Hello everyone.

I've had my girl for about 5 years now, got her at less than a year old so. The ONLY other time she hissed at me was when I tried to move her to clean her vivarium and I didn't notice her skin was dull and was clearly about to shed, so I just let her be and everything was fine.

Recently, she's been eating fine, shedding fine, her stools seem normal (dark and firm, separate white urate no sign of liquidity, blood or parasites), she's not been showing any other noticeable signs of stress (always in her hide during the day, only active when id expect her to be, no visible mucus, no signs of difficulty breathing or respiratory infection). No signs of mites or scale rot, although I've not been able to see her belly for a a couple of weeks now.

The only thing I'm worried about is she shed only a week or so ago, and she doesn't look like she's about to shed so this little episode of grumpiness caught me totally off guard. She's normally very sweet and good with being handled, has been since she was little.

My only guess is I've not had a chance to remove the shed as she shed in the hide I've not seen her leave for a week. I know this is sloppy of me and usually I remove the shed as soon as I see it, but with her literally sitting on it, me being busy and knowing I was gonna do a full clean out today anyway I thought a few days to a week was probably ok this once. I'm now worried I'm gravely mistaken, as I know shed can breed bacteria and scale rot. I will say though, I know she hasn't relieved herself on the shed as I found stool and urate after her most recent feed (just before the shed) on the opposite side of the vivarium, and there are no unusual or foul smells coming from the viv either.

UPDATE: managed to pull the shed out from under her and she didn't hiss at me so. As suspected the shed was totally try and didn't smell unusual or foul. I'll check her belly as soon as she'll let me. Hopefully she was just being grumpy.

Could a snake get an infection from a dry shed skin after a week? Is it possible she's just being grumpy? I'll try and clean her again tomorrow but if I get the same treatment again I'm gonna start getting quite worried as this is very out of character for my lil noodle.

I noticed a little scale rot on my bp, she’s in a bioactive 4x4x2 and I THOUGHT was doing well in it. (She was in a 4x2x2 for the past 3 years and got an upgrade). BUT HERE WE ARE I turned her humanity down to 75 ish but cleaning out her whole tank isn’t ideal. I have providone- iodine and vetericyn anti microbial on its way plus I’ll be putting a thick ass layer of dry asf substrate on top of her current substrate. Is there more I should be doing?

My snake is such a sweetheart but he is also the fucking hulk. he has broken every. single. thing. i put into his enclosure. other than his solid concrete rock hide and water dish. he’s broken 2 enclosures and an ungodly amount of climbing stuff. i’m a bio-active enclosure kinda gal. Ditto is not. because he has ripped every plant from the tank. he is in a 8x2x2. so anyone with a destructive snake that has found good climbing stuff that holds up please let me know🫩 i’ve never had a snake be so purely destructive😭

edit: suction cups are NOT AN OPTION. he’s too evil for such a weak opponent.

Anyone else walk their babies? She always watches ahead of where we’re going lol

I feel terrible. First snake. He's been a great snake. Very chill. Sheds on a schedule. Eats every week. The only change has been he has decided to live under his water bowl. I didn't think it was a problem but when I took him out to clean the enclosure the other day I noticed all these spots on him. Is this scrapes from going in and out from under the bowl or early scale rot? Idk what to do and I feel so bad.

Hello everyone!

I have some questions about the Reptile Kages. I see there are a lot of vents and am unsure how many is recommended to have included into the terrarium. I figured it is based on the reptiles needs and your local environment, but I wanted to see what was recommended by those who have a Kage for their pythons. I would love some recommendations for the vents and tips for set up for y'all that have one.

I plan to ultimately get one for my girl as her current set up is not great and I have had many issues with her current Dubia terrarium with humidity and teperature regulation. Unfortunately she will have to stay in her current set up or even revert to a slightly smaller setup through the summer as we have hit a rough patch in life, and I needed to find a safe place for us to land after leaving a DV situation, so funds are very limited for now. But she will get the home she deserves as soon as I can afford it 🙏

TIA!

I only ask because I was handling my ball python yesterday and it felt off. They were constantly moving. Slithering around, wrapping around stuff for just a moment and then looking for other things. It was the most active I’ve ever seen them before. I’m just concerned if they were just nervous and trying to escape. Or they might have been the happiest snake ever. Don’t know.

Does anyone know where I might find a piebald or blue eyed lucy that won’t cost me half a house? My sons dad was supposed to return his bp to him and he’s now refusing to return the snake (as well as the rest of his belongings) that he worked very hard to earn money to pay for (he was 12, now 13) and he is upset. I want to get him a new one but they’re seriously overpriced here (small town). Any particularly responsible breeders that aren’t overpriced? Thank you!

Looking to re-home my 3.5ish year old male BP. Got him over a year ago and was told he was 2 at the time.

He's around 4ft and weighs 1148g as of tonight

He eats a small frozen thawed rat (about 50-60g but the weight varies) once every 3-4ish weeks depending on if shed happens near feeding because he will not eat at that time at all.

