Hi I'm new here and worried about my ball :(

Hi my name is Jordan I just got my ball python a week ago my setup is a acurite thermometer/ humidity gauge with a heat pad and Eco earth as substrate it's all in a glass tank. The sensor is telling me that the heat pad is at 90 rite now but there is substrate over that and his home is over that. On the outside of his home it is 73 and the humidity is at 62... Before that I didn't have a lamp dimmer and I think at one point it might have gotten too hot very few belly scales look like they are flaking somewhat? Also his belly has pink on it but I jus noticed today it looks more like blotches somewhat so I wasn't sure if he slightly got burned or not. On another note I looked at his mouth today and the tip of his bottom jaw had a brownish discoloration. Wasn't sure if it was from substrate or him rubbing his nose on the cage and the top of the cage. Then again I am paranoid and worried for his health since I did jus get him home a week ago and I am trying my best to make everything good for my little buddy I will post pictures up as soon as I can the belly shots are hard to get the pink to show up. Haven't heard any wheezing or odd noises ever since I got him he has been yawning so I jus thought it was a normal thing didnt seem like he was struggling to get air looked like he was just yawning and I did feed him on Sunday so could just be realigning his jaw or stretching but he did it before he ate even. I've read alot on here and am jus making sure everything is fine with him the inside temp now 74 and under his home and the substrate where the UTH is now at 91 humidity is still 62 plz any info and help would be appreciated I have barely any money as of now so a trip to the vet would t be happening rite now and id also have to find a reliable herp vet in the area im kind of in the country so I hope it isn't anything that bad and I hope getting the temps rite will help everything alot more. I could really use someone to tell me do this and that and everything will be fine so calm down before you pop a blood vessel lmao thanks guys hope to hear replies soon :)

First off all, WELCOME! Come often and ask lots of questions! It looks like you have done some research and have a basic underestanding of keeping a Ball Python. Yet, the first thing is becoming teachable. We were all new once as well. I learn something new every week it seems, so remember we never stop learning! So we are here to help...Some day you'll be able to turn around and share your new found knowledge as well...

First things first. That heat pad. You have a digital thermometer measuring the temp, but it sounds like it is still unregulated and most, if not all of those heat pads still get way too hot. ALL heat sources should be controlled by a thermoSTAT. Prices vary, but you can start with a basic on/off like a Hydrofarm (~$30 on Amazon), just take the plunge and invest in a professional proportional thermoSTAT like the Herpstat from SpyderRobotics (~$150), or at a bare minimum, get a light dimmer switch from Home Depot for around $15 for the short term until you can get a good thermostat. The thermoSTAT controls the electricity going to the heating pad so you can control the amount of heat that is produced. Even with the dimmer switch, you can adjust it to the appropriate temps. Without something controlling your heat source, your snake WILL get burned.

Balls need a heat gradient. This simply means warmer on one end, cooler on the other, and a gradual decline in temps from the warm to cool side. I keep my warm spot at 90, and cool side around 78. Ambient temps are around 82-84. This allows the snake to regulate their own body temperature. Don't forget a hide on EACH end.

Humidity looks good. I usually keep humidity 50%-60% when they're not shedding and 70%+ during their shed week. These are general numbers so don't freak out if they aren't spot on every second of every day. But they should be consistent.

And the yawning. Some of my balls yawn, some don't between feedings. Are you hearing any clicking noises when he breathes or noticing any mucus in or around his mouth? If not, Just keep an eye on him but I am sure it's just a yawn...

And remember. Ball pythons aren't known for being great show snakes. They like the security of hiding and confined spaces. If they're eating, pooping, and hiding they're usually content.

Thank you so much for the quick reply back! I do have a light dimmer in the heat pad now due me researching off this website and worrying about his belly because I don't think it's time for him the shed yet his scales stilllook vibrant not dull and his eyes haven't clouded over so the flaking scales on his belly and pink blotches made me somewhat worried.

Now for the ambient temps in the cage and humidity it's around 74 for the temp in the cool side but the humidity is upwards of around 66 to 67 keeps going up but very slowly so I had the idea to jus get a simple lamp to lower to humidity an get those ambient temps up more cause I feel like they are too low. I don't want him getting RI or anything like that I looked at his mouth again and that coloration has been there since I got him when I looked in older pics. Also I haven't heard any clicking but I haven't checked inside his mouth yet, haven't noticed any mucus on his lips or anything of that nature.


