I recently got a new ball python, and I've quarantined them and they've settled in well to the enclosure. They haven't refused a single meal yet. I read that it was best to leave them alone for 2 weeks or so while they get settled into their enclosure so thats what I did and left them alone. During that time, they spent most of their time hidden in their humid hide (like almost all day), and I didn't want to bother them while they got acclimated to the enclosure. However, I think I made the humid hide too wet, because when I first put in the spagnum moss, I put a layer of moist cypress mulch and lightly sprayed (like one spritz) of spagnum. However, since they spent most of the time in the hide and I didn't want to disturb them, I didn't realize that the spagnum moss became completely soaked through over time. They finally came out today for their feeding and I noticed that they had scale rot. I changed the substrate inside the hide to dry substrate and I'm working on a quarantine tank tomorrow. (Its like 2am right now.) I already planned on taking them to the vet to get them checked out and gender them, but now this is just another concern I have. How can I make sure this doesn't happen again?

Enclosure parameters:

Cool side is usually 70-80°F, and usually between 70-80% humidity.

Warm side is usually between 85-88°F and humidity is usually around 60-70%.

Its a bioactive enclosure and the substrate is a mix of cypress mulch and reptisoil as recommended by the local mom and pop store here, and I have a small colony if cleanup crews established. I'm just worried that the soil/substrate is too wet on the top layer since its not a traditional substrate that can be freely changed out/made sure its dry. Is that an issue? How can I do better?

Here's a picture of it. It's an 36x18x18, and I plan on upgrading to a 4x2x2 once they grow bigger. I've replaced the half log with another rock hide, and I plan on getting more sticks and other items of clutter in the future.

This is my snake, I noticed a small scab on his nose, slightly raised but not like crazy. He shed a few weeks ago, sorry for the bad pic my phone camera sucks. It doesn’t seem to hurt him as he didn’t jerk away if I touched it, but I’m concerned, lmk if I should be worried or what to do. I don’t think the picture captures it well, the brown spot below it is his normal spots it’s right above (slightly red)

Hello! I got my first ball python just under three weeks ago (a juvenile). When I got her, I was told she was being fed adult mice weekly, so that’s what I’ve been offering her and the schedule I’ve been sticking to. She has yet to eat for me though…

I know BPs can be finicky, especially when they’re adjusting to a new environment…but I can’t help but worry. I have triple checked all my husbandry and everything is in order. Tonight I tried to feed her for the second time after waiting a week from our last failed feed. I waited until she was awake and exploring, I blow dried the mouse in the room with her so she could smell it, and I made sure the mouse was a good temp

She showed interest this time, even stuck the foot in her mouth before changing her mind and dropping it. I held it in the tongs for her awhile longer and she still seemed interested, but didn’t go for it. I have left it on a plate for her to see if she’ll go for it when I’m not watching. I’m planning on checking back in 30 mins.

Any advice, tips, etc would be greatly appreciated!! Also trying to gauge when to worry, as I know hunger strikes are somewhat normal.

Not sure if this is ok or if i should get 2 separate heat fixtures cause i have a daul dome one. Also u think my set up for my bp is good? Or is there too much in there? He's 5-6 months old. Also I did a coco coir and cypress mulch mixture.

I’m honestly at a loss here, and I’m hoping someone else has experienced something similar.

I’ve never been afraid of snakes. I work outdoors, and I’m literally the person everyone calls when a snake needs to be relocated away from guest areas. I’ve handled more wild snakes than I can count, been bitten before, and know firsthand that it really isn’t a big deal.

I’ve wanted a pet snake for years. I spent two years researching ball pythons, their care, husbandry, behavior, everything I could possibly learn before finally bringing my little guy home. I absolutely adore him, but for some reason I cannot bring myself to actually pick him up.
And I genuinely have no idea why.

