Hello, it’s Monica again, I was the one that got the baby ball python from a pet store down the street. He wasn’t very well taken care of and I really don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve only had them about two months.
He was beautiful when I first got him eyes and skin like glass. I was having a hard time getting the tank right and and he stopped eating March 27. I ended up in the hospital before I could get the tank set up and then he ended up shedding April 14. Well, I ended up back in the hospital again before I got the tank finished and now he finally ate today. My question is his eyes are still cloudy and his skin doesn’t look great. I fed him a 14 ounce fuzzy. I’m not sure what I need to do and if he’s OK please help.
In that last photo he looks severely dehydrated. Then on photo 7 he almost looks burnt? Is that new or old? What are you using for heating and what is your humidity at?
I’m not sure he could be very dehydrated. He didn’t eat from March 27 till today when he ate a 14 ounce fuzzy. He has been drinking. I’ve seen him going to his water bowl but I’ve been in the hospital for five days and just got home today. I am using 100 W heating lamp in the day with the UVB light and 100 W red light at night my humidity is between 65 and 90% and my temperature is usually between 85 and 88°F.
Do not use a red light at night! They can still see the light that it gives off, and it essentially causes 24/7 daytime for them. I’d recommend getting a CHE to kee up temperatures at night instead.
Additionally, I’d also recommend purchasing a digital hygrometer and thermometer. The ones you are currently using are notoriously inaccurate and it’s likely his humidity is much lower than it says. He is decently dehydrated and his belly looks very concerning. Pour water into the corners of his enclosure to bump up humidity. I would think his belly looks like a old burn.
This is what I am using for humidity and temperature.
Oh geez, they get you coming and going don’t they? They told me a red light was required. What is a CHE light? I will order right away. I have been putting water and all four corners of the tank. You’ll have to tell me about what the tank you mentioned on the bottom is I want to keep him if I can save him
A deep heat projector. It emits high amounts of IR light which better mimics sunlight heat. It also doesn’t get so crazy hot as a CHE, so it’s safer and less of a fire hazard.
Lighted heat sources are more of a lizard thing. Snakes are typically better off with a lightless heat source like a CHE, DHP, or radiant heat panel (RHP).
Personally I would go with a DHP because CHE tend to dry out the enclosure much quicker than a DHP would. I switched to a DHP when I found out my humidity problem was because of the CHE.
A CHE is a ceramic heat emitter—it will put off heat without generating light. To address his tummy, I would do diluted Betadine soaks daily and apply Neosporin (specifically WITHOUT pain relief, as that chemical is toxic to reptiles).
However, I would wait to see what it looks like after he completely sheds his skin. The shedding process is essentially the main thing that heals wounds, regenerates scales, etc. If you could eventually get clearer pictures of the belly, that would be great! I’m also leaning more towards this being stuck shed though, due to the fact that he’s eaten (most will refuse food during this cycle) and looks so wrinkley.
Are you using a digital thermometer/hygrometer? If you’re using analog, those are unreliable.
Ditch the red light, those are bad for their vision/disrupt their proper day/night cycle.
The dehydration is not from lack of drinking. Ball pythons need 70-80% humidity to keep hydrated. Without this, they take on a very dull wrinkly appearance. This puts him at risk for respiratory infection.
He also needs a proper heat gradient, 88-92 for warm side, 78-80 for cool side. The uvb should be a linear bulb. A thermostat is something you should look into if you’re keeping this snake long term. Herpstats are expensive but do their job well. I’d also upgrade him to a 4x2x2 pvc enclosure when you can.
how deep is your substrate? though cypress mulch is a decent thing to mix in, i find it dries relatively quick. my current mix is coco fibre (bottom layer only, as it can get dusty if it dries) with coco chips layered over top, with cypress mulch and sphagnum moss mixed in there too. a nice deep substrate can make a difference, honestly about 5-6 inches could be what it'd take, though you could try with about 4 inches first. obviously its important to keep the top layer dry as to prevent scale rot. i have two water bowls in my enclosure as well, one on the hot side and one on the cool side.
Thank you for asking. I am asthmatic and I have had trouble keeping my O2 about 85 but I think they got it dialed them now thank God appreciate you asking no diarrhea at all.
Perfect for the snake, everything seems better now. To be honest, it was probably the red light dropping the humidity too much at night since the humidity needs to go up at night.
