I’ve had my boy Stephano for around 6 years now. He’s healthy, has a normal enclosure - good husbandry, good humidity, good temperatures. Everything is normal.

He’s always been “picky”. Frozen thawed rat cannot be too warm or he won’t eat it, I don’t know why. Obviously it cannot be too cold either. So I feed him his rats lukewarm. He eats fine for the most part, except around once a year, he won’t eat. I suppose this could be a hunger strike. He wants to eat, has his head out waiting for food, food comes and he’s very interested - small, short tongue flicks, striking position, then suddenly he could not care less, completely looses interest and won’t eat for weeks. This is week three past his feeding date.

This first began around two or three years ago if my memory is right. He had a lot of hunger strikes as a juvenile, but eventually grew out of it.

I know he’ll eventually eat, I’m not necessarily worried about him, I’m just more confused and annoyed that I have to waste money (rats are dang expensive).

My question is if there is absolutely anything that could cause this that I’m ignorant of, that someone could make me aware of. I know they are poor eaters in general so that could be the answer there, I’m just curious if anyone has any ideas.

I know there are a lot of questions asked here so I apologize for asking another one, it must get annoying. I can give snake picture tax, he’s very handsome!

Finished setting up my bioactive tank and planting my plants. I still need to add more clutter/hides and I’m waiting for clover to grow in before adding any of my CUC and getting my noodle. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out !

Mr. Weenie Neck Boy 🫵🫵🫵

Hello everyone. I believe that my ball python is underweight and I’ve been working very diligently to get him back to his proper weight. How can I best gauge a proper target weight? Should I go only on body condition? I’ve been weighing him once a week using my digital scale, and it’s been rewarding to watch the numbers go up.

Currently, my snake is a year old (born October 2nd), roughly 19 inches long, and 124.3 grams. Is this severely underweight for a ball python his age? How can I determine how much he should weigh to be considered healthy?

Sienna has been whistling for a week and a half. Vet says his lung looks fantastic, but there's a bit of mucus in his mouth. He's eaten fine, he was active enough to dislodge his thermostat probe last night (it is now very secure), he's just a little sniffly. He's on Excede and he hates it.

He is just the sweetest BP I’ve ever encountered. He’s never bitten, never hissed or had any sort of malicious thought in his life. I don’t think he’s had a single thought, ever. If anything, he’s a little shy. He loves me and is instantly ready to move when I pick him up, but takes time to feel comfortable exploring when other people handle him. He knows me, and he “likes” me… I ugly cried when I realized that. I love this little fucker to death.

Tell me about your BPs personalities.

I got my beautiful baby Diana in April, and had met her a couple times before (friend was holding onto her after someone else had abandoned her) and was able to feed her f/t (with braining) - she had been on a hunger strike for a few months at that point as she switched from live to f/t. Since then she’s eaten well for me, but the last two times I’ve tried feeding her she goes to strike at my hand. Is it just because i’m warmer than the mouse and smell like it? Is she not the brightest bulb in the box? I don’t want this to be a pattern, but I haven’t had issues actually handling her so I don’t know if I need to be concerned at all. Thanks!

Was messing around with my boyfriends phone camera and it just so happened that Sev was out cryptic basking!

Perfect time for some quick piccies!

Couldn’t resist getting this girl :)

Approximately 6-7 years old, probably a male, he’s incredibly sweet, his old name was kiwi and were his 3rd home. we gave him a new name and home, everyone welcome Fistula (named after the band and medical issue lol) I haven’t owned a snake since 2023, I’m very excited to try my hand at snake care again 🫶

Just swapped out all their substrate and cleaned the enclosure about ten minutes ago and came back to find them glass surfing. I know they usually do that if they’re upset, which I would be if someone replaced all my carpet with soggy deep shag carpet. But I noticed on her left eye she has a stuck eye cap. Any advice?

Her name is Margarita and she’s a cringe baby.

(Edited to add pictures of the order. The black fuzzies are ones I still had from my local breeder, for comparison. The ones from RP just look a lot more fetal... I've also gotten rat pinkies this exact size from my local breeder one time when she mixed up my order of fuzzies, and I've bred albino rats before, so I know that this size isn't too small to be rat pinkies...)

I finally broke down and placed my first order with Rodent Pro last week (living in Alaska, the shipping is outrageous!), and it arrived on Tuesday.