Would the lamp be a good idea? I am in my basement and its kind of cold but really humid from what I've seen down there so far we even have a dehumidifier that runs due to it getting to humid and the old owners of the house said it made some of the ceiling tiles get water spots and start sagging. So I guess get a lamp? Any bulb wattage and color recommendations? I was thinking a black light bulb would be nice especially for at night if it gets too cold and should I get a lamp dimmer for that too??? Depending on what it does in the tank? Thank you so much for the info this site is amazing and I am happy to keep learning more and more about bps all the time :)

Hi, Welcome to the addiction. OK, here we go. 1st. Get rid of the echo earth, your new buddy can ingest it while eating and become impacted from it. Also, if some of it gets stick in the mouth it can cause serious issues such as ulcers and infections. 2nd. The brown on the chin is probably just dust from the echo earth. Echo earth is good for dust, I use it as a laying substrate for my bearded dragons. How old is your ball python? The pink on the belly could be any number of things, however, the leading cause for pink coloration on the belly is entry into a shed cycle. Another issue with echo earth is that it holds too much moisture against the belly of the snake, they need a dry substrate. Moisture against the belly can cause blistering and scale rot. I use a rack system with tubs and newspaper for substrate. I use paper towels for my little ones. I don't mean to come across the wrong way, it's great that you are asking questions. Knowledge is power. The day that we stop learning is the day we die. Also the yawning could be your snake trying to dislodge echo earth from his/her mouth. Please, ask all the questions you like. Good luck. Pictures would help.

Another thought about the Eco-Earth-- I use it, and I like the way it looks and the way it holds humidity. One way to prevent ingestion and impaction, the way I use, is laying a paper towel down over the feeding area to keep it from covering the mouse and the snake. It's definitely a messier substrate, but has its perks. As for everything else, you're getting excellent feedback, and welcome to ther herp community and the ball python addiction!!

I've used Eco earth for four years with my first male an only ball not in a tub, until I build a male rack. I've had zero of those problems you mentioned, it's actually made it easier to get my humidity right. He eats great hasnt gotten a mouth full and become impacted, yes he has dirt on him but eco earth dirt on the skins not to worrysome to me since last i checked snakes evolved coming in contact with dirt.Granted I used a thiner layer an let him pack it down but Just sayin

Not sure how old he is he's anywhere from 6 months too 10 give or take??? About two feet long if that's helps at all and last time he ate he did get some in his mouth I was somewhat worried bout it I was thinking of switching to aspen but I bought a three brick package of the Eco earth and barely used up the first brick :/ I feel like it would be a waste not to use it I like the idea of laying paper towel down too not get any in his mouth while feeding. I think ill use some of the Eco earth up before I switch to aspen so it's not a complete waste. The pink on his belly looked consistent all the way down him at first glance but today it looks more blotchy and like I said there r only very few what seems to be scales on his belly flaking. I figured it was from the UTH getting too hot and possibly burning him. I now have a light dimmer on it tho and the digi thermometer is reading 91 on the bottom of in cage in his hide above the UTH.

i figured this was ok since it has to go threw the substrate. The humidity is now up to 70% and the cold side of the tank is at 75. In my last post I asked if u guys think a lamp would be a good idea I heard they knock the humidity down and it would bump up the cold side temp I feel like it is too cold. He is in a 10 gallon tank I will make a photobucket an try to get some pics up forgive me for I am doing all of this off of my iPhone lol thank you so much for the info and just so you know reesy u didn't come off to me in a wrong way at all. Just another guy with reptiles just giving me good information :)

A lamp will suck some humidity, but I use one for ambient temp maintenance and find that keeping the front half of his screen-lid covered (in my case, cling-wrap covered in gaffer tape to keep it sturdy) helps worlds. I mist twice a day typically, and that keeps his humidity where it should be for the most part.

Hope this helps!

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I've used Eco earth for four years with my first male an only ball not in a tub, until I build a male rack. I've had zero of those problems you mentioned, it's actually made it easier to get my humidity right. He eats great hasnt gotten a mouth full and become impacted, yes he has dirt on him but eco earth dirt on the skins not to worrysome to me since last i checked snakes evolved coming in contact with dirt.Granted I used a thiner layer an let him pack it down but Just sayin

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Loose substrate will always increase the chances of impaction and other problems. We should not be teaching new comers bad habits.

As for the heat lamp, The reason that the humidity won't drop right away is due to the fact that it causes the moisture to evaporate from the eco earth faster. Higher evaporation rate means higher humidity. This is another reason to due away with the eco earth, when it dries out it will be that much more dusty. What do you have for a lid on your enclosure? If the pink on the belly is isolated to certain areas and not throughout the belly, it could be due to the enclosure being too wet. Keep your eyes open for blisters on your snakes skin.

