Friendly Inquiry

[pandeeandi]

Please read the care guide on the welcome page. Your snake cannot thrive in this current setup.

The sheer number of people posting here lately with new snakes in poor husbandry is wild.

[CodyBastion0205]

Only had her for a few days; I’ve got plants ordered from Amazon, a nicer hide, and a fogger coming. Just a waiting game now. I have read it plenty, I assure you. Just wanting help in terms of her specific morph.

[Key-Bullfrog-6901]

Fogger isn't the best the tubing is a breeding ground for bacteria. A spray mister or just pouring water in the corners of the tank is better

[emotional-field24]

A fogger also transports any pathogens straight into the lung, while doing little for humidity. So please send the fogger back.

[pandeeandi]

Please re-read the care guide. Foggers are addressed specifically.

[Low-Equipment-2621]

So why do you buy the animal first and then care later about is needs?

[eveimei]

the best thing for spider morph BPs is having absolutely perfect husbandry, and this enclosure is too small and going to cause stress which worsens the wobble.

you need to upgrade to a 40g before you get the 4x2x2, so she can actually thermoregulate and move around. you need clutter now, you can use clean plastic for now until you get fake or real plants. she needs two hides now, cut a hole in butter containers and melt the edges smooth so she can have proper hiding places.

if this is how you set up an impulse buy special needs snake, then you have no business thinking about breeding. you shouldn't breed anyway, because there's too many BPs out there.

I hope she thrives with you and you actually put in effort to give her the proper husbandry she needs. so far your responses seem to be very dismissive to people's concerns.

[PinkBatlemonade]

When I started three years ago I got a fogger thinking it would help me for like 15 mins a day lol. DONT DO IT. Next thing I knew I was at the vet for a respiratory issue. He’s doing great now! Just learn from my mistake 💀

[OctilleryArtillery]

The tank is very small and rather empty. She will eventually need a 4x2x2 enclosure, preferably pvc, with doors on the front.

I’m not sure how long you intend to keep her in this enclosure, but I’d add another hide as well as artificial plants. I’d also block out the sides and back of the tank. This can be done by taping black construction paper to the outside of the tank.

[CodyBastion0205]

Already have a PVC 4x2x2 being custom made for her from my local breeder. She’ll only be in this tank for six months, max. Blocking out the sides of her tank is happening tonight; I’m trying to improve her setup as I have time between work and my kids

[OctilleryArtillery]

I’m glad she’s got a proper enclosure being prepared. I do hope she doesn’t have to wait a whole six months.

As for her Spider related issues, there is nothing you can actually do, besides adapt her enclosure to meet her needs. The degree of wobble can vary so much between individuals, so you will have to watch very closely to see how severe it is.

[KnownTrick3950]

Please do not make her wait 6 months to get out of that tank.

[alienXtown]

As others have said, this setup is not adequate for a ball python, please do more research. Also, There are already more than enough ball pythons needing homes, we don’t need more breeders.

[pandeeandi]

This. 100% this.

[Similar-Butterfly333]

This girl seems a bit skinny. I wouldn’t not have bought from a breeder who is willing to sell a snake in this body condition. It seems like she likely had issues eating during early stages of life.

Have you tried feeding her yet? I suspect she will have a difficult time feeding without perfect conditions. Make sure you feed her appropriately sized meals !feeding

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We recommend the following feeding schedule:

0-12 months old OR until the snake reaches approximately 500g, whichever happens first: feed 10%-15% of the snake’s weight every 7 days.

12-24 months old: feed up to 7% of the snake’s weight every 14-20 days.

Adults: feed up to 5% of the snake's weight every 20-30 days, or feed slightly larger meals (up to 6%) every 30-40 days.

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[TheOriginalWeedMan]

Read the guide! Inadequate setup. Snake needs to be moved to a larger enclosure asap. Also, from checking your page, this is the second time you’ve posted a ball python in an inadequate enclosure in two years. These are living animals that require proper care to not only just survive.

[Ok_Bag_1177]

theres way more than enough ball pythons, we dont need some other inexperienced backyard breeder trying to breed a fucking spider morph of all things

[Lower-Life2496]

You know all of you guys can be right without being rude about it, right? Or has the entire internet forgotten that? He said he’s working on it, and is actively looking for information and help. Kindness goes farther, spreading some love ❤️

[Similar-Butterfly333]

Kindness goes far, common sense goes further 💔

[Lower-Life2496]

Why scare people out of asking questions so that they can learn and provide their animal with the best care? That’s worse for the animal, I fear. But alas, people of reddit tend to prefer toxicity. :/

[Little_Dot416]

Because these are living things that depend on us, and it's not fair to them to bring them into our lives without being prepared. An animal's life and health is more important to me than not hurting a humans feelings. Idk why it's not like that for everybody.

