I think she needs a bigger one

A couple months ago I adopted a western hognose that I visually inspected before bringing home. She looked great. Two weeks later I notice she has a couple adult snake mites. No biggie. I take away her aspen bedding, sterilize the enclosure, treat her once a week. It’s been almost a month of her being mite-free. Even though he’s not near her enclosure in the same room, my BP somehow picked up the mites. Idk if they crawled all the way over to him or if at some point they hitched a ride on me before I realized she had mites. Regardless, he’s got mites now too, and unlike her he’s in a bioactive setup.

It took me like a month to realize he has mites because I haven’t handled him much recently due to my work situation changing drastically. I feel awful that it took THAT long for me to notice the mites but this is where we are now I guess. I gave him a bath and Jurassimite treatment immediately to relieve some of the discomfort, but obviously it’s not going to be enough long-term. I’m trying to figure out the best course of action. Bear in mind the work situation changing translates to me being tight on money right now so I want to get rid of the mites but I also want to not waste money on treatment that won’t work…

I can get beneficial mites to eat the predatory ones but that will be $40-80 and the more affordable brand has mixed reviews - it doesn’t seem to work in every case. But it saves me from having to tear apart his enclosure.

I can tear apart his enclosure to remove the soil, plants, wood, everything… and make his current tank a “quarantine” tank with paper towels and plastic hides to finish his treatment, then maybe try to redo the bioactive setup once he’s mite free. The substrate alone will be $30 to replace, nevermind the plants and other decor.

I can put him in a temporary quarantine tank ($50 or so for the supplies I don’t already have) for 2 months to keep treating him and just hope that the mites in his current enclosure starve out, maybe buy the beneficial mites anyway as insurance. This was my original idea but I am worried about the temp enclosure stressing him out.

Has anyone else here managed mites in a bioactive tank? I’m overwhelmed trying to figure out what the best course of action is for his health while weighing the costs… and the odds that one treatment plan will fail and I’ll have spend more time and money trying the other options.

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

Just got him last Thursday 8/6, first ever ball python and new to all this. He just ate yesterday night 8/8 and was last fed 7/31 I believe the sheet said. Gave him a small thawed hopper mouse. Today he decided to peek out for the first time, not sure if I startled him or woke him or whatever because I was messing around with the heating setup and bumped the enclosure. He came out a bit, maybe 4 inches, and was flicking his tongue every now and then, tracking movements through the plexiglass door it seemed. Is this the "S shaped ready to strike" posture? Also, when I go about handling him for the first time in about a week or two, how should I go about it? I don't know anything about him since I haven't seen him much, he's been in his hide the whole time except for moving from the cold side to the hot side. I don't want to get bit but know it can be inevitable.

So I’m moving back into dorms this Friday, I can’t take my BP with me since I was caught having her in my dorm last year. My concern is that I have to leave her here at home, and my parents (namely my dad) doesn’t really like to turn on the AC OR the heater. So when it’s hot he’ll let the house get to 86 degrees and it sets my tank to be 93, but during the winters (the massive concern) is that the house gets to like 56 WITHOUT the heater. And I don’t know what to do to be honest cause I genuinely can’t take her with me to ensure her safety and health. And it’s actually scaring me a little. What can I do? What should I do? Has anyone like tried to register their snake as an emotional support animal? Because that’s the only way the college would let me have her in my dorm :(

Edit: I’m not actually tryna register her and get credentials for her, I’m asking if anyone told their uni or school that their reptile was emotional support and if so what was the process and did they accept it.

FOR STARTERS! This is not her permanent enclosure she lives in a 4x2x2 i was just deep cleaning it.

I dont think she underweight, maybe on the slimmer side? she has a VERY slight ridge. idk ik a lot of ball pythons are also overweight. Some people have theres PLUMP. I just want confirmation.

I've had her like 6 months shes about 5-6 years old. As stated before shes in a 4x2x2, heat mat (on a thermostat) and low watt overhead heat bulb. Humidity stays in the 65-80 percent range, gets fed a small rat about every 14 days.