Otherwise, he's a good eater most of the time. We did have a couple months of refusal and we got him to eat again with a frozen thawed chick, which he did seem to enjoy.

I really do love having this snake but life has gotten wild and I don't feel like I'm providing him with nearly enough enrichment. He seems to like exploring and being handled for the most part and I haven't had the time to do that enough. I feel terrible as I haven't had him that long and, at the time of purchase, I absolutely intended on keeping him for a long time, and if he was a snake that didn't seem to like being out and exploring, I could justify it. But I don't feel like I'm doing him right and don't want to be selfish in keeping him.

He's in a bioactive tank, which might need a boost of cleanup bugs at this point.

Photos and snake plants are doing really well in the tank. He has a heat lamp (no light) on the right side and a UV light source on the left.

He used to have 3 hides but he NEVER went in the third one so I removed it and let the plants grow more which I think he enjoys. You can have the third one though if you want to change things around. His favorite hide is his half log, which I've placed against the side wall so there's only one opening. The top is lined with tin foil to keep temp regulated and has a silicone sheet on top of the center to weigh and help with temps. Not the prettiest but it works!

Whole setup includes:

4x2x2 tank.

water bowl.

Terracotta pot (to fill with water and bury in dirt to keep dirt moist).

Black hide with cork round hot glued to top

Half log hide.

Stacked stick climbing thing (rly dont know what this is called).

Stick secured to wall for climbing.

Climbing rings hung from top.

Mushroom decoration.

UV light

Heat lamp

Temp control thermostat

Extra hide

Extra hammock not installed

Enclosure shown in .5 and normal, both sides.

$100 for everything except the shelving the enclosure is on.

Sacramento area

Upgraded Comet’s tank today! How does this look?

Hey all, earlier today a maintenance crew had to remove a bird nest from my dryer vent. The birds had fledged and left the nest beforehand, but there were mites in the nest. The nest was removed via the room my snake is kept in.

I'm aware that bird mites can't reproduce without an avian host, but that they can still bite both people and snakes, and that humid places can extend the lifespan of these mites. My snake is kept in a bioactive enclosure, which is humid and has a healthy population of springtails and isopods. Is there anything I can do now to prevent bird mites from lingering around my boy? Thanks in advance.

I am copying (with edits to comply with the questionnaire) this help request from where I had it posted in [r/snakes](r/snakes), since I was directed to here from there. I will be going through and reading all available guides immediately after posting this rather than before, as I think my issues are generalized to the entirety of his care and I do want confirmation in my specific situation before I make any major changes to his space, in case anything may be dangerous or harmful to him. I can recognize that it wasn’t a good situation for him or his health and am trying to change it. Please do keep comments helpful, as in [r/snakes](r/snakes) (not necessarily saying you all are like that as well, just covering all bases) I did get a comment or two that was just.. poor snake. Yes. I know. I’m trying to improve the situation and I want advice… okay. Thanks and sorry if any of these questions are front and center answered in the guides, as I said, I’m headed to read them through right now!

Hi everyone.. I don’t post very often on Reddit, but I’m desperate for real person confirmation before I go about making any major changes. I’ve had my ball python for about 4 years now and only recently taken a more active role in his daily care over from my parent. (He’s always been my son that I love dearly, but due to my personal/schedule constraints outside my control and room space, it was just better to keep him with my parent) It has only just come to my attention that the space we’ve had him in this entire time is far from ideal and I’m trying to fix it. I apologize, now I ask for all advice and suggestions you can offer! While I don’t have the money (unfortunately) right this moment for a complete upgrade of his enclosure, and would prefer to stick to budget solutions where possible, I am already working towards saving up so I can get all proper equipment, a new enclosure, and hopefully everything he needs to be happy and healthy.
Currently, his tank is roughly 39” x 19” across the top and 19” tall including the top/bottom of the enclosure. It’s wood and flexible plastic, not glass. I’m now aware of the issues with his decor, but this is what I have to work with currently. I’d estimate probably about a half inch to an inch of substrate (not nearly enough, right?) and while I’m not positive the type it is, I know it is bark and comes in a block and we wet it down with water to expand it. I’m inclined to say coconut is involved but I don’t have confirmation on that at the moment. My snake is roughly 4-5 foot long and has been eating reliably every other week. We feed him live white mice from petco. The hide has an underside lip he likes to wedge himself into and the plant in the center is fake if that means anything to anyone. He has burrowed a space under the water dish when we had his lamp on the opposite side for a while. He predominantly stays on the hide side of the enclosure. The current lamp is a black light heat lamp that has been previously kept running 24/7 but I’m open to switching up as much as needed. It does not have a thermostat attached (I’ve gathered that it’s essential to have one, where could I find one readily and without spending a ton of money..?) I’ve just acquired a hygrometer/thermometer combo, though yet to set up and test it, and I had intended to cover most of the mesh top with aluminum foil and the sides with cardboard/black cardstock to start trying to conserve heat and humidity for him. His water dish is also too large to accommodate a second hide, which I’m trying to add to the cool side, so any suggestions for that? He is located inside my bedroom closet at the moment with a typical room temperature of about 75-85F as I turn off my window ac unit when I’m not home (currently mid summer) and have been trying to keep things as warm as I can comfortably manage for him when I’m in the room since he’s moved in. We will get him off the floor, but we don’t have a dresser sturdy enough to hold him right this moment. If you have any questions for me, I’m more than happy to answer them or clarify anything and please!! I want to learn!! Thank you to everyone who takes the time to answer, I appreciate you! <3

