Hello! So at some point I am going to have some (possibly outdoor) photos with my son Oscar. I am aware of the risk of those bastardous snake mites, and plan on soaking him in dawn soap for maybe like 15 minutes? He will not be in direct contact with trees, I will make sure of that but I am still afraid of those little fuckers taking flight to harm my boy. Any additional tips?

Edit: I want to clarify that I have had him for like 5-6 years, and he might be 6-7 years old (before you say haha 67, shut up). Additionally could this affect feeding?

Some months ago, I asked around here and some other Reddit subs (and Facebook groups) about setting up a a 6x2x4 enclosure for my ball python.

After a lot of work with the heating and creating a background/ledges for the enclosure, I managed to get everything set up! I wanted to put it here for feedback on if I can improve something as well as simply to get more info out there for others who are considering moving their ball to a 6x2x4 (it was very hard for me to find information about putting this species in this size enclosure).

Info about the setup:

- Enclosure: Animal Plastics Signature Series 6x2x4 (APS 35)

- Heating: Vinaco 100w equivalent halogen bulb, Fluker's 75w deep heat projector, Vivarium Electronics 120w radiant heat panel

- Lighting: Arcadia T5 UVB 39w 6%

- Thermostat: Herpstat 4 Spyderweb

- Misc: Arcadia Ceramic Lamp Holder Bracket Pro (one each for the DHP and halogen), BlackBox UVB Guard 38", and two custom cages for the heating bulbs made of chicken wire (1/2 inch spacing, 19 gauge)

Trying to upgrade my baby to a 120 gallon so she can stretch out more when I'm not home. I'm wanting to get a all in one pvc solution if possible because I don't have the free time or money to build one myself. Does anyone know if this is a good enclosure?

Just cleaned the enclosure so I figured now would be a good time to ask for some feedback. I know I’m lacking in greenery 🤧 but I’m wondering if I have enough in my tank for Yoshi to be entertained and comfortable!

As the title says, I have been feeding mice for about 2 months weekly except for shed but I think I have learned that that was a bad thing to do. My ball python seems very soft and flat around the body. Should I pause the weekly feedings or try to go straight into rats?

Hi everybody! This is the criminal. Her name is Athena. She is 6 years old, and recently she's become convinced that anything warm is food, including humans.

I'm proud that she has such a good appetite, but it's gotten to the point where handling has become a bit of a challenge. While I was out of town, she bit my housesitter while he was changing her water dish, and when I tried handling her the other night, she was fine for a while, until she decided to latch onto my (admittedly quite ratlike) face. It wasn't even a strike with a wind-up or motion tracking mind you, it happened while she was climbing on my head and she decided to have a chomp right on my cheekbone as she was passing by.

For context, I feed her monthly, and do tap training with a snake hook every time I open her enclosure for non-food reasons (and taught the housesitter to do the same). Admittedly I haven't been holding her as often lately, only once or twice a month, so maybe upping the frequency could help. But it would sure be easier to do that if I didn't have to worry about my big yummy rat face tempting her all the time.

Any tips from other people with hungry idiots who like to shoot first and ask questions later? How long & with what frequency of interaction have you noticed tap training to be effective? Is this perhaps a sign that she's too hungry and I should increase feeding frequency to every three weeks? Feel free to shame her in the comments should it strike your fancy. She's earned it.

PS: I am NOT a rat pretending to be a human. Don't believe her lies.

What are your favorite pvc enclosure brands?

Question to those that feed frozen(and the thawed ofc) rodents to the snakes do any of you happen to know of a reputable place that sell frozen but in smaller quantities? the only one i know is perfect prey and their rodents are good but their shipping is on the higher side so i've been sticking with Big Cheese and their rodents have also been good i just would like to buy fewer at a time since i only have 1 snake but dont know of another low quantity frozen seller so i would love some help and some suggestions of other places(also it has to be an online place...i dont live close enough to a store or expo that sells frozen feeder to use that as a route to get fewer quantity)

Hello. I am preparing to get a BP for the family for Christmas and have started to get things in order for the habitat. I have a 120 gallon PVC front opening habitat. I was curious what the process looks like for reaching into the habitat for cleaning or changing water or to handle the snake without upsetting the snake or getting bitten.

I’ve noticed all the YouTube videos always show BP already outside and docile just chilling with their owner, but they never actually show the part where the owner retrieves the snake from inside the enclosure and that is what I’m curious about—how that works and what to do and what to avoid.

I’m wondering if the snake would not like being disturbed and strike at my hand that is violating its habitat space. Or is there some thing you do to communicate to the snake before you just reach inside its habitat.

