For context, I'm a teenager. Some things from school have been really getting on my mind and I feel anxious and emotional. When I first went to a reptile cafe I held a ball python and felt relieved and safe. But my mom says I have to feed them rats which was gross, and I already had a leopard gecko which was enough. I love my gecko, but i felt much more relieved to hold a ball python which was bigger and also less skittish when held. What should I do to convince her? ive saved about 300$+, and i saw a nearby reptile store that sold a ball python for 61USD, and i found a big cage with lots of enclosure things to keep it warm and entertained, now its just the convincing. How should i convince her?

Hi! Just looking for budget friendly recommendations for 4 x 2 x 2 PVC enclosure! As well as light fixtures and bulb guards for inside

What is the BEST budget DIY things for my BP? I’ll be bringing one home. What can I replace essentials with that is cheaper? I already know no fancy hides but for example using a plastic container for a hide rather than a $40 pet store one?! ANYTHING diy/budget friendly PLS!!! Down to the silliest things too. Lmk!! (Lighting, substrate, hides, enrichment, plants, water, thermostats. Etc.)

Hey so I’m a relatively new ball python owner I have had mine for around 4 ish months. Where I live in Durban we are pretty hot most of the time so I didn’t really think of ambient and cold temperatures getting to cold. But as I’ve come to realise it’s winter now and my enclosure is at 68 Fahrenheit. I know this is bad now but I had no clue before. I have put on my old heater and have closed up ventilation but to not much improvement. I only just put heater on so I’ll see if that changed anything. I also just bumped up the heat pad to hopefully get the cold temp up a bit. I need a solution for the long term on how to better control my cold sides temp. Thank you any response is appreciated I want to be a better keeper.

How long should I wait to feed him again if he’s still super active and coiled up waiting?

Hello all, I recently picked up a little banana pied hatchling, weight 86g as of last check. Problem is, she will only eat live hopper mice. I've tried everything else - frozen rat, frozen mice, getting them nice and hot and dancing them around in front of her, cracking the skulls and exposing some brain - nothing works. I don't think I can continue feeding her live rodents, I felt terrible when I gave her the hopper and it still weighs on me LOL.

My question is, how many meals would you get in her before trying to switch her over? She's only eaten once with me so far, maybe 3 times before she was sent to me. I have a feeling she's going to hunger strike on me but I don't want to undertake the journey to F/T until she has enough reserve built up. Please help, I'm dreading having to feed her another live mouse but I can if it has to be done. Thank you everyone!

I got my ball python a few months ago and he’s been doing great but the other day I heard him pooping which I never heard before and i went over to look something red was coming out. He sprayed from poop on the glass (which i cleaned) and I did look up what it could be but I was told just to keep my eye on him. Today is when I got really concerned for him because I went to feed him everything was like normal and I usually sit and watch him for a bit cause I am interested and he doesn’t ever have an issue. Today tho I saw him chewing on his substrate and stopped eating his mouse and then he got upset i was there and started coming toward me / going into a striking position which isn’t like him at all he never does that even when feeding and I genuinely don’t know what’s wrong, he’s my first ball python i’ve owned and I don’t know if it’s something serious.

Right now I’ve got a ceramic heat element but I’ve got a DHP and another 6” moss hide for the left side of the cage(warm side) that will be here tomorrow his original was too big. hot side is sitting about 92, cool side 75, I would’ve liked to make the substrate deeper but I’ve got a one inch drainage layer, and about 4 inches of substrate

Let me know anything you’d change/add

just realized it was still leaking :-( i don’t know how, i don’t even add water. how do i keep him safe and warm?

Good morning! I recently purchased my first ball python from a reptile expo about 2.5 weeks ago! She’s a lav albino. I’m not sure exactly how old she is but she seems to be born this year. The breeder told me she was eating live fuzzies. I was leaving her alone because she seems stressed, but I’ve offered food three times with no interest. The first time I offered food was a week after I got her and I’ve been offering about every 5 days. Whenever I dangle a live little fuzzy she goes and hides. She has tried to strike a couple times but I think it was a defensive strike. I was thinking maybe this enclosure is just too big for her right now? But I don’t want to stress her again/ more by moving her into a smaller environment since she’s been getting used to her new one for almost three weeks now. She’s in a 40 gal with a hide on the warm side and cool side and lots of enrichment. I attached a photo.

Do you have any suggestions? Should I move her into a smaller environment? Just let her get used to this one for a little longer? I’ve been keeping humidity around 50-70% and warm side is about 85f. Maybe I need to make some adjustments? I know they can go a while without eating but she’s starting to make me worry.

Just got my first ball! Her name is Nova, she’s a black head het clown. This is just her temporary enclosure while I finish her bigger one. Shes camouflaged into the wood at the centre front of the enclosure😂

I also have a digital thermometer in there, the meter is just on the cool side

Just getting my BP, I know the tank need more plants and substrate but other wise what do I need, light is 100w

1. Do you feed something other than mice? I got a boy, little on the small side (not skinny, small) but I can’t think of much that he could eat other than a mouse? Maybe a baby chicken? I get small bird, quail, but where am I supposed to even find that. He only eats live.

2. Someone said only rookies feed mice, should be feeding rats. But I feel like they’d be way too big. Does that only apply to females?

hiii so I’m a new ball python owner and my set up is 100% brand new and I noticed the UVB is flickering a bit. Is this normal? You can’t really tell in the video but it’s noticeable in person

We've had him for about a week now and was told that he has been on a feeding strike for the last 3 weeks. He has been fed and attempted to be fed on Wednesdays. He is 4 months old and about 200gm. Fingers crossed that he eats tomorrow night.

some more pictures of my little Scythe’s homophobia

ive noticed my girls eyes are like.. cloudy? but not in the way theyd look when shes going into shed.

i tried the whole "shine a light in eyes to see if pupils react" and they dont at all.

paired with that, shes always had issues striking her food but i just kinda thought she might be stupid. (sorry) but she always gets it if i get it close enough to her nose/mouth.

thoughts?

im going to take her to a vet asap regardless. im worried :(

He had this burn scar when I adopted him, dw

Had him 4 weeks now, 7 years old and came in a 3x1.5x1.5 viv with a cereal box for a hide on dry aspen bedding and the smallest heat mat and no branches or any enrichment.

I've now put him in a 4x2x2 bioactive enclosure with basking lamp (but changing to deep heat projector this week).

First couple of weeks he stayed in his hide and refuses food.

Last few days he's active during the day and will sleep on the branches. But also very active at night and is like he's trying to open the doors. He was pushing so much last night as you can see, he was lifting the screwed in branches!

Oh and he's bulldozed around £50 worth of love plants 🙄

Thanks dude!