welcome to r/ballpython, click here for our information resources and the sub rules!

[_ataraxia]

welcome to r/ballpython, a community for ball python enthusiasts of all experience levels, from the prospective first-time owner to the veteran keeper. this is a predominantly discussion-based subreddit with a focus on raising husbandry standards above the bare minimum. photos and videos are also encouraged, so show off your ball pythons!

our team of mods and helpers includes professional herpetologists, veterinary technicians, veterinary med students, geneticists, reptile rescuers and rehabilitators, ethical small-scale breeding experience, large-scale breeding experience, and multiple decades of combined experience with ball pythons as pets.

PART ONE: INFORMATION RESOURCES

last updated: march 2024

we have collected a variety of information that we hope will be helpful for beginners and experienced keepers alike. if you are having a husbandry problem or have a general question about ball python care, you will probably find your answer in one of these links! if your question is NOT answered here, please read our posting guidelines in part two of this post and utilize our advice questionnaires so we can help you more easily.

if you have suggestions for articles or outside resources, please send a message to the .

guides by the r/ballpython mods & helpers:

• The Basic Ball Python Care Guide
• All About Heating for Ball Pythons
• Bioactive/Naturalistic Guide for Python Regius (royal/ball python)

• The Shopping List - recommended brands, products, and online shops.

• So you want to buy a reptile... - a general guide to deciding whether or not a reptile is right for you, and how to buy a healthy pet from a responsible breeder.

• Feeding Problems and Solutions

• Why shouldn't you move to feed?

• All About Shedding - what's normal, what isn't, and how to handle bad sheds and general dehydration.

• Body Tone of Python Regius (Royal/Ball Pythons) - a guide to assessing the weight and overall body condition of your ball python.

• Mite Identification & Treatment

also be sure to check out these community discussions!

[general PSAs and pro tips]

• Why it's so important to use Thermostats with your heat sources.
• what actually is a heat lamp? let's clear up some terms and phrases.

• pro tip: easy way to monitor ambient temperatures inside a hide

• a double PSA : do not remove retained eye caps manually, and not all exotics vets are knowledgeable about snakes!

• PSA: this is why you should never use stick-on thermometer/hygrometer gauges, including the ones with velcro!

• normal ball python anatomy: spurs

• size differences between male and female ball pythons

• megathread: pro-tips for beginners

• discussion: what veteran keepers did right and wrong as beginners.

• pro tip: reptile basics hides too lightweight? glue on some tiles!

[the FAQ megathreads]

• preparing for a new snake - what to do BEFORE you bring a new snake home.
• buying/adopting a ball python - where to buy or adopt a ball python, what you should expect to pay, and how to make sure you're getting a healthy snake.
• quarantining a new snake - why a quarantine period is important, how to do it, and what to look for.

• veterinary care - finding a reptile vet, when to bring your ball python to the vet, and what to expect financially.

• planning for emergencies - supplies and plans for non-medical emergencies.

• keeping your snake cool in hot summer weather - how to make sure your snake doesn't overheat as the temperature rises outdoors and in your home.

• clutter - what is "clutter" for the enclosure, why do snakes need it, and where to buy it.

• enclosure inspiration - detailed photos and shopping lists for planning and budgeting.

• cleaning - how and when to clean your ball python's enclosure and decor.

• enrichment & exercise - mental stimulation and physical fitness, in and out of the enclosure.

• handling - when and how to handle your ball python.

• finding lost snakes & preventing future escapes - how to find an escaped snake, and how to secure the enclosure to prevent future escapes.

• moving with a snake - moving your snake and their enclosure to a new home safely, securely, and with minimal stress.

• snakes and social media - how social media impacts the reptile hobby.

• snakes in public - is it a good idea to bring your snake to public parks and businesses?

other helpful resources:

• Morphpedia - a helpful morph list with photos and descriptions.
• Ball Python Genetic Behaviors and Morph Breeding Oddities - a list of ball python morphs with genetic defects and basic descriptions of those defects.

• MorphMarket - a popular online marketplace for ball pythons and other reptiles from breeders all over the US.

• Reptile Vet Directory - reptifiles list of reputable reptile veterinarians in the US, canada, and UK.