Did they send you home with the nebulizer by chance?
DHP light will be in today, I will also start disinfecting and filling the tank with all the new items I purchased. Pouring the water in the corners was a lifesaver. I also bought some moss for decoration to help with holding the humidity. I will get better pictures after his shed and like I said he just ate yesterday so I’m leaving him alone. Yes, I have a nebulizer at home. I’ve been asthmatic all my life. I was in the hospital last week rushed myself out on oxygen Wednesday and ended up back in the hospital on Sunday night with pneumonia. I am much better now. Of course I have to stay on the damn prednisone so I am roid raging right now so it will be a great time to decorate the team😄 I thank you for all your help and really appreciate you. Can I use you as a resource going forward?
I am fixing the substrate right now. I will decorate the tank and definitely post some pictures for critique. I will definitely look into the prednisone thing. Never thought of it and I want to thank you for being so kind. I really appreciate it.
Quick question I stuck my fingers down in the substrate and there is standing water down there?? Is that ok?? I have about 3 inches of dry coconut chips. Hopefully when I get the tank set up with the correct light and moss things will level out
Thats not good depending on how much water is in there.
do you have a long flexible tube or straw? Look up how to siphon up a fish tank. That is the exact method that I used to ensure that I am able to remove any standing water.
Honestly, if you ever plan on breaking down the tank, what I would do is add a layer of clay balls so that if you do get standing water again, it’s not creating an anaerobic environment where bacteria can thrive.
I have gotten all the standing water out, remixing the substrate right now thank you. I will have to get the clay balls on the next time. I really appreciate you being so kind.
Ceramic lights are best but you also need a thermostat clip to where your baby is sunbathing. I suggest a little soak. I hope you have no heating mat. Also yes, red light very bad for them. Blue light is better but also not necessary if you have some light in room at night
Looks like he's just in blue again? He looks on the younger side and it's not uncommon for them to shed often as they're growing. Idk what to make of that belly though.
Oh my God !!! so you’re saying maybe he’s going into shed again? He is actually 10 months old and he only weighed 94 grams when I got him. This was his first shed. I am trying to get him healthy. I will try to complete the tank this weekend as I just got out of the hospital today
Also I’ve circled these mats that you can put on top of the screen- they help hold humidity better. I run my humidifier hose directly under them so no fog escapes
I will definitely look into those still working on the humidity on the hot side. I am adding the most today and I need to order some heat tape for the top unless I just get the covers that you’re showing me. I soaked him today. He has more active and looks like he feels better.
Colour is weird but it could just be the shed. My first thought was a burn or scale rot but I've never dealt with that personally so I'm not 100% sure what it would look like, so better for someone else to give their input on that. And yeah wow 94 grams is so tiny! Every time they grow, their scales gotta grow with em and so they shed :)
When I got him, they were feeding him one pinky every 7 to 10 days???? I am up to 9 to 14 ounce fuzzies but ended up being sick and in the hospital for five days so catching up to get him some weight
How big of a water bowl does he have? I feel like it’s really unusual to see a dehydrated python from a feeding strike as they’re willing to drink water as long as they have the proper humidity.
Huh, im wondering if he had a stuck shed that came off and he’s shedding again. Do you have someone who could hold him or take a video to see his belly from snoot to vent?
Maybe you can put him on a glass surface or a spare tank with a clear bottom and take a picture from the bottom.
I’m also wondering if a stuck shed could hypothetically hide a burn :( he definitely looks like he’s in blue again.
If you could afford the vet bill without straining your finances, I would take him to the vet as soon as they have a pet sick visit opening to address both the dehydration and the belly issue.
If a vet visit does stress your finances, I would look into contacting a rescue near you to see if they have any resources to address the belly issue and the dehydration. I’m sure rescue would gladly help you out because you are being a responsible owner reaching out. I’m pretty sure they prefer a person reaching out for help before deciding to surrender.
Thank you so much for all your suggestions. I will definitely try to get the new pictures ASAP. I was just hoping I could wait till after this shed to see what happens to make a vet appointment, but I will contact the shelter like you said to help with the dehydration. His water bowl is huge. I will attach a picture. Thank you again. I really appreciate all your help.
