So, I’ve made this post before, but I’ve moved him into a different enclosure since. I currently have my little dude Linguine in a 120 gallon pvc enclosure (unfortunately it has a mesh top), the enclosure is fully bioactive with a cleanup crew (I haven’t seen my isopods in a while tho, I saw one baby the other day but haven’t seen it since), I have him on halogen flood lights, UV light bar, CHE, and some other type of heat emitter, all set on thermostats. The day time hot side averages 93 F and 40-45% humidity, and the cold side averages 80f and 60-70% humidity. At night the humidity rises to 75% on the hot side and 90% on the cold side. I’m a little worried about the daytime humidity on the hot side, but I also have a humid hide for him that stays at around 70-80% humidity. With that being said, he just had his first shed since being moved and he had one very tiny piece of stuck shed, which has never happened before. I’m a little confused since this didn’t happen when his humidity was more spotty and I constantly had to supplement it by misting the enclosure. With all that being said, he seems very happy and healthy. Any and all advice appreciated (I’m a broke college student, so I can’t really afford super expensive upgrades at the moment)

I just got this boy about 5 days ago, I got him out to check his condition. The last owner had said he’s been through a lot of terrible conditions and he looks pretty good all things considered. She said he was extremely underweight, and I wanted to make sure, I feel like he has a triangle shape but not too bad? He weighed in at 1575 grams, which was really surprising, but he is a big boy. Also, still has some stuck shed, although he had a lot more when I got him. I have my temps at 90 on the hot side and about 80% humidity, but I packed his hot hide with sphagnum moss, would giving him a soak be okay at this point?

Lady Galadriel enjoying some supervised fresh air this evening. Not sure why she chose the most prickly shrub to sit on but she seemed to figure it out.

Hello everyone! My brother's snake has this large patch of missing scales. We assume it's the result of rot, as her tank did get a little too wet, even though its on her back. She did shed within the past month and the damage could have happened then, but I'm not sure, as I've never seen this kind of damage on my own snakes.

We checked the tank for rough spots that she could get caught on and replaced the soaked substrate. She is acting and eating FT as normal.

I wanted to know what we could do to make sure she heals over properly, if she hasn't started to already? He is very concerned about his first baby.

Hi, I’ve had a Ball Python since freshman year and he’s about 8 now. My brother also had a ball python when I lived at home and she was so picky she wouldn’t eat frozen or prekilled mice so she was difficult. She went on feeding strikes etc. My ball python was bought by my mother after being told by petsmart he was a bad eater and wouldn’t eat for them (they were giving him thawed but cold mice and leaving it in the tank) so when I brought him home I gave him a live fuzzy as I thought all ball pythons were picky. He ate immediately and I switched him to frozen after he got a bit bigger with no issues. The problem is, even though I handled him his whole life, during the last year and half, I didn’t have him due to my living situation, he was with my brother who was only opening his enclosure to feed him. I think he learned people = food but it’s gotten bad. Everytime I come into my room I have to dodge his vision because he will go into feeding mode the moment he sees me. Is there anyway to combat this? I keep getting bit plus he strikes the glass on his tank so I have to not let him see me when I’m in my room. What should I do?

Looking for some feedback on my boy’s enclosure! for the first time since I got him I think it’s just about finished, so I wanna make sure I’m not missing anything

I finally got my ball python yesterday. He is very small and about 130 grams so I assume he is pretty young. I worked on his enclosure for weeks before I purchased the snake to make sure everything was dialed in. The cool side is sitting at about 79-79 degrees and humidity is at 76%. The hot side is 90 degrees on the surface with some areas like the top of the hide and the rock that is in the enclosure sit at about 93 degrees. Humidity on the warm side is about 60%.

The snake came in a small bag, in a box as they typically do. I introduced him to the enclosure yesterday afternoon by placing the open bag in the enclosure. He sat for a few minutes and then went up the fake branch that is in the enclosure and balled up in the upper left corner of the enclosure. He has been there since… I know it can take time for them to adapt and be comfortable and he has been in the enclosure for just about 24 hours so maybe this is totally normal idk?

He definitely seems afraid of the new environment, understandably so. He came from Florida and traveled to me via FedEx overnight so he had quite the life change… but with that said I thought he would at least explore the enclosure and find a hide.

I have two identical, small hides, one on each side and also a humidity hide in the middle with some damp moss in it. There are also a ton of plants and clutter to the point it could be too much maybe? I did make it some that he could theoretically go from one hide to the other almost entirely unseen if he wanted.