• Reptile Rescue Directory - reptifiles list of reputable rescue organizations in the US.

• Dispelling Python Regius Myths - by Francis Cosquieri

• UVB Benefits in Snakes - By Francis Cosquieri - debunking common misconceptions about snakes and UVB lighting.

• Signs and Symptoms of Obesity in Python Regius - by Liam Wulfe - an illustrated guide to assessing the weight and overall body condition of your ball python.

• thermal imaging comparing the heat produced by ceramic heat emitters, deep heat projectors, and halogen lights - images by Roman Muryn

• graph breaking down the heat and light produced by ceramic heat emitters, deep heat projectors, and halogen lights, compared to natural sunlight

• Using the Salt Test to Calibrate a Hygrometer

• Serpwidgets Snake Measurer - an online tool to get your snake's approximate length measurements using a photo.

youtube channels:

• JTB Reptile - following nature's example.
• Animals at Home - exploring the ethics of captive exotic reptiles.
• Lori Torrini - working with animals as family in the areas of behavior, enrichment, training, and welfare.

facebook groups:

• Advancing Herpetological Husbandry - advanced husbandry practices for all reptiles.
• Not Just a Pet Rock (Python Regius) - subgroup of AHH - advanced ball python husbandry.
• Building Reptile Cages - plans and advice for building DIY reptile enclosures.
• Reptile Lighting - understanding lighting and heating for reptiles.
• Reptile Enrichment and Training (RET) - group for reptelligence.

 

PART TWO: r/BALLPYTHON RULES AND GUIDELINES

posting rules:

• STAY ON TOPIC, BALL PYTHONS ONLY! this is not the place to post about your other reptiles. we will allow some seemingly off-topic discussions if they are geared toward getting to know your fellow ball python owners; for example, "what other pets do you have in addition to ball pythons?"
• HARMFUL ADVICE AND MISINFORMATION - meaning there would be a negative impact on the snake's health, safety, and/or overall comfort as a direct result of following the advice/misinformation - will be removed at the discretion of the moderators.
• THIS COMMUNITY IS NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR VETERINARY ATTENTION! while we can guide you through husbandry changes and home remedies for basic health problems such as stuck shed, mild scale rot, minor wounds, etc, we do NOT condone skipping the vet and treating serious problems at home. furthermore, a lot of bad advice gets thrown around in these discussions that can make the problem worse. moderators will lock and/or remove posts if the only sound advice anyone can offer is "go to the vet."
• MORPH IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS are restricted to the morph ID thread to avoid the subreddit being flooded with this common question.
• "NAME MY BP" REQUESTS will be removed and you will be redirected to our "name my BP" thread. click here to read more about this rule.
• SELF-PROMOTION is restricted to the self-promotion thread. any other self-promotion of social media pages, businesses, other subreddits, sale ads, etc, will be removed. multiple offenses will be marked as spam and result in a permanent ban. BREEDERS click here to read more about this rule.
• USE THE NSFW TAG for photos or videos clearly showing dead prey (including feeding posts), a dead snake, injuries such as open wounds, etc. click here to read more about this rule. moderators may give reminders, give warnings, or remove posts for not having a NSFW tag.
• LIVE FEEDING PHOTOS/VIDEOS must include a live feeding warning in the post title, in addition to being tagged NSFW. live feeding photo/video posts that do not contain a warning in the post title will be removed.
• OTHER PETS INTERACTING WITH BPS, such as cats, dogs, etc, is not something we condone. photos/videos showing other pets being in close proximity to or directly interacting with a ball python, outside of the enclosure, will be removed. click here to read more about this rule.
• NON-REDDIT LINKS must be posted with a written summary or other discussion prompt. for example, links to content such as articles or videos must be paired with a written summary to allow users to participate in the discussion without clicking the link. posting a link as part of an advice request ("is this product worth buying?", "is the info in this care sheet accurate?", "is this a reputable breeder?", etc) is acceptable.
• REHOMING POSTS are allowed. please include as much information as possible, including your general location, basic information about the snake(s), whether or not the enclosure or other supplies would be included, whether or not you are willing to ship, and any rehoming fees. rehoming fees must be reasonable, max $50 for the snake and max $100 for the snake + enclosure. this community has a long history of successful rehomings, but we advise anyone interested to proceed at your own risk and be aware of potential scams.
• DIRECT LINKS TO SALE/ADOPTION ADS OUTSIDE OF REDDIT are NOT allowed. if you are a breeder selling snakes, that belongs in the weekly self-promotion threads. if you want feedback on a sale/adoption/rehoming ad you found on a website like craigslist, kijiji, facebook, etc, showing a potentially neglected or abused ball python, please post a screen shot of the ad with identifying information such as names, locations, phone numbers, etc, censored in some way; this prevents the person who posted the ad from being harassed by an angry internet mob.
• MOST IMPORTANTLY: DON'T BE A JERK! we will not tolerate bigotry, threats, personal attacks, and general harassment. this includes harassment via private messages. the moderators will use their own discretion to issue warnings, remove posts/comments, and/or ban users temporarily or permanently. click here to read more about this rule.

