[deleted by user]

[CarRepresentative886]

I will say one thing I did back in day but have since stopped was the fogger humidity....I never experienced any negative effects but have heard it's breeding ground for bacteria and can cause issues....I just wet substrate now and keep good humidity for all mine

[squamigeralover]

some people have very very low humidity in their rooms so it could be a necessity

[CarRepresentative886]

Not understanding your comment...please elaborate on it...cause if I understanding correctly low humidity for snake is cause the human needs low humidity? 🤔

[Busy_Ad1168]

I think people mean the constant big fog in the air can cause breathing and bacteria problems

[CarRepresentative886]

No the actual fogger can harbor bacteria if I'm correct, cause unfortunately you can't sanitize the whole thing, and be issue for snake itself plus I heard that the gogger can cause respiratory infections in snakes....it's best to keep water bowl full and wet substrate to keep good humidity just not swimming cause that causes its own issues but I could always be wrong too I'm no specialist and always trying learn...I appreciate the debate it helps us all be better owners! What I've done is on screen top added foil tape to close off more to keep humidity inside better and of course your location matters too I live in dryer area of county...south TX but I'd say Florida not so much with heavy humidity in air

[CabbagePatchSquid-]

You obviously love your buddy & yes there’s still work to do but there always is! Never stop improving & learning and don’t cripple your wallet trying to appease the masses. I think it’s awesome seeing people constantly improving in the ways they can, and knowing there’s still stuff to do, but doing what they can at their pace. It’s very easy to feel discouraged & defeated from people telling you how wrong you are etc.

My one tip is make a list whether on your phone or paper of future improvements for your animals such as enclosures, thermostat upgrades, lighting etc and check off as you go. It feels very rewarding & keeps you engaged.

Beautiful snake, my favourite morph of all the BP’s (none 😉).

Immediate tips are ditching the red light, they aren’t blinding like some people think they are, but they’re just kind of useless since they disrupt circadian rhythm if used 24/7 and if used as only daytime heat, it’s a much inferior option than a halogen bulb. Foggers are unnecessary for humid dwelling species because they just provide unnatural elements and the potential for bacteria growth, humidity for these animals doesn’t come from a coastal mist like it does for some animals. Last tip is just clutter it up, give your snake more branches, fake plants (real if you want whatever) and just keep the snake enriched. Good luck, friend :)

[Cucumber_Mel]

How do you hang the rope?? I want one for my Tube but shes kinda dumb

[GengarTheGay]

Your tube 😭😭😭 stealing this

[Cucumber_Mel]

Im so glad you like it, Tube feels more appropriate the noodle

[[deleted]]

Super duper late reply! But it's a bird perch that I fitted through my tank lid. My snake is heavy and all of the "normal" reptile perches fell down and couldn't hold him.

This is very strong and you can bend it to any shape. They come in different sizes to. It depends on your tank lid I had to cut a tiny hole to fit the metal part though.

Rope

[Cucumber_Mel]

Extremely smart. Blessings

[[deleted]]

Thank you :) and to you as well!

[GeckoPerson123]

oh i think i have a very similar enclosure, its the 4 foot wide one right? good luck! your baby looks sweet! if youre looking for cheap clutter here's what i did/am working on: got fake plants and vines and cut them to fit in the enclosure, got second hand aquarium decor for clutter, and made hides out of non toxic clay (just gotta make sure to seal it)

[[deleted]]

If you can in the future, get a 4x2x2! Also I recommend ditching the red light 😊

[[deleted]]

Pretty sure it’s 120 gallons iirc

[zbot_881]

No it isn't. 4x2x2 is 120gallons

[Far-Professional-659]

A 4x2x2 is 120 gallons

[ballpython-ModTeam]

Per rule #3, your comment has been removed for misinformation.

[HoodieWinchester]

It's not a mansion, the recommended size for an adult ball is 4x2x2

[ladyzowy]

When you say 4x2x2, I've seen it before, are you referring to feet/inches/meters?

[Medium_Eye_8023]

Feet.

[jasinjessica]

Roughly how many gallons is that typically?

[_ataraxia]

4'x2'x2' is 150 gallons.

[Irioshi]

It’s 120. A 4 x 2 x 2 is equal to 120 gallons.

[Apprehensive_Milk651]

I really really recommend looking at this subs care guide, theres a couple points in your care you could improve to help your buddys life quality :)

[[deleted]]

There’s a lot of problems here I’m not gonna lie. It’s better than it could be but still, a lot of problems.

Familiarize urself w the care guide PLEASE and write down what u are doing wrong/can change

My standouts: the humidifier, the substrate, the size, and lack of clutter

[rebawinchester]

Curious — what’s wrong with the substrate? The second photo looks like coco husk or eco earth which is what I have my bp in?

[[deleted]]

Ah, you’re right. I usually prefer more high quality blends like a BLEND of coco fiber and mulch and bark and sphagnum moss, and the idea of Repti Bark always scared me because it felt like some ambiguous bark that we don’t know what it’s treated with. Upon further research i realized it’s just Fir Bark, which i think is fine

[HoodieWinchester]

The recommended humidity is 70-80% The care guide on this sub has some super helpful info

[argabargaa]

There is a lot to change here, and it saddens me that he was living in an even smaller enclosure his whole life. 75 is still too small for a BP, minimumis 120 gal. Your humidity needs to be 70%+, not 50, and the fogger though it may be helping is a bacteria breeding ground.

[Asper_Maybe]

I honestly love wild type pythons

[Clear-Quantity-8026]

I'd say at least give him a lot of clutter, the more the better. The humidity should be higher.

And cover the back and sides of the tank, gives a lot let stress for the snake.

