r/ballpython

(If context is desired please read the previous posts I made)

Tl:dr I upgraded my fathers python enclosure, and I've been trying to dial in the humdity. I wanted to do plastic wrap first but it didnt work as well as i hoped so I replaced it with aluminum foil yesterday. I day a immediate improvement in humidity through my hygrometer, but when i woke up and checked it after going to bed it had dropped back down to unsatisfactory levels. Could it be that im getting a inaccurate reading or could it be because I need to better seal up the gaps in between the mesh and foul? Or is it possible the issue stems from something like substrate depth?

(I thought i had picture with the foil in the lid but i dont so Imagine these photos havingaluminum foil on the lid with the same sectiona cut out.)

Hello everyone, I have a BP and we use sani chips for bedding. Works well but I wanted to add more texture and something to retain humidity. I added coconut husk after soaking it in hot boiling water for a couple hours and changing the water.
I mixed it w the sani chips and moss and she’s loving it. She’s been rubbing her face for a few days often and I’m worried.
I’ve noticed these bugs:
- Small, jumping in the water (prob springtail)
- Incredibly minute teeny tiny white dots on her face and eyes
I’m wondering if they’re the same specie or if I got springtails and wood mites/snake mites in the same shipment :/
Please send help.
Note: the white ones are so small it just looks like the light being reflected off of her eyes, but I saw them move and walk in different directions and she wasn’t even awake.
I change her water daily and wipe the walls with a disinfectant every other week and boil the rocks and branches w white vinegar. She eats thawed rats.

Hello!

My husband and I got this 3 year old ball python tonight. The snake is 3 years old and around 3 feet long. This is our first snake.

This is the enclosure it came with. It is 36" x 18" x 18". It has a heat mat, heat lamp, and thermostat controlled lamp. It also has a temperature/ humidity guage mounted to the glass. There are fake plants as well. The water dish is shallow and in the middle. There are hides on either end. We have extra coconut coir substrate as well.

We plan to get a 4x2x2 or 5x2x2 soon. I want to make sure the new enclosure is set up appropriately and feel a bit intimidated with where to start.

I've ordered an infrared heat gun to check the temperature. We plan to move the tank to a different room and further from the window once we get the new tank. The room it is in is kept at 72 degrees, but we can increase that if need be.

Also, the snake is starting to shed. What humidity should we try to keep the enclosure? It is currently at 66%. Are there specific red flags to watch out for?

I did make sure the exotic vet near us is taking new patients, and we plan to take the snake in for an initial check up (likely first week of November).

Any advice would be appreciated!

How do I know Moirai wants out? With great difficulty!

This is not an advice seeking post, im just happy to finally have a pet snake, and wanted to share some pics with you guys :)
Although I hope I wont be back here asking questions bc that means something is wrong, but it is entirely possible :)

Hello, I've got an urgent matter. My ball python was just fine this morning. Now, late evening, it's not. I found him hanging backwards, head on the ground upside down. I thought he was dead and poked him softly. He barely reacted. Had to do it again a few more times for him to move his head (see photo). He stayed like this and I got really concerned because he usually reacts immediately. He gets very active when touched. I moved his hide to check on him and he still barely moved. Flicked with his tongue once or twice, but didn't move which is unusual. He then slowly moved to his other hide, emphasis on SLOWLY and hid half of his body, the rest still pokes out (photo). It's an hour later now. I also noticed his breathing is off (video) and heavy. He lay curled in the other hide before I took him out to observe him closer, but now his posture is much straighter. I'm extremely worried. I called the vet and asked if this could be an emergency but they told me they'd have to examine the snake in person. The issue is, it's late evening, and the next vet that also does reptiles is at least 40 mins away. Should I still go tonight or should I wait until tomorrow when regular consultation opens again? Or could it just be stress from poking him?! Snake's mouth is closed and there are no bubbles, saliva or mucus. Breathing is quiet as it should be.

I'm so worried.

(Can't add photos and videos at once so I'll post the photos in the replies)

UPDATE: he moved. Now he's sitting in a u shape, but the breathing is still the same.

UPDATE 2: I also called the vet. They'd examine him but there's no reptile specialist present until tomorrow afternoon. There's also no other specialist to reach out to.

Everyone, meet Chedda (my girls would like me to emphasize that it ends in “a” and NOT “er”)

First time snake owner so I imagine I might be here quite often. Settling in and not eating yet.

