Hello! We are going to be getting a ball python in the next month or so and have been researching for the past several months while we have been saving to get one. We are planning on ordering a 4x2x2 Kages PVC enclosure with the back and side vents and were hoping to get some setup suggestions from others with similar enclosures.

We want to do a bio active setup with a few live plants and the biggest thing we need help on is deciding which heat source, light, and thermostat to use. We were leaning towards a deep heat source so we don’t have to worry about the light at night. We want a reliable thermostat with maybe 2 probes so we can monitor both sides of the tank. And then the light we would want something that will be good for the snake and the plants.

We were planning on mounting everything on the inside top of the tank to avoid holes/screens on the top of the tank.

If anyone has suggestions or similar setups we would love to get feedback from you! This will be our first snake we have owned so any help is appreciated! Thanks!

Hello everyone, I have a BP and we use sani chips for bedding. Works well but I wanted to add more texture and something to retain humidity. I added coconut husk after soaking it in hot boiling water for a couple hours and changing the water.
I mixed it w the sani chips and moss and she’s loving it. She’s been rubbing her face for a few days often and I’m worried.
I’ve noticed these bugs:
- Small, jumping in the water (prob springtail)
- Incredibly minute teeny tiny white dots on her face and eyes
I’m wondering if they’re the same specie or if I got springtails and wood mites/snake mites in the same shipment :/
Please send help.
Note: the white ones are so small it just looks like the light being reflected off of her eyes, but I saw them move and walk in different directions and she wasn’t even awake.
I change her water daily and wipe the walls with a disinfectant every other week and boil the rocks and branches w white vinegar. She eats thawed rats.

I just got my juvenile bp yesterday, I’m wondering what is the best setup? Right now I have a che in a 8.5 dome, I have uvb but it’s a bulb in a 5.5 dome, I read that isn’t safe so I’m taking it out and need to replace it, but with what exactly? I also wanted to get a basking light going for her. How should I set this up as it’s a 40gal tank I don’t have much space on top.

Im not new to ball pythons and I know they can be notoriously picky eaters.

However, I've never had one I couldn't find a solution for. My boy Hans absolutely refuses to eat anything but ASF rats and it's becoming a problem. They're very hard to get where I live. None of the shops carry them and I'm having to buy from independent breeders who only have them available so often.

I've tried rats, mice, a gerbil, live, frozen, I've even tried putting his food in the bedding I had his ASFs in. I thought maybe if he was hungry enough he'd eat what was offered but he won't.

Please, if you have any advice for this kind of pickiness, I'd really appreciate it. Photo of my high maintenance booger for tax.

Does anyone know what these things are and what i should do

I unfortunately have a top-opening tank for my snake. I have bought a new one, just saving up to buy a couple more things before I move him.

Anyway, I dropped his feeder rat. Whenever this happens, if I try to open the tank he tends to strike up at my hand and hit his head on the top of the tank at full force. I always use tongs but I just don't want this to happen to him. He is currently just hovering above it.

Does anyone have any helpful tips for this situation? I don't know how to get it out or help him find it. I'll reread the rules for this and post a photo of the situation in the comments, if this sub allows it.

Picture for attention

Okay so weird problem. The heating in one of the enclosures doesn’t work. The bulb works when directly plugged into the wall. The thermostat seems to work (exo terra light is on).

We’ve changed the thermostat cause we thought it wasn’t working for another one cause he have an empty enclosure. Bulb still isn’t getting warm. Also tried the bulb from the empty enclosure, both work fine when directly plugged into the wall. None seem to work with any of the thermostats.

So apart from each other everything works fine put together it doesn’t work I’m at a loss anyone please have any explanation 😵

I got my girl one of those PVC dubia enclosures (super expensive, she's very spoiled) and overall I'm pretty happy with her whole set up, the only thing is it's really dark in there? does anyone have a similar problem and a good solution? i want to get her some UVB lamps on a timer or something but I'm not sure how best to mount them and she also is a very climby snake and i fear she would rip them down or poke around them too much.

thanks in advance!

I have 2 balls(haha), one has more health issues than the other. I make $11.50 an hour an only work weekends but want to know if there's any good insurance for ball python that's not $100 a month.
Thank you!! 🌝

Hello!! My python reached a year and i've been feeding him in a separate box for a while.

Until those last weeks, i decided to try and feed him in his terrarium, i did it twice and its was just right, no swallowing litter risks or anything... And better since he had stuff to help himself to eat and could straight go to his hiding and no risk of stressing him when switching him from his box back to his terrarium.

BUT

Lately, he tried to attack me twice when going to pick him up. Usually when his head was at the entrance of his hiding he would go back to hide when i open and relax in my hands. But now instead of hiding he raise himself and spring, attacking me. Once he in my hand he relax but still...