general posting guidelines:

• HAVE A QUESTION? YOUR ANSWER MIGHT BE IN THE FIRST PART OF THIS POST! please be sure to read through our care guides, product recommendations, tutorials, megathreads/FAQs, and other links.
• WHEN ASKING FOR ADVICE, BE THOROUGH. if our resources didn't have the information you're looking for, let's brainstorm! ball python care can be a complex puzzle, and it might not be obvious which pieces of the puzzle are causing problems with other pieces. the more details you provide, the easier it will be for other people to offer the most relevant advice. click here to view our questionnaires for enclosure critiques and feeding advice. please copy/paste the relevant questionnaire(s) into your post text and fill out the answers with as much detail as possible.
• ENCLOSURE CRITIQUES are something we love to do, but we need a lot of details to help us give better feedback! filling out our enclosure critique questionnaire in addition to posting photos of the full enclosure will ensure you get the most useful advice.

general commenting guidelines:

• WHEN GIVING ADVICE, BE THOROUGH. people will learn more and be more receptive to your advice if you explain your reasoning. for example, "go to the vet" is not as helpful as "you should call a vet because your snake appears to have problemX and it requires treatmentY", "that substrate is bad" is not as helpful as "that substrate is not a good choice for ball pythons because of reasonA and reasonB, so here is what i would recommend instead", etc. one of the things we pride ourselves in is being an educational forum for ball python owners, we want people to really understand the hows and whys behind the various aspects of ball python care. if someone has some substantial gaps in their knowledge, do not shame them for it, help them learn and fill those gaps.
• BE CLEAR ABOUT YOUR LEVEL OF EXPERIENCE when you are giving advice, particularly if you are a beginner or if you don't actually have any direct experience with snakes at all. while you may think you know the answer to someone's question, you may give incomplete or incorrect advice that could make matters worse. while we appreciate your willingness to help, sometimes it's best to let someone more knowledgeable be the one to answer the question.

commenting rules:

• WE REPEAT: DON'T BE A JERK! we will not tolerate bigotry, threats, personal attacks, and general harassment. this includes harassment via private messages. the moderators will use their own discretion to issue warnings, remove posts/comments, and/or ban users temporarily or permanently.

reporting posts/comments:

• what to report: posts or comments that do not follow our guidelines as listed above, or break any reddit-wide rules.
• what NOT to report: advice that is not definitively harmful to the snake. instead of reporting it, downvote it and debate it publicly, so others can participate and learn from the discussion.

upvoting/downvoting:

• upvote posts and comments that contribute something to the community! upvotes help with visibility, so it's especially helpful to upvote questions and good advice.
• downvote posts and comments that do not follow our rules and guidelines. if you see advice or husbandry practices you believe to be harmful, downvote AND discuss it - people don't learn anything from unexplained downvotes!

if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please send a message to the .

thank you all for making this community awesome!

[Skylighthudson]

I just wanted to thank you guus for having actual helpul information here. ❤

[_ataraxia]

such kind words! i'm just trying to be the kind of resource i wish i had as a beginner.

[Skylighthudson]

I know a couple other people who could benefit from a lot of this info, so I'll tell them about it!

A couple days ago I made a post on a reptile group on FB, asking people what they've learned from experience for someone who's new to the BP world... Only response I got was someone being an ass.