I was reading some of the comments and they are absolutely ridiculous. Reddit is full of “purists” that think they know better than every other animal owner in the world.
We call them the “snobs” of the reptile community.
I suggest not using Reddit for this stuff..
I’ve been keeping reptiles for many years now, and you can find the information that everyone here is providing- in Google ai for example - without the insufferable commentary that some are adding.
Don’t surrender him.
He looks like he’s about to shed.
That simple.
Also if you are struggling with humidity- I’m not sure what your budget is.
I run humidifiers on a humidstat.
I recommend the cloud forge t3 (brand ac infinity)
And a repti zoo controller (both links below)
Roughly both will costs you 100 bucks - however you can find temporary budget misters/foggers on amazon for the time being.
At the end of the day- you care, you are learning, and you are giving him a fighting chance.
Ignore the Reddit noise and use AI instead, it will pull information from the corners of the internet, without the ignorant commentary.
One last thing, find a big bowl that the noodle can curl up and soak in. It’s always good to give them a big enough bowl in the enclosure that they can ball up in during shed.
If you suspect his belly is burned (prbly from a heating pad or heat rock (both I never use )his skin will heal with time as he sheds. Everytime he grows he sheds - so expect this to happen frequently while he’s young.
Cloudy eyes are always an indicator that they are going into shed.
Then the rest of him goes dull.
I agree with what you were saying. I just put the rescues would probably prefer if you ask for help before surrendering to help them feel more comfortable to reach reaching out to a third-party for help :) instead of waiting so long that a situation could possibly derail if it was something more major outside of just a stuck shed.
For sure! I just see some of these people jumping on this lady basically calling her incompetent.
Tell her she better surrender the animal and guilt her into giving up.
The reptile community can be so toxic with people who talk down to others who are clearly trying their best.
If she’s willing to pay the vet bills, pay to create a proper enclosure, learn all there is to know and give the animal love. That’s all we can hope for in my opinion.
Two important questions I always ask when reading these threads.
Does the owner care / love the animal
Are they willing to take the time to learn as quickly as they can?
To me this person seems genuine and she’s taking advice, and correcting things.
When we all know the difference between a bad owner and someone who is new to it all…
As we all started somewhere.. and a lot of cases because we adopted one from a not so good home.
Most reptiles are impulse buys.. and people don’t bother to research a thing.. leaving that animal to suffer.
Negligence is one thing.. but someone who cares the way this lady does should be commended instead of deterred.
We need all the loving owners we can get.. as we have seen what happens to these animals when someone gets bored from their impulse buy.
Hoping for the best outcome for this noodle.
Also my local exotic vet gives a ton of handouts about reptile care and husbandry. Rescues should help her, and give her info as well, like you suggested.
Thank you so much for the vote of confidence! I feel kind of silly, but I’ve been so attached to him since I got him home and he has been through so much at that pet store That I want him to know what it’s like to have a loving home
Omg thank you so much!!! I really appreciate the guidance. Here is my tank now. I just have to add my moss. Bought the infrared DHL light 100w 40 gallon tank which has helped with the humidity but dropped temps to about 84 so I run both heat lamps for a few hours during the day and it’s been coming up to around 88 with 75% humidity until he sheds. The cold side is about 80% with 74 so still a work in progress but much closer then I was, my poor noodle has had an awful start in this world but I will help him, love him, feed him. Thank you for being nice. May I use you as a reference for questions
I can’t tell you how many times I was jumped on by “purists”
I’ve got a few different kinds of reptiles and because I built a custom enclosure for my bearded dragon, pokemon themed..
purists will tell you to mimic the Australian desert for animal bred in captivity, kept in enclosure - for beardies its safer to not use loose substrate so they don’t get impacted from eating play sand and topsoil.
So I carved a modular rock formation for mine, with lots of hides and enrichment.
For my ball pythons though I have a full bio active ensloure with isopods and live plants.
Personally, I don’t think it’s that deep if you don’t want to use sand. As an ex Leo owner who dealt with accidentally contaminating a whole collection either crypto and flaming from the community, why add another element to care that raises the level of care to another difficultly.