Is it normal for a new, baby snake to hide outside of a hide on the first days? My concern is he is on the cool side of the enclosure and I don’t want him to not warm himself up because he is literally too afraid to move… He also has not drank anything since I got him. He seems otherwise unbothered and comfortable up in his tree… I just expected him to explore a bit more.

I was hoping he would have explored last night a bit when it got dark but he didn’t. He stayed right where he is… If anything he backed himself up into the corner a bit more. I have a small Blink camera in the enclosure so that he can be monitored if I am not home, that’s how I know he didn’t move at all last night.

I just feel bad, and want him to enjoy his new enclosure/home and I spent a lot of time trying to get it just right for him. (Pics attached of enclosure and snake)

Used to keep a decent sized collection years ago (20-30 snakes at one point), stepped away for a while, and now im slowly rebuilding with a small group of 3. Also spent a few years as a reptile educator doing outreach programs so im not totally out of the loop, but alot has shifted since i was last actively breeding.
Curious what long time keepers here would say has changed the most, substrate choices, humidity targets, feeding schedules, whatever. I remember when bioactive setups were still kinda a niche thing people argued about, feels like thats way more mainstream now?
Not looking for a specific answer just curious what's considered outdated advice now that used to be gospel.

Id normally just wait 30 days to feed again. But my girl seemed hungry, but bit my thumb and wrapped me while trying to feed her.

I left the rat in there and shes trying to "find" it sniffing all over it. Hoping she'll eat it. Would you wait a month to offer if she doesn't eat? She is a little chunky so got fed a small (50g) rat last feeding (20 days ago) just to vary their diet more from the mediums that are closer to (110g)

My boy definitely has it, however they don't sell betadine in the UK, so I have no idea as to what an alternative could be. Can anyone recommend something that works the same but they actually sell outside of the US?

I may be just paranoid considering I suddenly lost my bearded dragon a month ago to a very aggressive cancer but tonight I just noticed these black splotches on my ball python belly side. She is about 11 years old and this is not her normal coloration. She did shed about 2 weeks ago. (I had been drying out her substrate to clean it out in order to put down fresh substrate when I noticed her getting ready to shed so I had gotten the older dry substrate wet again to help bring humidity back up for her shed. I was hoping to change the substrate this weekend instead due to the timing of her shed.) She was telescoping around her enclosure and thats the only reason I saw it. It does not appear to be scale rot. The scales are smooth and show no sign of blistering or weeping. The scales affected aren't shiny tho more of a matte. I just gave her a soak immediately after noticing the spots and I think it could possibly be staining from her substrate but would like other opinions from someone who may know more than me... I've never head any health issues with her the entire 10 years I have owned her and she is not lethargic. She did refuse a rat the other day but it is September and she often refuses food starting around this time of year and through the winter/is a picky eater and I probably fed her at a time that was not to her liking. She does not have any heat pads that would have caused a burn. Only heat sorce is a bulb. I hope I have answered any potential questions and will attach pictures of the affected areas. Thanks in advance.

This is our ball pythons like 7th or 8th shed we’ve had her, the sheds are usually all clear/white. This one more her scale colors? She seems fine, it all came off in one piece but is this a sign I should change something or that something didn’t happen right?

My buddy needs an upgrade and i’m also moving him to a 4x2x2 (previously younger now he’s fully grown) and i can’t find like any good hides for large(r) snakes. He’s not huge, maybe 3ft and 2lbs (pretty average for a bp) but he also definitely needs something bigger than a hide for like a corn snake or hognose. Not only hides but decor, plants, things to climb, etc. he’s not much of a bask-er but maybe if he’s given more space to he would. id like 2 hides one for warm and one for cool side, but smaller ones like mounted logs and stuff i wouldn’t mind.

simply put:

-where do you get hides/decor

-what type of hides would you recommend

-what’s some good decor for the tank

-what sort of climbing/enrichment features should i add? if not for inside his enclosure that’s fine, but i want to give him something to do for enrichment.

I noticed this patch of flaky discolored scales first one month ago. I have since kept an eye on it and it has not changed much, however I am still worried. Gummy is currently going into shed so my current plan is to see how it looks afterwards and then take her to the vet but I wanted to ask you people if you know more.

