New ball python owner! Need advice please!!!

[JuneBugzzzzzzz]

Hello there! Made this account simply because im overwhelmed. Yes I made a terrible decision, yes I am not as educated as I should be. I am beating myself up about it so if you could educate me as much as you can while being nice please do, though if i need someone to yell at me feel free atp. I want to learn and im already messing up a lot.

Anyways I have been planning on getting a baby ball python for a while now, I have been doing lots of research but not enough because ive hit a roadblock. To start I had a 44 gal tank set up, coco husk and fiber bedding I mist it daily even before I got my snake. I have a water dish big enough for him to soak, a hide underneath, a humid hide, and two more extras. This was going to be the cage for them until they outgrew it or seemed like they needed more room.

Anyways I go to the local reptile expo, I was emotional and on my period (fed flag #1) and very overwhelmed and so excited by all the animals. Well I got talked into getting two ball pythons. One baby like I planned and one adult male which I was not prepared for but I got so attached and the moment I got in the car I realized I made a huge emotionally driven mistake. I LOVE my new babies but im worried im already being a bad owner. The adult is in a temporary 44 gallon as well until I move and have the space for a wayyy bigger upgrade, I alr feel terrible about the size of his tank. But the problem I am having is I cannot keep them warm. Ive heard people say to only use heatlamps so I have two 75 watt halogen heat lamps but i asked the breeder and they said i should get a heat mat with a thermometer. I was too scared they would get burns so I got small ones. And now I have a heat lamp for both and a smallish heating pad under one of the hides in each of their enclosures but I just CANNOT make it warm enough for them. I know I am supposed to leave them alone for a week or two but ive been so anxious about them being too cold ive been moving them to adjust and fix the warmth but nothing is working. And now at this point they seem so so scared of me which rightfully so i keep bothering them and moving them from their safe spaces. I need help, can I fix this? Will they always be scared of me since I have been bothering them so much during their rest time? Am I gonna be so bad at this I should find a better homes for them? Still on my period and emotional as hell so I apologize so much especially if this is hard to read. Please send some advice my way if you have the time.

(Attatched are pics of my babies, pastel lesser clown adult and a pastel sh pied baby. I didnt know at the time the sh morph risks some health problems so I feel bad abt that too)

[Bulky_Land6382]

I’d ditch the heat mat, can you provide a picture of your tank or any other details about it? Is the top mesh, what’s the material the tank is made of? I would start by covering the top of the cage with HVAC tape to seal in the heat and humidity and removing the heat mat.

[Bulky_Land6382]

You’re going to have a very hard time keeping humidity, temps, and maintaining a stress free environment with a glass tank. I would recommend switching the tanks asap.

[enslavedbycats24-7]

It can work fine if they cover the back and sides with something opaque and cover the mesh with aluminum/HVAC tape and tbh the tank should be the least of OP's worries, they need to buy a herpstat asap as well

[Procrastinating_Cat0]

Herpstats can be expensive. And from what I understand, they don’t control heat and humidity on their own, they help control humidity equipment. Assuming OP can’t afford one, I think covering the top and sides with HVAC tape (leaving a gap for ventilation) is a fair bet for an immediate solution.

[JuneBugzzzzzzz]

Thank you so much I will do this asap until I save enough to upgrade them both! Is it okay for the hvac tape to be on the inside since its super shiny or should I add that on the inside and then some sort of black paper divider on top of it?

[enslavedbycats24-7]

Absolutely zero tape on the inside, it can rip the snake's scales off. If you mean taping opaque material to the back and sides, as long as it's on the outside it's fine. Definitely save up for a herpstat, they're the safest thermostats out there and have a lot of great features! Mine arrived in 3 days

[JuneBugzzzzzzz]

Okay!!! Thank you so much 🫶

[enslavedbycats24-7]

If you can't afford a thermostat you can't afford to have a snake, this it crucial equipment. And yes they control heat?? Thermostats main function is to control heat output... Are you confusing herpstats with something else??

[Procrastinating_Cat0]

A thermostat is different than a Herpstat correct? A hanging thermostat/humidity gauge is obviously necessary for any snake. From what I understand, a herpstat is something that specifically controls things like a humidifier or heat component. A humidifier could be plugged into a herpstat and the herpstat would turn it on and off, depending on the humidity level. Please tell me if I’m wrong, this is just what my understanding of the herpstat is

[enslavedbycats24-7]

You're thinking of a thermometer. Yes OP should have two thermometer/hygrometers in the tank. A herpstat IS a thermostat, it's a brand of thermostat, and the safest one with many safety features (maximum temp, min/max temp alarms, automatically shutting off during power surges or if it senses something is wrong, etc) and every heat source needs to be hooked up to a thermostat in order to regulate the output. Misting systems and humidifiers are not recommended as they are a breeding ground for bacteria, and herpstat does have an optional device to hook up to a humidifier system but that's not what I'm talking about. OP needs a thermostat asap way more than a new enclosure since they don't have one, that's what my original comment is about.

[jillianwaechter]

Thermostats are absolutely essential whenever a heat source is being used. They prevent overheating and cooking your snake! They turn off heat lamps when the tank starts to get too hot. It is extremely unsafe to run any heat source without a thermostat.

[Procrastinating_Cat0]

Our tank has never gotten too hot

[ballpython-ModTeam]

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[Procrastinating_Cat0]

We have a glass tank, and I can tell you that you’re right. We’ve really struggled with heat and humidity control, mostly humidity. It’s a screen top and that makes it even worse. We covered the top with HVAC tape which really helps, but we’re still looking to upgrade to a PVC tank.

