Ball python help

Hey guys I've had my ball python for over a year now. I've figured I can read a bunch online but you guys will likely be much more hope. So since I've had xerxes he was yet to shed on his own. I've had to soak him and peel him myself. He also doesn't eat at a consistent basis and when he does eat it takes a while to interest him. This time around I could hear him breathing like out of his nose (sounds like if we were to push air out of our nose with a little force) I try to keep his tank as soaked as possible but it's getting frustrating for no only me but I would assume the snake as well. Can't feel that great. Even when I help him peel he skin is like still stuck to him and doesn't come off easily. I'm open to harsh criticism to help find a solution. Pics of whatever upon request. Thank you everyone


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What do you mean "soaked" as possible. Their enclosures shouldn't be soaked. That sounds like it may be the cause of Respiratory Infection which is what it sounds like he has.

Change to dry substrate and what is the temp and humidity settings...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ElliotNess

What do you mean "soaked" as possible. Their enclosures shouldn't be soaked. That sounds like it may be the cause of Respiratory Infection which is what it sounds like he has.

Change to dry substrate and what is the temp and humidity settings...

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Sorry I meant soaking in an enclosure outside his cage not his actual living cage! I use coconut fiber substrate currently temp is 75 humidity is 80


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Cold side should be low 80s... Hot should be 88-94...

Humidity is too high as well... 50-60 daily with a bump to 75ish when in shed

He is freezing his scales off..

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...s%29-Caresheet

Humidity is not too high, it's fine as long as there is good ventilation. Poor ventilation combined with high humidity could cause respiratory infections.

And what do you mean temp is 75? Do you have a hot spot?

I think posting pics of your setup and listing what equipment you're using would help..

Yeah, we're gonna need more info to help you properly.

A few pics of your setup and a list of the following would help:
a) what equipment are you heating the enclosure with?
b) how are you regulating the heat sources?
c) how are you measuring temps?
d) how are you measuring humidity?
Hopefully some pics provided with the above info will help us help you to help your snake.

It already sounds like your temps are low and your humidity is high, but tough to really say til we get more info.
Also, those "breathing sounds" you are hearing sound like a possible respiratory infection.

Basically based on the little info all your issues are husbandry related and could have been prevented, you need to get back to the basic and read the caresheet provided above.

Temps are way too low, humidity way too high and I suspect everything else is probably wrong too.

Chances are there are probably some health issues as well that need to be addressed especially if that animal was kept this way for a year.

Research goes a long way when purchasing a snake.

I'll send pics after I get home but I have two thermometers one under the daylight and one under the red light at night. The humidity level of 80 was right after I sprayed his tank down so I will see what it reads after it dries out when I'm home. There the black hooded clamp lamps on each side so I'm wondering if I need a stronger lamp and/or bulb? Hopefully the pics later can help everyone.


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I think it's your bulbs that are the problem, I'd drop the bulbs and go with an under tank heater on one side of the tank on a thermostat set to 88F. The way I have my tubs setup in my rack are that I don't have any substrate over a small area of the hotspot, the substrate is much cooler and messes up the hot spot, you have to turn it up to get the right temp and if they dig down it's too hot, so I keep it substrate free in one spot just big enough for the snake over the hotspot. They will usually just hang out in that small spot most of the time. I'd keep the room mid to high 70's if you can. I'd also drop the Coconut fiber and go with Coconut husk, the fiber doesn't hold water at all. When I bought my SD retic he was in a cage with bulbs and he was in a major stuck shed. Since I switched to an under tank heater and coconut husk substrate his sheds are perfect and he is not as mean as he was, I'm pretty sure the bulbs were stressing him out.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...2bfa4bdeec.jpg
As promised here's what I have..

From everything I've gathered it sounds like a heat pad would be best I've thought of this before but didn't know the temp was an issue. It's comforting to know humidity isn't as big of the issue as I thought I've gone by my local pet stores advice of spraying his tank often


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Ok from what I see...

-yes, a UTH is needed in your situation. The UTH provides an important "hot spot" but isn't designed to do much for ambient temps. This gives your BP warmer spot to go to digest or simply just warm up a bit...

-are you using a thermostat to regulate your heat sources (you UTH when you get it and any heat bulbs, CHEs, etc...)?

- ditch the half log hide and get a more secure hide with only one opening. There should be one hide on the cool side and one on the warm side above your UTH where the hot spot is.

- ditch the stick-on dial thermometers/hygrometer. they are incredibly inaccurate

- it's tough to tell, but is your screen top covered with something? I cover mine with cardboard wrapped in foil leaving a hole big enough for the lights.
-this helps to keep heat and humidity in the pesky glass enclosures with screen lids

-more clutter (fake leaves, branches, etc...) would help your BP feel more secure as well

Also, stop listening to clueless pet store employees. Do some research, read, study. Put in the time and effort to learn. Your animal is a living, breathing animal depending on YOU to care for him properly. Taking the advice of one person is always risky, see what multiple people have to say. This will avoid you learning the wrong things from people who don't know what they're talking about. The more you learn from reliable, educated, experienced keepers the better off you and your snake will be. The more you know about the species, the better you will be able to care for it.

only other thing I wanted to bring up, your humidity may not be as high as you think because of the stick-on hydrometer as others have said, they're innacurate. both glass tanks and heat lamps are a huge drain on humidity. I know a lot of folks prefer plastic tubs over glass tanks for humidity.

