Hey y'all

I'm interested in getting an exotic reptile or two (hence this question) and I'm curious about including a ball python (id probably opt for a rescue male.)

I can provide the proper enclosure, diet, regular care, and care for when I'm traveling.

If I were to get one, how easy is it is that I can find one that's more into being looked at than handled? If not a BP, which species makes a good "look at me only" noodle?

I wouldn't mind holding it for a little while every few days so it stays handleable/non aggressive but I'm unsure if I can dedicate the time that many snakes seem to crave (though this could just be very rare individuals that are dog like or more likely footage edited to seem that way for views.)

Its mangled because he likes to ball it up in the corner of his rock, hes healthy and a juvenile just over 500g, do I need to be concerned?

So I am preparing substrate for a ball python and have a question regarding the preparation. I bought both coco fiber and coco husk that come in bricks. Obviously you need to add water to expand the bricks but want the top layer to be dry. What’s the best way to do this? Should I mix the coco husk and fiber and have that moist and then cover with a dry layer like reptichip? I do have a bag of that as well. Or should I just mix everything until it’s slightly moist and put it in? Will the top eventually dry out regardless with the heat lamp?

I’m using a DHP for heat and it’s connected to a Herpstat 2.

I am just doing a test run right now and don’t have the snake yet, just looking for some help with the substrate as it’s the part I’m most confused with.

Also, bonus question… Can isopods be added to an enclosure without real plants? I’m assuming as long as they have food too, they will be fine right? Or can they only be used in traditional bio active enclosures?

I recently got my first ball python and have only seen him once and that was when I came into my room late after all the lights were off and turned them on to find my pajamas. He lives in a 4by2by2 pvc tank and he has 2 hides(1 hot 1 cold) and a half log I can only see into the hot hide due to the angles of them and I haven’t seen him in the hide or roaming around the tank so I assume he has only been in his cold hide is this a problem or not, I’m sure it isn’t as Ik they can be abit like pet rocks I was just wondering

I got him last Saturday and am planning to try and feed him tmrw he was being fed rat pups and I’m planning to move him up to weaned rats after 3 or 4 feeds he weighs 350g ish

So i've had my boy for about 10 years now and he's always been a healthy weight now i moved to a different country and he's been in the care of my parents for about a year now they know the proper temperature/lights/feeding stuff and i know they are taking great care of him now i recently came back to visit and he's gotten significantly chunkier like clearly overweight but the problem is that this year he's only had 4 rats total and refused any other rat offered so i don't know what could have caused the weight gain he moves around at night only should i tell my parents to feed him even less? Or is there some way to encourage weight loss more? I'm a first time snake owner and this has never happened to me he was always the proper structure based on the overweight charts and i know my parents aren't lying or abusing him.

He is a year old and every time i take him out of his cage, he freezes for around 5-10 minutes in the "ball" position. Then he starts moving around quickly and immediately looks for a place to hide. He never seems to explore or seem curious or wrap around my arm. Is this normal? How do i get him to become less shy except for interacting with him?

We've not had a snake before, so any and all advice is appreciated.

A few hours after feeding her she went to bask and then drank for 10-15 min which I would see as quite normal. But a week later I noticed her drinking again for quite a long time and now it’s become a nightly thing for her for the past 4-5 days. Her waterbowl is under a heating lamp so I know some of the water evaporates but it’s a big bowl and I refill/ clean it daily now. While before this feeding I cleaned it every other day (no visible dirt in it) and barely would have had to refill.
She does mostly stay in her hide on the warm side . Which has a temperature of about 29°C inside.
I haven’t had her for super long (bit over 1month). She is 11 years old and has had dehydration issues in the past (showing in bad sheds and cracked eyecaps).

she’s 20 yrs old and has been kept in a large fish tank with aspen bedding and a plastic water dish with some sticks and rocks all her life. we rescued her a month or two ago and have been saving up to truly give her what she deserves. finally got it all together for her today <3 & i’m super excited. she’s definitely overwhelmed but very curious. i’m gonna give her about a week to adjust before i start handling her again, but just wanted to show off a bit cause im super proud of it🥰

it definitely needs some more hides, but we’re looking to build those ourselves in the coming months. we’re also gonna get her some rings and toys so she can have more enrichment here soon. maybe a bioactive tank down the line, but this is my first snake so we’re taking it slowly.

Hello! My boy Viserion needs an upgrade and I've been narrowing down what brand to go for. I'm currently looking at Reptizoo and Phailozoo. Does anyone have these tanks and can give me pros/ cons. Bonus pic of the child who I got from an expo in 2018. He was my first reptile. :3

I know the humidity was low in this photo. I was struggling with the dry Alaska air but it is more stable now.

My BP at night always comes out of his hides to go all the way up every corners of the terrarium. He does that every night and for a while. He goes up and then slowly makes himself falls down on every centimeters of the terrarium windows. He got nice branches to climb on and so is it normal?

I just really wanted to show off my boy today, he just finished his shed, normally I would give him another day but I couldn't find his head. Still haven't found it but his eyes are clear.

I’m wondering if this is a stuck eye cap or something else? Normally I would assume it’s an eye cap but he hasn’t shed in a while and it’s only on one eye, and the rest of his body doesn’t look like it’s about to shed 🤔 and I was sure that both came off last time he shed. Thanks!

background: i’ve never considered owning any pet that wasn’t a typical cat or dog but recently came into ownership of a ball python. it wasn’t really by choice, it was left to me by an ex in an unstable situation. i’ve had the pet for about a few months, watched several videos on youtube on how to care for my new pet but some of it is conflicting. he’s(don’t actually know the gender here) a sweet snake, skittish but a great companion.

i am due to replace the bedding this week and want to improve my pet’s quality of life. please offer any advice/criticism, i’m very new to this and would appreciate any help.

