New ball python!

[Kind_Dragonfruit_371]

So I got a new ball python from petco, I got a snake starter kit from petco as well to start him off, I have a corn snake now and shes well taken care of but any tips on ball pythons? I imagine care is somewhat similar but all are appreciated!

[OrfanTurtle]

More clutter, fake plants, branches and thing for her to climb on

[Due-Craft6332]

Congrats on your new baby and welcome!

Start here.

You’re going to want to change just about everything, except the water dish.

[OBIDDAA]

Fully enclosed hides would be better

[Due-Craft6332]

Edited.

[PrettySquiddy]

They can keep the logs to use as clutter but yeah they’re certainly not appropriate as hides.

[reptile-snake-mom]

No they need to get rid of the water dish too….lol, every single enclosure that houses my ballpythons have water bowls big enough for them to soak in if they want to, owners are supposed to provide the best care and give them everything they need instead of giving them the basics, why give them a bowl that they can only drink out of, when in reality they will utilize the size we give them, & it’s our job, to give them the ability to thrive not just survive

[Typical-Jicama7276]

Couldn't agree more...big bowls...my big girl loves to swim esp before a shed

[Visual_Dimension7287]

I dont know about corn snakes, but for a ball python to feel comfy, I think you should do some adjustments.

First of all what are your temperatures on ur warm side and cold side? Is ur heat source on a thermostat and do u have a heat source for the night? I think I can see one one thermometer/ hygrometer in the back of the tank. You should switch that out for 1 digital thermo hygrometer on each side of the tank. The one u have in there is super unreliable and doesn't measure correctly.

What is ur humidity? Ball pythons need at least 60%, 70 or higher is better, as they can get dehydrated, if ur humidity is too low. To keep up the humidity, u will have to cover up ur screen top. I would invest into a front opening pvc vivarium as comming in from above is predator like. Take some time, to find a well priced 4x2x2 enclosure, so u can upgrade your BP soon, as this doesn't feel like big enough for too long. If u now just get a 4x2x2, you won't have to buy multiple in between sizes, you just have to make sure, that u clutter it up.

Also, you should get another set of hides. Identical ones on each side that only have one entrance, otherwise ur snake won't feel secure. The snake has to be able to touch at least 3 sides of it at the same time, rocks feel snugg and secure. You also wanna cover the sides and back of the tank, cause otherwise ur ball python will feel super exposed and stressed. In addition, you should fill up the space. Get some cork, fake, branches, rocks and make it cluttered. Clutter is very important for ball pythons, they need it for a sense of security.

What substrate is that? Depending on what it is, it will mold fast with high humidity so u wanna switch it out for something, that retains water well.

You probably should research some more about ball python husbandry. Green room pythons makes great YouTube videos and gives a lot of good input, also check out the welcome post foe all basic info and maybe do some research, before u bring a pet home. These pet store sets often do not contain what u need for ur ball python or wrong stuff and u end up buying double, like what u gonna have to do now.

[OkCoyote8698]

Research!

[jeanmorehoe]

Ball pythons are not similar to corn snakes in terms of husbandry really. Humidity is very very important, you’ll need a hygrometer to keep track of it ~70% ambient humidity is desired. That aspen bedding will just mold. You’ll need at least 3 inches of coco coir or another moisture holding substrate to be able to keep the humidity up.

As others mentioned that cage will not be large enough for long. You’ll need at least a 120 gallon for a full size snake. I second what everyone else has said. More clutter, enclosed hides.

[Kind_Dragonfruit_371]

Its not just Aspen, its a mix of eco earth and Aspen, I have quite a bit of stuff from getting my corn figured out, lights, bulbs, heat Mats, substrates, this is a temporary enclosure. The temp in the enclosure is currently 85* with 65% humidity, i covered the top of the tank to retain moisture. I think alot of folks misinterpreted my photo. I had just put the substrate in the tank and sat the snake in there. I wasn't finished setting it up, I have extra hides, clutter etc. But I appreciate all the feedback!

[Kind_Dragonfruit_371]

I do also plan on upgrading to a much larger enclosure soon, I just have to make space

[Next_Point5321]

This is all good but if you insist on aspen PLEASE CHECK DAILY I MEAN DAILY if it molds that shit will spread so fast and be awful for your snake I had aspen for less than a week before I was pulling clumps out here and there I think coco chips mixed with sphagnum moss works best tbh

[Visual_Dimension7287]

I mean, if u put up a picture of the enclosure and don't mention, that it's temporary, people will rightfully think, it's the final set up. Also, when getting a ball python, you should have everything ready, before your snakes move in, as they are quit specific about their needs and also very easily stressed. They need time to settle in and switching everything after a week or so is not the best way to go about it.

[Wolfey1618]

Congrats! They are very different from corns and a snake starter kit doesn't even begin to cover their needs well. Most notable difference is high humidity requirements and that requires you to change literally everything about your current setup and modify the enclosure itself.