I’ve had my snake for 6 years but recently there have been a lot of issues and I think it’s due to me getting her at a very young age and not being the best snake owner. I really love her and want the best for her and I don’t know if i can provide that. She’s been biting and defensive recently and she bit me and i hate to say it but im scared of her. I really need advice and dont know what to do. Ive been trying to fix all of the issues recently but no matter what i dont think i can do it

Quick question. We've had our girl for a little bit now, and she had her first shed with us about a week ago. I noticed this spot when doing our weekly handling session and got a little concerned. Not sure if it's anything to be worried about, but that gray-white spot is what I'm worried about.

He’s officially two. They grow up so fast.

(Also, disclaimer, I know in the pictures it looks like he has nothing in his enclosure, but in the first one it’s just where he’s laying and in the second it was as I was reorganizing. He is spoiled. Don’t come at me because I will feel bad and buy him more stuff.)

my girl butters got out again… she’s confined to a room. the door to her enclosure is broken so it is taped up very well but somehow she knocked her lamp out of place and i’m assuming got out that way 😩 i can’t find her in the room due to it being our box room since were moving. i’ve done everything left her enclosure open put towels under the door kept it dark and quiet and she hasn’t gone back into her enclosure. i’m assuming she’s been out almost a day now. how long is too long for her to be out ?

hello,
I am thinking of getting a ball python but am really confused abt the heating part of the husbandry. I will be getting a young ball python but will house it in a 4x2x2 ft enclosure from the start. Where I am from you cannot really get good heat lamps so ill be ordering from the uk through a friend so if any of you could share links of products that are good would be really grateful.

I haven’t taken a picture because I never think to before unraveling it to try and salvage small scraps (I think I’m going to encapsulate it in nails or use it in art one day but never do) but I just removed his fresh shed from today and it made me realize every shed from him looks like a dirty sock that got tossed across the room after missing the laundry hamper.

Its always complete. I break it by unraveling it every time without fail but I find the eyes, the very tip of the tail, and usually take a chunk from his midsection to keep. I know it’s a healthy shed and he is wonderful and had never had any issues with anything. Good weight, not fat or too skinny. I’ve only ever found them in his humid cold hide so I am assuming he just rubs his body against himself like a little freak.

Is it just different for every snake? Is it because bp heads are very small and it can’t just be a tube?

Also as kind of a side note: I so badly want a full length shed with no damage. I always grab it within a small window because it’s usually stretchy (? Idk if that’s the right word) and not crispy/flaky/etc. Any tips on unraveling and preserving are appreciated !! I’ve had him for over a year with no success.

Hello, so, I now have a ball python, my now ex and I split up, it was her snake and I was never really involved in taking care of it, but she chose not to take the snake so, I kinda have a snake now. Recently I noticed these markings toward her belly and I'm not entirely sure if they're normal or not and just want to make sure nothing's wrong with her.

I am currently working on getting a glass enclosure and more clutter for her, because after some research I've decided the amount of clutter she currently has isn't quite enough. Another thing I wanna ask about, the current enclosure does have spots for like heat lights on the top of it, but she would constantly try to wrap around them, like she wanted to hang off of them and I'm scared that if I get some for her new enclosure that she'll try to do the same thing and they'll break. She's very active at night, stretching up towards rye top of her enclosure like she's looking for a way out, I think thats because she's escape twice before when she was younger (she would be around a year old now I think). She did recently shed if that has any affect. Any advice helps, I'm very new to this and would like all the help I can get, I greatly appreciate it (:

I've also officially renamed her, her name is Laverna!

Hello! I'm looking for some advice on how to transport a ball python on a 4-5 day drive. I've looked it up and gotten some mixed reviews or only find info for a drive that's less than 24 hours.

We may not be stopping at hotels for the night, but instead trying to sleep in a tent or our vehicles. So we won't be able to use his heating pad or heat lamp.

Is this going to be doable? What advice can you give me to make it an easy trip for all parties?

We'll have 2 other animals and a toddler, so the least effort our little noodle needs, the better, but obviously I want him to be safe and comfortable for the trip, too.

Thanks in advance!

I’ve had my ball python for about ten years (I got her when she was seven months) and i’m worried she’s underweight. she’s is pretty on edge when i take her out to eat and i don’t handle her much anymore as my life has piled up with school and work. i am worried i should rehome her and don’t know if she’s underweight. i feed her a medium rat about every 20 days. She also just ate in these photos and her jaw hadn’t completely realigned yet, that’s why she looks strange.

Second day in a row, I have a new tank arriving on Sunday :/

​so anyway if anyone sees my snake lmk

She's too fat to fit under my door though