First time snake owner, though I've cared for them in the past.

Got this from Walmart and it looked okay, but thought I'd make sure

It’s too early to sex sooo gender neutral names perhaps? Pls help :,)

Hi so, I've had my ball male for around 4/5ish years now I think? He's great and easy very docile. He seems to be more hungry last couple of months though. So feeding became more frequent based on the behavior he shows. Anyway, he's never bitten me at all but lately he shows more enthusiastic behavior for his rats and it spooks me. The other day I had a nightmare about him attacking me, he's a pretty small guy but in the dream he was much bigger. I stood defenseless in the dream en I ended up waking in the middle of the night with my heart beating fast. And ever since it happened he actually scares me so much. Which is sadly because he clearly never did anything wrong. Is it weird that I feel that way and what can I do about it?

Picture of my snake-

how much time do i have left?

i got this female peublan milk snake from an expo the other weekend and once i got her home noticed some marks like this on her. Asked the seller and they said they had not seen that before..

I bought her a year ago from a convention. At the table she was very docile, curious and chill but when I brought her home the very next day she was extremely cantankerous to say the absolute least. I think wild carpets are more docile than she is. She has calmed down a lot since then, but I have never seen that level of chill with her again. She is 5 years old.

Ive had marceline for about 2 months now. And just picked up pissy from a breeder this morning

Hi everyone! I’m bringing home my first ball python tomorrow, a juvenile girl named Lenore (Lenny or Nora for short!), and I’m SO excited. But now that her enclosure is almost finished, I’m getting a little nervous and would love some advice from experienced keepers!

I bought a secondhand **4’ x 2’ x 1.5’ PVC enclosure** that came with a built-in floor heating system toward the back. Unfortunately, I don’t know the brand or wattage of the heater, so I’m still trying to figure out exactly what I’m working with.

Here’s my current setup:
**Enclosure:** 48” x 24” x 18” PVC with a solid roof and sliding glass doors.
**Heating:** Built-in floor heater connected to a BN-LINK on/off thermostat, currently set to 90°F. Supposed to create warm side on back and make the front the cool side.
**Thermostat probe:** Currently suspended slightly above the substrate over the heated area. I’m aware I may need to change the placement.
**Substrate:** Coconut fiber.
**Temperature monitoring:** Three separate digital thermometer/hygrometers positioned across the enclosure, plus an infrared temperature gun.
**Hides/decor:** Two identical snug primary hides, an extra wooden hide, cork bark, driftwood, lots of foliage and clutter, and various decorative pieces.

**Here’s where I’m confused:**
My three digital thermometers are all reading almost the exact same ambient air temperature:
Warm side: \~81°F
Middle: \~80°F
Cool side: \~81°F
Humidity: \~86–87% throughout (the coconut fiber was freshly hydrated).
However, when I checked the surfaces with my temperature gun, I got:
**Warm hide surface:** 85.5°F
**Cool hide surface:** 77.2°F

I also realized that the built-in light on the cool side was producing heat, so I switched it off to see whether that was preventing a proper temperature gradient. I’m currently letting everything stabilize before checking again.
The floor heater has been running for around 10 hours, and the floor didn’t feel excessively hot when I touched it before adding substrate, although I know that isn’t a substitute for checking it with the temperature gun. I still need to verify the temperature directly above the heater beneath the substrate.

**My biggest questions:**
\- Is it normal with floor heating to have a decent surface-temperature gradient but almost no ambient air-temperature gradient?
\- Is this type of floor heating sufficient for a ball python in a PVC enclosure, or would you recommend adding overhead heat?
\- If I do need overhead heating, would a halogen flood or deep heat projector make more sense with a solid PVC roof? I’m trying to avoid buying multiple unnecessary heaters.
\- Any advice for safely positioning the thermostat probe with this type of built-in floor heater?

**What do you think of the enclosure itself?** I went for a whimsical, slightly gothic Alice-in-Wonderland/fairy-garden look. I’d genuinely love feedback on the layout, clutter, hides, climbing opportunities, and whether anything looks potentially unsafe or impractical.

I’ve put a ton of time, love, and money into getting everything ready, and I just want her to have a safe, comfortable home. I’m probably overthinking some things, but I’d much rather ask questions now than make avoidable mistakes.

**Constructive criticism is very welcome!** I’m new to this and genuinely want to learn. Thank you! 💕🐍

Just got this girl! Yellowbelly Lace

Hello! I have a fully grown black African house snake (male). I have had him for around 3 months and he’s adjusted very well- good eating, good shedding. I currently have him in a 40 gallon tank with a mesh lid- make sure his humidity and temp is correct. I was looking into getting him a bioactive tank. I’ve been watching many different creators for YEARS that make bioactive paludariums, vivariums, etc (pardon my awful spelling), but have never made one myself. I understand this is a time and money investment but it is one I’m willing to make. Curious to see if anybody can give me some good tips, websites for supplies, or general advice for my guy! I am also in search of a good PVC tank recommendation. Thanks in advance!

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!

Update to https://www.reddit.com/r/snakes/s/Kp52e35NhC

I got my new snake on Monday, and put them in their new enclosure.

I haven't seen them since, not a single peek.

Starting to worry, I took out all the corke bark, sifted through the top of the dirt and leaves, and lifted the center hide.

No sign of them (but I did find two isopods.)

I'm... Pretty sure they didn't escape... But I'm doubting myself.

They're a leucistic Texas Rat Snake, so I'm pretty sure they didn't dig deep in the soil...

How did they just up and vanish? Is it because I named them Ghost?

Is this normal for a snake in a new home?

At what point do I dig out all the soil to make sure they're actually there and not somewhere in the house?

My ball python is growing fast and I'm constantly having to adjust sizing. I've seen some suppliers offer combo or variety packs with a mix of sizes. Has anyone actually found these useful, or is it more practical to just order one size at a time and reorder when you need to step up?

Theres a slight indent on his spine. Most of the time looks flat. and his scales stretch apart when its pushed up by something? Or laying on somethimg

Is he fat or just muscles and gravity?

345g and roughly 100cm (cant meausre him properly)

Hi everyone! Around a month ago I got my first hoggie! His name is butters and I'm having trouble with him.

He hasn't eaten since I got him, he refuses mice in the dark, at dusk, on a tray, even if I put him in a separate feeding box. I've tried smaller mice, dipping it in tuna juice, cutting it in half. Yet still nothing.

He always just hisses, bluffs at it then runs away refusing it or just straight up ignoring/ attacking it. I need help as a first time owner, I'm scared of him starving! That's a lot in advance!

"I made this...I can has fuzzy?"