Ok well should I toss out the Eco earth and use newspaper or paper towel for now and see what that does?? Also I will take some pics off my phone and use my computer to get them on here it's a pain on my phone is there a walk through on how to get the URL for the pics? I have a photobucket just don't know what to do to get the URL for the separate photos. The pink on his belly is in blotches but its very light I will also try to get a pic of that lemme kno if I should just get the Eco earth out and switch to newspaper or paper towel for now because the humidity keeps going up its already at 73% now and the ambient temp is at 73. I'm trying to up the cool sides temp and decrease the humidity. let me know what is best to do at this point I can't go out and get a lamp today so when he comes out at night I don't want him to be that cold on the cool side of the tank thank you bunches guys!

If you're concerned about the UTH being too hot, I'm not sure I'd put him on paper towels unless I had the UTH unplugged. The eco-earth will at least give a layer of insulation if you're still looking to monitor the UTH temp for a bit longer. You could even burn some of that humidity away with a desk clamp-lamp for the time being.

BUT if he's already showing signs of burning, paper towel/newspaper is probably best until that heals up. I'll reiterate though, make sure the UTH is properly maintained before even thinking about putting him on a thinner substrate.

I would, go with paper towels for now, make sure they stay dry. Once you get the humidity down to the proper levels in the enclosure, you can regulate it by misting (don't soak the paper towels). Place your thermometer on the heat pad under the tank. Watch that with the change in substrate the surface temps in the enclosure don't go too high.

Ok I got the Eco earth out so now I place the probe on the outside of the tank underneath the UTH ? Or in the tank where I had it over the UTH? I jus wanna make sure the glad doesn't get too cold if he roams around at night with paper towel being down I could take the tank upstairs and that might help the ambient temp a bit. And clean up with this Eco earth is a pain I think I am going to get aspen when I can jus keep using paper towels for now.

taking the tank upstairs into a more controlled environment would always be better. You place the temp probe between the UTH and the bottom of the tank. And yes you can use paper towels or news paper as long as you want. Remember aspen bedding can cause the same problems as eco earth. I wouldn't use any particulate or loose substrate. When you open a photobucket account it will have an upload option so you can browse your phone like a PC and select which photos you want put in your account. Then you follow the instructions in the stickies in the photos section of this website to copy and paste them in your posts.

Ok well it's upstairs step up now I'm letting it warm up was not sure how many layers of paper towel to put down jus put one down for now I got some pics of his belly the best I could with my phone I had my girl hold him. But upstairs it says the normal temp is about 71 :/ I don't know if I should keep it up here or what. I do have a room heater so I could always turn that on up here to kick it up a couple of degrees idk I feel like everything I do makes one thing worse lmao I'm really trying to get it rite for him so far the cold side of the tank is at 73 degrees , the humidity has been at 58 the whole time up here Jus went down to 57 The heat pad is at 88-89 degrees I hope moving up here will fix things so I can get everything tuned in the rite way thank you guys once again for dealing with me and being so helpful

Don't lose hope just yet, haha. We were all newbies once, working on correcting our mistakes. The good thing is that you're here asking questions and getting feedback. That's what the site is here for. Ask any question that comes to mind, there's no such thing as a dumb one as long as it gives you information you need to know! Best of luck! =]

Hi, welcome! Ok, first off, take a deep breath and chill out. You're going to get a lot of conflicting advice, so try not to run around crazy changing everything every time someone posts. You are working on making things better, so a few days at sub-optimal aren't going to cause major damage to your snake. I'm going to pretend your snake is still downstairs because that's where the most info is coming from...

UTH- good, you've got that on a dimmer and are monitoring temperatures. That is very very important. Make sure you don't need to reduce your UTH heat now that there's nothing much between him and the glass- the thermometer probe can sit right on top of the paper towels.

Humidity levels- Ok, now that you've changed from Eco-earth to paper towels, you will need to give it a day or 2 to figure out your new levels. Relax, he isn't sitting in wet and if he is about to shed, humidity in the 70s is good.

Ambient temperatures: Right now it's pretty chilly for the long term, but ok for short term. You said you had a hide over his UTH, the air is probably a bit warmer in there. If he's cold, he'll go there. I have a 50 watt night glo bulb heating a 20 gallon tank, and it is almost enough, but it was perfect when i had a 10 gallon. It just bumps up the heat a few degrees.

