Things you wish you knew before getting a ball python

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Originally Posted by SDA

(I am looking at you bioactive movement you tempting succubus!)

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speaking of which i recently found out you can do bioactive setups in tubs, and dang i wish i'd known that before i'd gotten maze, but at the same time HEAVILY INTIMIDATED lmao

I wish I knew how timid and easy they are for handling. I went in that tub the first few times thinking when is the bite coming. Now I have no worries about that. She is so docile. I still am careful until she knows I'm doing checks and weighing her and not feeding her lol. but yeah I would really like more but not happening yet. Maybe once my current normal female is moved into a PVC I will look at getting a different morph or a BOA.

As long as you do your research you will be fine. Coming here is a great first stop. I believe it was Deborah who told me females eat way better, so I went that route. They do get bigger but I didn't really want the stress of a hunger strike. This site also guided me to go the tub route and not glass. Set-up was a breeze.

As I said and some have also said, do your research and it really is not as difficult as you think.

Good Luck! :)

I wish I had known not to worry too much.
While it is important to pay attention to your snake and see what it is doing, you shouldn't freak out too much. I used to stay up at night when I saw that his humidity was at 61% or more and tried my best to lower it. I even called a vet because I was afraid my ball python had IBD.
It is important to know things and look after your ball python but not everything will kill your snake.
By the way make sure to put your snake in quarantine for about two months (normally I'd say three months but since you don't have any other reptiles). It is important to make sure the animal is healthy before putting in a terrarium. Look for snake mites, possibly do a fecal (I know people on this forum don't agree with this but I learned that it's better to do one if not even two) and for symptoms of illnesses.

Second (or third or fourth) the aspen! I bought a giant bag of aspen at the expo I purchased mine from and about 5 days later ended up buying coco husk because the aspen was a nightmare for humidity and clean up. Every breeder there recommended it and it still baffles me how they can keep bp's in our dry climate on aspen successfully.

This second point is more because Viago is my first snake and only the second one I've ever handled. I wish I knew not to be nervous right off the bat! He's small but I was still afraid he'd be defensive and strike or something as I'm used to crested geckos, whose bites (when they happen, if they ever do) are like being clamped with a weak closepin lol. But my little dude is so docile and sweet! I was honestly apprehensive taking him out of his transport cup and putting him in his cage, and when I first held him properly a week or so later. It didn't take me long to realize how silly I was being and that a bp is probably one of the more docile reptiles in the trade. And if they do bite you, it's less painful than a cat scratch/bite, which I'vew experienced many times :P

I wish I knew that I would end up with 2 snake rooms and a rat room :O:rolleyes:

I wish I had gotten a rack to begin with instead of a tank

A decent thermostat will run between $75-100.

A vet visit for a burned snake is twice that amount - and you will still have to buy a thermostat.

Tubs > Tanks

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Originally Posted by Deborah

I wish I knew that I would end up with 2 snake rooms and a rat room :O:rolleyes:

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Hahaha I’m in the trying mode with my husband of adding more snakes to the collection, I keep hinting I want a pinstripe banana or a Angolan python lol....naturally he says no cause we don’t have the room, but I’m a Tetris expert lol


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That getting bit is no big deal.

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That glass tanks aren’t ideal. Now I have to deal with this tank and it’s a painnnn [emoji23]


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