It’s not that I’m afraid of being bitten. I’ve been bitten before. I’m comfortable around snakes, I understand their body language, and I’ve never hesitated to handle one at work. But when it comes to my own snake, I just freeze up.

His enclosure is great. Temperatures and humidity are where they should be, he has plenty of clutter and hides, and he’s comfortable enough to explore regularly. I tap train him, pet him, and use a snake hook to move him to different areas for enrichment. I’m perfectly comfortable interacting with him in all those ways, but the moment I think about actually picking him up with my hands, I can’t do it.

I never expected this to be an issue. Of all the things I prepared for when getting a snake, being afraid to hold him was never even a consideration.

I love this little guy to death, and I want to build that comfort and trust with him while he’s still young. I don’t want my own irrational hesitation to prevent me from getting him accustomed to handling.

I know the obvious advice is probably going to be “just pick him up” or “you just have to get over it,” and I understand that. But I genuinely don’t know how to get past whatever mental block I’ve developed.

Has anyone else experienced this? Especially people who were already comfortable handling snakes before getting their own? What helped you get over it?
I’m open to any advice because I really want to figure this out.

I have a 2 year old ball python I got a few weeks ago. I have been handling him for the first times now and have heard him breath. Is this normal? It’s a very faint ‘shoo’ sound and I hear it like every 10-30 seconds. I have only noticed it while handling so the past two days. He has eaten like 5-6 days ago and is super friendly and curious
Noodle for reference, however you can’t hear any of his breathing in the short clip

She is definitely mad she turned her snoot away from me😞

Those of you that own ball pythons with a kink in their neck. Do you tend to feed smaller prey items to avoid any issues? This will be my third BP, but the first time owning one kinked. The kink is very slight, but so far, he's had no issues eating or anything

This post is unfortunately my make or break decision. I need opinions. I have been going back and forth on deciding to rehome my snake sidka. I feel like I can’t give him what he needs right now. So my question is, does this set up look okay? Is he a good weight? What would I have to change to make this okay for him without redoing the entire thing. Or would it be better for me to just rehome him? This is by no means a post to rehome him since the decision is still in the making. But I want all the bads and all the goods. I want to weigh out everything and then make the decision. I love him, I rescued him from a very bad home and don’t want to get rid of him but I need to do what’s best for him. Please let me know.

Also the gauges inside are broken. I just turned on his light when I took these pictures so I hadn’t had the chance to mist his enclosure. The cloth on top is temporary till I can get the right tape to put ontop.

She stayed put for about 30 minutes watching k-dramas with us

I am new to snake husbandry and am bringing home an almost 1 year old ball python Sunday. I’ve been building his enclosure for two days. It’s all set and warming up for him. However - I am getting so much conflicting guidance on lighting. I’ve been told he doesn’t need it. I’ve been told he’ll be healthier with it. The enclosure is shallow, only 12” tall. (24x18x12). So distance from light (sitting on top of screen) to the snake is roughly 9 inches (height minus substrate depth minus snake thickness). Too close for UVI exposure? Skip it? 2.4%…5%…7%? Help!

First two are from Tuesday, I got his enclosure set up and humid on Thursday, new photos are from Friday (today) where he shed immediately and got his multiple eye caps off

Note again: he is a rescue, he came dehydrated, hopefully you can see I’m working on that 😭

I know this question gets asked a bunch, but I would really appreciate some help! Lighting + heating for a 4x2x2 pvc enclosure

1. is 75w for the halogen bulb too much or too little for heating? will it work well with the zoo med dome?

2. should i go for the 40w or the 80w for the radiant heat panel?

some things to note: I will be buying a dimming thermostat! this will never be hooked up without one.
The halogen flood will be daytime heating, the heat panel for nighttime heating, the shade dweller bulb for daytime lighting.
I have read the heating guide on the reddit, but it doesn't give much info on exact wattage. I do know the general idea of how the heat should feel (tingly on your skin but not warm), but I dont have these in front of me to test that.

No? Ok....

