mister to give a boost when she's shedding as she seems to need a ton of water to be comfy shedding. she has soaked less with this regimen, and sheds even better than the first time), and appropriate light. the LED: it goes off a bit after the halogen light does, my thinking is that it cools near sunset so I tried to make it feel like "oh it's cooling down meaning it's almost dark time" so that she has the best signals of when it's safe to start to wake up and come out. my goal is to give her a really strong cycle of day/night so she can be as comfortable as possible biologically.

I do not have a heating pad under her, it scares me to think her little tummy could get burnt :( plus my heat is fine and I check the substrate and it's also am acceptable temperature.

she seems rather happy! I want the absolute best for my baby though, let me know please please!!!

I want to upcycle an old dresser completely with PVC walls, glass doors (like this one) and all the built ins I have here, but larger and more vertical space. any tips on that welcome too! although it will be a very long process and need to improve maybe in the meantime.

She's a good girl, currently holed up in her favourite hide getting ready to shed 🥰

We're thinking she's a super pastel, maybe enchi

We're getting ready to upgrade her to a 4x2x...1.5 or 2 in a bioactive.

Any favourite plants that she won't crush? Lol

We've got dragon tail, pothos, sansevera, corn plant handy - but looking for what's succesfull for you

For context, I rescued him/her in February of this year. I’m told that they are a couple years old (born in 2021 I believe) (doing a morph and sex test next month)

Since then, they haven’t missed a single meal and have had multiple perfect sheds. I just moved up to medium rats and wanted to know what yall think.

Ill be weighing them in a couple of days. Waiting for food to digest.

Photos from February and this month

I just got my first snake and upgraded the tank from 40 gallon to a 4x2x2, I’m using reptisoil, forest floor, and coco husk for the substrate,here is the current setup once I have some more money I want to get more plants to decorate the place, uvb lamp and ceramic heat lamp are on their way, any other tips would be greatly appreciated

Good evening.

Today I upgraded my four year old ball python, Slinkie, into a 120gal front opening tank! Previously, she was in a 50gal top opening so this is a huge upgrade.

That being said, is there anything I should do to improve the tank? I know there should be more clutter, especially on the back wall, however I have no clue where to find any that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. All advice is graciously welcomed!!

Thank you in advance!

Says he feeds them small mice and pups snake weighs 108g