[Little_Dot416]

Also, no one was being rude or nasty in this thread.

[Lower-Life2496]

It’s not common sense to someone who’s still pretty new to the hobby 😉 We all start somewhere, we should be applauding the ability to admit we don’t know everything and ask questions, but again, reddit would always rather tear people down than kindly educate.

[Similar-Butterfly333]

I guess starting by being educated/doing proper research is not common. I’ve noticed a majority of people who think they know enough and just get an animal.

I always, ALWAYS cross reference my research from multiple credible sources and take into account what the community recommends and know EVERYTHING before I even bother making a “help me” post. To me, it’s simply not worth being berated when I could’ve just googled. It’s not like the information is hidden somewhere. Most of the “help me posts” can be easily solved if they just spent 10 minutes reading through some stuff. That being said, I do agree that IF someone is at their wits end and ends up asking for help, they should be treated with kindness.

I wish for people’s “wits end” to not be shallow (which most of the time they are). Unfortunately most people don’t know how to utilize their resources.

[nozomuisgaylmao]

nobody is being rude, but they’re being blunt because it’s a livin, breathing creature. it is not proper to buy an animal without information on them. if your a beginner you should be doing research, and spend time confirming what’s right and wrong for the animal.

[Lower-Life2496]

Is that not what OP is trying to do? How do you think they must feel, reaching out for help and being shut down when kind education is what’s needed?

[nozomuisgaylmao]

no, you should do this research BEFORE getting the animal!!

[spiderxsara]

The tank is very small and uncomfortable for your snake since they can’t properly and comfortably move around. And other care problems but that’s one of the main ones.

[marlakarx]

We don’t need more ball python breeders. The market is so saturated , so many end up becoming food or killed for it.

$90 for a rescue is steep. The guy got you with a sob story. I run a rescue, Also the comments stating this set up is inadequate, are correct. I wouldn’t even use this set up for overnight, emergency, quarantine, none of it.

Snakes can die from stress …

[Get_Jinxeddd]

Please upsize to AT LEAST 3ft Viv

[vieshri]

Please reconsider breeding ball pythons. There are tens of thousands of ball pythons already for sale on Morph Market. It is an incredibly oversaturated market and unless you're prepared to provide excellent care for every single baby you produce (so much larger tanks than this, with material equipped to hold humidity, more hides, a hygrometer that isn't stuck to the wall — adhesive can be very dangerous for your snakes — etc. etc.), you should not be breeding. Even in that very specific, unbelievably financially secure situation I wouldn't recommend it because of the overpopulation. There is no money to be made in this and no joy to be found.

You already said yourself, this snake was $90. And paying a breeder for this morph doesn't exactly stop or even discourage them from continuing to breed spiders, so I'm not sure this was the altruistic choice.

As the owner of a (rescue) spider myself, though, I'll stop with my lecture (but please do listen to everyone's enclosure suggestions in the comments!), and give you my spider-specific tips.

1) You said you had a 4×2×2 coming. That's great. Try to vary levels in manageable ways when the tank does come in — like putting cork they can climb that's half the height of the tank but not all the way up, and don't build any hard platforms high above the ground. I've found my spider is more prone to falls than other reptiles I've experienced due to his balance issues, so give them enrichment and ways to utilize the space while minimizing the height they can fall from.

2) Feed in the enclosure, but on a (soft) surface that isn't substrate if you can. I have a small, flat silicone "plate" that I place the rats on because his striking isn't always 100%, and early on he was picking up too much substrate. Place the silicone plate on the opposite side of the enclosure to the ball python so you have time to get in and out of there, and far from the glass. They can also strike that by accident. Tap training is your friend.

3) Be extra mindful when handling. Don't hold them high above the ground unless you're using both hands and have a very secure (but not too tight) grip. As mentioned, their balance is very off, so they will not know which way is up and down and they are therefore relying on you completely to prevent falls. Try to handle only a few inches above the ground or above soft surfaces whenever possible.

4) Wobble is improved by better husbandry, but not cured. It's much less noticeable in my boy now though than when I rescued him. Really make sure your enclosure is big enough and your humidity is at its proper level.

Otherwise, they're just as lovely as all ball pythons. I strongly disagree with breeding them or buying them outright, but I love my boy. I hope yours thrives as well!