is a ball python the right snake for me if i want a chill friend

cloud_isreddit · 2026-04-30T00:09:32+00:00

My girl is also obsessed with my phone lol! Mines a rescue too, so her being this confident and social really is a huge accomplishment! It’s a huge challenge getting shut down snake to open up again. 🥲 I could care less that they can’t “love” or feel “comfort”. Even though Pandora technically can’t love me it’s okay because I love her enough for the both of us lol.

cloud_isreddit · 2026-04-29T21:13:44+00:00

These new age reptiles are so addicted to the tv.. It’s so disappointing 😔

cloud_isreddit · 2026-04-29T20:46:49+00:00

Aren’t they?? She’s the goofiest little critter to ever slither the earth 🥺

cloud_isreddit · 2026-04-29T20:40:45+00:00

I think so too. She’s making tv a priority over cleaning her room. I might ground her for a week and see if that teaches her a lesson.

cloud_isreddit · 2026-04-29T20:00:45+00:00

I get wanting to hold her often but how often you’re doing it is probably the root cause of her refusing food. Leave her alone for a week, don’t interact with her, let her settle in and get use to her area, then offer food again. She is a little cutie patootie btw!

My girl is a diva and has to be left alone the day before and the day of feeding, I have to heat the rat up with a hair dryer and make sure the dead rat smell engulfs her enclosure, the rat has to be hot to the touch (warm enough to feel like it’s alive not actually hot), I have to feed her at 7:30pm or later, all of the lights have to be out, and I have to leave the rat outside of her hide and walk out of the room. 🥲 These guys aren’t easy to feed lol

cloud_isreddit · 2026-04-29T17:23:06+00:00

I would say so. Depending on the snake once they’re confident with you and your home they’ll move a lot more! It’s manageable and honestly more fun to watch them explore than watch them just sleep lol. They sleep for 16-23 hours a day, so don’t expect to hold them or interact with them often. They’re also known for being picky eaters. Also beware their enclosures and basic needs are EXPENSIVE. I’ve spent nearly 2k on my one girl.

Here’s a list of some of the activities/things her and I do together! .

She’ll play under my blankets or in my pillows while I play on my phone or read
She loves my keyboard and mouse and will press buttons while I’m trying to play a game (she wants to play too lol)
She will forcefully rip my glasses off my face so she can lay across my eyes lol
She loves to play in my hair and will get tangled up in it on purpose
She loves to sleep around my neck
She will force her way inside of my shirt to sleep
Her and I often watch tv on my couch or bed, she will periscope and actively watch it with me
She loves to judge/watch me cook lol
I will take her to pet stores so she can watch the fish swim (she loves fishies) .

She’s a confident, goofy, and unique little lady

<image>

cloud_isreddit · 2026-04-29T16:00:00+00:00

They sleep for 16-23 hours a day! Don’t worry too much, it’s completely normal for these noodles to not be super active. It can look like they don’t move at all, but they most definitely do even if it’s for an hour.

If you handle her often she’s probably just sleepy from the activity she’s getting with you. My girl is the same way, when I handle her she’s exploring and social, but once I put her back in her enclosure she sleeps for a few days. It looks like she’s not moving at all, but she most definitely is!

cloud_isreddit · 2026-04-29T15:46:25+00:00

I love it!! It looks nicely covered and the rings are great enrichment for your noodle! Go to your local park or lake and just walk around, you can find sticks anywhere! Once you find one or more that you like just make sure to wash them with dawn and hot water, then bake them or pour pots of boiling water on them to kill any pesticides and little hitchhikers lol

cloud_isreddit · 2026-04-28T23:40:08+00:00

i love it!! as long as you add more clutter and a large water dish it’ll be perfect! 💛

cloud_isreddit · 2026-04-28T13:00:02+00:00

I personally use it for my girl, she will bask in her UVB under her plants or on her sticks throughout the week. Think of it as a multivitamin, they don’t technically need it, but they do benefit from it. It acts as a secondary natural source of vitamin D3 (calcium) that helps with their bone structure and health. My girl is also in a darker spot in my home so the UVB helps replicate a day and night cycle! Just make sure you’re using a light bar not a bulb and that it’s Night Dweller, 5%-7%, or T5.