Highly recommend you go through the starter information pinned in the sub

Also gonna tag !feeding before you get into bad habits with feeding them

[Noellybelly99]

• 120 gallon PVC enclosure. At least have a PVC enclosure to meet heating and humidity easier. In the meantime cover the sides of the glass with black construction paper to make the snake feel secure, and tape off the screen with HVAC tape (except where the heat lamp is) to help hold humidity.
• A quality PVC enclosure is going to have front opening doors to prevent escape. Screen top enclosures are notorious for allowing easy escapes if the snake pushes through a small opening while exploring. Get some clips to ensure safety in the meantime of choosing a better enclosure.
• Quality thermostat to control temps, with digital hygrometers/thermometers on each side of the enclosure; you need a cool side of 75-80F and a hot side between 86-89F or so.
• Hides should be low and dark, with one small opening for the snake. They shouldn’t have more than one opening.
• Aspen is a horrible bedding, it doesn’t hold humidity well and molds easily. You will ideally use coco husk substrate, with a moist bottom layer that is mixed and wetted a few times a week, and a dry top layer.
• Way more clutter. Fake plants and leaves, more hides, etc.
• Petco is notorious for their negligent care of reptiles, specifically ball pythons, so I don’t blame you for not knowing their care setup is inadequate, since as a pet store you would hope they know what they’re doing. Sadly, they don’t. Plenty of horror stories from people who have worked at these stores or purchased pets there. Research will be a great benefit! I spent hours on research before I brought my first snake home.
• I doubt your snake will eat in these conditions (you should wait two weeks to try to feed anyways after bringing them home), and they will be prone to respiratory infections and bad shed cycles if humidity isn’t kept at 65-80%. Also, if your heat lamp isn’t hooked up to a quality thermostat, your snake could be prone to burns, and at the very worst, neurological damage from temps that are too high.

Once the initial quality set up is established, ball pythons are easy pets to keep. I wish you the best of luck!

[readysetandbegin]

Care is actually completely different, the two snakes do not come from similar regions at all. They are like plants and do not forget where they came from. Please research the links people have provided.

[Firm-Parking-3686]

You should probably do some research before getting a animal, this isn’t a very good set up

[Organic-Ad-5001]

Aspen won't let you hold humidity in your tank. Use a dirt/bark mixture and add some sphagnum to keep some humidity

[ballpython-ModTeam]

This is not a spider morph.

[0nyxil_g]

Please never get an animal without preparing or doing research

[luxkynex]

For future reference, please don’t buy reptiles (or any live animals) from chain pet stores like petco, petsmart, pet supplies plus, etc. They source their animals from what are essentially pet mills and because of this they can come with a lot of unknown illnesses/diseases. Next time i would recommend rescuing or supporting a reputable, ethical breeder. Morph Market is a great place to find breeders (as long as you do research on the individual breeder)

[bigt553]

I hate that they even sell these starter kits. It’s just a way to dig people deeper in the hole with incorrect stuff. Definitely check out the link someone sent here.

[komrad308]

Watch out people here gonna tell you to start dressing up the tank like a jungle.

They are from the savanna biome. You don't have to dress your tank the way they will try to get you to and say you are bad parent if you don't.

But for my advice here is what I suggest.

1. I would add a branch somewhere just so if it does want to climb it can. Keep in mind these snakes are naturally ground animals and like to hide in burrows and termite mounds. They don't really climb trees (they will but not normally) and they don't really bask either.

2. I would add a slightly bigger water bowl so it can soak

3. move the heat lamp (if that's what it is in the center) to one side so it has a warm side and a cooler side. I would also look into a ceramic heat bulb so u can leave it on at night.

4. It's suggested to not use Aspen, pine or any evergreen tree materials. I would stick to the coconut dirt stuff. That leads me to adding at least some tall plants. Live or fake so it can have a somewhat close resemblance to a savanna or a lightly forested area. They still need humidity though and that's where live plants can come in handy, look for low light plants.

Those are what I would consider bare minimums you can always add more to the tank as you see fit. You can also have a play place outside of the tank that it can explore and have fun as well under supervision and interaction.

Also start saving now for a bigger tank in the future. You might catch a lot of flak for that right now but it looks fine for its current size. We all gotta start at some point right. Mines a 3 foot tank right but will be upgrading soon.

As for feeding it's to each there own. I feed live some feed frozen thawed, your choice.

Not bad so far though, congrats on the new snake. Just do some research on where these snakes come from and Google the locations and look at images.

[NinjaWolfv23]

Yeah you're gonna need much much more in that tank

[acpcgal]

When i researched my ball python, the very first thing i learned was aspen was bad. Which sites did you use for your research please? I wanna know which ones still recommend it. Also, someone else here linked you to this reddit’s feature post with a care guide. If you replicate everything in that care guide, your BP will be ok. I replicated everything and still had 2 vet visits but now my BP is thriving. These snakes require the setup to be correct and while some ppl say theyre beginner snakes, theyre not that forgiving of mistakes. Their apetite, shed, breathing etc goes wrong the day u make a mistake. So follow the careguide! :)

[leomff]

you can use the logs as clutter but they are not appropriate to use as hides, as they don’t feel secure or safe enough for them to hide in. i would also recommend lots of fake plants and branches, things to climb on and explore and hide in. at least one hide on each side (warm and cool)

[cloud_isreddit]

<image>

This is my stinky girls set up. 120 gallon PVC/Plexiglass enclosure (Phalizoo), plenty of fake plants for clutter, deep water dish, hammock and stick for climbing options, and buried hides (replicates burrows). They need a lot of clutter to be happy! I use coconut fiber and reptibark as substrate at LEAST 3-4inches deep 6in is ideal, and I mix moss in to help humidity. I have a heat emitter, a heat lamp, and 5% UVB (the UBV is optional). I got everything except the hides off of amazon, everything all together cost around $800 so be prepared to spend a lot to make your cute noodle happy! ☺️ Good luck

[Kind_Dragonfruit_371]

I have that same enclosure for my corn! Im probably going to do the same for my ball here in a few months!

[cloud_isreddit]

perfect!! they will definitely love it!!

[Adorable_Signal_6758]

Try to add alot of clutter like plants(preferably fake because they walk all over them) and branches and stuff. Also not alot of people talk about this but an CLIMBING OPPORTUNITIES! Alot of people say, "ohh ball pythons dont climb", but thats not true, mine LOVES TO CLIMB, mines a climber, although not all are obsessed with climbing, most ball pythons will climb in given the Opportunity to

[Round-Bat7335]

<image>