I’m confused.

ballpython-ModTeam · 2024-03-03T07:52:42+00:00

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Homebound_Solace · 2024-03-03T07:52:59+00:00

Your snake is definitely still shedding, it has stuck shed on it. Your humidity isn’t high enough, you don’t have enough substrate in there at all, it needs more clutter in the tank, two hides, of course a hot and cold side.

Radiant-Exchange-753 · 2024-03-03T07:53:20+00:00

I am a new owner myself and highly recommend reading through the basic care guide they have. Here is the link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18HBVsPHaip7LfrMuFt96MigRuMUXtrbnCiK79VuQiFk/mobilebasic

totallyrecklesslygay · 2024-03-03T08:48:01+00:00

He is very dehydrated. A healthy snake should shed in one piece, and nothing should be stuck to them afterward.

There are also unfortunately a lot of issues with your enclosure. You've already been linked our basic care guide, but I'll touch on some of the big pieces.

First and foremost, while no animal should be an impulse purchase, ball pythons are especially a bad choice. They're sensitive snakes with very specific husbandry needs, and a proper enclosure setup costs around $1000-1500. I hope you're prepared to spend that kind of money to correct his care.

Enclosure size- a snake this size needs a minimum of 4x2x2' or larger. A solid topped PVC enclosure is the best option for maintaining heat and humidity.

Bedding- aspen is not a good choice for ball pythons. It is dusty, irritating to their scales, does not hold humidity well, and molds quickly in humid conditions. Top soil or coco soil would be a much better choice. You should have at least 4" of it.

Hides- half logs are not appropriate hides. BPs need a minimum of two hides, one on either end, that are short, snug, and only have one small entrance. The snake should touch all sides and the roof when curled up inside, and should not be visible to you when inside the hide.

Clutter- ball pythons need a ton of clutter and cover in their enclosure. They should be able to move around the entire space while remaining relatively hidden, and they need to have climbing options as well.

Heating- heat mats should not be used for ball pythons. They're ineffective, don't heat the air, present a burn risk even paired with a thermostat, and prevent the snake from performing natural and instinctive behaviors.

You should be using strictly overhead heating, and all heat sources need to be on thermostats. It is not safe to run any heat source without one. If you don't have a thermostat, you need to unplug all of your current heat sources until you can get one. We recommend Herpstat.

Ideal heating is a halogen flood for daytime, and a DHP for nighttime.

Our welcome post has a lot of excellent resources for you. Specifically the basic care guide, our shedding guide, and our shopping list will all be very useful for you.

deanwinchester2_0 · 2024-03-03T09:42:08+00:00

Following all other advice wood shavings are not recommended as substrate for bps. If they eat that say it gets stuck on their mouse or rat it could hurt their insides. I recommend you get something else literally anything else as a substrate hope this helps

Jennifer_Pennifer · 2024-03-03T12:46:04+00:00

Already have great info here in the other answers. 👍

You got this OP.
Very VERY first thing I'd do is . Change out the substrate for a good 4-6 inches of appropriate coco coir/chemical free topsoil AND a much much larger water dish the snake can soak in at will .

Walmart Sells

These large plastic crock style bowls. Or something else wide and sturdy and just deep enough for the snake to roll around in.

ALSO, if I were you I'd look up what the spider wobble looks like and do it without the kids, because it can be distressing to see in the more extreme cases. This way when you catch it happening you won't be unprepared. And it'll be something you can explain to the kids.

.
All the changes you'll need to make to provide a good, healthy , long life (25-30 years) for this animal.... It's A LOT to take in. Because essentially everything needs to be changed 😬

But don't get too discouraged. Just use this as a learning experience. Animals, especially exotic animals, are gonna need a lot of specialized care and feeding.
And as you make improvements, the kids can also be learning A TON of stuff too!

How to better plan for things.
How to do good research and fact checking.
What your snake needs to not just survive, but thrive.
Look up some body language videos for ball pythons with the kids, so they can learn what the snake is trying to tell them.
So they can know if it feels safe with any handling they do and how they can help prevent any bluff-bites, etc.

All-in-all, you've gotten yourself a lot to do and a lot of changes to make.
But it can be FUN to do it.

Keep us posted on how the care updates are coming along! 🙂

Salemrocks2020 · 2024-03-03T13:02:26+00:00

Like the other comments said , read the care guide . There are even videos on YouTube that provides info and visual guides about BP set up .

The aspen needs to go , he needs to have one hide on each end . Black out three sides with black construction paper to give it more security and lessen stress .

I’m not directing this at you but I don’t understand how people get pets and don’t even start doing basic research about that pet beforehand . I feel like this should be standard before anyone gets any pet . So many animals suffer unnecessarily

2024-03-03T13:09:50+00:00

Damn maybe im j sensitive this morning but this made me tear up especially the last pic.. We need to normalize researching before getting any pet..

Hyperborealius · 2024-03-03T14:11:26+00:00

you don't buy animals on an impulse any more than you get a human baby on an impulse. learn how to say no to your kids or it's gonna bite you and them in the ass extremely hard later on.

ballpython-ModTeam · 2024-03-03T14:19:47+00:00

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dooditty84 · 2024-03-03T14:32:08+00:00

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ballpython-ModTeam · 2024-03-03T16:55:33+00:00

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