How heat and humidity interact: You are measuring relative humidity. That is a ratio of how much water vapor is in the air to how much water vapor the air can hold. When the heat increases, the air can hold more water vapor so the relative humidity drops and the air feels drier. You may find your humidity levels go down once you have your ambient temperatures better controlled. The other side of this is that added moisture cools air temperature. You may find that by using paper towels your humidity levels drop and ambient temperatures rise a bit. Remember, every time you change one the other will change, and you need to give it a bit of time to adjust.

Unused Eco-earth: do you have Craigslist? Someone uses it and will jump at a bargain. Or see if someone at the pet store you got it at wants to buy it. I was talking to the reptile dude at one of our local pet stores about looking for a cheap 20 gallon, turns out he was keeping a tarantula in one and wanted a 10, we traded that night when he got off work.

You're doing fine, stop panicking. Within 3 weeks of adjusting you'll have everything settled. :)

Thank you so much ultraviolet I definitely needed to calm down. Even tho I did move him upstairs for now in a couple weeks I might try moving him back down here but in the room he is in upstairs worked out perfectly. His hot spot was around 90 humidity was at 56 for a while but slowly went down to 54 and the cold side of his tank went up to 80 after I warmed up the room with a heater it was chilly in there but once it gets warm in there it stays heated very well usually. So as for now I'm going to check on his belly and see if it gets better once I get on my computer tomorrow I will post pics of his belly its hard to get a clean shot off my phone but I got the best I could. Anyways thank you everyone once again for all the info yes I did run around a little bit but now my fears are at bay I definitely feel alot better I'm going to let him get used to it for a while. Feeding day will be on Saturday I got some hoppers for him they didn't have any mice where I went :/ but tomorrow I will post the pics I got and give an update how the set up is going :)

No worries, I think we've probably all run around a little crazy at one point or another! It's good you're concerned, good you're asking, and good you're taking advice! Sounds like things are more under control now, I'm looking forward to pictures!

Lets not make sweeping assumptions about certain substrate choices, shall we?

Reesy, I'd love for you to point me in the direction of experiences you or others might have had with substrate impaction in ball pythons from eco-earth, because I have never seen any evidence to suggest the claims you make to be true.

I've read threads of snakes dying from accidentally ingesting paper towels though, soo are you going to tell me that eco-earth is more or less dangerous than paper towels?

Substrate is a personal preference. The only substrate you should avoid is CEDAR. I've used many substrates including paper towel, eco earth, cypress mulch, aspen, indented kraft paper, and news paper. Cypress mulch and indented kraft

Even then, I have rarely, if EVER heard of a ball python becoming impacted from slight substrate ingestion.


While I agree we shouldn't be teaching newbies bad habits, I also believe we shouldn't use hypothetical situations as scare tactics for why we should not use a certain substrate. Do you seriously think all ball pythons in the wild are dying left and right due to impaction? Because I'm pretty sure they lay on a substrate very similar to eco earth all day everyday. Its called dirt.


I'm certain the discoloration around the mouth is not due to the substrate choice, but the natural coloration of the snake. It gets darker as they age. it freaked me out with my first snake but eventually I realized it was normal.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Lets not make sweeping assumptions about certain substrate choices, shall we?

Reesy, I'd love for you to point me in the direction of experiences you or others might have had with substrate impaction in ball pythons from eco-earth, because I have never seen any evidence to suggest the claims you make to be true.

I've read threads of snakes dying from accidentally ingesting paper towels though, soo are you going to tell me that eco-earth is more or less dangerous than paper towels?

Substrate is a personal preference. The only substrate you should avoid is CEDAR. I've used many substrates including paper towel, eco earth, cypress mulch, aspen, indented kraft paper, and news paper. Cypress mulch and indented kraft

Even then, I have rarely, if EVER heard of a ball python becoming impacted from slight substrate ingestion.


While I agree we shouldn't be teaching newbies bad habits, I also believe we shouldn't use hypothetical situations as scare tactics for why we should not use a certain substrate. Do you seriously think all ball pythons in the wild are dying left and right due to impaction? Because I'm pretty sure they lay on a substrate very similar to eco earth all day everyday. Its called dirt.