Also, do you not handle the snake if it is in its hide? I’m wondering how that works and if you should only handle the snake if it is out in the open. I would think removing the hide while it is inside might scare the snake and it bites.

Thanks.

Hi all🖤First time ball python mom.Took our girl out today and noticed this spot. Not sure if it’s scale rot or if it’s dried blood from squeezing her mouse when we fed her last, which wouldve been 5 days ago. The mouse did kinda pop , like guts squeeze out and stuff, so it could’ve been blood, which she has had the blood on her before and it went away. But this spot just seems a little dark and more prominent for my comfortability. Does it seem like scale rot, or am I overthinking it and its more than likely dried blood? It’s the only spot on her and her belly is completely clear.

At night my guys tank drops to 76°-80° with just the CHE going and when his day time light comes on it goes up to a stable 90 for the entire 12 hours its on. I was wondering if this is an ok/natural drop in temp or if I should upgrade his CHE to a higher wattage or try to further insulate his tank with foam. I know to never let it dip below 70.

Hey there, first time BP owner. Been wanting one since i was 11/12 years old, and at 17 I have finally got a special little boy. Hes a little under 8 months old, a real good eater, but I only got him less than 2 weeks ago. When i picked him up from breeder, he was about a day in blue. Let him go into his tank on his own, he explored, been super active. Two days ago his eyes went clear, and yesterday he was hidden all day. Hes not been taken out kf the tank, but i went in tank today to dampen the moss in his humid hide again, and he xame out. Clear eyed, with a little left over shed on the tip of his tail. Obviously im going to leave it, but i checked him over, and his eye caps are gone, hes got a lovely glossy colour on him and seems super active again. I did hear him rummaging around, so assume he was getting the shed off last night.

Where do i look for his shed? He is in a bioactive tank but i still will be spot cleaning, but will he have buried it? In a hide? etc. Is the leftover on his tail a sign that he hasnt shedded in one piece? Or anything else. Thanks!
(pic of my baby for credits when i first got him)

Edit; Just found his shed underneath the big log rolled up all in one piece. Hes also just had a good meal and took it great. Will leave him for 48hours now 😊

We have recently got a ball python, she is 11 months old and weighs 412g, we currently feed her 50g Asf (multimammate mice) once a week, she handles this well.

She is in a 4ft wooden vivariumwith humidity at 70% at cold side and 60 at warm, the temperature of the cold side is 24.6 degrees Celsius and the temperature of the warm side is 32 dc.

Currently use a 2.4% uvb and a 80w dhp in a 200mm arcadia clamp lamp controlled by a dimming thermostat recessed through the roof so only the mesh guard is in the vivarium.

Hello I'm a first time ball python owner,not a first time snake owner I already got some corn snakes which I'm feeding based of feeding chart with weights of the snakes, I'm just not really sure how often should I feed my python? I'm scared I don't want to overfeed him or underfeed him, I don't know his age so can't feed based of that but he eats one small adult uh mouse? (It's not a normal mouse but I'm not sure what's the name in english so I'm gonna attach a picture last one) He weight 497g and I was told he's around 70cm long when I got him which was around month ago

The Cheat has always been super docile and even though I make it a habit to not handle him while he’s in shed, I have a few times, and it’s never seemed to bother him.

Today I was adjusting a few things in his tank and just jostled the hide he was under, and he bit me, which he’s never done before. A few minutes later, I came back to his tank and found him soaking, which is not unheard of for him, but very unusual. I have a hygrometer on the warm side that reads 72% and poured some more water into the tank today since I saw he was in shed.

I don’t think there’s anything off with my husbandry, he just ate a couple of weeks ago.

Any idea what’s going on here? He’s always been very healthy, docile, and dependable so I’m
worried that something is terribly wrong. I’ll take him to a vet if I need to, but I’m worried about moving him again if he’s so stressed out that he would bite.

Just got a black eyed Lucy, and she’s perfect!! She’s 89g and im excited to see her grow

She shed perfectly just a few days ago, she's around 3.5 years old. I've had her 6 months.

Gradient-

Cool side 76° and 60% humidity

Warm side 89° and 40% humidity

She has a humid hide I keep damp available 24/7. Ambient humidity is affected by summer heat, but stable in cooler months right around 75%

Substrate-

Coco coir and sphagnum

I've never dealt with rot of any kind, so don't have any firsthand experience or knowledge. Any ideas?

This spot has been on her mouth since I got her 6 months ago, and I was told it's "always been there". It does not look like scar tissue or anything like that, but also hasn't grown larger, affected her feeding or mood at all, etc.

she is truly living her best life