I’ve read that everyone says to not handle till they have their first few successful feeds. Can anyone walk me step by step how to have a first successful feed? Do I wait till a certain time at night? Wait for him to be out and about?

This is day 3. Hit me with any advice you may have! TIA!!

This is my biggest ball python, Harry: ~1270g, 59”, and 15.5 years old. I’m having him professionally sexed next week to confirm he’s male.
(The first four pictures are of him at roughly 1330g. The next three pictures are of his enclosure and substrate change. The last picture is of him at about 1280g.)

I have a few husbandry questions:

1. His humidity used to stay around 55%. I recently changed his substrate from ~40% topsoil/40% cypress mulch/20% play sand to 50% topsoil/25% coco fiber/25% coco husk. After changing it yesterday, humidity is now around 63%. I also plan to add sphagnum moss and occasionally mist. Is there anything else I should do to keep humidity consistently higher?

2. He currently has a 50W halogen basking bulb + 100W CHE. During the day, the warm side is ~83°F, cool side ~75°F, and basking spot ~95°F. At night, the warm side drops to ~75°F and the cool side to the high 60s. About 50% of the screen top is covered with HVAC tape. Increasing the halogen wattage makes the basking spot too hot, and I haven’t been able to find a higher-wattage CHE. What would be the best way to raise the overall temperatures?

3. His body condition looks okay, but he has been gradually losing a few grams between feedings. He was eating one large rat (~90–100g) every 2 weeks, but apparently that isn’t maintaining his weight.
   He previously became very lean at ~1000g while eating one large rat every 3 weeks, so his vet recommended feeding every 2 weeks. That brought him up to ~1350g, but after moving him into a larger enclosure, he has started gradually losing weight again despite continuing the every-2-week schedule.
   Today I tried two medium rats instead: 62g + 65g (127g total). He weighs ~1270g. Does this seem like an appropriate feeding amount, or should I adjust the size/frequency?

Any advice from keepers with older/larger ball pythons is appreciated. Thank you!

I have a very sweet and curious boy, he’s approx. 8yrs old and the friendliest little critter. He seems to enjoy time outside of his enclosure but i don’t want to stress him.

He likes to hang out with me in my heated blanket while i watch movies! (at least i think he likes it)

How often do you guys hold your babies and what are some stress signs to look for?

It's a Dubia 4x2x4 for my ball python, Dashi. She'll have a snaking river waterfall that feeds her own 7 gallon aquarium (and 10 gallon sump). There's a slate-top basking hide on the second story and an underground bunker for her cool hide. It will be a bioactive setup featuring Papaya isopods and orange springtails. I still need to get all the plants in and decide on the aquatic life.

Some important things I learned along the way:

- Don't trust stray foam to be water tight. The original waterfall wad made with spray foam and vinyl tubing for the water channels. Where the water changed directions I thought spray foam, drylok, and silicone would be enough to hold the water. After many leaks I decided to cut out the channels and use zoopoxy instead, I highly recommend it.

- Dubia stands are not rated to hold more than like 150 pounds. The stand with the aquarium and water was not an issue until I started adding gravel, then the stand started buckling under the weight. I had to make a "King of DIY" style aquarium stand to fit as a skeleton inside the fascia of the Dubia stand and then I haven't had issues since.

- Don't buy plants until the build is done. I bought plants along the way but some died as the build kept getting delayed. Other plants didn't fit the look of the tank as things were changing.

Third handling session with my 9-month-old ball python.
I waited about a week before I started handling him. At first he usually just clings onto my hand and stays still, but once he starts moving, he seems more focused on slithering off me than exploring.
What I’ve noticed is that when I bring him closer to his enclosure, he calms down pretty quickly. He’s eating well, and his temps/humidity are where they should be, so he seems comfortable in the enclosure itself.
I’m also planning to move him into a 120-gallon enclosure with a lot more clutter as he grows.
For people with more experience: does this sound like normal behavior during the first few handling sessions?

This is Lancccccelot - he has mark on his underside - he's not acting like he's hurt as far as I can tell and I'm not sure if it will go away on his next shed or if I should take him to the vet

it doesn't feel like a lump, it feels like a regular scale and he's acting normally - I'm not sure if I should be concerned about this since I'm not super experienced with ball pythons - if it is something serious I will take him to the the vet that specializes in exotic pets