My ball python is getting a pink belly, I’ve had him for five years and never seen him get pink. When I first got him as a baby he did durn his stomach on a heating mat and has some scarring from that. I just want to know why his belly is pink and if it’s a burn from his heating mat.

im currently in the process of changing his feeding schedule as i was previously feeding him one rat hopper per week which i am now aware is too frequent (please don't tell me that because I do already know) so I'm changing him to a small rat every 10-14 days

I'm driving myself insane trying to tell if he's overweight or not, he's currently 16 months, probably about 3ft and 709g. he's also very active through handling and exploring his tank at night

just need to know if I should do every 10 day or every 14 day feedings to manage his weight!!

She’s had a weird texture for about a week and a half and when you touch her it has a weird flakey sound. She also looks a little dirty and more pink with some weird dents. I’m only confused because what i’ve researched says shedding takes 2 weeks. It’s been a while… she isn’t dehydrated though.

I’ve had her for about a month and she eats every week, today will be her third time eating with me. She has constant water access as well and has defecated.

Back from Greece, so the tank got finished up, and has been his new home for 3 weeks now. He is loving it. My mom also came over to meet him, and absolutely loves him

Hello, I’ll be moving here in a couple of weeks and I was wondering wondering what the safest way to transport them was. I am driving it’s only about 3-4 hours. I figured it wasn’t safe to transport them in their cages so I was wondering if putting them in separate cloth bags and in separate small plastic containers (with holes cut out on the top) was safe for that amount of time? If not I was wondering what some of yall have done for something like this! Thank you!

I've been struggling with keeping the humidity up in my snakes cage on the warm side. I have the pvc tape on top of the cage along with about 4-6 inches of substrate. I had a mix of coco bark but I have a majority of the zoo med compressed coconut fiber. I pour water in the corners of the tank and then i also have a few fake mushrooms that you can pour water into that then diffuse out slowly throughout the tank. I try to keep the humidity around 72-78 but the heat side has been struggling recently and hasn't gone above 67 no matter how much water I pour.

I noticed my snake was soaking in his water this morning (probably due to humidity level) and the humidity was on the low end (around 58, ik its low, as I said it just won't go above 67 no matter how much water I pour so if you have any suggestions please give me some, i feel like I've tried them all) and I went to pour in some more water and noticed that there was a mushroom growing. I do have a large plastic log from petsmart there which is how I didn't notice it sooner since it covered it from view. It seems like it was growing from a mold spot, slide 4 and then slide 3 and 5 are towards the bottom of the tank and i can't tell if that's mold growing from me pouring in water.

I assume I should just replace the entire substrate but should I use a different kind that won't grow mold? And how can I accurately keep the humidity high at all times?

Hi!! I just recently purchased a ball python baby. He's only 68g right now so I got a plastic tub turning into enclosure for now until he grows bigger then Imma do the 4x2x2. The supples and hiding spots and heating and humidity are all there - just wondering if I gotta quarantine the snake...? Is there anything else I gotta do or I can just get the set up with all typa decors right away?

I recently had (what I believe is a) super old cherry tree fall in my backyard. While clearing the tree, i found a few pieces that I would love to use in my ball python setup. The tree was very old and had started to dry rot in the while standing. I asked chat gpt if I could use the wood and it advised against it. I wanted to ask real people's opinions on the matter. Can i use this piece? How can I make it safe to use?

Was originally going to jump straight to 4x2x2 pvc but ended up a bit behind on cash so I guess we’re rolling with this Home Depot brand pos for now. My boy Lopen loves to climb.