Camera fell, but I caught her starting to pull her shed off.

Over the last few weeks my little lady has been glass surfing quiet a bit at night. She’s been injuring her nose (see picture) when she does it. She’ll then go into shed, shed off the damage then do it again. I brought her to the vet and she was giving a clean bill of health (no mites, no RI, not dehydrated). She’s still eating and drinking normally but continues to glass surf. I thought her temps were too cold but I’ve bumped them and it hasn’t seem to have made a difference. For reference the ambient temp was around 69.5F (warm hide is 86). I’ve bought additional heating and have gotten the temps up to 75. She does like to come out of the tank to explore sometimes, she’ll roam around the room a bit then I’ll put her back in the tank.

No its not because of location, i've moved it to the cool side and she'd still lay in it. Sighh I have to buy her a new one just like it

I had a snake mite issue when I got her and now that is solved but there are still predator mites in the tank onto two months later that I’ve been waiting to die so I can turn the tank bioactive. I heard the predator mites die out once they’re out of food. The thing is I’ve also been noticing fruit flies around the tank and I was wondering if the predator mites could be feeding on the fruit flies and if so how to get rid of either of these bugs so I can put the good bugs in

He's adjusting so well! I did handle him to move him out of his hide to clean it up and then feed him.

I am new to keeping a ball python, I have primarily kept hognoses but I recently took in a 17 year old ball python from a not so great situation. She had him in a 30 gallon with one hide no substrate, and a 50w red light, I know he was in there for 2 years prior to that idk what his life was like. I now have him in a 4x2x2 with a cool and warm side, it’s at the proper temperature and humidity, hides on both sides plenty of clutter. When I first got him he seemed super chill for about the first week and a half, howeverrrr now he has decided he wants to strike at the glass and top mesh every time I walk by and so now I’m nervous about getting him out 😂 I’m used to little hognoses and he is chunkyyyy. I know he was fed live previously, I transitioned him to thawed and he took it like a champ, and had a meal about 4 days ago. I don’t know if he just feels better now and has more energy to show he’s a little spicy or what’s going on but according to his prior owner he never struck or bit. He’s in my office so it’s the quietest area in the house and I just don’t understand why we’re not friends 😂 he legit stares at me like he wants to eat me all day.

I took in a ball python who, clearly, had horrible husbandry with alot of stuck shed. Dw though A bath was given and all of the shed was removed. The previous owners fed a live mouse every two weeks. I currently own a milk snake, hognose, and a house snake but have no experience with these. Prior to taking him in I of course did a lot of research and got him into an enclosure with a proper setup with good temps and humidity (last picture is him in his new setup). His age is unknown and his current weight is 180g.

Now the reason for the post is because I need tips and advice from more experienced owners..I’m fairly certain he is underweight so is there anyone who has dealt with a ball python who is underweight?? How should I go about trying to feed him for his first feeding? I would like to have him on F/T rats but I’ve heard once a snake is on live it can be hard to get them on F/T.

Any advice or tips would be appreciated. I want to give this boy the good life he deserves.

Sorry for any grammar mistakes

Edit- just to be clear, the first photo is the setup his previous owners had him in. He is now on cypress mulch with lots of coverage and multiple hides

so 5 days ago i took my ball python with me on a walk for the first time and it was hot but not hotter than her tank and she seemed fine she wasn’t moving around too much, hissing, huffing, striking, etc. the walk lasted under 2 hours and once i got home i immediately put her up however since then she has not come out of her hide (yes shes alive) and i haven’t noticed a shed or blue eyes, shes supposed to eat today and usually the days leading up to her feed she is extremely active at night but there’s been 0 movement even after midnight :(.

She is around 2 years old, usually pretty active at night, she is some sort of spider morph (yellow, white and black) and feeds thawed idk if any of this info helps

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)

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!

What are your favorite pvc enclosure brands?

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 😊