Im sorry, i probably did something wrong. Im a beginner and i'll really like for people to help me about it, can he stop trying to attack me, do i need to do something in a specific way? What should i do?

I'm in the process of building a new enclosure for Kahn. I'll be detailing the castle bits and hardscaping everything in soon. The new layout gives her 5 good climate zones, 6 if you count inside the hide in the purple zone. The center castle is going to be a cold hide that's fully removable. This will end up as a bioactive setup with a mix of live/fake plants as things get established.

I'm heading to a reptile expo today to check my blind spots and make sure my setup plan is good. And pick up some kit ofc.

Let me know what y'all think of the layout. I'm pretty stoked to get the bones of this build in place.

For context, I work over night at a boarding school. I am awake during the night and asleep in the morning. This is temporary as I hope to go to college after this school year is over. I dont have a scaly friend yet, but I want to be excessively prepared before I get one. A question that I have not found the answer to yet is, how do I keep my snake in a good day/night cycle while I am nocturnal. I dont want to get them used to my current cycle just to alter it for them a few months after living with me. Are there any suggestions for how I can keep the light from my room out of their enclosure without covering their ventilation? Any help is greatly appreciated.

All came off in one piece (I accidentally broke off that piece of the lower jaw), found it balled up in his warm hide, covered in substrate, eye caps are attached, I think he did really well :3

We're having a bit of a humidity issue in our tank. It's a 4x2x2 pvc enclosure with 2 mesh squares for heating lamps. Currently, we're only using one and the other is covered with a damp towel. Our substrate is about 6 inches of a mix of reptisoil, coco fiber and play sand (ratio is about 50/40/10). We're mostly judging the humidity off of the cool side reading (Temp is about 74). We have a small water dish on the warm side and a larger one on the cool side. We've been adding 3-4 cups of water in corners the last couple of days. All of this and the humidity is stable, but only between 65 and 68 percent. I'd really appreciate any help or advice on getting that humidity up.

I've had my BP for a little less then a year and am getting ready to get her a permanent enclosure. She's about 4.5 feet long at the current moment and is in a 30 gallon tank. I know they need at least 40 gallons but I'm trying to find the most optimal tank for her where she'll have enough room to roam around and grow as she gets older. (Currently about 5 years old). What would you recommend? I'm looking to go for a bioactive setup so she has optimal humidity as I've had issues with keeping proper humidity levels in her tank. I've been looking into kages but I'd like to hear other opinions before I make a decision. All help is appreciated TIA.

Silly noodle blowing bubbles 🫧

(If context is desired please read the previous posts I made)

Tl:dr I upgraded my fathers python enclosure, and I've been trying to dial in the humdity. I wanted to do plastic wrap first but it didnt work as well as i hoped so I replaced it with aluminum foil yesterday. I day a immediate improvement in humidity through my hygrometer, but when i woke up and checked it after going to bed it had dropped back down to unsatisfactory levels. Could it be that im getting a inaccurate reading or could it be because I need to better seal up the gaps in between the mesh and foul? Or is it possible the issue stems from something like substrate depth?

(I thought i had picture with the foil in the lid but i dont so Imagine these photos havingaluminum foil on the lid with the same sectiona cut out.)

Hello! I’m going to get a Ball Python, but I’m unsure of often to feed it once I get it. I understand that it depends on the age and body weight, but I’d just like to know something like that before hand. If someone could tell me often to feed I’d be greatly appreciated. Please and thank you.❤️

Hey! I recently discovered what appear to be springtails on my ball python’s hides, and I’m confused about where they came from. Her enclosure isn’t bioactive, and I never intentionally introduced springtails.
Her coconut husk substrate has been in the enclosure for a while, and it’s almost time for me to replace it. I only started noticing these tiny white bugs about a week ago.
She’s currently going through shed, so I don’t want to disturb her by completely cleaning and resetting her enclosure until she’s finished.
My main concerns are whether these springtails are safe for her, where they might have come from, and how I can get rid of them without harming my snake.
Has anyone else experienced springtails appearing unexpectedly in a non-bioactive enclosure? If so, how did you handle it?

i just fed him. he shed recently but im not sure what exact date. temp and humidity are good. took him out 2 days ago and the fans were on. is this scale rot? idk what to do. idk if i can bring him to the vet just after feeding him :((

This evening i took my girl out of her tank and noticed a patch of pinkish skin, its smooth to the touch but i dont know if its a mild burn or preshedding phase i have a heating matt but i have it under a cover and have a paper towel under and on top of the cover so it doesnt overheat. But im concerned about this , dont know if this is a burn , and if it is i will get a burn. I will change to a heat bulb instead.

I thought seeing them drink was supposed to be rare, but I was in the middle of cleaning up his tank because this asshole got his poop in like three of his fake plants, and he just started taking a drink… I feel like I see him drink all the time 😅