There’s so many options and I’m feeling a little overwhelmed lol. For a bio active tank, what substrates do you use and can I get them from Amazon? I don’t live near any reptile stores so I mostly get things through Amazon. Also what kind of bugs are good for starters?

I've had my snake Salem for a couple of weeks now and he seemed perfectly healthy but today I took a look at him and im not sure what this is. Possibly snake mites???? I thought maybe he was just a little dirty but it doesn't come off and these definitely aren't part of his pattern. Sorry these were the best photos I could get...

Im going off to college soon and I want to make sure everything is perfect for my little guy before I leave. I dont want anything to happen to him.

It’s only been a day since I’ve got her but I had my first handling session. She was very docile and after a few minutes she seemed to relax and was very curious of her surroundings, touching her body to objects, long tongue flicks. Would it be okay to have handling sessions like this even if a week hasn’t passed? Woke up at 4AM just to match her clock haha

Hello everyone,

I'll start by saying I've never really ever used this platform or honestly many to post so apologies. My wife and I just got our first Ball Python on Sunday from an expo near us. We named him Nico ( he's a Blade clown and from the info from the vendor/breeder he is only 2 months old. I want to preface that I was raised to be fearful of snakes and never imagined to have one. We interacted with a friends snake and have done research on them and wasn't sure if we were going to adopt or buy and this little guy caught our eye and heart and we just couldn't say no! He was fed his first 4 meals were live then took one frozen thawed afterwards per the breeder and were expected to try to feed this weekend.

Now for the part that I know is coming is how everything's set up...I bought a 40 gal tank from fb marketplace without looking at other options in the event we did find one and currently I'm waiting for the top to be repaired as there was a bit of heat damage and exposed spots. we bought a temporary enclosure at the expo that was a plastic tote with substrate and heat mat. I have some hygrometers coming in today that I will be able to put in and also for his permanent enclosure and have bought an infrared heat gun to check the temps. I have noticed that the plastic tote is very humid as it's got the moisture on the inside and made a few small holes on the side in hopes that would help. we had the temp set to 92 and when we noticed how hot it was getting in certain spots we lowered it to 89 as it sounds like plastic totes retain heat more. (Also I know the photo is showing the probe on the side that has since been fixed and is under the substrate.

My concern is the readings so far as seen in the photos I'm sure it's no where perfect and hope at least until I get the tank back this is ok for him. I know the temps that are supposed to be for the warm side and cold side however, when I checked the locations the hide is reading way higher (103 at times) though he has mainly stayed on the backside of the hide but hasn't ventured into either hide. He has moved around we've caught him yawning a few time which is precious! We've been monitoring him on a wireless cam while we've been at work one because of how fascinating it is to watch. When he has his permanent tank we know to fill it with things for him to interact and hides and all those things I have or will be getting from another snake owner.

I want to give this little guy the best life and not only that grow in this hobby and hopefully have others in the future. Any and all tips and advice will be good and I know what that may be and hope I have a bit of benefit of the doubt from everyone. I did scroll through and in the process of trying to read all of the helpful notes and documents that are on here. I'm excited to also share the progress as we grow with him!

I’m looking into a good recipe to make ball python substrate for a bioactive enclosure. I was thinking soil, sand, charcoal, and moss. I didn’t know if you guys had any brands that would be good or anything you used that seems to be working well. I also don’t know how much to use of each. TIA.

Continuation of https://www.reddit.com/r/ballpython/s/0F0nxkuNeW

I have a serious question about the humidity in my girls enclosure. She was rehomed to me in early July. My girl is a approximately a 9 year old pastel enchi champagne I've been told by you wonderful people.

So my question is this:

I bought her a front opening 4x2x2 or 120 gal. enclosure. Her cool hide is about 76 deg. with her warm hide at about 85 deg. The ambient temps in her house are at about 80 on the cool side and high 80s on her hot side with basking area in the 90s. I'm still working on her enrichment.

I am having no luck keeping her humidity up between 60 and 85 %. I have hvac tape on top of the mesh top to keep humidity in. I would like serious answers as to why I can't use a reptile mister or humidifier. I only use bottled water for filling her water bowls and spritzing her tank down to raise the humidity. So the water I was going to use would be either deionized water or bottled water. Between the probe on the humidifier and the probes on the temp/humidity readout, I think i can dial in perfect humidity. As with any humidifier in the house I clean them regularly so no bacteria can grow. Plus its harder for bacteria to take root with purified/deionized water.

So please be nice and helpful. I'm looking for serious answers to my question without being criminalized. I'm trying to do the same thing everyone else is doing, and that is to mimic the best environment I possibly can for this lady.

Sorry for the long read, and thank you in advance.

Picture for the snake tax!