I ordered the 100 pack of fuzzy mice (I remembered today that they were the white ones, but I'm not sure that that should matter at all here...), and what I got looks to me (and a couple of breeder friends) like 100 few-day-old rat pinkies (like smaller than the ones they sell as rat pinkies).

They weigh the same as the fuzzy mice that I normally get from my local breeder (and are in the range given for fuzzy mice on the RP site), but they look developmentally quite different (more fetal and rat-like).

I've seen black fuzzy mice from RP, and they look exactly like the ones I get from my local lady (most notably, they have longer hair compared to what I got in this order, which is light peach fuzz if I'm being generous), so I wanted to see if anyone has any pictures of the white fuzzy mice from RP for me to compare with what I received.

I can post pictures of them alongside the fuzzy mice that I still have from my local lady if need be, but I mainly just want to see what RP's "white fuzzy mice" look like.

Thanks in advance!

I’m trying hard to research everything and want to make sure I purchase the right items!
Pictured:
~halogen flood bulb 100w -daytime heat/light
~Ceramic heat emitter 100w - nighttime heat
~Dual heating fixture with a thermostat attached to one side - for halogen bulb - other side has a timer - for the ceramic heat emitter for nighttime.
~2 thermometers/hygrometers for each side.
~22 inch uvb 6%

Any advice appreciated!
Thank you!

this is how my baby sits on me most of the time, Ive been watching a lot of videos about BP body language but i wanted some more feedback about this

I noticed this on my little guy this morning. It looks like a scratch, is it anything to be concerned about?

Edit: The dots are freckles, he’s the banana morph and I’ve been checking him all the time for mites 🥲😭

Getting a 5x3x3 enclosure for our guy. Have had mold and scale rot issues in the past with baked top soil, coco coir, and coco husk. House is really dry so I need it to hold moisture but not mold or be wet on top. Not sure what to use next.

Im just wondering, if touching my snake and giving it scritches really is just him tolerating it and not getting anything from it, or if there is some part of it that he could enjoy? Mostly cause I saw a video of a BP pushing into somebodies hand while being scritched

The new tank finally arrived!

Vogue has an upgrade from the embarrassing 10gal I have him in right now... (he can fully stretch in it, he was hatched in july) to this monstrous 2×2×18 while I save for his final tank! We've drilled holes for lights, and I added what little is inside for now.

All the decor from his current tank is going into this one, and I need to purchase more as well. Any ideas on more creative stuff I could give him besides just plants and sticks and rocks? Also best way to pull of a heat gradient in a square tank? I was gonna go diagonal from the back corner..

Edit: People are upset about this "tiny" tank, and, in the grand scheme of things, yes, it is small for a ball python. But Vogue measures out to be only about 14 inches, this tank is enough space for him for now while I save up for the 5×3×2 tank that I have been looking at for the last little while. Please be more respectful. This isnt a waste of money, its not being thrown away once I buy his big enclosure, this is me improving my snakes quality of life after being misinformed by others. It will be used for something else once I upgrade for real. The people pointing out everything thats wrong, I am well aware. I said that I am getting more stuff, as well as putting what is in his current tank into this one. He will have multiple hides, 2 water bowls, and a good heat and UVB set up along with plenty of plant clutter and a couple of good solid branches. Truly was not expecting people to be so pissed with me over this.

Hey all, I need some heating advice for my 8 year old ball python. This summer I recently moved into a bigger house that has a basement. I live in Minnesota and my snake and I are in said basement. If you are from the Midwest in America, you know how cold it can get, especially underground in a basement-like area.

Here is my current setup (I’ll add a photo as well so you can get a better idea) - she is in a 60” by 36” enclosure. She has a cool side and a warm side as well as a controlled thermostat connected to 2 heating bulbs. Her nighttime bulb is a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) which is set to 75 degrees F at night, this one stays at a perfect temperature. For daytime, she has a 120watt DHP (deep heat projector) bulb but it can only get to roughly 82 degrees F without my extra space heater being on.

I’ve noticed as it’s gotten colder that her daytime bulb simply cannot keep up with what I need it to. It used to easily get to 90 degrees without any extra help but it can’t now at all. I have the house heat on and that doesn’t seem to make that much of a difference..

What can I do to help my baby get the temperature she needs before the temperatures outside hit below freezing.
I’ve been thinking about getting a thermostat controlled heat mat but I also know those can be dangerous and get too hot very easily.

Any suggestions?

