OG POST:
I just ss the first ones I saw (idc abt the size) but I've been seeing lots of these types of boxes as hides and was wondering what you guys thought of them? I'm making a bioactive tank for my BP so I'm trying to save money where I can since I'm ballin' on a budget.

Otherwise I'll invest in some cork rounds or something but I'm wondering if my money would be better spent investing in more plants or something else idk

EDIT: Thank you everyone for all of the responses! I'm surprised to hear how many people and their snakes dislike cork as hides, so many of the videos on bioactive tanks have natural material hides. My BP currently enjoys two flipped over water bowls (he kept doing this on his own so I just replaced his previous hides) and so I'm glad to hear that I shouldn't feel bad about having them as hides.

I also agree that they are a bit ugly but I've seen nothing to suggest that my snake gives a damn about aesthetics.

My dad told me (14m) that he was finally moving out, and we are going to start weekly swaps between him and my mom with me and my four younger siblings. My parents have been divorced for a year, and were still living in the same house until now. Since I’ll be switching homes every week, I asked my mom to take care of Aphrodite, my ball python while I’m at my dad’s. (Including feeding, humidity/temperature control, lights and handling) she is co-parenting with me, and always has. I’ve just been taking care of her more.

My mom’s usually out of town during her off weeks, but I’m able to see Aphrodite after school since my mom’s house is a block from my hs. Although the weekends, I fear she will be neglected due to my mom not being able to care for her while she’s out. I’m considering moving her to my dad’s, but like I said, it’s still her snake as well as mine, and she’ll be devastated.

I’ve been planning on getting more reptiles in the future when my dad finally finds a place, I trust my dad more with caring for animals while I’m gone. He works at home, and doesn’t like going out. Although I fear I’ll not bear able to handle staying away for a week while at the other parent’s house, I frequently check on all my animals daily’s and this will be a big change. I’ve worked really hard and spent a lot of money on this snake and her needs, and I don’t want to lose her.

I’m more looking for husbandry advice, similar experiences or concerns, since I’m slightly paranoid that I’ll have to lose my snake because of this divorce. And I don’t know if it’s for the better or not.

I use ZooMeds “Forest Floor” substrate. I posted a video of my snake on TikTok and someone very rudely told me my substrate will give my snake splinters and infections and that i’m a terrible owner and didn’t do research. I did tons of research and really want my girl to be happy and i’m feeling a little discouraged.

Lots of things to climb on and tons of places to hide. I just picked up the 3-way rubber tube from Home Depot. Is this too much shit? 😆

Hi! This is Mr. Noodles, he's not big on being handled all the time but he likes to come out occasionally. I have a hard time telling when he wants to be held or when he thinks I'm food 😂 it's summer and he's more active now and Ive been feeding him weekly since he is out more. Today as I walked past his tank he did this, where he stuck his head up and followed me around 🥹 it's really cute but i was hoping someone could let me know if he's wanting out or if he's just hungry for his weekly mouse..? 🥺

Story time; Cross posted in r/whatisthissnake

So I work as a 911 dispatcher, and a citizen found this snake basking in the middle of a paved road. Brought it in to the office and was like “well I did my civic duty” and left.

Called humane society and wildlife and neither are equipped for reptiles, and it wouldn’t be humane to release into the wild, or to just euthanize it. I had a 30 gal terrarium from a snake a decade ago so I am fostering the poor traumatized guy until we can locate the owner.

Water, basking and infrared lamps, and heating pad. Was going to let him acclimatize before we even approached feeding.

Working theory is the guy that brought the snake in was actually the owner, but it’s posted across local groups and socials in case someone is missing their baby.

Going to the store tomorrow to get some substrate, and some stuff for hides, This is just all the non-perishable stuff I had left over.

I know a larger enclosure will be needed if i end up keeping the snake, but I don’t want to spend a ton of money up front and it be a short term situation.

The question is, what else am I urgently missing?

So I just got my baby from a friend of a friend and he was poorly taken care of! He has left over skin on his eyes and I looked u what and it said to put him in warm water to help him shed correctly and full, I just did and he didn’t like it and so I picked him up and he start making puffing sounds and screaming! What does it mean and what do I do if it’s bad!

Edit: I looked back at my videos and he’s been making these sounds when I’m asleep! I thought I was dreaming these sounds, but I was not! I asked his old owner and they said they didn’t know and they haven’t been with him in over 3 months! Before I fed him on Thursday the last time they fed him was 2 months before, but they asked my best friend to go feed him and forgot about him after! So he was terribly neglected! When I went to pick him up, my best friend’s husband and I had to pry the tank of the drawers they had him on! His tank was full of poop and OLD shed and dust! Most of his Hides are SO small he could never fit in them, and they were caked in dust along with his SMALL water bowls! I’ll leave a pic of the water bowls! I managed to clean a bit of it out, but I’m still waiting for some of his new things to come in!

Edit 2: I have a vet appointment set for him for tomorrow, thank yall!

Update: The vet said he did have an infection in each air way and gave him a shot! My Noodle did NOT appreciate that at all! The vet also gave me some medicine to give by mouth for a week and eye drops for the shed stuck to his eyes! Told me that if he doesn’t sound better by the last syringe to take him back in!

