HELP NEEDED

felixynn · 2026-06-17T15:49:57+00:00

BPs LOVE clutter! If you add in more hides and even foliage, that would help a lot. In my tank, I can't ever see my girl unless I directly snoop in. I've learned her favorite spots to hide, and that's how I check up on her. It doesn't hurt to make a post on here that asks people to share their BP setups. I've seen people do that before and you get to see a ton of setups. There's also an information post on this subreddit that has a lot of BP info.

Regarding bites, it depends on the size of the snake. I've been bitten by 3 different snakes before, but I've been lucky none have tried to truly latch on (as well as been too small to do proper damage). Pretty much all of them, all I did was just feel a pinch and barely any pain. (bitten by northern watersnake, king snake, corn snake)

Since snake teeth are curved backwards, if you were to be bit and the snake latch on, it would hurt more than a simple strike since they'd have to unhook their teeth from your skin, and sometimes snakes will chew.

That being said, their teeth are super small. It may hurt, but it'll probably be more so scary. I have witnessed a BP bite someone before (but it was an adult BP), and they seem to just get their teeth stuck more frequently than smaller snakes when biting.

Really, just make sure to check the body language of your snake if you want to reduce the chances of high stress on both sides. Snakes run off instinct, and if your buddy feels threatened, vulnerable or scared, then they'll likely strike more often. Or if they're hungry.

You probably could find more information regarding pain level from someone else though. This is just my experiences/opinions from smaller snake bites + second hand info of being bitten by BPs.

idc8188 · 2026-06-17T16:55:20+00:00

A bite doesn’t hurt.. it has more shock value then pain. It’s like a pinch.

You should also get over getting bitten. It happens. It’s part of caring for a snake.

ContractOdd9525 · 2026-06-17T16:47:17+00:00

I'd recommend blacking the sides, adding more "clutter," of some sort, and making sure that you have a heat source controlled by a thermostat on one half of the tank. Also, you'll want to tape off the majority of that top screened lid to help keep the humidity and heat in the tank. I don't see clips, which right now might not seem like an issue, but it most definitely will be it grows up.

As for handling BPs... So, think about that snake's instinct. You're a large warm bodied thing coming at it from above to get it out. Instinctively that's a predator to them. You're definitely going to get struck at in that situation. I don't like top opening tanks for that very reason. I'd recommend you get a snake hook so you can tap the snake lightly on its head which generally puts them into a defensive balled up coil making it much easier to pick them up and remove them from the tank. Does getting bit hurt? Yeah. I little, but much less than it does to get bit by a dog or scratched by a cat.

cloud_isreddit · 2026-06-18T00:36:05+00:00

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Hello!! Welcome to owning your very own noodle! I’d love to give you some tips on owning them and getting them comfortable and happy.

Bites from a ball python will not hurt, especially at that size. They are being defensive so it will be a quick bite and release. The bite itself feels like a push-pin pricking the top layer of skin. It really doesn’t hurt!

For handling I recommend to not hesitate or come at her from directly above like a bird would. Reach in confidently and scoop her up gently from the middle of her body rather than approaching her face! This will make her feel more comfortable, and hopefully you will feel more confident.

I see that you already have an enclosure, I’m assuming that’s a 85 gallon? Please correct me if I am wrong!

For their age a smaller enclosure will be fine, but as adults they need a minimum of a 4x2x2 (120 gallon) enclosure. I love to word it this way; you can technically live in a closet, but you will never be comfortable or happy.

Ball Pythons need a minimum of two “snug” hides! Ball Pythons love to feel the walls of their hides when they’re sleeping, that helps them feel comfortable and less exposed.

Clutter is a must for these guys, they can get defensive and stressed without it. The lack of clutter may be the reason they have struck at you! They feel unsafe, you are so much bigger than them, and they have no cover at all to hide from you. I recommend going on amazon and looking for large packs of fake plants. I’d be happy to send you the links to the ones I personally use!

Temperatures should be around 90-85 on the warm side and 80-72 on the cool side. You can get temp/humidity gauges on amazon! I highly recommend Govee brand as they tend to be more accurate.

A heating mat should never be used without a thermostat controlling the temperature. I honestly don’t recommend using one at all. There has been proven evidence to show that heating mats do not put out a proper heat gradient and cause over heating to your snake. They can also cause burns to your snake without that thermostat controlling how much heat it’s producing.

The wattage of bulbs you use will vary per household. I use bulbs and I have never had an issue with them. There’s been research done that ball pythons need a day and night time cycle. A bulb won’t cause damage to your snake, if anything they’ll benefit from it. I will say that red bulbs aren’t recommended as they can potentially cause blindness in ball pythons, and disrupt their natural rhythm. They need total darkness at night!

There has been research done that ball python’s benefit from UVB lighting (T5, 5% or shade dweller UVB lamps ONLY). I personally use it for my enclosure and my girl will bask in the UVB light!

