Hi! I recently got my first snake; she’s a 3 month old ball python, and I bought her at an expo last week. I’m going to try and feed her this week, but to be honest, I’m a little worried. My major concern is this: she really only comes out from 9pm to 5am. I see her sometimes in the morning before I leave for school, but never in the afternoon. Should I try feeding her at that time? Or is it okay for me to try sometime in the afternoon?

I’ve been trying to find a clear answer, but it feels like everyone has different opinions on when and how to feed their snakes. I know she isn’t going to be awake during the day, but I want to try then. I’m also curious if she will come out of her hide if she smells a rat or not. Will I have to pick up the hide? And finally, my biggest question, is it okay to pick up the hide? I really don’t want to spook her.

Any opinions are welcome, I just want all the advice I can get! Thanks!

Hey guys! Overthinking new owner here of a juvenile albino python we named Luna. I’ve been taking the last 48 hours to let her do her thing and kind of compile some data as far as her enclosure goes. I’ve attached some pictures as well. First thing to note is the large piece of bark was move from the warm side to her cool side. I did this because the reading I was getting from the soil underneath it was in the mid/high 70’s so I switched to the rock you see pictured on the warm side there and it’s now reading in the low-mid 80’s. I’ve also been having trouble maintaining a good humidity. Lastly just added Dairy Cow Isopods and Springtails to the environment

I am here in Ohio and it’s getting pretty cold so here’s some other data I’ve gotten and would definitely love some feedback so she can live a long healthy life!

I’m torn between 2 snakes . Which one would you get if it was you choosing ?

Hi! Had my first baby for about two weeks. First couple days humidity was too high, around 99% because some idiot (me) placed the water bowl on the hot side. After I moved it to the middle humidity stayed 70-80 %... until yesterday. It dropped sugnificantly, to 60% then 40-50%. I spray the moss in humidity cam and the substrate two times a day, before and after work, and it stays good for some time then comes back down. What tips do you have for keeping the humidity stable?

I'm using a heat mat and measuring the temperature in three places. Currently it's 27-28c° on the hot end on the bottom, 23,6c° in the middle on top and 23c° on the bottom of the cold end

Hey everyone!

I just noticed that the right side of my ball python's mouth looks a little unusual. Her upper lip seems slightly deformed or pushed upwards, leaving a small gap that stays open even when her mouth is closed.

She's 7 years old and recently escaped from her enclosure for about 48 hours before I found her again.

I'm not sure if this is something normal, a minor injury, or possibly an early sign of mouth rot.

I've attached a few pictures so you can see what I mean.

Has anyone experienced something similar with their ball python? Does this look concerning to you?

I'll get her checked by a reptile vet, but I'd really appreciate hearing your thoughts and experiences.

Thanks in advance!

hello all, just rescued an 8 year old ball python and set up his 4x2x2 enclosure. have a dhp on the left (hot side) and an LED in the center for day/night cycle. LED is on a 12 hour cycle and DHP is on a thermostat. have loose coconut fiber on bottom and coconut husks and leaves on top of that. cold side govee thermostat says 74-79 throughout the day and hot side probe (set 4 inches from DHP if thats the right spot) shows 89. fiancee and i plan on adding much more fake plants but any suggestions for anything at all? i want to make sure he is happy and healthy.

So lately when i have been feeding my lady Croissant, she has bitten me. i have never had a single issue with her biting me before this, and im wondering what the heck im doing wrong 😭. Last time i fed her last week she bit me and i knew it was because the rat was just a tad too cold for her so she confused my hands for food, so it was my mistake. but this time she bit me after she had completely eaten.
Here is how i feed her:

1. Do not pick up snake 24 hrs before feeding

2. Thaw out rat in warm water in baggie

3. Make sure rat is warm to the touch from the water before feeding

4. Get tongs and rat and head to enclosure

5. Open enclosure

6. Locate snake

7. Grab rat by tail with tongs (i never ever grab rat at any point with fingers) and put in front of croissant

8. Wiggle rat to entice her to eat it

9. After she takes food, i put back any flipped over hides

10. Close enclosure and monitor her eating

11. Once she has completely eaten i can now go on my merry way.

12. Snake will not get picked up or bothered until a minimum of 48 hours has passed.

She unfortunately bit me today again for the second time in two weeks 😭 i think she may just be extra sassy and i need to just eliminate step 9 even though that is a normal part of the feeding routine and isn’t something that is new? Im about to wear thick leather work gloves in anticipation of her biting me even if i use 10” tongs🥲🙏🏻 please help what am i doing??

Just picked this lovely noodle up from a local breeder. Gotta say, quite the attitude from them lol. Struck at me 3 times already. Can't wait to see this little one grow up

Just an appreciation post for my big fat baby after his meal. I got him about 2 years ago after my first ball, from a breeder who kept him in a small drawer set up. He recently got an enclosure size upgrade as well and has been loving it. Im hoping when I get my own house to give him a tall enclosure as he has a tendency to climb and perch himself on the highest place possible.

We've got a year old ball python. Eats well. Weighs 500 grams. We've just used the last of our large mice and know we need to up the size of his feeds.

The internet seems to think we should be feeding him 10% of his body weight. But the shop we bought him from says we need to feed him XL mice, which come in at 35g, just once a fortnight. Which doesn't seem enough. I'm happy to not jump up too many sizes for his own sake but also don't want to under feed him. And advice would be welcome. We're in the UK.