Update: I just gave him is meds and he’s salivating really bad! Is that okay? Please tell me I didn’t fuck up!! 😭😭🤧🤧

Update #20: when you get them the meds when they’re this bad, they will basically throw up mucus and go ridged!! I thought I killed him!! Just an FYI! 😭😭🤧🤧🫣🫣

Question: do yall think I need to wait to feed him, if he has to take his meds and eye drops every 12 hours??

Okay, I know I know—the number one rule before getting an animal is never get one without doing your research first... so, scold away.

I was at a pet expo today just to get stuff for my pets, but then I stumbled upon this store that sells snakes and geckos, and I instantly fell in love with this boy. I did try to talk some senses to myself (I do have other exotic pets so I know how high maintenance they can get, just never had a snake before), but I just had to get him.

I'm going out to the store first thing in the morning to get him a proper enclosure and some of his other needs. I keep getting conflicting infos online so I thought I'd just ask here.

- How big should his enclosure be?

- What's the best substrate for him?

- What's the best diet for him?

- Does he need a heat lamp?

- What temp should he be kept in?

- What other needs does a BP have that are often overlooked?

Last night my girlfriend and I let our boy out for some roaming time (he lives to roam supervised the whole time and live to climb up to the table) while I was moving some stuff around his enclosure I noticed this in the corner by his hide….. long story short we have springtails in all of our snake enclosures (4 of them) with the same substrate as ~75-85%humidity) we haven’t added anything new in his enclosure for months, how tf did this get inside??!

Also in a side note, we clean the apartment on a weekly basis, have never found a bug or anything since we moved in ~16 months ago.

So I almost hate to post here as I'm sure I might just get reemed, but honest question - how common are fully intact sheds with ball pythons?

I've had my little dude for 3 years now and he's happy and healthy. He just had his first fully intact shed. He's always had more piecemail sheds, but very little issue why l with stuck shed or stuck eyecaps

I know it's all about the humidity and that a full intact shed is the goal. But wanted to ask how's legit getting an intact shed every time truly is.

And please be kind, I genuinely love my guy and want to do the best by him. I'm always down to learn and improve, but just getting berated never helps anyone 🤣🙄

Okay.
I really tried everything.
I don’t know what to do anymore!
During the day the humidity on the warm side is always at 40-55% ,humid side around 60-65%.
At night it barely climbs to 60%.
I have Hvac foil on the whole top (besides a small gap that I‘ll fill in again because I moved the lamps around), my soil is a mix of reptisoil, cocohusk and spaghnum moss. I thorougly soaked it before filling the enclosure with decorations etc it was damp. Now I pour water in the corners every 3-4 days, humid side 5-6 days cause it obviously stays damp longer.
I have a big waterbowl right under the heatlamp.
I don‘t feel like it is humid enough.
Please any ideas???? I don‘t wanna mist in there or stuff like that since it‘s not good but I have done that the last couple of times because the humidity dropped below 40%.
I‘ve tried with only one heatlamp but it gets too cold without it since we‘re kinda getting more on the colder side outside now.
It‘s okay-ish at night with only the heat emitter. But barely.

It’s a 3-year-old female ball python. I’m learning how to care for her, but I’m overwhelmed by how inadequate the equipment is that I’ve been given.

It includes a glass tank that’s only 36x18x18 inches, and it’s being heated by a single 100 watt ceramic bulb. The screen is divided into four narrow sections which means the dome for any bulb that I use must be tiny.
Theres also a humidifier, which isn’t ideal, according to what I’ve read. And I’m having a hard time figuring out how to create a temperature gradient. Is it even possible in a tank this small?

I want to upgrade the tank, but I’m currently staying 100s of miles away from home in order to attend school and I can’t realistically acquire a new enclosure until I return home next spring.

Any suggestions? I am very eager to provide a better life for this sweet girl after years of mistreatment.

I’ve always gone balls to the walls (sorry) when it comes to clutter. Recently someone on FB told me it was too much. I have 5 hides in this 4x2x2, one identical to the rock hide that’s not pictured here and a humid hide in the back that you can’t really see. What do you guys think? ALSO: this is just after I deep cleaned it and set it back up, that’s why the temp and humidity is reading so low. And the lemons are there because his name is Lemon 🍋

she has a dual heat lamp one for day and one for night, 1 large hide because she refuses to use any others aside from paper towel tubes which don’t fit her girth and gave her a bruise, water bowl (small glass jar for the aesthetic), deer antler and her small microfiber towel she was brought home in from the expo that she’s very territorial over. the shavings are aspen which i know isn’t the best but i’m trying to find a brand of coconut husk that ships to my city. she’s also under a closed AC vent (the vent has been sealed for years to distribute air to the rest of the upper floor of the house and i’ve made sure no air comes from it. i’ve read about putting aluminum foil over the lid of the enclosure on one side to keep the humidity in? any other tips? 😭

EDIT: i know i seem like a terrible snake dad. im learning and trying to best accommodate her.