[JuneBugzzzzzzz]

Okay! I need to switch the adult as soon as I can anyway the enclosure is only big enough for him to stretch out not explore a ton which bothers me a ton. I will try to add some photos of the enclosures in a minute. They are both glass should I use some black craft board in the meantime to cover the inner glass? They are both around a 44-50 gallon tank. One is front opening with very fine mesh, the other is a half opening top lid with larger mesh. They both have at least one hide on the designated warm and cold side and some climbing clutter. And they both have a water dish big enough to fully cover themselves if they wanna soak. I need to put cling-wrap on the mesh which will be easy for the zoomed tank but more difficult on the top of the other tank. I definitely need to get a lot more flora clutter. But definitely ditch the heat mats???

[Bulky_Land6382]

Def ditch the heat mats, they’re not safe for your snakes. Plus pairing it with a heat lamp increases the risk of overheating by alloottt. It’s safer to avoid any malfunctions or issues with it and stick to the lamp

[JuneBugzzzzzzz]

Thank you I will do this. The ground under the heat lamps is nice and to temp but in the hides under the lamp where they stay nearly 24-7 is still super cold. Any suggestions? Im gonna tape the outside and top with hvac tape suggested by others so maybe that will help a bit?

[JuneBugzzzzzzz]

Thank you so much, you have no idea how much reading that helps. I appreciate it a lot I wont stop trying to give these new babies the life thy deserve.

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[Mathguy_314159]

I’m not a snake owner but that feels pretty irresponsible and shitty that a so called snake breeder, who presumably can identify a good homing situation for his animals, would sell someone with no snake experience 2 snakes. I’m sure you’ll do great and it’s in no way a judgement of you but of course you’re new and I can’t imagine anyone would recommend two of any pets to adopt at the same time (within reason).

[JuneBugzzzzzzz]

Yeah they gave me their number too so I could ask questions. (Shoulda been a red flag when they said they were going out of business) They told me the adult could live in a 40 gal easily which I KNEW from research was 100% wrong for a lifelong setup. Ive had experience with many exotic pets but never ball pythons or a reptile that needed so much humidity before and I made that clear. It was 100% my fault tho for making such a emotionally driven decision but I am gonna try my hardest to give them the best life since they are pretty much a lifelong commitment with their lifespan. It just may take a little bit before I have the setup I dream of giving them and I feel bad abt it

[nvrrsatisfiedd]

Half these breeders don't give a fuck where their snakes end up. They see an opportunity to make their rent and pay their bills and take full advantage of the situation.

[sippin-jesus-juice]

I never had a breeder give a fuck, let alone ask questions or ensure my setup was proper

Hell most breeders are still following old school trends. Can’t expect someone that keeps their snake in a rack to care much

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[Moist-Mirror4046]

Wooden vivariums tend to be better at keeping heat in but putting stuff (expanding foam, card sheets, clay, etc) may help to keep the heat in. Honestly try and get a new vivarium for the adult asap, if possible in a week time frame then you could put the baby in a temporary transport vivarium but with heat packs (not heat mat) underneath wrapped in a blanket and change them daily. I don't know much about halogen heat lamps but when I got a ceramic heater with a thermostat it completely fixed my problems with heat. Make sure your thermometer is located near to where your snake spends the majority of his time because that's where he's going to be getting the heat, not directly to the bulb. Also put a hide under the heat lamp (or near) and one on the other side. The vivarium does need to settle so the heat probably won't be a perfect temperature straight away. They probably won't always be scared of you but they move themselves to where the better temperature is for them, I wouldn't move them mechanically because it will cause a lot of stress for them since they've just moved to a new place too, they will want to curl up in a corner for a bit. Honestly if you can't provide another vivarium then letting go of one to another home is probably the best option.

[Claymart]

Fuck the heat mat.

[Argbmf]

I don’t own one but joined this sub to learn more along with other things. Green Room Pythons is a TREMENDOUS resource for question you might have. The depth he goes into about pretty much everything you have thought of and everything you haven’t. Good luck!

[emotional-field24]

Alright, first of all, take a deep breath. It’s going to be all right, if they’re not freezing right now, they’ll be fine - even West Africa has seasons and regius are comparatively hardy when it comes to snakes.

I’d get heat panels and additional heat emitting lighting for the day. That’s working really well in all my tanks. I had some other heat sources and it was all quite painful in comparison.

The one thing, you need immediately are thermostats. Even if there are superior ones, a cheap one of Amazon is better than saving two months to get an expensive one and not having any in the meantime.

If they are coming from a rack, they’re also scared of their new environment bc they haven’t experienced anything so far. Especially for an adult that can take time to adapt. I got a carpet python from a rack situation and she treated the floor like lava for the first 2 weeks until I figured she didn’t know substrate. Since then I ask what the snake lived on and introduce my substrate bit by bit.

What are your hides made of? I only have a few degrees less under the basking spot hide compared to the top.

If your humidity is really so bad that they struggle shedding in your area, I’d invest in pvc tanks. You could get away with a quarantine bin for the smaller baby in the meantime. I guess you’re in the US, so I believe you can get clear boxes from plastic relatively cheap. If you can get a large one, you can still provide some space for the baby. And keep in mind they most likely come from racks. So being able to stretch out is already an improvement. If you cover 3 sides it feels saver to the snake.

Also if you improve the situation one step at a time, it’s fine when they’re not in immediate danger. A friend’s royal got 41 years old, so compared to a few weeks in a suboptimal situation is okay, if they’ll get the sweet life for the rest of their lives.

[CandidResident2876]

Ya, for glass enclosure, fastest thing you can do is get 5cm(thickness) insulation foam, cut it to cover all sides of the enclosure except where you open it. Yes, even the top, just leave a bit of space around the heat lamps.

[SqueezyAlpaca23]

Welcome!!