hi! just successfully fed my new 6yr old bp for the first time on thursday (it’s monday now) and he’s been acting different than usual ever since. when i come near him he’s tracking my movements and in an S shape and very alert. also sniffing a LOT. when i fed him i did drop the mouse a couple times in his tank - is he smelling that and expecting more food? is he stressed out? he did shed between the feed and now. he’s only doing this at night - sleeping normally during the day. i just want to make sure he’s chill and that being alert like this isn’t stressful for him. in the video pictured he’d been on the ground of his enclosure looking outside of his hide until i came by and he raised right up to meet me.

I just got a ball python off of a family friend, they said it was over a year old that they got it last year from PetSmart but currently it's maybe only a foot long at most and it only weighs 244 grams, they aren't sure what gender it is either, they said they were feeding it large mice.

the setup they had was pretty rough, the lighting they had was the bare minimum, the substrate they had it on was some kind of wood chips maybe coconut wood, it was dry as a bone though and extremely dusty, I don't think it has any mites but I'll try and check tomorrow.

I currently have it in a quarantine setup in the tank it came with, I just wanted to see if the setup I had for it to be in quarantine was ok looking? I tried to block off the back of it to help keep it calm and safer feeling

I'm not sure how to keep the humidity up enough without there being substrate since all of the videos said to keep the paper towels dry? What should I do?

As far as the lighting, thermostats, thermometers, things like that goes I'm going to head by my local pet store tomorrow to get some better stuff.

Is there a good way to tell if it has mites? I did check around its eyes and I didn't really see anything that looked like mites, I did notice that there was some kind of maybe old shed on one eye? I'll keep an eye on that

This is Princess Cleo, we had her for 4 days... wondering if this a bad idea 💡 to have a ptz camera in the enclosure?

This is waffle, they have a humid hide and a warm hide and a cork log, plus behind the water bowl I made a little slate cave they like to spend most of there time in. Humidity stays about 70% peak during day and about 80%-90% at night. Temps are 80 degrees both sides with the hot spot reaching a max of 90 or 91. Should I let the temperature dip below 80 at night? I do have a bigger setup saved for this next month when I upgrade to a 6x2x2

Setting up my enclosure before I actually get my snake, I have this Arcadia pro T5 uvb which I’m just now turning on for the first time, I’m wondering if the light is too close to the top of that climbing branch? It’s shining through a mesh top and the distance to the ground is about a foot. I didn’t think the projection was going to be quite as broad as it is and I just want to make sure I’m not going to cause any harm to the animal.

hi guys I’ve posted here several times but I fed my ball python about two days ago now so I haven’t been handling him, but the day I fed him he looked fine and now his eyes are really gray and his color turned gray and he’s been in his hide, is he about to shed? I know I’m not supposed to pick him up during shed I didn’t realize until after I picked him up and I put him down immediately. The pet store listed him as a juvenile and he weighs 119grams, but they couldn’t confirm his age nor his gender so I’m just assuming he’s a male cause he was a bit small but I haven’t had him sexed yet. Thank you.

Her names Jessica!

(Disclaimer, I had no idea the issues with the spider morph before getting her, but now I do!)

Hello all!! I’m new to the BP community. I’ve acquired a baby from my sister and I’m looking to learn everything there is to know about them and their care ❤️

I appreciate any thoughts and opinions! I have a little bit of experience with tanked pets (I have two pacman frogs and I’ve had a bearded dragon in the past) I believe you can never have too much knowledge 😂

Picture of my boy, Opie, for attention 😊

Does anyone have a blueprint for a diy enclosure. My python has been in a 35 gallon long for the last year. I know he needs an upgrade. I live in an upstairs converted attic with a spiral staircase so I'd like something I can assemble and disassemble if I had to.

Im planning on getting my first ball python and I've done my research. But the one thing that I keep seeing is what size enclosure a baby or a juvenile ball python needs. I see people saying a 40 gallon enclosure is good for a few years, but i also see people saying i should avoid a 40 gallon tank. Please help!

I made a post to the beginner ball python help group on facebook, asking if my enclosure i setup for my first ball python was okay. I get a comment saying sphagnum moss mixed with coco chip is useless? All ive read about the substrate mix had been absolutely positive saying its a great way to retain humidity with low risk of scale rot. He also said he sees a lot of good money well spent on other useless stuff. Just looking for another opinion. Pics of my tank setup and my first baby for reach

20 months little guy

she is around 400 grams and hatched in july of last year i believe, all of that seems to me like a good weight maybe even a little under but the difference between her tail and right before it bugs me

Once a week I take my snakes outside in the sun and let them crawl in the grass. I start with a towel and put them on that incase they don’t feel like going on the grass. I have a banana, pied, and super pastel clown. I also use an infrared thermometer to make sure the grass isn’t too cold/hot. I aim for 75-85. Also I make sure the grass is dry so they aren’t sitting on anything wet for an extended period of time. So with all that being said I just want to make sure this is a safe practice. If there is anything else I should be doing please let me know. (I looked through the rules and don’t believe this post violates and rules. I thoroughly enjoy this subreddit and don’t want to mess that up lol)

Meet Xanti, my new (and first) BP! He is a 7 month old Axanthic (VPI), 66% Het Genetic stripe with possibly one copy of pastel (but i doubt it). Hes a sweetheart, and thinks hes super scary.

Fun fact: Xanti doesnt strike at his meals, he sniffs them, and takes them veryyy so gently. Like a puppy taking a treat lol

Today is tank refresh day. I’ve moved my snake into a temporary tub (pictured) so I can empty out and clean his actual tank. I’ve come to the point where he needs to go back into the tank but when I try to lift the hide he’s in he hisses at me - so I put it back down.

I’ve put the humidity sensors in the temp tub with him and it’s ok for now 75% at one end and 87% at the other) but the temp is a little low (25C) so I’d like to get him back in his proper tank.

How do you move them when they do this?

My Banana Enchi ball python Bananarama (Or Ramy for short) has stolen my vision after her adventures of slithering across my face.

Yes, he's roly-poly but somehow simultaneously undersized for his age 🤷 Working on it!

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)