Hello from a newbie!

He may be chillin' because he just ate. They usually don't do much while they are digesting. They get sluggish if they are too cold, but as long as his temps are fine it's probably the food.

Oh I hope. I can tell he's moved around since the morning. I don't want the poor guy to croak before I can find him a name!

Do they slow down aswell before a shed? The kid couldn't remember the last time it shed.

Could the uth be too warm for him? Where he was laying this morning was on the substrate that's probably double the thickness of what's in his hide. Should I move his hide that he's used to on the cold side and the new one on the hot side?

Edit. He's definitely shedding.

Ball pythons are not very active snakes. You will find that once he becomes comfortable in his enclosure, he will rarely climb or move from his hides at all. This is typical ball python behavior. They are shy and secretive snakes that enjoy hiding all day and sometimes all night.

Do not be alarmed if you don't see him move for long periods of time. Obviously check to make sure he is alive every once in a while :giggle: but don't worry about his lack of movement.

A couple things though, I take it you aren't using digital thermometers with probes. These are very crucial especially when using a UTH. Get yourself a digital thermometer with a probe and stick the probe right over the glass where the UTH is (under the substrate). A normal UTH can most definitely reach temperatures that can burn your animal. To prevent this, we recommend using a reptile thermostat to keep the temperature of the UTH around 92*F. A rheostat or light dimmer will also work but it will need to be manually adjusted to account for temperature changes in the room.

Also, make sure he has two identical tight fitting hides. Half log hides are not really the best for ball pythons since they are so shy. The "cave-like" hides are best for ball pythons :)