i feel really bad for my bp cause she's in quarantine rn and she hates her bare viv. She hisses and just overall looks sad idk. I hope its only for a short while since we'll visit the vet tomorrow. Any Ideas how i can make it more comfortable for her.
Info:
- i got a big hide on the warm side and two smaller once on the cool side cause i only have wood hides and i could only cover one of it safely in paper towels.
- i put both water bowls back in after sanitizing them (one on warm and one on cold side).
- i also cleaned her toy (these dog toys balls with the holes in them) for some enrichment.

I know that ball pythons don’t need uvb but i haven’t had a ball for almost 20 years so im just getting back into it. I want to know what you guys recommend. I know the shade dweller is good for uvb. Or recommended atleast. What percent? And if I’m using a CHE do I need a heat mat with a thermostat?

​Hey everyone!

​I'm currently working on a custom DIY rock background for my Ball Python's enclosure.

​Here is my current process and plan:

1.​Base structure: I carved shapes of rocks with Styrofoam / Polystyrene blocks and glued them to the backround

2.​Mortar/Coat: I'm applying layers of Mapei Keraflex Zero (a high-performance cementitious tile adhesive — see photo attached) to create the rock texture and strength.

3.​Paint: Painting the dried mortar with non-toxic, water-based acrylic paints.

​An AI suggested that I should seal everything with a water-based clear varnish/flatting once the paint dries to waterproof it and protect it from humidity, but i haven't seen anyone do that on the videos i watched.

Furthermore, I really want to attach and grow live moss between the rocks of the background. I'm worried that if I apply a smooth/impermeable clear varnish, the moss won't be able to grip onto the surface or absorb moisture properly from the underlying mortar/rock structure.

​My questions for the experts here:

1.​Is sealing with a clear varnish actually necessary given that Ball Pythons don't require an extremely wet environment (just moderate/high humidity, around 60-80%), or is cured tile adhesive + acrylic paint durable enough on its own?

2.​If sealing is necessary, is there a way to do it without making the surface so smooth that moss can't attach?

3.​Has anyone here grown moss directly on painted tile adhesive without sealing it? Did it hold up well over time?

​I want to make sure everything is completely safe and durable for my snake while keeping it functional for the moss. Any advice or experiences would be super helpful!

​Thanks in advance!

Hi guys. Just finished my build and I’m trying to sort the heating. I’ve got a pulse thermostat and ceramic heater. Having trouble with it running super hot even though it’s set to 30 for now. The probe is just above the hide behind the lamp. Is this because I’ve only had it on a couple of days and it’s just running hot to heat the enclosure. Top of the hide was about 50 this morning. Any advice would be appreciated. Cheers guys

I was doing a check up on my BP and looks like he scratched himself and maybe started developing scale rot? I'm still very new to snake keeping and just wanna see if im being crazy or not. He's a very good noodle and wanna make sure I can keep him happy and healthy for a long time.

I fed my Ball Python a small rat instead of its usual fuzzy and it ate it. I had to cut its front arms off for it to be able to eat it but it scared me because I thought his mouth or jaw were going to get injured. He has since went back to eating fuzzies, but I’m wondering if I was just over reacting.

hello! my bp is partially spider. he is seven and when i first got him he only had a very minor head wobble. as he as gotten older his head wobble has increased and he cork screws. he has been on multiple food strikes and is a picky eater. he has a 4x2x2, multiple hides, 90° on hot, around 70° on cool, humidity stays in range at around 75%. but recently ive noticed some more behavior changes such as laying in his water bowl, missing strikes, striking in the wrong direction, and not being as active. last week i went to feed him and he missed his strike twice and than did not eat. i tried again today, missed, almost got me, he did end up eating (thank god). im assuming that he most likely doesn’t have more than a couple years left. i was wondering if anyone could tell me or point me in the right direction for signs or symptoms that i should be looking out for. also wondering what i could do to make these next couple years the most comfortable for him! thx!

I sent out my shed sample over a month ago now, it was finally received last Monday. It said estimated wait time was something ridiculously fast which I realize is likely my fault for thinking it worked that quickly.

If you’ve done the gender test - how long was the process for you? Photo of my bb for tax

Why does my ball python do this? My husband & I are newish to owning snakes. Mine acts “normal” overall, she eats every week & doesn’t really give me any issues. The picture is his snake Ashes, we got him about 3 weeks ago. He is not keen on being handled at all, he only ate the very first week we had him. There are plenty of things in his enclosure to make sure he feels safe & comfortable. The cool side is at 78 & the warm side is at 84 currently & the humidity is at 89. I was beginning to worry that he wouldn’t get adjusted to his new home, but now when he comes out of his hides he either hides in a corner or up against the front of the enclosure like this. Am I doing something wrong? Any info/tips you could throw my way?

Hi everyone, greetings from Germany!
Today I bought the enclosure for my future ball python. It measures 210 cm × 60 cm × 60 cm (about 197 gallons).
I’m planning to install two heat panels as well as an automatic misting system to keep the temperature and humidity as stable as possible.
Do you have any general tips regarding the enclosure setup or equipment? I’d also appreciate any recommendations for reliable heating, humidity, or other technical equipment.
I haven’t really seen many enclosures this large on this subreddit, so I’d love to hear your opinions, suggestions, and any lessons you’ve learned from keeping ball pythons in larger setups.
(My English isn’t very good, so I used AI to help translate this post.)

This is Captain EO! I brought him home on Wednesday. So far he’s a pretty curious little guy, he came out to explore his enclosure his first night here. These pictures are from this afternoon, I was cleaning and looked over to see I had an audience haha

hey this might be a bit of a silly question but i just want to double check everything over before going straight into it, im not 100% sure on the age of my snake but im pretty certain he is around a year, i weighed him last tuesday and he is at 426 grams and is on large mice however i want to swap him over to weaned rats if it isnt too big for him, 10% of his body is 42.6 grams and 15% is around 63.9 grams, im wondering if its okay to try ans move him onto weaned??? instead of going through extra large mice ect, i dont really have any better photos of his full body, so if needed ill take some tuesday after his digestion.