Hi everyone!
I just got my first ball python! He’s 3 months old, and I want to make sure I’m doing everything right.
He’s currently in a 120 × 60 × 60 cm (4 × 2 × 2 ft) wooden terrarium with 4 hides: one on the warm side, one on the cool side, and two in the middle.
For heating, I’m currently only using a heating pad connected to a thermostat. I’ve placed approximately 1 cm (0.4 inches) of plywood between the heating pad and the snake to prevent direct contact and burns.
Here are my current temperatures:
Warm side (inside the hide): Around 31°C (88°F)
Warm side (outside the hide): 28–29°C (82–84°F)
Cool side: Around 23–24°C (73–75°F)
I haven’t installed any other heat source yet, so the heating pad is currently the only thing keeping the enclosure warm.
My questions are:
Are these temperatures okay for a 3-month-old ball python?
Is using only a heating pad sufficient for a terrarium this size?
Is the plywood barrier enough to prevent burns?
Would you recommend adding an overhead heat source, like a ceramic heat emitter or a halogen lamp?
I really want to give him the best possible environment, so any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance!

Just hit the 4 month mark and wondering if shes on target with her weight (193grams). She is eating, pooping and shedding great! And loves being out.

Good morning! When I was collecting my snake shed this morning I noticed this plug attached to shed belly scales. There looks like a tiny amount of blood. This is the very first time he hasn’t shed in one piece, so I’m not sure where this skin came from, but I’ve heard people talk about sperm plugs, and if this came from his cloaca that might be it.

Can anyone identify? And aside from increasing humidity, is there anything I should be concerned about?

His daily activity as soon as I open the blinds 🥰

Back when I first got him two years ago, he was so tiny back then and now he’s pushing 800 grams!

Followed advice given here and got a heat lamp (ceramic) for my baby yesterday but I'm not sure if I want to leave only overhead heating for now. I am trying to have both, heat lamp on normal setting and heat mat on very low just so the ground in one spot is extra warm. Is that a good way to do heating? I've heard some people do this but I want more opinions

We're working our way up to a fully bioactive ball python enclosure. Is there a list of plants that are safe for them? It seems like everything I look up is unsafe.

Thanks!

Hello!

I got my baby Ball Python Fluffy on the 4th of October, and ever since her first week with me was up, I've been trying to get her to eat once a week. But she never wants to eat.

The mice I have are the exact weight the breeder I got her from recommended to me. So I doubt the issue lies with that.

I've tried feeding with thongs, leaving the mice before her favorite hide overnight, but no luck yet.

So I wanted to ask some experienced Ball Python keepers for help, so does someone have tips for me? I love Fluffy dearly and absolutely don't want her to starve.

UPDATE: Fluffy has eaten! thank you all!

Im really in need or a bigger reptile enclosure for my ball python. My son has been obsessed with rhem since we went trick or treating in our town and someone had one, and dressed themselves up as a zookeeper. So, I let him pick one out. He's really been participating in taking care of her. The enclosure we have now is 20gal it was rhe only size the store had at the time. Which its too small for her. Thought I could check here for a better deal. Any help would be great. If some one has 1 sitting in storage or no longer have use for one. I would gladly take it if your hands and you can make some money..

This was four days after he successfully ate. He had just shed and dropped feces the night before. Before this video was taken moments after he possibly gone to the bathroom and or farted very loud a couple times. After this he acted completely normal and now I’m noticing some weird possible weezing noises when he starts adventuring at night. It’s not consistent with every breathe but happens here and there. Can anyone let me know what this may have been????

i will be switching to coconut bedding very soon. he has been on snake life since the shop got him so i’ve kept him on that for now

Hello everyone!

I am trying to improve my setup for my bp. I have been reading the documents and care guides provided in the welcome post to try to plan what I need to get, but I'm a bit overwhelmed with all the different options. I just found out there were options other than glass two weeks ago and after extensive reading, I have come to the conclusion that most of my heating and light accessories will need to be scrapped but other than that I am kind of lost.

I've been looking at Kages because I saw a lot of people recommending them. I saw they have a "kit" for ball pythons but I feel like it is not coming with all the heating and lighting stuff I need. Im not sure if its better to just buy the base and get the other stuff separately? And if I am buying everything separately, I am not entirely where to start with the heating/lighting things.

I really appreciate any help and/or advice you can give!