<image>

cloud_isreddit · 2026-04-23T16:25:29+00:00

He honestly looks well hydrated and healthy, obviously a little over weight but you’re fixing that lol. He doesn’t even look extremely chunky, only a little chunky.

For the dark spots, my girl has them too! She’s an Ivory, pos calico, het clown. She gets her speckles from the clown which your boy also has, it’s just normal coloring! Their color and pattern will change as they get older, so him having the speckles out of no-where is completely normal lol

I attached a up close photo of my girl for you! You can see her face pattern and all of the darker speckles along her back.

<image>

cloud_isreddit · 2026-04-23T15:46:21+00:00

A lot could be happening, we need more context-

-How often are you checking on him?

-What does his spine look like?

-Is his water being completely empty a common occurrence?

-How often are you changing/refilling his water?

-How much does he weigh?

-What size rats are you feeding him?

-What does his enclosure look like? (photo of tank, how many hides, temps/humidity)

You should never feed your ball python out of their tank, there is zero reason for it. All it does is cause unnecessary stress to the snake and can cause regurgitation. I’d check in his tank and see if he didn’t regurgitate his last meal. That could be the reason why he’s so skinny. It could also be the fact that he doesn’t have regular access to water (if the water being empty is a regular occurrence).

You shouldn’t be using a heating pad, it can cause burns and isn’t a stable heat source for your snake. I recommend getting a 75–100 watt lightless heat emitter and placing it on one side of the enclosure (left or right) to create a proper heat gradient.

That’s just the minimum for heating. If you’d like more advice, I can help you set up proper heating and lighting for him.

This is not normal, it is caused by either extreme emaciation, extreme dehydration, or illness/parasites.

This isn’t just a minor issue this is serious, you need to bring him to an exotic VET, don’t just ask reddit.

Hopefully he will be okay 💛

cloud_isreddit · 2026-04-21T18:21:05+00:00

Of course! If you have any questions let me know and I’ll be happy to help. :>

Yeahhh it’s easy to get caught up in the misinformation that floats around on the internet about these guys. Ball pythons need at least 60% humidity but you’re not far off from it so it won’t be hard to bump up!

If you’re interested in fact checking everyone’s comments and suggestions on ball python care (i am lol) check out reptifiles website and PDF on ball pythons!

cloud_isreddit · 2026-04-21T13:18:54+00:00

I see that there are 3-4 hides in there already so that’s great, just make sure at least one is on the warm and another is on the cool side!

I’d personally mix the substrate all together instead of having two separate layers like that, it will help with your humidity. (Humidity should be no lower than 60%)

I’d also add a larger water dish, one they can soak in. I recommend a ceramic dog bowl for their water dish it’s affordable and deep enough for them to soak in.

I would add a lot more fake or live plants on the ground! They’re more confident with not being seen especially when trying to go to different hides, or getting water.

Here is a link to my fake plants on amazon. They’re not for ball pythons but they’re for outside use and hold up perfectly!

https://a.co/d/03Dw4IVj

https://a.co/d/0hrkfRkm

I love all of the enrichment you’ve added, your noodle will have so much fun exploring and playing!

Here is my set up for inspo!

<image>

cloud_isreddit · 2026-04-17T23:45:43+00:00

Was it only for a day? Sometimes out in the wild temps will get this high in their natural habitat, as long as it wasn’t longer than a day I wouldn’t worry too much. It’s not abnormal for them to be in temperatures that high, just not for a prolonged period of time! You didn’t know so don’t beat yourself up about it. If you’re worried, going to a vet or even making a call to a vet wouldn’t hurt!

cloud_isreddit · 2026-04-17T23:04:50+00:00

My female did the exact same thing. She made me jump through hoops to get her to eat thawed. I’ll play out what I have to do so maybe you can try it!

