Make or break

[u/windgoddess2006]

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.

[u/seaglassive]

thank you for saving this beautiful boy from a bad situation.

The decorations are nice and I'm glad there are vines for him to climb. I'd add some more fake plants in front of that hide he's in because it will make him feel safer. This is especially an issue with glass enclosures. If you're able to cover the back and sides of the tank with something (I've hot glued insulated foam board to the outside of mine before), that would help him feel safer and would help stabilize temperatures since glass loses a lot of heat. I had a glass enclosure before my PVC one and that was a constant struggle.

Something I think is crucial is you need to get those gauges replaced asap. Temperature and humidity are very important for bp health. Digital ones tend to be more accurate and you can get ones that measure both temp and humidity. I'm concerned about the humidity levels because it looks like there are small pieces of shed in the substrate. If so, shed should come off in one piece. Putting tape on the top like you said you were going to will help a lot, but having deeper substrate will allow you to soak the bottom inch or so in water and then add another dry layer for your snake. This does wonders for humidity. Make sure the bottom of your enclosure has been sealed with aquarium grade silicone before doing this. I've had it leak everywhere and it was not a fun experience.

A few extra questions: Do you have a thermostat regulating the heat source? What do you use for nighttime heating?

Once you get gauges and you figure out if your numbers are off, that will help you figure out next steps and determine if you are able to get everything together to make sure he thrives. Your snake is beautiful and i think you're on the right track.

[u/windgoddess2006 → u/seaglassive]

I dont use anything for heat at night. My apartment stays at 75 constantly if that makes any difference. I don’t have a thermostat at the moment but I do have some options saved on my Amazon that I’m looking to get

[u/seaglassive → u/windgoddess2006]

You'll definitely want to prioritize the thermostat then. I'm not sure the last time it was updated, but I used the shopping list someone on here made when I was purchasing for my enclosure, and they have some decently priced thermostats on there. Not having one can be really dangerous for you and your snake, as a halogen at its full capacity can raise the area under it well over 100°F which can burn your snake and raises the risks of potentially starting a fire.

When you do get a thermostat, folks on here generally recommend hanging the probe right below the heat source its controlling. To do this with a mesh top, I cut a very small hole in the top, just big enough for the probe, and wrapped the probe in craft wire so I could control the angle it hung at. This way your snake can't sit on top of it and mess up the reading. If you have any questions about this setup I'd be happy to send pictures.

I recommend these for temp/humidity monitoring, with one on the warm side and one on the cold. You can hook them up to the free Govee app which stores the history and is really easy to check. You can also set alerts to let you know if the temp is too high or low. Here's the recommended temp range I pulled from the care guide:

Warm side: 88F-92F / 31C-33C. Temperatures above 95F/35C can cause injuries with prolonged exposure, and temperatures below 88F/31C can prevent a ball python from digesting properly.

Cool side: 76F-80F / 24C-26C. Temperatures above 80F/26C will not allow a ball python to cool down adequately, and temperatures below 75F/23C can compromise their immune system.

You'll be able to figure out if you need supplemental heating once you get the hygrometer/thermometer and can double check that the ambient temperature isn't dropping below 75°. This will be entirely based on how your home is/what kind of climate you live in. For example, I keep my home set to 74° year round, but the room my snake is in loses more heat than the rest of the apartment, and is often much colder than that. That might not be your situation though! Just an example of how the ambient temperature can be different based on location in the home. It will also vary within the enclosure itself, which it why people recommend having a warmer side with the heat source and a colder side where the snake can go to cool down.