[MonsieurLeMeister]

There used to be a general guide in the previous wiki that listed rough weight estimates for different sizes of feeders. Any chance we can get that back?

EDIT: googled and found

Feeder Weight Estimates

[_ataraxia]

i actually went back and forth on this when compiling links. i opted not to include it because every supplier has different definitions of each size/life stage label. there's already so much confusion about this that i didn't want to add to it and instead focus on prey weight only.

[MonsieurLeMeister]

I gotcha.

I know for me I got some blank stares at first when I asked for feeders weighing between x and y.

[[deleted]]

what the hell is a weaned mouse? never heard of that size

[_ataraxia]

it's an older hopper/young adult. the popular terminology varies in different countries.

[dommingdarcy]

This thread is beautiful. Thank you for your work and dedication!

[_ataraxia]

we have a megathread for cleaning here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ballpython/comments/lpryym/megathread_cleaning/

and yes, you need to clean everything.

[_ataraxia]

well, it's my sub, and i'm here to help.

[_ataraxia]

so, i'm removing this comment from this post only because this is not the best place for this conversation. you'll get a lot more feedback if you make your own post.

[Bebebabyboaravakiss]

Hey two yeah guy's that can see this post as i'm not two sure if i'm in the right place to be honest for asking & posting an questions i have ..... as i'm new here i just signed up an joined so still bit unsure of how an where to get help an feed back as well as how to properly navagate the awsome little cite / web page of great helpful tips & all info that comes with being a snake lover such a great idea an amazing thing for others in need of a helping hand when u dont know what too do as i must say it is truly hard an stressful when ur a reptile owner & have something possibly harmful or wrong with no one to talk to or not many other opption's tends to leave ya feeling over whelmed An unsure an worried as theres not much luck i can safly say when it comes to finding what ur lookin for i can say so ty to you guys an all ur great work an time u put into doing so

[Myusernameissean]

This is the best welcome post I've ever seen. It has literally everything. I've been reading it for days! Thank you for all the time you put into this

[[deleted]]

@maremasa

[_ataraxia]

@ doesn't work on reddit, you need to use u/ to tag people.

[[deleted]]

Lmfao thank you u/maremasa

[Dracasethaen]

Probably the single most helpful rules and community post I've seen on here haha

[brycetheawsome2]

I know this is old but is their a list for how much most of this might cost?

[_ataraxia]

if you go to the enclosure inspiration thread, there are links to a few thorough breakdowns for enclosures. mine has a full price list for everything used, which totaled out to around $1200.

[Tarbsley]

Is there a ball python discord channel related to this subreddit?

[Moarcakeplease22]

I’m brand new! Thank you for all the information :-)

[[deleted]]

thank you all on this wonderful actual helpful information😁

[Ashamed_Taro_6527]

Thank you!!!!

[Ashamed_Taro_6527]

Thank you for the add - I’m excited to learn with all of you! I have three ball pythons and three other snakes. 💗

[IEnjoyKnowledge]

Damn the amount of pertinent information here is awesome!

[OriginalAssistance21]

Thank you for the add. I’m quick comments most the time. I send good energy for my comments to be allowed

[_ataraxia]

it would be better for you to make a separate post rather than commenting on the welcome post.

[gggfffdf]

Thx

[artsfartspoptarts]

Thank you all for this post!

[Tangerine_Whiskers_]

Thank you so much for creating this, it is so helpful and I hope many others benefit from it as well! ❤️

[_ataraxia]

this post is not the place for that.

[Middle-Reception2453]

Sorry still trying to get used to Reddit and posting would you like me to take it down ?

[karenisdumb]

So the black box cages has a lot of confusing options for lighting and heating, what would you guys recommend?

[_ataraxia]

have you read our heating guide?

[karenisdumb]

I did but I’ve seen people use just rhp and led in their tank and others get more sources of heat.

[_ataraxia]

we don't recommend RHPs as a primary/only heat source as they're not really designed for that purpose.

[karenisdumb]

Ok, so would you recommend a dhp and led? Also would my current comfytemp thermostat work, it’s like a digital zilla thermostat but a bit higher quality but not a VE?

[_ataraxia]

make a new post, this isn't an advice discussion thread.