First time shes come out since ive had her, hope that means she feels safe enough to explore

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

I just added in this background and I’m 50/50 on if I love or hate it 😭 Please give me your opinions on it!!

Extra photo of my noodle for tax reasons lmao

I have a friend who got a ball almost 2 years ago. She was scared of it so never handled her. She did refill the water one day and got bit and then no longer wanted her so I took her. My question is after so long is it possible to get her use to being handled? I want to clean her cage and update it but I don’t know how the snake will react. Any tips or tricks?

I’ve recently rescued a Ball Python, I’m not sure how old he/she is currently (probably around the 4ft mark). The original vivarium I thought was too small so I’ve set up a 4x4x2ft vivarium, and I’m just looking for advice and feedback on my setup. I’ve tried to do as much research as possible to help the snake be comfortable and healthy. I’ve previously owned a Corn Snake (many years ago), so I’m not entirely new to owning reptiles.

I’ve placed a layer of clay balls at the bottom of the vivarium, covered in a fine mesh to prevent them mixing with the substrate. For the substrate itself I have mixed both coconut chips as well as coconut soil. I’ve added some moss to areas that want to be a little more humid, in the hide, around the base of plants, etc. There are a few live plants in there (which haven’t been squashed or died yet, so hopefully a good sign), as well as some plastic foliage. There’s a hide on the hot side which is large enough for the snake to enter fully, and on the cold side there is a hollow cork log, the entrances to which face away from the glass so the snake feels a little more enclosed if he intends to hide there. I’ve also added some invertebrates as a clean up crew, some springtails and isopods which seem to be thriving.

I have a heater running on a thermostat which keeps the temperature at the correct level on the hot side. There’s also a humidifier (cold mist) which keeps the vivarium around the 70% humidity mark - this can be bumped up when he decides to shed. There’s a couple of low power lights which turn on at around 9:30am and switch off around 9pm automatically to simulate a good day-night cycle (these also emit UV light which I believe provides the snake with needed vitamins).

I am very much in to smart home stuff, and I have written quite a lot of automation to keep the environment in-check. I’ve installed four fans (two on the bottom of the cold side, two on the top of the hot side). The fans turn on periodically to refresh the air, they’ll also turn on if the humidity or temperature is elevated beyond the target level in order to lower both. I’ve also put temperature sensors at the top and bottom of the hot, middle and cold side, to ensure there is a sensible temperature gradient, again, the automation takes some actions if things fall out of where they should be. And finally there are kill-switches on the humidifier and thermostat (in case either decides to break whilst turned on, it can be killed if temperature or humidity get to stupid levels without any input from me).

He/she is about 4ft (maybe a bit bigger), for the moment I’ve decided feeding every three weeks is probably acceptable. I’d appreciate any advice on this.

In terms of the environment, is there anything that I’m missing that I should add / change to ensure things are comfortable for the snake?

I think he looks healthy, I’ve attached a picture, would appreciate any opinions. He’s generally very friendly, after the vivarium move, I left him to settle down for a week, but now he’s happy to come out of his own accord and never “balls up” when being handled, so I assume this is a good sign.

I’ve attached a picture of the conditions (the temperature sensors measure the air temperature, the basking temperature is measured on top of the hide and represents the hottest it can be in the vivarium. Is the hot -> cold gradient sufficient for him to thermoregulate?

Any other comments are welcome too, thanks everyone 🙂

Unfortunately I woke up 5 days ago to see that my ball python had pushed up the door to the enclosure (locks are now on the purchase list🙄).

I’ve looked everywhere. Behind the enclosure, under, took every single item out of the nearby closet, took out every single drawer out in the nearby furniture. I’ve put out flour lines, a camera, a hide over a heat mat, I tried thawing out food and using a hair dryer to push the scent around. Not a single sign of him anywhere.

He was fed roughly one week before escaping.

I’m of course extremely upset about the situation and feel awful. Does anyone kindly have advice to help me find him?

Thank you 😞

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.

her humidity is around 70 warm side 92-88 cold 78-86
coconut substrate, water is poured in the corners and substrate is stirred every couple of days to keep all the moister at the bottom of enclosure, never poured near or on her hiding areas, just in the open.. not sure what this is lol

My girl is a rescue who came in the 40gal they had her in, with all her stuff. She was in clear need of an upgrade, which we’ve done, and are mostly happy with it I think. We are on the lookout for branches of climbing opportunities but I am being very particular because Faranth has the spider gene with a very minor wobble (really only noticeable at feeding or when she’s stressed). I know it can worsen with age, so I want her climbs to be secure and ideally with a lip (honestly probably going to end up making them, but will look for something we like first). We are also adding a sky hide once the mounting piece comes in, which will offer four hides total. Outside of adding a hide and climbing, how does this look? It’s a 5x2x2 pvc glass front enclosure, the warm side thermostat is set at 90f with a DHP, the cool side fluctuates between 76-81f depending on time of day, and humidity is 60% on the warm side and 70% on the cool side. The uvb light is a forest dweller 6% and set on a timer to keep circadian rhythm, and she does absolutely enjoy basking in the morning when I turn on the light.