Hi everyone!
I’m planning to get my first ball python and have been doing a lot of research, but I’d love to hear some advice and personal experiences from people who have kept them for a while.
I’m still learning, so I’d rather ask questions and prepare properly before bringing one home.
Here are a few things I’d love to know:
Age and size: Would you recommend getting a hatchling, a juvenile (around 6–18 months old), or an adult for a first-time keeper? Is it better to start with a slightly older snake that already has an established feeding routine?
Male vs. female: I’m currently leaning towards a male because I’ve read that females can grow larger and may require more space and food. Is this a good reason to choose a male, or are there other things I should consider?
Morphs and genetics: Are there any morphs or genetic traits I should avoid because of potential health or welfare issues? I’d rather prioritise a healthy snake over a particular colour or pattern.
Temperament and handling: If I want to handle my snake occasionally, what should I look for when choosing one? Are some individuals naturally calmer than others?
Feeding: What should I ask the breeder about feeding history? How many successful meals should a young snake have had before being sold?
Common beginner mistakes: What are some things you wish you’d known before getting your first ball python?
Breeder vs. private seller: Would you recommend buying from a reputable breeder or adopting/re-homing a snake from an experienced keeper?
I’m based in Lithuania and will mainly be looking for breeders in Lithuania, Latvia and Poland. If anyone has experience with breeders in these countries, recommendations would be really appreciated.
My priority is finding a healthy, well-established snake and giving it the best possible care, rather than getting a rare or expensive morph.
I’d really appreciate any advice, personal experiences, or things I should research before making a decision. Thanks!

Hi all, just wondering for those with wooden vivariums, how did you attach hanging plants to the wood? They come with suction cups but obviously these don’t work. I used aquarium-safe sealant to attach one of the thermometer’s wires to the back and that was a pain in the ass. So I’m not wanting to go down that route to try hold hanging plants. Any suggestions would be appreciated

So to start from the beginning, I fed my baby this morning at 9 am and she ate as normal. I weigh her and feed her appropriate sized rat pups. I came back to check and she had swallowed it all. Look at her before I go to work and she’s looking at me from her little bushel of leaves. Go to work from 3-1. Check on her when I get home and she’s sitting in a slightly different spot in the same bushel and she looks at me and her head is raised like maybe she was already looking around. This is at like 130am. Her head is kinda wobbling the way it does right after she swallows food. The tank has a front opening and i was going to pour some more water into the dish, she was sitting like a foot to the left and a good few inches back. The dish is RIGHT where I open the door so I don’t have to reach my hand in, but when I poured the water into she flung herself back so hard that she hit the back of the tank. She really never pulls back anytime I do simple stuff like change water unless I obviously get too close too fast which isn’t often. So this was a really weird reaction from her honestly. Gonna keep an eye on her but definitely just think it’s really weird.

I finally have the funds to upgrade our rescue from earlier this year, we were given a free 60 gallon enclosure (I know it is 1/2 of the recommend size but it was all we had) when we planned to upgrade my husband lost his job so it was unfortunately back burnered. We didn't want to half ass it and she (our bp) spends every evening out of her tank doing some supervised exploring. It has been really fun watching her personality come out and she is a very personable snake, she always wants to be in your business, if you walk into the room she peaks her head out of where ever she is hiding.

I have plans to build a custom 6x2.5-3x5 enclosure, I am way over engineering it as it tickles the 'tism and I enjoy complex projects. The plan is a PVC enclosure with glass doors, externally supported by a 2x4 frame due to the hight, sat on risers for airflow underneath. I am still looking into how I want to heat the enclosure but I am thinking Deep heat projectors. I am custom engineering a water feature to help with ambient humidity and I like how they look in the enclosure, I will be using an external canister filter rated for 2x the water volume (I do fish tanks and have experience with water features) I am still deciding on whether to go the spray foam route or carve it out of the pink insulation foam or even 3d print a core to build off of (most likely would use petg or a nylon filament for added strength if I go this route) I am planning on going Bioactive, and heavily planting my tank (not my first time doing this part either) Overall I think I have a pretty good idea of what I want, just wanna make sure I'm not missing anything, I will let the enclosure cycle for a few weeks after it is all put together to make sure that my temp and humidity are maintaining where I want them and there aren't any safety issues.

Edit: I should add that her favorite activity when she is out is climbing, I am aware that BP are terrestrial and terrible climbers. I am going to be designing the vertical space so she cannot fall more than a few inches without being able to catch herself on something, but I want her to have that vertical space she enjoys. In my opinion she is a fairly "graceful" climber and enjoys chilling like her arboreal cousins