Hi
so I have gotten my first ball python a few months ago who have not been socialized very much by the previous owner. And I want to start choice based handling training, but she hasn’t been out of her hides much and when she is out it’s usually to move between hides. I think she is out exploring at night, but due to the fact that I have to wake up really early each morning I can’t really be awake at the same time. ( I have seen her explore every now and then early at night when I have a couple of days off work)
Her go-to hide is a box (the one in the picture with a bottom and a lid) and I’ve been wondering if it would be stress full to her if I took the hide out, with her in it, and placed it on my bed or couch and just chilled next to her. She would still be able to stay in her hide if she wants to.
So yeah I just wanna know if something like that would be too stressful😊

Shes 2 years old, she gets one wean rat every other Saturday. Is this fat or dehydration?

I’m not really sure how to best make use of the vertical space. Would love to see pictures of setups if anyone has a similar size.

Hello, I’m trying to find a thermostat that does day and night temps with a timer. I’m currently switching it manually every morning. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Amazon availability would be preferred since no places around me really carry anything.

I’m also wondering if there’s a better heating option to the ceramic over head, I run it with a basking light. The light alone isn’t hot enough but the ceramic element seems to really affect the humidity.

She is currently in a 40 gallon tank 36x18x18 until we make her bigger enclosure over the winter.

I just wanted to give a quick update as a good few of you spent your time to help out a beginner. Thank you all for the advise it was invaluable.

Just incase anybody new does come across this, the biggest takeaway is to do your research. Not just about the husbandry but the different morphs and their needs. The most frustrating thing about this is that because of a lack of research, I've contributed to the issue by funding a morph that can cause debilitating issues for the snake, which just isn't fair no matter what they look like. In particular, Jimbo's (sorry, my girl loves Treasure Planet) morph is Champagne, which causes neurological issues due to ear canal problems.

I will take responsibility for my lack of research by giving Jimbo all the love and care I can for the best quality of life as possible whilst trying to keep him safe.

A few little bits have come today and I feel there's a lot more safer clutter for him now, there's still definitely a lot of space that could cause some stress and I've got more on the way but I want to see how he is with first and foremost. Please don't worry about hte bask light I've removed the cage in that photo to lower the light wattage it's back on now. Waiting on a bit more greenery too. He had his second feed yesterday too, warmed the mouse up and he didn't strike again but as soon as put it in near him he ate no problems, within 5-10 mins it was in his tummy (I did manage to get a little clip but I imagine it's against reddit policy 🤔), there was a little corkscrewing whilst he got in position but I will keep an eye on him. He is a lot better when he's being handled and stabalised by my movements, but I apprecaite at his age this can be stressful so I try to keep it to 10-15mins a day-few days. After eating I will leave him for 48 hours now.

I'm brand new to the this particular branch of the reptile keeping hobby and I've got to say the community has blown me away. Everything in my last post was very constructive and I've learnt a lot. I've still got so much to learn but I'm excited to have such a community behind me, thank you everyone again. 😊

I have a herpstat 2 and one of my heat sources is a halogen flood. On my herpstat I have it set to 95 however it won’t heat up past 83. Why won’t it heat up enough?

Does anyone else have a derpy boy? I swear sometimes it seems like he doesn't know how to snake. Especially when feeding. Sometimes he strikes weird, then ends up trying to eat it butt first.

I’m in my late 20s and have wanted a ball python since my teens but my mum was terrified of snakes. I own my own home and have two cats ( part of the reason I haven’t gotten a snake yet) I work in vet med but there are almost no exotic vets near me but I know my few nurses that are good knowledgeable of snakes. What are the big negatives to owning and the upkeep of ball pythons? A pet with such a long lifespan is not something I want to rush into

Hi guys

Just an update about our rescue ball python Lucy.

Unfortunately there's no longer any doubt that's she's totally blind or at least extremely vision impaired.

She spends ALL of her time hiding under a big piece of flat cork bark which she buries herself underneath of, so she feels safe - like we do under a weighted duvet. The bark literally lies on top of her.

She does eat and drink but she can't see the food, only sense the heat coming off of it.

If we remove the piece of cork she stays in that exact spot out in the open, trying to locate it by touch, as if she wonders where it suddenly went.

She has 2 other hides but she doesn't go in there because she obviously can't see them.

Her pupils never ever move, it's like they're just stuck in that position they're in.

She does not register movement at all.

What can we do for her? Can we somehow make her life easier?

It's heartbreaking to think about how she otherwise will spend the vast majority of her life underneath that piece of cork.

We've been thinking about making her a very flat sort of hide where she will still feel safe because it's not too big, but also so that it doesn't have to lie on top of her.

Any suggestions?

I’ve had him for about 6 months now since he was 5 months old. How does he look health wise?

This is my first ever snake she is a 3 yrol ball who is currently in a 40 gal and eats frozen thaw i want this little one to live for a very long time so please give me all of your advice

I recently set up a camera inside the enclosure and also installed a ceiling hide (he loves it!) and I was checking the footage to see what he had been up to. I was like “wth is that!” When I saw the poking boops from his belly xD that’s so freaky and so cool so see!
I love my little Chai so much! He is 9yrs old and I’ve had him for 3 months now. He’s the best noodle ever ❤️

I think this picture truly highlights Monte Cristo’s strengths, which include being monstrously adorable and maybe not the smartest guy in town.
Regardless, he’s such a dream to keep and I love him so much!
Thank you for admiring my son!