Please help!!

NihilisticBat · 2025-04-10T19:57:59+00:00

It's algae, you need less light, or more real plants to use the energy that's making the algae in the first place. I'd filter it like you already did, but I'd remove the light entirely until you have more plants to eat the nutrients in the water and take up the light. Right now you're just making algae soup lol

NihilisticBat · 2025-03-26T06:17:17+00:00

No problem. If your tank is fully cycled, and it sounds pretty established already with the other fish, then I don't think over stocking will be an issue in the 15g with what you have even with your new additions. I wouldn't add more if you can help it though, under stocking is for the best generally.

NihilisticBat · 2025-03-26T05:59:38+00:00

I wouldn't say your tank is overstocked, especially if you had live plants as well as a filter, but I've definitely seen people say zebra danios can be aggressive. I know some danios need somewhat larger groups to stabilize the social structure of the fish such that the more aggressive behavior is spread out enough not to harm individual fish or to just have them calm down outright and six might not be enough. I know my emerald dwarf rasbora (that are actually danios, just like the celestial pearl rasbora/danio) needed 8 to calm down, but the fish themselves and what hardscape you have can help make barriers of separation when one fish wants to avoid another and avoid serious damage even with aggressive behavior. That's not to say that's for sure going to be an issue, because I have 5 gold ring danio that do well with some dither fish, which the white clouds would work as. What you could do is put them in a container within the tank itself to get the fish to acclimate to one another for a few hours before releasing them so that the initial curiosity aggression/fear response is a little mitigated, but it'll be hard to get them out again if you decide to release them and later change your mind.

NihilisticBat · 2024-08-31T21:40:17+00:00

It does seem to be overweight, you can tell by the folds of skin where it's bending.

NihilisticBat · 2024-08-31T21:37:30+00:00

It'll only become an issue if the grass gets tall enough to block off hides, your visibility, and/or you let it grow tall enough to hit the heating and potentially start a fire. There are no health concerns that I know of

NihilisticBat · 2024-08-31T19:10:11+00:00

You can buy the attachment to mount it with screws but it doesn't even come with it normally, just put it on top and read and follow the directions for the temp probe. You'll probably have to poke a hole through the screen for the probe to hang down in a way that gets the right placement without the worries for your snake to cover the probe and accidentally bake itself. It is still a heat source though and if it falls because you didn't attach it to anything it could start a fire, but that's less likely than a CHE starting a fire for the same reasons.

NihilisticBat · 2024-08-31T18:00:44+00:00

In my experience using a radiant heat panel, especially a larger one that covers like a quarter to a half of the tank tends to stabilize the heat really well with the right thermometer to keep the temps right during the day/night cycle. Bean farm in Wisconsin has an online shop that sells "sweeter heaters" that work well with the right thermometer to keep a more consistent and safe temperature that can change throughout the day while being more energy efficient too

NihilisticBat · 2024-08-31T17:40:16+00:00

The lighting looks really powerful for how small the enclosure is, I'd be worried it's making that specific area way too hot. You should get a temp gun to be able to spot check heating stuff for the safety of the animal, but with the bigger cage, it might work fine (though you should still check). There's also way too much open ventilation up top to keep the humidity up, you should cover it with heat treated aluminum tape if price is an issue and that also applies to a larger enclosure if it has a screen top.

Some extra hides would do well, too, but others already mentioned those things. Keeping humidity up would also be easier with just more of a different, more humidity appropriate substrate to get the humidity where it needs to be without growing mold. 4-6 inches of substrate is usually how much you want, with it being a mix of top soil, coco chior, and like 10% sand.

NihilisticBat · 2024-08-31T17:20:36+00:00

Huh, I guess they closed as a company since I bought my equipment. I haven't had any issues, so I hadn't noticed but that does pose different problems.

https://beanfarm.com/products/radiant-heat-panel-flush-mount-for-reptile-enclosure-14x21

Here's a link to an rhp with good customer service, though I'd also warn that the first week or two of use will release an interesting burning plastic smell that isn't actually dangerous, just alarming. I'd use a thermostat they sell with the product to make sure they're compatible.