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A-friggin-men. Many (if not most...but don't quote me.) commercial breeders use aspen. And honestly, unless your prey item is sopping wet, there's really no reason for bedding to be sticking to it. I like using paper towels as much as the next person, but some of us like nice looking display cages occasionally...I use paper towels, eco earth, and aspen depending on the caging setup. There is *nothing* wrong with any of those choices, provided that the animal is healthy. Now, if there is some flaking on the belly, paper towels are probably the best thing right now, because you want to be able to keep things as sanitary as possible, and have nothing in the cage that can irritate it. But...but...but...lol, I'll get off my soapbox. :rolleyes:

here r some of the pics i promised you guys sorry it took me so long i got kind of busy and last night went out and got a little drunk :/

http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5605c2aa.jpg

http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/...pse1bef7dd.jpg

http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3587a379.jpg

http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/...ps869f5cc1.jpg

The one is of him actually starting to coil around his food i thought it was pretty awesome so I put it up too it is outta focus so that sucked :/ but i do have one question ive been keeping the temps pretty good but humidity keeps fluctuating it's at 42 rite now but it will go up to about 46 - 47 sometimes, I was wondering if I should do anything to keep it up a little more cause i know it should be around fifty or a little above but i jus didn't kno how to get it up with there being paper towel as a substrate and if it would be alright with wats up with his belly as you can see in the pics now the one pic you can see the pink pretty good all the other pics i had were bunk and could see much so I didnt bother to put them up. So I was just wondering how i should go about kicking up the humidity just a little while trying not to mess with his belly too much thank you so much guys and gals I love this website and I am so glad I found it you all are awesome!!!

P.S. i give my girl props for holding him for me while I took the pics. She is deathly afraid of snakes and the first day she touched him she cried lol!!! the very next day she asked to hold him and my jaw dropped, she said it would take her year before holding one and i doubted it then the next day already holding him :)

Is he in a tank with a screen lid? Try putting a towel over half of the top, enough to trap some of what's evaporating off. If you've already employed this trick, maybe someone else can chime in with other ideas! =] Glad to hear he's doing ok, his belly doesn't look too bad and will clear up in the right conditions.

No need to toss the eco earth.
I mix it with repti-bark and have zero ingestion problems.
If you are feeding F/T do not put the prey IN the water but in a bag in the water to warm it. Dry prey picks up very little substrate. You can also get the same stuff eco earth is made from in a small-medium eiices as opposed to shredded which, is easier to flick off an substrate with tongs that may be picked up.
Looking after one snake it is easy to watch the entire feeding process, it isn't like you are tossing 30 rats in bins and walking away to check back later.
I'm pretty sure that snakes do not eat off of dinner plates in the wild.
That said they have been known to ingest even paper towels, it is a good idea to watch your snake eat even with F/T.

If you post pics of your set-up I am sure you will get tons of suggestions to help you create an ideal habitat for your new pet.

For now i put a little wash cloth on the edge of the screen op and it is working wonderfully the humidity is at 58% and staying steady. i put too much of the wash cloth over it this morning and it shot it up too 70 % i was amazed by how much it went up just from a little wash cloth lol. I feel like im getting the hang of keeping my cage regulated at more stable conditions, my only problem is the heater in the room sometime i shut it off and the temp dips too low and if i leave it on too long it will get a little too hot but not by much it"s going to take a while to get that dialed in.

I'm definitely happy with the results after getting info on this website from all the fine, smart people on here i have mad respect for all of you and especially for the ones that breed (something i definitely want to get into in the future). the one last thing im woried about is my little boy's belly i really think it just got burned too to my lack of knowledge about the heat pads needing to be regulated with either a dimmer or a thermostat. I feel so bad and i am just wondering by the next time he sheds will the flaking scales go away? will it look like it never happend? I can see a line on the middle of his belly scales where they are flaking its like a small outside layer of the scale is coming off it doesnt look too bad the flakes look clear. i didnt know if i should give him a bath or get anything to help it heal or just wait for the next time he sheds naturally to see what happens?

Once again thank all of you for your help i will never stop coming to this website for information on ball pythons i want to learn more everyday about snakes and reptiles in general i hope to one day be a herpatologist and breed snakes its my dream and i plan on it. I trust you guys on this website and i feel like this is the start for me too learn more. :D

Oh and one more thing i will get pics of the setup on here soon although that's not the most of my worries due to me finally getting the hang of it just wanna kno about his belly, if i should bathe him or get something to help it heal or just leave him alone and let him shed and one more thing should i be handling him at all or is handling him for a little time every once in a while ok? Thank you!

does anyone have any thoughts on his belly? just want to know so i don't do anything wrong or hurt him any more

Belly looks fine to me!

It's hard to see over pictures because the parts that are laking are in a small line down the middle of his belly. to look clear like its the top layer of the scales. You can see a line down his belly where all of them have already flaked off there's only a little bit more still flaking. idk it really doesnt look bad and u can barely even notice it I just dont want to make it worse by handling him i just didnt know if it would be ok too and if it is something this minor should it be gone by the next shed?

Anyone know if i should be handling him at all? i always wash my hands and keep everything clean just want to know if it will make it worse or not thank you :)