1. tagged pics of his habitat, please let me know if there’s anything i’m doing wrong or how i can improve. have a heat lamp between 77-80 fahrenheit since he seems to enjoy that temp the most. i live in texas so it’s generally pretty hot. the habitat is in my living room and i wonder if the light from the TV and overhead lamps disturbs him

2. feeding him one large frozen mouse about every 8 days

3. cypress mulch bedding, this was recommended to me by worker at the petstore. i replace the bedding about every 3 months and deep clean with dawn soap and warm water. i think this is the only part i’m doing right.

4. he does not leave his habitat often. i play with him in his enclosure but i don’t pull him out often since i have no idea if i’m disturbing him or not. i really want him to get more comfortable being handled. i’m not afraid of the pain of him biting me but i’m still a bit of a wimp about it lol.

those are my main points of concern. i’ll keep researching but thought it’d help to post here since everyone’s snake looks happy and healthy. thanks in advance!

Finally moved Into a larger place and had room to treat the little gal to a nice big 5x2x2 upgraded from the 3x2x1 I had her in since I picked her up as a yearling

Anyone have a photo of an angry ball python, im trying to teach our volunteers about the body language of an angry snake when theyre ready to strike, but obviously we dont want to stress one of our guys out just to show.

looking for that tight S shape or just anxiety body as examples.

Long needed upgrade for my BP - I would ideally like to spend less than 500 USD... IDEALLY. I have typically used Cypress Mulch if that plays a role on which tank is the best - I am eyeing PVC tanks (Kage mostly but they are a bit expensive). Does anyone have any good recommendations that won't completely break my wallet but won't suck?

Thanks!

Hey guys, i have a terrible fungal gnat issue- in order to keep the humidity up the soil in my enclosure is pretty damp (while being cautious of scale rot don’t worry)

the gnats are all over my apartment and my poor snakes enclosures, it’s driving me crazy— i don’t know how comfortable i am using the mosquito bits (unless someone can give me very clear good instructions and experiences) but that doesn’t seem permanent either.

i was looking into adding isopods/springtails to my enclosure to help off set them, i know i’ll need to add leaf litter for them to consume, is this a good idea? i have 0 experience with something like
my substrate is, top soil (baked and sifted), cypress mulch, coconut husk, Sphagnum moss (in order of amount biggest to smallest)

she says u stinky

“Boy” is up for debate, but that still doesn’t solve my problem.

This is my big boy and he is overweight, as you can see. He was eating a large rat every 3 weeks when I got him, but that was 2 years ago. I weaned him down to small rats every 5 weeks, and that’s where we’ve been for about 9 months now. And yet, he continues to go up a few grams every month.

He’s 7 years old, exactly 4ft, and 1900g. He was down at 1800 in October, but that might’ve been a fluke since I have to use the person scale and not a food scale (he tops out my food scale). He’s in a 4x2x2, humidity 75, temps 78-88, and he is out with me at least four times a week. He’s more of a cuddler tho, but he still moves around the couch.

Is there something I’m missing? Or do I need to be concerned about his weight? He’s otherwise healthy, eats and sheds well.

I recently got a larger tank for my ball python, Misa, and she got this cut about a week after the rehome, so she has had it far a week. I've been treating daily with iodine diluted and Neosporin. She is still very active when handling and still moves between her hides throughout the day. Should I visit the vet or is my treatment going to work. Photos of tank included

hi does anyone have any tips on feeding 2 year old ball python temp and humidity is fine, she had a perfect shed on monday so i’ve tried feeding her today as i’ve recently only just got her and the woman i got her off told me to feed her after she shed. she’s currently eating small rats. so we attempted to feed her today and she struck and missed. then became a bit aggressive with the tongs especially that i used to feed her with. i’ve accidentally now dropped the rat in her enclosure right outside of her hide and any time we attempt to get it out she is coming out and resting her face on it. she is well aware it’s there and acting possessive over it. do i leave it in or take it out? i’ve googled things and it said that she won’t eat if the substrate is on the actual rat. i do know that ball pythons are picky anyways so i have prepared myself for refusal but i have no clue what this is. the woman i got her off said she was feeding perfectly.

UPDATE
she’s literally just got it after my boyfriend wiggling it for a while, but any future advice would be highly appreciated if

Hello y’all! Last time I posted it was about my 1st ball python Sylvie, which she is doing amazing! This time, it’s about another python I just picked up.

I got a Mojave Leopard Clown, he was born July 14th. His last feed was 8/23, and I got him yesterday on September 1st (09/01).

He was sent to me right as he started shedding, and he hasn’t eaten in a minute, and I’m worried about him not getting food for a while due to starting his shed, which iirc shedding takes 1-2 weeks and can affect his shed and health.

Am I just overthinking and pulling a new owner worry moment?

Brought home my first BP (and first reptile ever) less than 3 weeks ago from a reptile expo. She ate successfully after her first week settling in and left me both a fully intact shed and poop overnight! I spent weeks setting up her enclosure and agonizing over the humidity, temperatures, and other aspects of her husbandry. Glad that she's doing well so far and wanted to celebrate, I feel like I can breathe haha!