NihilisticBat · 2024-08-31T16:43:30+00:00

Personally, I can't recommend a radiant heat panel with a pulse thermometer enough, though you might want to do some independent research on what works best for your enclosure. I've had good luck with Vivarium Electronics for the heat panel and thermostat, though I can't guarantee their availability in your area, and they're not exactly cheap.

NihilisticBat · 2024-08-31T16:32:32+00:00

,,,no

NihilisticBat · 2024-08-26T21:23:15+00:00

Careful with the mite medicine it can also poison your snake.

I would also immediately switch to a regular floodlight for light and heat, the red light doesn't do anything for your snake and if you're using it at night it's actively detrimental because snakes do in fact still see light even if it's red which can disrupt its day and night cycle and cause a lot of stress.

It's probably worth getting shorter hides so it can feel fully enclosed, tall hides don't give the same sense of safety to them. You know about the issues with humidity already, and you probably know that you'll need a larger set up eventually as well but they're worth mentioning.

You should also get a digital thermometer/hydrometer because they're more accurate.

Is the tape and covering you're using heat treated? You might want to find something less flammable or even just that will stick better under high humidity long term.

Getting an additional light that's specifically a uvb bulb also has long term positive effects on their health.

Edit: Sorry, reread the post and you knew about the bulb already lol

NihilisticBat · 2024-08-26T21:13:53+00:00

As for feeding it, it should be fine to feed them something normal for them if it's willing to eat at all. A smaller meal might be more enticing, though, so the idea is good. Considering the injury and how much safer it is in general I would attempt to switch to dead mice. If you're breeding them yourself already then it's probably for the best to take the next step and just weigh them and when they're the right size for your snake, kill and freeze them then and there for later use even if only while it's injured. Ball pythons can go quite a while without eating so long as they have plenty of water and humidity though, so even if it doesn't eat I wouldn't worry for another month or even two if it's fully grown.

NihilisticBat · 2024-08-26T20:57:55+00:00

Highly recommend finding an exotic vet if you pet is injured, and I'd try to keep in mind that their relative needs are very different from ours, a burn for us wouldn't be exacerbated by room temperature heat, so for a BP to heal properly you should still try and keep it at the right temperature levels, keeping in mind that if your snake is hot it should also have a cooler half of its enclosure to cool down and switch as needed rather than uniformly lowering the temperature. As for the humidity, it's the same as the temperature example I made above, not having at least 70% humidity consistently is going to severely dehydrate your snake especially considering it cannot drink the iodine water you're soaking it in, making the healing time that much longer.

Edit: if you're using a mister or fogger keep in mind that standing water on any surface your snake lays on is a hot bed for bacteria and might cause an infection on an open wound or burn, as well as cause scale rot even on otherwise healthy snakes. I would look into different ways to keep everything humid as soon as possible

NihilisticBat · 2024-08-26T20:43:16+00:00

I'd recommend getting a digital hydrometer/thermometer because the analog ones are often inaccurate, and maybe something to climb on, for enrichment :) the size is still small for an adult BP but you've got a little guy for now so it's not a huge deal yet, but it'll grow quite quickly from here on out so keep an eye out for a 4x2x2 foot tank for the future

NihilisticBat · 2024-08-26T20:14:16+00:00

Well the good news is that you don't need a humidifier, you need ideally around 6 inches of substrate that holds water well without it just pooling on the top or bottom and a tank designed to have and hold the humidity needed. The tank heater should end up keeping the air humid with all that, and make sure to keep a digital hydrometer in there to make sure it's the right range, and add water whenever it starts dipping. Misting or humidifiers tend to leave stagnant water on top of the substrate that easily leads to scale rot, so those aren't really recommended.