I got this cutie yesterday and she got some substrate in her mouth. I tried to look up how to remove it or if she’d just get it out on her own, but I only saw people talking about larger substrate pieces during feeding. I haven’t fed her yet, and when I do it’ll be in a separate enclosure. Any tips on how to remove the substrate? I’m assuming that mouth thing she’s doing is because the substrate is bothering her, so I wanna help her obviously!

The first time I saw it, I took out the mouldy wood and cleaned it but now it’s all over the place. Is it dangerous? Should I be worried? I got a clean up crew but they’re still new and need more time to establish themselves

Just adopted this 7month old girl from the shelter. I am aware of the health issues associated and im willing to learn and give her the care she needs💖 Latte is currently in a 40gal tank with a coco fiber/reptichip/moss mix she has a hot and cold side 3 hides, lots of cover and 2 water dishes. I’ve got a heating pad on the side of her tank so she won’t burn her belly and a non colored basking light I turn off at night. Is there anything I’m missing? Besides digital humidifiers readers and thermostat? I’ll order those on Amazon soon

A few months ago, my daughter and I adopted our BP Chili.

I had gotten a smaller enclosure at the reptile expo and was very proud of it. However, when I posted it, a lot of people were quick to point out that it was very small.

I immediately started looking for a bigger enclosure and wanted to give Chili her best life possible.

So I come before you guys today, to humbly ask for redemption and see what you guys think of her enclosure.

I purchased a Blackbox 4x2x2 from someone on Facebook marketplace. Deep cleaned it and upgraded it’s lighting and heating.

I added a bunch of artificial foliage, a warm side hide in a cold side hide, plenty of enrichment and several climbing options.

I have been meticulously monitoring the temperature gradient, and humidity .

FYI, the final picture is the old enclosure .

So, what do you guys think?

I'll be getting this beautiful girl at the end of the week and she'll be my first ever snake, im so excited! I have a 40gallon tank with mesh locking lid im getting for her, the breeders keep her in a tote. They mentioned the heating lamp/light might un nerve her since she's used to a heating mat. I have a ton of hides/driftwood/foliage etc on the way and I plan on giving her plenty of places to hide to help her feel more comfortable. My biggest question(s) are -

Will switching her over to overhead lights cause any negative effects?

What's the best way to help her transition to being in a tank and not overwhelm her?

What are some great tips you wish you knew sooner about owning one? I love to learn and im excited to see how i can take the best care of her!

Outside of feeding, how often do your handle your BP? I don't necessarily need them to be a pet, but I would love that they are okay with being handled, when emergency asks for it.

How often do I need to handle, to be able to pick the snake up without it striking at me?

I read, that if you only ever handle at feeding time, they will connect your hands to food and strike at them, if you need to pick up the snake.

Tia 🙏

Hi everyone! I’m a new ball python owner looking for some constructive advice on fine-tuning my enclosure. I’ve read the care guides here and done extensive additional research, but I’m still working on balancing temperatures and humidity.

My setup:
● 40-gallon glass enclosure, screen top mostly covered with aluminum HVAC flashing tape
● Arcadia 100W halogen flood (day) and 100W ceramic heat emitter (night)
● ReptiZoo 200 dimming thermostat: 94°F day / 90°F night
● Approximately 50/50 coconut fiber and coconut husk substrate, around 2 inches deep (second pic is after I added more)
● Large water bowl, two hides, foliage, and climbing enrichment
● Multiple digital thermometers/hygrometers and an infrared temperature gun

I live in the Mojave Desert, so humidity retention is particularly challenging.

Latest readings:
● Center ground thermostat probe: 93°F / 49% humidity
● Warm-side air: 80°F / 70% humidity
● Cool-side air: 76°F / 82% humidity
● Exposed basking substrate: approximately 91°F
● Warm hide interior: approximately 78–87°F, depending on the location

The warm-side thermometer is mounted mid-height above the hide, while the cool-side thermometer is approximately one inch above the substrate. My house was unusually cool during these readings.

My concerns:
Heating: I recently switched from a 100W spotlight to a 100W flood bulb because I wasn’t getting broad enough heat distribution. The exposed surfaces warm well, but the covered warm hide naturally stays cooler. I’m trying to determine whether this gradient is appropriate without overheating the exposed surfaces.
Humidity: I’ve covered the screen, added a large water bowl, and watered the substrate corners to retain moisture. Cool-side humidity recently dropped to 56%, but recovered to 82% after watering. I’m considering increasing the substrate depth to 3–4 inches for better stability.

My questions: Does this temperature gradient seem appropriate? Would you adjust the bulb or hide placement? What humidity-retention methods have worked for you in glass enclosures?
Brownie is still settling into her new home, and I’m trying to make adjustments methodically rather than constantly changing things.

I’m very open to constructive feedback, but please include practical solutions if you identify an issue. I’ve been putting a lot of effort into learning and genuinely want to provide her with the best possible care. 🙏🏻
Thank you!

I just set up a new bio active tank for my baby. I will be adding more clutter as well as moving her lights over but it’s not ready for her yet. Old tank was 3ft x 1.5ft x 1.5ft new tank is 4ft x 2ft x 2ft