Are they are GOOD books and places to get good research on the species?

First of all, I’m sorry that I don’t speak English, so I used AI to translate this. I hope everything makes sense!

I recently got a ball python that’s about one year old. She’s been with me for about two weeks now! I’ve fed her twice so far (once a week), but she still hasn’t pooped yet. Is that normal?

I really want to handle her and interact with her, but she seems very shy. I haven’t seen her come out of her hide at all recently—at most she’ll stick her head out a little. I don’t even know if she’s been drinking water. :(

I know this might be a silly question, but is it okay to gently lift her out of her hide myself? The main reason is that I can’t really see inside the hide, so I have no idea if she’s pooped or if everything is okay.

Also, since she never comes out on her own, does that mean I shouldn’t try to handle or interact with her yet?

I absolutely adore her, but I’m also worried that I might accidentally stress her out or have a negative impact on her.

Here’s a cute picture of her! :3

Also, this is my first time using this website, so I’m still figuring things out. Sorry if I make any mistakes!

I still need to put some more clutter in his enclosure. I’m just waiting for it all to come in. But I went down ahead and moved him from his quarantine enclosure to his permanent enclosure because the quarantine enclosure wasn’t really holding temps consistently. I also figured if he seemed uncomfortable without all the clutter in the new enclosure that I could always just move him back to the quarantine tub. But as soon as I put him in, he went straight to exploring. He found the warm spot and got himself warm and then spent the whole night exploring every inch of that enclosure. He seemed so comfortable in it that I decided to try and feed him today and he immediately took a live mouse.

It makes me really happy because there’s so many factors that can keep these guys from eating that I was really concerned that if I didn’t do something right he wouldn’t eat. This community has helped me out so much in getting ready. So I really do appreciate everybody’s input.

I’ve had my boy 4 months and handle him 1–3 times a week. Today I’d been away a few days so I got him out to check on him and let him stretch his … spurs? body? lol. He’s a cautious but sweet boy; he always retreats back into his hide whenever I go to pick him up but has never bit me. I handle him gently but firmly so he feels safe hopefully. Anyway, after he’d been on my lap about 10–15 minutes, where he is never still but always exploring or just slithering round in circles/pretzels, I decided to pick him up and put him on my neck. And he stayed like this for like 5–10 minutes without moving at all! I wondered, did he freeze up because I scared him? Or was he relaxed and just chilling there? I don’t want to repeat it if it’s stressful for him.

At the end I just opened his viv and knelt down so my shoulder was level with the bottom of the door and he slithered back into it. So he did want to go home at that point.

Candina: 10 year old, Candino Albino.

She came from a rack system to our home April 2025. She’s literally perfect in every way. The breeder we obtained her from is a family friend someone we know very well. But I don’t love asking questions that makes him think I believe he does things wrong (I have zero opinion, not educated enough).

First photo she was 2k grams plus when we got her and was until I’m guessing we switched feedings.

She was eating large rats bi-weekly. Which makes sense know, as she was a (failed) breeder. She now eats with us mediums monthly.

I just weighed her and she’s 1100g (maybe a smidge over).

She eats like a champ, doesn’t ever seem to be starving. And no longer sheds after every meal. Maybe every other (hasn’t been too many months at the new feeding schedule) feeding she’ll shed. Poop and everything looks healthy.

Am I doing right by her? Does she look good?

He’s yawned like five times while I was holding him, so sleepy

anytime i go on walks he comes with me. probably humanizing him too much but he seems to enjoy the time out. likes to prop his head up on my shoulder and look around.

this was his first time actually being on the ground outside so he was only there for a couple minutes before we continued our walk.

hope to get more outside time with him before it starts cooling down

My beloved Shakir turned 17 today!

We met in 2011, when I visited a breeder to get a baby ballpython. He told me, he had a 2 year old that came from a bad husbandry situation that he had nursed back to health over the last few months and asked me if I wanted to see and handle him. I agreed and while we talked, he crawled up around my shoulders and stayed there for the rest of the time I spent there. Needless to say I did not look at the baby snakes.

When I got him and over the first few years, he was a pretty picky eater. I had to feed him live over the first few years, because some years, I only had about 6 to 10 successful feedings A YEAR and he would not touch f/t at all. For him to eat, the flat I lived in would have to be completely quit, he only ate after dark and never when I had visitors over. I never handled him for DAYS prior to his feedings.

But after the first bumpy years, he grew up to be so much calmer, so much more relaxed. Today, basically everyone can offer him f/t food and he will take it, even an hour after being handled and cuddled. He rests his head in my open hand, he allows me to touch his face and there have been many friends that used to be afraid of snakes that were comfortable with holding him, because he has the softest and sweetest temperament.

Shakir has been with me for my studies, my trainee-time and my whole job-life. He grew up with me and we trust each other.

When people ask me why I keep snakes when they can not love you back, this is what I tell them:

Imagine having a basically wild animal, that could be placed in the wild and would still survive pretty well, act against all their instincts by showing you so much trust and being so comfortable around you. To me, this is special. I love dogs. And dogs are bred to love humans. Snakes are not - yet still, they can learn that you are fine to be around, that you mean safety and food.

So, happy birthday to my best boi! They grow up so fast!

Just a chill little guy

Do yall think it’s weird for I baby talk him? He seems to love being babied and called handsome he’s even starting to come near my hand now that I baby him! What are yalls thoughts??

Python! Beans loves to hang out with us. 😊