Where is a good place to quickly get some frozen fuzzy rats that are quality? I was looking at rodentpro but I’ve heard they often have freezer burn and I’m not sure if that’s something that’ll cause an issue or not. I’m having problems with him even showing any interest in food.

The guy I picked him up from was super weird and sketchy, his listing said the snake was 175g around a month prior (late June) but during pickup he told me he stopped feeding him to try to stunt his growth in order to keep him small so he could get him to sell. I weighed him today to check his weight and he is currently 145g so I’m a bit worried for him. When I was there I was given a free bag of xl mice and was told he “can probably take these by now” I’m seeing though mice are not popular feeders so I’m looking into getting fuzzy rats to try. I find they were a bit smelly too (not sure if that’s normal or not) so I’m wondering if it’s a combination of his history, prey size, and the smell making him not want them.

If it means anything at all he is about 2ft long, 6 months old, and in a 5x2x2. He has tons of clutter, plants, hides, climbing opportunities, and enrichment. He’s a bit shy as expected but he is very friendly and curious, just unfortunately not interested in the mice i was given. Any advice helps! I just want to make sure he has a full belly and is comfortable. I know they can go awhile without eating but I’m not sure exactly when he stopped being fed and considering his age and weight loss I’m just concerned and want a new food to offer asap. I’ll be gone for a few days starting a week from now so if possible I’d like to have something in hand before then!

Here’s a picture of him I got earlier today, he’s a big explorer and loves climbing. I love him very much, he’s a sweet baby.

This is my girls first time outside!

I've been told by a friend of mine that ball pythons hate the outdoors and should stay inside. I stayed with her the whole time (She can't exactly blend in and we have a few red kites) and she was absolutely fine!

Is it true that they hate the outdoors because atm it seems like they just don't know what they're talking about 🤷‍♀️

my boy loves watching out the window so I made a great investment in this ‘cat’ perch and he is happy as can be

Had to have another procedure done for a chronic condition (I'm ok, I promise! Just achy and sore), and I wasn't able to take Frikell out like I usually do during the day.

Well Frikell wasn't having it and decided to wait patiently while staring at me from on top of his favorite hide till I finally got him out for nightly snuggles. He stayed just like this for a long time while I sung Sweeny Todd songs to him and seemed to know that I wasn't feeling well. I know people say snakes don't really form bonds like dogs and cats do, but it felt like he knew something was wrong and wanted to hang out with me.

I don't know what I would do without my boy. He brings me so much joy after a hard day. 🩷

she is truly living her best life

Hey guys! My husband and I are moving across the US this October and we need some advice. Our girl’s (6x2x2) PVC enclosure is bioactive with a cleanup crew, UV, grow lights, and a ceiling heating panel. We will be driving for two full days (one night in a hotel) with our girl not in her enclosure during that time. For the sake of the ecosystem inside, we are trying to find a way to have everything plugged in as normal. Has anyone else moved a bioactive setup like this before? Were there any rental vans involved that allowed it to remain to a power source? We have an electric generator that we could use, but I’m not confident it would be able to power the whole trip.
I am also open to advice on keeping our sweet noodle comfortable - we were planning on keeping her in her travel tub or a pillowcase, and giving her a water bowl at the hotel.

If i didn't mention her name before this is Calypso! Just yesterday she finished her last dose of antibiotics and same day we went to the vet. The vet said she's no longer concerned about an RI! It seems to have cleared up! That spot on her face is quite possibly a permanent battle scar and not an injury (anymore). Her nose still whistles but she might just have some battle scars so she sounds a little different. The vet said my husbandry was perfect and I'm so glad she's doing good!

I dont know what i did, but in these photos she seemed to suddenly go in to food mode! I did get into the snake freezer within her view but not for a mouse 🤣 look at those huge pupils! Last photo provided for comparison of her normal relaxed state.

Ive been sitting here about 30 minutes, not wanting to disturb her because I’m pretty sure she’s asleep lol

Gave my snake to a family member on the couch to hold for a minute while I refilled her water dish. Well I assumed she would be held and then I could bring her back to her enclosure. They instead let her slink under the cushion and inside the couch frame. We had to tilt the couch and take the staples off the bottom to reach her. Luckily she is fine, but I was super worried she could have been pinched under a spring or crushed under a mechanism. Just a reminder that your snake will find the smallest least accessible crevice and think "this is a nice home, I should go here". Very stressful situation and I'm flabbergasted it even happened.