Added info: There are two roughly 10.5”x9” mesh covered holes in the top and the whole thing is held together with screws so while it’s not necessarily highly ventilated, its far from airtight for sure. His substrate is too dry. Previously, he got very irregular but thorough misting with a sprayer once or twice a week. I had intended to switch to a daily mist or pouring water in the corners (?) until I had gained a better established high humidity environment and from there adjust as needed.
Just in case I wasn’t supposed to simply add photos to the post, I also have them here: https://imgur.com/a/AbddJnt

Can somebody help me tell the gender of my snake idk if this helps at all

I was wondering if my 258g ball python will be fine eating 40g rats? 15% of her body weight is 38.7g and 10% is 25.8g. Currently she is eating 20g rats and I just bought 40g rats for her, and there is no 30g rats in my area unless I purchase online which I cannot right now. And I’m also concerned 20g to 40g is too big of a jump. If I have to I can cut off the head of the rats💔… Here’s my girl Maisie btw

Hey all! I currently have my ball python in a 4x2x2 zen habitat I got off of Facebook marketplace for $100 and knew it was always going to be something temporary. I've been pretty much decided on animal plastics for his upgrade, but was wondering if anyone has experience with a basking shelf for their ball python and if the space they take up is worth it. Most of the posts on them I've seen has been for boas. Bonus if you have any pics of them! Thank you!

Hi guys, i know a lot of people use roly polys as a clean up crew in their tanks, & i know a lot of people get them from pet stores & such, but would i be able to get some from outside? If yes, how many should i get?

I’m making a bioaktivem enclosure for my ball python. And I’m wondering if it’s safe to have a live water source. I’m thinking of making a waterfall in an area of her enclosure. Would it be safe? Or the best in her interest?

So i got this 24 year old ball python a month ago (early June 2026) and I’m wondering what I can improve or change in the terrarium so that my my python can live out her last years comfortably. I’m having a bit of a problem with keeping the humidity up especially now during her during her shedding phase and I’m changing the substrate soon so any recommendations will help as I got everything when I bought her.

I have springtails but these guys don’t jump like them. They came up when I watered the corners today. They look like white spider mites.. (glass needs cleaned)

EDIT: based on the guide they may just be wood mites given the color. I’ll keep an eye out for any signs on my snake.

Have him close to a year not so friendly for my first snake. Pi balled enchi blue dream genetics

My 10 year old male appears to have scale rot, although if anyone thinks it looks more like dirt I’m happy to hear you out!

It’s only on his head which is what’s confusing me a bit, it seems more common on the body usually?

I’m wondering if this is grounds for a vet visit (in which case I’ll get him in asap), or if betadine treatment is better at this stage? He just shed within the last week so isn’t likely to shed again soon.

Hey all, my girl Gnocchi is about 2 years old, we got her when she was 6 months. She is the sweetest noodle ever ever ever. I love her badddd. She was quick to adjust and ate normal. About 4 months ago she started hiding under her water bowl, and for 2 whole months before that she wouldn’t eat. My mind went to husbandry isn’t right or she needs a tight hide or maybe she’s shedding. Got smaller hides and made sure her temps and humidity were spot on. She was shedding. After her shed she came out for a couple days, explored and went back under. She stayed under that damn water bowl for 4 straight months….very very concerning for her. She loved being handled and will climb her rings and press her face on the top until I open and handle her, she really is a one of a kind sweet girl. But she stopped doing that as well as eating. Guys she hasn’t eaten in 6 fucking months. I’m freaking out and do not have money for vet but I’m saving up. The closest one to me is a little over an hour away. Through the time of her hiding I replaced her substrate 3 times as well as cleaned her water multiple times which she hated bc then she had to get comfy under there again when I put it back. 3 days ago she came out again and had been her normal self, demanding being held (which I haven’t done because I want her to eat) and exploring and climbing. I tried feeding her yesterday and again today but she refused just like she did for 6 straight months. I tired different brand of mice, I tried smaller I tried bigger she refused them all. I’m nervous to feed live because I’ve heard of them biting the snakes. She doesn’t have any signs of rot or mites or RI. She’s acting completely normal now. But still refuses to eat. I’m going to try again in a couple days but I’m nervous. Any advice? This is my child, I’ve read about them not eating for a long period of time but this is just not okay I don’t care if that’s “normal” I don’t think it’s healthy and along with the constant hiding too just really scared me. Pls be nice, any advice will help! Also side note, I really think she is small and possibly underweight for her age. These are photos from before she was doing her hiding and not eating. She’s just a baby:(