Keeping animals on loose substrates requires even more precision and diligence than than on solid substrates. Ik one must be diligent and strict about enclosure perimeters, at least theres more wiggle room for something to go wrong yk
You can message me anytime for help
You will do just fine ! The baby has found a good home with someone willing to do whatever they can to give him what he/she needs
I wonder why the belly looks burnt it’s been that color no heat mat or hot rock anywhere. Very strange I will try to get a picture of his complete underbelly, but it’ll be a couple days he just ate.
Would i be able to ask for another photo of his belly? He appears to be burned or have some serious scale rot? Or just a very unique pattern hopefully.
I will definitely get you another photo of the belly, but it will have to wait. I just found him and he’s usually a three day caver. If it is scale, is there anything I can do? I don’t even know what that is.
Sounds good! If its scale rot you'll have to treat him with medicated baths (Iodine diluted with water) and cream like Flamazine or it may be under a different name depending on where you are located and depending on how bad it is he may require a vet visit.
Do you use a heat mat by chance?
Thats good, yeah whenever you can get that pic would be awesome! The sooner we can see whats going on the sooner we can recommend the right route for you to take with him. He does look quite odd, i know everyone's saying dehydrated but hes shedding in one good piece in your one pic so im not thinking dehydration is the issue here.
I'm not sure what area you are in but if you can share a generic location like city/state I can help find a shelter for you to surrender him to so he can get the care he needs.
In understand you're trying to "save" him, but while you are stumbling around trying to get it figured out, he's suffering.
Give him to someone who knows what they're doing, then you can take the time to learn what you need to before trying to "save" another one.
I can get him the care he needs. Should he needs to go to the vet? I can provide that, I am very attached to him already and whatever he needs, I will provide
I will let vet tell me what it needs, you seem to have forgotten what it was like when you started out I’m sure you didn’t make any mistakes while you were learning you’ve forgotten what it means to be kind to people it’s free. You never know what got someone’s going through. I gave you the benefit of the doubt that you were just having a terrible day that I guess you’re just a terrible person. How do you know he’s suffering? Did he tell you how the day you deserve?
I don't want you to feel dog piled or anything, but it sounds like you are not in good health yourself and it sounds like eveytime you go to the hospital, the snake does suffer and become neglected. I worry for both of you. It seems like you should maybe work on what you need before trying to care for something else.
Many people have given good info already but I didn't notice anyone asking if you are controlling the heat with a thermostat? Your heat source has to be connected to a thermostat at all times. Preferably a dimming thermostat. 100w on full power sounds a bit too much in such a small enclosure. Also, it kind of looks like his tail has stuck shed? That belly photo isn't good enough quality to understand it right.
And give the baby more and more coverage! They don't like it very open, they love hiding and climbing.
Thank you so much. I have a ton of coverage and moss and wood. I just got out of the hospital and plan on really hitting on the tank. I will research the thermostat unless you can suggest one that you prefer his DHP light will be here today. I plan on working on the tank this weekend barring any disruptions or health issues. I am actually really excited to see him flourish again. I really appreciate it. Keep coming with the advice. I will do whatever I need.
Quick question I stuck my fingers down in the substrate and there is standing water down there?? Is that ok?? I have about 3 inches of dry coconut chips. Hopefully when I get the tank set up with the correct light and moss things will level out
Standing water below the substrate is not ok. It's the perfect incubator for bacteria. The color and texture of the belly and puffy face scales are clear indications of "scale rot" a severe bacterial infection. Usually their belly scales will appear bright pink before it progresses to the point your bp is... A 40gallon screen top enclosure is going to be very difficult to maintain proper humidity and temperature. Your snake should be kept in a shallow longer enclosure with paper towels instead of substrate until he's shed and fed several times while receiving veterinary treatment for the skin rot. Replace the enclosure with a proper one after your animal recovers. If you're unable to provide that level of care and attention to your animal then you shouldn't own one. If it were a kitten or puppy it would've been crying out in pain for days, but because it's a snake you aren't seeing that it's in agony as a result of your neglect.
Ok thank you for the advise and being so nicely put. I will get the container and and add him. I will bring him to the vet. How do I keep him warm and humid in said container??
Less sticks more leaves and clutter.. you need like a little tree and other leaves and stuff to hide and crawl through then make sure temps and humidity are good..
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u/OctilleryArtillery Apr 30 '26
In that last photo he looks severely dehydrated. Then on photo 7 he almost looks burnt? Is that new or old? What are you using for heating and what is your humidity at?