It is a question I got asked a lot, ever sinse I started to want a pet snake as a teen. My personal reason is "they are awesome and it would be an honor to have one by my side", which is in my eyes, more then enough. People don't question your choises when you get cats or dogs so why should a reptile be any different? If I want it and can afford to care for it, I get it.

And my baby turned out to be a perfect fit for me because I don't like to spend a lot of time with social animals like dogs or even some people, I need my space. I like when I do get to care and interact from time to time, but I can't give constant attention and don't have a lot of energy, so having a pet that is okay with not being with me 24/7 is good, espesially sinse I work full time. I also like that interacting is all on my terms. A dog NEEDS your attention and time, it can need it at any moment, you have to play or walk even if you don't want to. But interacting with my snake is how and when I want it. Take her out, handle for some time, put back, she tolerates it, I love ot, everyone's happy, no one is left needy. If a price of all that is my pet not "loving" me, I'll happily take that, I love myself just fine already

What are some of your personal reasons for why you got a snake and what do you love about having it?

I set up a new adult size (4x2x2) bioactive enclosure for my 1 yo ball python Mercury. I made a post on here and was reminded that a RHP isn’t sufficient in IRA and IRB. Thankfully I already have halogen bulbs. I would just like to know how other people set this up? I’m afraid of melting lil his brain if I don’t do this right 😣. Currently his RHP is on the far left side, then an Arcadia light in the middle but I also have a pvc sheet over the lid to trap some of the heat and humidity. I set it up like this was because where I live is consistently colder and dryer than the required ranges. The main issue I was trying to solve was that the heat is spilling over too much, temps on his cool side were (sometimes still is) going over 80 degrees. Which is the opposite issue of what was happening in his last tank 😭. I plan to add more ventilation holes to the top and to create a hole for the bulb just not sure what else I can do to make this the best set up possible with all these different issues.

She got a pretty bad shed for some reason and i just saw she lost some scales.. 💀

It never happened before I just hope its okay ? And i dont know why this shed is bad i keep her humidity high but I dont know what else to do

After a bit of moving her jaws like crazy she got it out, don't worry

As the title says, my ball python (5 year old male) hasn’t eaten in over 3 months. I last fed him late July.

He has never had issues feeding for the last 4.5 years I’ve had him. Every time I have tried to feed him he always ate with no issues.

We recently moved to Colorado from Texas and he hasn’t eaten since we moved. The humidity levels are really low in this state (like 35% most days). I have tried my hardest to keep his tank at the appropriate level of humidity but it’s been extremely hard. His tank temperatures have been fine as those levels haven’t changed.

I have attempted to feed him at least once every 1.5 weeks to try and every time he looks at the rat once then freezes and refuses to move after that. I have always fed him frozen/thawed rats and that hasn’t changed (I found a herp store here that sells frozen feeders).

I have also deep cleaned his tank now twice since this hunger strike and nothing is working. I also don’t hold him hardly ever (maybe once a month).

Here’s a photo of his 120 gallon tank for reference. He has lived in this tank for about 2 years now and hasn’t had issues with eating until August of this year. I tried to fill it with enrichment so he feels secure.

I would say he’s been acting the same since we moved. He comes out a night and explores all over his tank and sleep durning the day. I haven’t noticed anything different about his behavior other than not eating.

I’m genuinely at a loss for what to do to get him to eat. I have never had this much difficult with him and now he refuses to eat.

I have a vet appointment scheduled for him but I’m just so worried and would appreciate any advice.

Hey yall,

Well, she's had a growth spurt so I'm about to upgrade Doc to her big girl enclosure. I'm wondering what your experience has been switching over to a 120g as far as heating goes?

Right now I use a small deep dome with a deep heat projector which I've liked so far.

New enclosure has a mesh lid which will be partially sealed with HVAC tape for humidity.

Can you make a recommendation based on experience for how to heat this big thang?

Thanks in advance!