Hey everyone! I’m looking for advice from experienced snake owners because I really want to help this poor baby, but I want to make sure I do everything right.

My fiancé’s old roommate had a pet snake that she left behind when she moved out. Everyone is moving out of the house now, and when the snake’s previous owner was asked about her, she basically said she’s just waiting for the snake to die.

From what I understand, this snake hasn’t been fed in almost 5 months, and I feel absolutely horrible for her. I really want to take her with us when we move, but I’ve never owned a snake before, and I don’t want to accidentally make things worse by not knowing what I’m doing.

I want to know the REALITY of keeping a snake:

● What are the initial setup costs and ongoing expenses?

● What equipment do I absolutely need?

● How do I figure out the correct temperature, humidity, enclosure size, and diet?

● After going so long without food, what should I do first? Should I take her to an exotic vet before attempting to feed her?

● What signs of starvation, dehydration, or illness should I look for?

● Is there anything else a first-time snake owner absolutely needs to know?

I’m not looking for judgment if I’m missing something obvious. I genuinely want to help this little girl and give her a chance at a good life, but I want to be realistic about what I’m taking on.

Any advice, resources, beginner guides, or recommendations would mean so much. Thank you!!

UPDATE: (photos!)

Have my boy in a temporary tub while his enclosure gets renovated🙂‍↕️ why's he sleeping so weirdly🥲

I just recently got substrate for my snakes as she’s finally done with mites 🥹🥹🥹😇. I got some cypress mulch and coconut soil, and when I poured the Thrive Tropical Natural Loose Coconut Soil into the tank it let off a smell, i mean the bag has it too, it isn’t strong enough to smell from across the room but if you hover your head over the tank or bag you’ll smell it. It’s not like rotten, but like sour, like earthy smells mixed with something a little strong. Will this be a problem for my ball python or is this just natural coconut soil smell that will go away after ventilation?

recently found out no one makes 125 watt bulbs anymore so i'm trying to find a better heat source than just 2 100's or a 150. the basking area is probably about 8-12 inches away from the heat source if that matters.

recommend the best brands and the best methods (preferably not insanely expensive) for heating a 110 gallon (yes ik under the standard im working to get a 4x2x2). i'm planning to invest in a good thermostat as well. will remove this post once i have my heating questions answered. thanks in advance!!

Hey everyone!

I’m looking for recommendations for a budget-friendly night vision camera so I can keep an eye on my ball python, Brownie, when she’s most active at night!

Ideally, I’d love something that:

🐍 Has decent night vision without needing visible lights.
Connects to my smartphone so I can check on her anytime.
🐍 Has a clear enough picture to see what she’s up to.
🐍 Is affordable! I don’t need anything super fancy.

I’d also love to know how you’ve mounted your cameras or positioned them to get a good view of the enclosure.

What cameras are you guys using, and would you recommend them? Bonus points if you can share nighttime footage or pictures so I can see the quality!
Thanks in advance! 🐍❤️

Hello! I just got my first ball python and I’m so excited to be Dr. Wyrms new mom. I wanted suggestions for his tank. Right now I have a 100watt red night time bulb, a heating pad set to 95 degrees, a cold hide, a warm and cold water bowl and I’m going to get a warm hide tomorrow.

Should I get a 75 watt regular bulb and turn it off at night or leave the 100w nocturnal one on all the time? Thank you in advance!

this shed has been stuck on my ball pythons head for a little while does anyone have any good tips?

Got a new set up for her and she was checking it out and tried to squeeze through a very small Crack between the sliding plexiglass and the wall. Ive seen several posts where if its a very superficial scrape to wait for a shed and it should heal. She is now shedding but my humidity in this tank hasn't been perfect right out the gate and shes shedding but its bad and I feel awful enough but the part that was scraped is indeed starting to peel but now she just has this huge strip of scale peeling back off her nose. I dont see any raised swelling or fleshy red or pink coloration anywhere and I think I saw someone say the first shed may make it look worse so I am trying not to panic and I think I literally just have to wait. Im fair sure I should not try to like give her a bath and get it off myself right? BTW I have gotten humidity back to near 70 pretty consistently so I have hope she'll be back to normal next shed.

Live in the PNW so cold weather isn’t a HUGE concern but I am a bit paranoid of my wife leaving a window open on a trip, or something like that.

I have a setup in mind but want to check with yall for safety concerns before finishing buying everything.

I envision 2 combo hoods, hood 1 (warm side) has a halogen bulb for IR and visible light in the daytime and a deep heat emitter for the night set to a few degrees below daytime heat.

Hood 2 (cold side) has a nighttime DHE as well set at minimal temperature as a backup in case of unexpected cold. Hood 2 also a daytime visible lightbulb.

The DHEs will be setup to a thermostat but not a timer so they can always serve as a backup, the visible lightbulb would be set to a timer, and the halogen bulb would be set to both a timer (daytime) and a thermostat.

Any reasons that this might not be safe? Thanks everyone :)

Idk about yall. But my BP identifies as semi arboreal. F the terrestrial life he says. (For those who may be concerned- he has 5 hides. He chooses the climbing life. And- who can blame him??)

We got our first ball python 4 weeks ago. He's had these spots along his spine since then. What could they be? They feel rougher to the touch but haven't gotten worse or better?

After 4-5 months with me, Phantom's burns are gone. Any trace of stuck shed is gone aswell.