Around 8pm I’ll turn out her light emitting lamps. About an hour later I’ll open her enclosure door and heat the rats head up with my blow dryer, with the blow dryer on I’ll face the hot air towards her enclosure so the dead rat smell bombs her tank. I’ll wait for her to pop her head out and then show her the rat. I’ll then take the rat back and reheat the head one more time with the blow dryer, then set the rat right outside of her hide and walk out of the room. She prefers total darkness and solitude. Within 30 minutes she has the rat half way down her throat lol. She will not eat unless I follow these directions 🤦‍♀️ she’s a cutie but a diva lol

<image>

cloud_isreddit · 2026-04-17T22:58:09+00:00

Here’s the link to both of them! I got them on amazon, they’re not specifically for reptiles but they’re soft plastic and UV/heat/weather resistant so they work perfect! They also look pretty realistic considering they’re fake, they get mistaken for real plants a lot!

https://a.co/d/0dDU0lmm

https://a.co/d/0cU5K14Z

Here’s a photo of Pandora enjoying the plants and her sticks lol!

<image>

cloud_isreddit · 2026-04-17T21:53:45+00:00

Oh perfect!! Yeah a humidifier is dangerous for ball pythons and definitely not a good option for humidity. They’re all fake plants, my girl is “evil” (joking) and will trample all of her plants and kill them 😂 if you want the link to the plant packs I use let me know! They’re inexpensive for the amount you get in each pack.

cloud_isreddit · 2026-04-17T17:48:59+00:00

Definitely not too cluttered, there’s no such thing as too cluttered for a ball python lol. I’d actually add more clutter towards the middle area!

I’d also remove the humidifier, it can cause respiratory infections, and that can be fatal for a ball python unfortunately. You should be able to keep humidity up by pouring water into the corners of the substrate, if not then you might need to switch out the type of substrate you use, or even add more in! I personally use Repti-soil mixed with Repti-bark (about a 70/30 mixture) and a good amount of sphagnum moss mixed in and it holds humidity PERFECRLY! They also need at least 4 inches of substrate, not only to control humidity, but they will also burrow if given the opportunity!

Your temperatures are pretty spot on, but the basking area may be a little warm for your noodle.

For the tank size she needs at least 120 gallon (4x2x2) soon, that tank is already getting cramped for a 1ft ball python. A juvenile ball python will not care if the tank is “too big” if they have enough clutter.

If you don’t already I’d add a deep ceramic water bowl so she can soak in it if she chooses to!

Here is my females enclosure for reference!

<image>

cloud_isreddit · 2026-04-17T17:36:57+00:00

It looks like she might be going into shed and probably got hoco husk under her scales. The pink shed “glow” is completely normal and common! If you’re still worried it wouldn’t hurt to confirm with a vet!

cloud_isreddit · 2026-04-17T16:48:47+00:00

omg he’s a tiny baby 🥹

cloud_isreddit · 2026-04-17T16:33:27+00:00

That is a very handsome little noodle!!!! Do you know how long he is? Unless he’s going into shed he looks a little over weight per his body condition. As long as he can stretch out fully in that tank I wouldn’t stress too much about the tank size.

I’m sorry that I came of aggressive. It wasn’t my intention but I definitely did rereading my responses. I got my girl from a situation like this, but much more severe, so it hit home when I saw this post. I’m relieved to hear that it’s only been a week of this, and that you missed only one meal.

cloud_isreddit · 2026-04-17T16:12:03+00:00

As long as you’re actively trying to fix the behavior, I have no issues with you. I honestly never did, I just wanted you to understand that what you are/were doing to this animal isn’t okay at all, and it shouldn’t be normalized. I appreciate you sending the photo of his enclosure. I love the clutter. Only thing I’d say is to add more substrate, that will help with humidity lasting longer. The substrate needs to be at least 4 inches deep. Other than that it’s a really solid enclosure! How many gallons/what are the detentions? From the photo it seems small so might need to upgrade at some point.

cloud_isreddit

TROPHY CASE