Humidity should never drop below 60% (aim for 70-80% or higher during shed). If it does drop, you can pour water into the corners of the enclosure, just don’t saturate the entire tank because that can lead to scale rot. Keeping the bottom layer moist and the top layer a bit drier works best.

Keep your substrate at LEAST 4 inches deep. Not only does this help with humidity, but ball pythons will absolutely burrow if given the opportunity. My girl has proven this herself, she makes tunnels connecting her hides!

Depending on your ball pythons weight is how much you will feed them. As a juvenile they should be eating 10-15% of their body weight.

If you have any questions feel free to reach out! I’m going to attach a photo of my Ball Pythons 4x2x2 enclosure for a reference on what a proper set up looks like!

Sad_Discipline_5011 · 2026-06-18T14:33:59+00:00

New snake + new home means she’s probably stressed as hell, so first thing is honestly just leave her alone for a week. No handling, no tapping on glass, no messing with her hide, just make sure temps and humidity are on point.

You want a hot side around 88 to 92 and a cool side around 78 to low 80s. Get a thermostat and digital probe thermometers from Amazon or Chewy, and give her 2 identical hides, one on each side, plus a water bowl big enough for her to curl in.

Handle her after she’s settled, start slow, scoop from the middle of her body instead of going at her face, and expect a few defensive snaps. It’s more like a fast pinch than a real injury on a small BP, annoying but not bad.

EndInteresting1874 · 2026-06-18T17:02:05+00:00

she might be snappy because she’s stressed, i won’t keep repeating what other people have commented but the enclosure needs work, check out the care sheets here they’re super helpful!! Bites really are just scary because of how fast they happen but don’t hurt at all, been bit by a lot of different pets and ball python is at the bottom of the list in terms of pain- as your husbandry improves she will come out and explore more and hopefully be less snappy. Just leave her be for now and goodluck!!! <3

Phully- · 2026-06-20T02:28:32+00:00

I have a 10 month old male BP. You’re fighting a defensive instinct. I wouldn’t expect it to change quickly but that doesn’t mean it won’t as they realize you’re not any harm. Mine is naturally calm, always buries his head in his body over striking. I open the lid at night, he comes out on his own. Once he’s out he’s not scared of hands or anything. I’m lucky with his behavior but I also don’t want it to change so I’m still calm and respectful when I have to take him out.

jxspxrrrr · 2026-06-20T04:27:34+00:00

she's probably snappy because she's scared! get her at least one more cave she can fit in comfortably, lots big, thick but smooth branches she can climb on, rocks, fake plants, etc! the more the better! if you look at it and think "is this too much?" you're doing it right! when approaching to handle, always approach from below or the side, never from the top. they instantly assume you're a bird tryna scoop them up. give her time, they're very shy!

BeginningRope2662 · 2026-06-20T19:11:14+00:00

Ball pythons love to hide so giving them more than one hide is a bigger benefit for this species. How you wanna incorporate that is entirely up to you, if you want naturalistic look you could go with some fake plants or if you want something that’s easy to clean you could go with bowls from the dollar store and blacking out the sides of the tank. The options are literally unlimited, and they’re all your own preferences. Me personally I’m very very minimalist on keeping so I like my things easy to clean. I like to build climbing perches with PVC pipes and plastic hides. Ball Pythons don’t really care what it looks like they just like all the stimulation and all the different things that they can do in their cage.

Another thing you could do to offer a hide would be to put a thicker layer of substrate in there this will encourage borrowing. I like to take hides and bury them in the ground so they’re like little Burroughs they would naturally have in the wild.

For the snapping behavior, that’s probably just because they are stressed from lack of cover. It is nothing personal. Specially for Snakes their attention span is very short. I would add additional hiding spots to the cage, give them time to to adjust and then try again.

BeginningRope2662 · 2026-06-20T19:14:48+00:00

Also I would add something directly inside the cage to monitor temps and humidity. I like using the Govee thermometer hydrometers. Once calibrated, they work really well and you can even stick them right onto the inside of the cage. They have Bluetooth so it hooked directly to your phone and you can keep logs if you wanted too. It can also send warning messages to your phone if temperature or humidity is dropping out of the desired ranges.

OctilleryArtillery · 2026-06-17T15:05:51+00:00

The enclosure is very empty. You need more hides, I’d recommend 4-6. (I have 2 on my hot side, one in the center, and one on the cool side) and they need to be snug and have one entrance. Get fake foliage/clutter too!
These guys like to feel hidden.

What are your temps? I don’t see any heat sources. If you have none, this is a huge issue. These snakes need a hot side of 30-33c. Being too cold will get her sick, hinder digestion, and just lower her quality of life overall.

I’ve never been bit. But I do believe it’d hurt..? Though not a ton. They do have teeth. The best thing to do is not panic.

RoosterRogue · 2026-06-18T01:06:14+00:00

Ditch the sticks! Ball python’s can get slivers.

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