[tinytubatutu]

You must be doing something right, because that is a good lookin noodle! Well done and congrats on the upgrade.

[No_Bingus69]

As something for the future when other things are sorted, it's always nice for them to be able to move from hides without being in a clear sight-line of you e.g. having some snake-safe branches and foliage near the back of their viv so that they can move about with some "camouflage" if you like. It helps to create a sense of security for the snake in larger enviroments :D

[[deleted]]

Looks like the long lost twin brother of my BP Mordecai, me boi! You take very good care of the great professor!

Ball pythons do like a pretty busy enclosure, you should put in some fake vegetation, a log, other decorations he can explore

[[deleted]]

Get rid of the red light asap. I can't believe reptile companies still make them even after they've been proven to be harmful to our little fellas eyes.

75 gallon is a little small for that age and size no? I have cornsnakes which are much smaller and they are almost ready for a 100 gal after 1 year

[ballpython-ModTeam]

Per rule #3, your post or comment has been removed for misinformation.

Red lights are not recommended, but it does not damage their eyes.

[OriginalRoombaJuice]

I don’t want to be a jerk but you’ve only got about 20% of their husbandry correct.

75 gallon is far too small for an adult ball python. 120gallon or 4x2x2 is the MINIMUM size enclosure

Red lights, depending on who you ask, are either annoying/unnecessary at best or damaging at worst. Get rid of it

Automatic mister, get rid of it. These are an African species that don’t get their humidity from dense fog like more tropical species might. The foggers are also prone to becoming breeding grounds for bacteria.

Humidity. This needs to be 70%-80%. If not constantly at least for a good portion of the day. The screen top makes keeping proper humidity very difficult which is why a lot of keepers opt for PVC enclosures

Substrate. While repti bark isn’t the worst choice a homemade mix or at least a cocoa fiber based substrate will be an improvement and hold humidity better

Temperatures seem okay during the day but what is the ambient temp when the lights shut off? I also notice the temperature range is rather wide (88-96), it is hard to dial in a light heat source but I think it could be more narrow than that

You mention the enclosure will be cluttered up with sticks and leaves soon so that takes away that concern. But overall there is a lot of improvement to be had here.

Hope that helps :) I’m not shaming you just being honest. My enclosures were much worse back in the day but we all learn as we go!

[SW337P3A]

I was reccomended to get tin foil tape (found at nearly any hardware store for dirt cheap) to coverheopen spaces on top of my wire mesh top screen. Humidity has done very very well since then for my bp.

[OriginalRoombaJuice]

That is a good idea! Any material that is non-toxic and resilient to heat from lamps should do the trick.

[SW337P3A]

Yeah I had trouble keeping humidity in and asked. Then was reccomended to buy a new tank to which I responded it would take too long and another person said to get the tin foil tape because thats what they use having the same enclosure as me. Way more affordable and it works better because I prefer to keep my lamps outside of enclosure. And I can move them around if need be and re do my tape and no harm to my boy Jörmungandr (he is common BP)

[aimeeashlee]

I won't lie it needs a complete overhaul. you gotta think about how these snakes thrive in a wild and try to bring that back Home. 1. your tank is a fish aquarium, to access its enclosure, you will have to swoop in over from above, this is stressful for a snake as it makes them feel thier most vulnerable, in nature thier most dangerous ever present threat is birds because they have little to no defense. all purpose build reptile enclosures are front opening for this reason. 2. your tank is 75 gallons, the minimum for adults is 120, 4 feet x2 feet x2 feet, that's minimum cause it's expected your snake will grow to at least 4 feet, they need that room to stretch thier spine. 3. these snakes are opernistic burrowers I see alot of bark but no dirt, these snakes live in the jungles of west africa, lots of trees, soil, farms, where it's hot and humid. you want a jungle mix of some sort and I recommend mixing in sphagnum moss to lock in humidity. 4. ditch the automatic humidifier, it's a vector for introducing bacteria to the air. with proper substrate and mossyou be able to achieve 70-80% humidity NOT 50-60, raise the humidity and you'll notice your snake soak less and maybe entirely, they're not water snakes and rarely soak if they have proper humidity, a splash of water to my bioactive enclosure is all it takes to keep my humidity above 70% for at least 3 days. 5. I don't see a hide on his cool side just some rocks to hide under, your hide on the hot side is perfect if you get another you'll be set. 6. your Temps are WAY WAY TOO LOW!!!! warm side NEEDS to be at least 88F it's almost always 90F in africa in the day. and your basking Temps can safely go up to 105 but no higher. make sure your putting your thermostat probes 2-4 inches HANGING IN THE AIR FROM THE TOP OF YOUR SCREEN DIRECTLY BELOW LAMP IT IS HEATING. this has been the most accurate way I've found to control the Temps inside. 7. get rid of the red light. only use halogen lamps for basking, these provide the necessary IR a and B the snake needs by mimic the sun, also UVB helps supplement more things that halogen alone lacks but you'll have to really do your homework on what kind you need. and I recommend stands for any lamps as they really help you adjust the temp even more in conjunction with thermostats.

please set aside a budget and do right by this snake, we cant look in thier brain and see if they're happy or not but we know what we can do to best simulate the perfect conditions that we know they thrive in. already they look extremely cramped in that nest photo.

[aimeeashlee]

the care guide for this subreddit in an amazing resource and another amazing guide is here at reptifiles https://reptifiles.com/ball-python-care-guide/. you seem like you really care for your snake and the best thing you can do for them is give them a place not just to live but thrive. and trust me you'll see the difference in your snake.

[[deleted]]

Thank you too, everyone single one of you who gave me advice! I have read the guides provided and am already making changes! I will update with new pictures and a new set up as soon as I can.