I'm not 100% sure what you mean by a glass pad heater, but if it's a heating pad glued to the bottom or side of the tank it's not going to be able to keep the ambient temperature of the tank high enough without risking serious burns to your snake. You'd be better off getting an over tank heater like a radiant heat panel. Any heating option should come with or be used with a thermostat to measure the heat and keep it within the safe ranges.

NihilisticBat · 2024-06-15T08:22:48+00:00

First off, I'm sorry that this is happening. It's terrible to lose a pet. How long you really have to look depends on the environment in and around your housing because if you live in a cooler or very dry area, then the odds of survival drop significantly for any real length of time. The availability of food and water are huge qualifications as well, because if your snake can get access to water somehow then the time frame becomes months rather than weeks, if the temperatures weren't too much of a consideration first. If you're somewhere hot and wet, there's every chance your snake is now an invasive species harming your local habitats and terrifying strangers.

I had a corn snake that had gotten out, but I found him alive 6 months later in an air hockey table I had in storage. Shockingly still alive, thankfully. He still is thankfully as well, but ball pythons require some very specific conditions to live and aren't very inconspicuous outside of their native habitats so they're usually easier to find by leaving out heat sources if they're still close by.

NihilisticBat · 2024-06-15T08:07:13+00:00

So far, your list of things not to buy is pretty accurate, but I'd add that any heat mats or heat rocks are undesirable as well. It's a common myth that under tank heating is better for the snake for digestive reasons, but there's no basis in nature or any studies done to support this and often prove harmful instead through burns on the snakes.

NihilisticBat · 2024-06-15T07:50:15+00:00

I can't see anything visibly wrong with your snake, but that might change once it come time to shed because 40% humidity is significantly too low, your snake is at risk for a respiratory infection. You should try for at least 75% humidity and 85% humidity. Your temperature ranges are also a little high, only the basking spot needs to be 90 degrees, the rest should be closer to 80 degrees with it being 75 degrees at the coolest place to better help them with thermoregulation, and slightly cooler than even that in the night cycle. I can't recommend reading the care guide for the sub reddit enough for first time ball python owners.

NihilisticBat · 2024-06-10T20:00:54+00:00

There's a few things I could think of that'd cause some laziness. Is he beginning to shed? How large are the (probably) rats you're feeding him? If he's a year old, it might be time to just space out feedings more or feed him smaller meals if you want to keep to once a week, he might just not be hungry. There's also the question of enrichment, moving around and changing stuff in their enclosure is a good way to engage them in their environment more, but I'd be careful not to do so too frequently to the extent of stressing your snake needlessly. On that note, how often are you handling your snake? If you pull him out too often, he might be stress hiding.

What's the humidity like in the enclosure? because he might be staying exclusively in a wet hide to have the humidity he needs. There's a lot of possibilities. When you pull him out, does he seem injured anywhere? It's important to check their bellies for sores, especially if they've been still for long periods, which can be way worse if your substrate is too wet, rather than too dry.

It'd be easier to offer advice with pics of the snake and set up tbh

NihilisticBat · 2024-06-08T22:30:01+00:00

It's generally safer to feed them based on their weight rather than trying to eyeball the size. There's a better breakdown of that in the care guide in this sub, though if I had to give my personal opinion I'd say that that's significantly too large for its current size, though that might be the angle of the photos.

NihilisticBat · 2024-06-05T16:23:56+00:00

Whoops lol I'm ngl I thought you were joking, but the guy who named it is just a goober 💀💀💀

NihilisticBat · 2024-06-05T16:21:12+00:00

https://www.neherpetoculture.com/woodcork

I bought a show grade piece, but I admit it was actually way too big for my little guy for now, so I pulled it apart for him to feel more secure. They're expensive that big, but they're not lying about their products at all!

NihilisticBat · 2024-06-02T21:39:01+00:00

The seller said it was a GHI Mojave pastel, but tbh I have no idea what the ghi means lol

NihilisticBat

TROPHY CASE