Update: so i ended up getting a stronger lamp and a 100w bulb instead of the 60w I'll see how this temp does. Good idea bad?


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by shan4404

Update: so i ended up getting a stronger lamp and a 100w bulb instead of the 60w I'll see how this temp does. Good idea bad?


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Hi! I had a couple months of tank-induced humidity nightmares, so I have some ideas.

Baaad light bulb idea. I have a 40 gal tank with a 50w nighttime and 60w daytime. 100w (which was in the "snake" starter kit :/ ) SKYROCKETED the temps to unsafe levels and immediately destroyed humidity. I vote return it ASAP and don't waste the trouble or money. Insulate the tank instead.

!!!!!!! UTH, ~20$ Inkbird thermostat to control it, and cover the top. Sphagnum moss is a huge helper. As is a humid hide. REALLY suggest a humid hide. Put in in the middle, where no lights are right above, and fill it with damp but not dripping moss. My BP sheds perfectly since I started using one.

Also. Are your lights on opposite sides of the tank? You need a gradient, so keep the lights on one side, the same side as the UTH and get a temp gun. They're around $20 and super handy. For a tank that size you maybe won't even need a 60w when the lights are on the same side as the UTH. Belly heat is crucial for health as well.

You can make the logs more secure, mine has lived in these since november. I turned the warm hide sideways for more privacy, cover the back by the wall of the tank, and put foliage covering the openings as much as possible. Can't see inside of any of the hides unless I REALLY look. Also if this is a little new snake, leaves and hiding = happy noodle.

I used to work at a big box pet store and can confirm 80% of the time the employees know jack squat about reptiles, they just guess and say it like it's facts because it's what the sales-hungry and careless leaders tell them.

Here are a couple pictures of my setup for ideas:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...2FZUeV54fl.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...2FNPDPg9tm.jpg

The top has a layer of plexiglass, two damp washcloths, and a towel mainly if I need heat retention. I also insulated the back with Exo-Terra foam, which really boosted temps and keeps them well.
I still mist my tank a couple times a day at least when he's in shed, but otherwise it stays around 50% for most the day without it. The humid hide is always there to offer a little boost when he wants it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ferrislongdog

Hi! I had a couple months of tank-induced humidity nightmares, so I have some ideas.

Baaad light bulb idea. I have a 40 gal tank with a 50w nighttime and 60w daytime. 100w (which was in the "snake" starter kit :/ ) SKYROCKETED the temps to unsafe levels and immediately destroyed humidity. I vote return it ASAP and don't waste the trouble or money. Insulate the tank instead.

!!!!!!! UTH, ~20$ Inkbird thermostat to control it, and cover the top. Sphagnum moss is a huge helper. As is a humid hide. REALLY suggest a humid hide. Put in in the middle, where no lights are right above, and fill it with damp but not dripping moss. My BP sheds perfectly since I started using one.

Also. Are your lights on opposite sides of the tank? You need a gradient, so keep the lights on one side, the same side as the UTH and get a temp gun. They're around $20 and super handy. For a tank that size you maybe won't even need a 60w when the lights are on the same side as the UTH. Belly heat is crucial for health as well.

You can make the logs more secure, mine has lived in these since november. I turned the warm hide sideways for more privacy, cover the back by the wall of the tank, and put foliage covering the openings as much as possible. Can't see inside of any of the hides unless I REALLY look. Also if this is a little new snake, leaves and hiding = happy noodle.

I used to work at a big box pet store and can confirm 80% of the time the employees know jack squat about reptiles, they just guess and say it like it's facts because it's what the sales-hungry and careless leaders tell them.

Here are a couple pictures of my setup for ideas:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...2FZUeV54fl.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...2FNPDPg9tm.jpg

The top has a layer of plexiglass, two damp washcloths, and a towel mainly if I need heat retention. I also insulated the back with Exo-Terra foam, which really boosted temps and keeps them well.
I still mist my tank a couple times a day at least when he's in shed, but otherwise it stays around 50% for most the day without it. The humid hide is always there to offer a little boost when he wants it.

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I like your ideas. I asked about the heat mats and they were like yeah there's one temp for them so I was like eh not too helpful so I went the bigger lamp route. The 60w kept me at the 75 degree temp range and with the 100w it stays at 90. Yes the lights are on different ends.


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And not to call out petco but I'm sure we all have our opinions. I'm more of the fish tank hobbyists and am trying to learn more about the snake hobby because I enjoy them as well but as far as fish I don't go to petco etc anyway their snake temp for ball python was at 75 as well so they don't make it easy to gain knowledge from lol


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by ferrislongdog

Hi! I had a couple months of tank-induced humidity nightmares, so I have some ideas.

Baaad light bulb idea. I have a 40 gal tank with a 50w nighttime and 60w daytime. 100w (which was in the "snake" starter kit :/ ) SKYROCKETED the temps to unsafe levels and immediately destroyed humidity. I vote return it ASAP and don't waste the trouble or money. Insulate the tank instead.

!!!!!!! UTH, ~20$ Inkbird thermostat to control it, and cover the top. Sphagnum moss is a huge helper. As is a humid hide. REALLY suggest a humid hide. Put in in the middle, where no lights are right above, and fill it with damp but not dripping moss. My BP sheds perfectly since I started using one.

Also. Are your lights on opposite sides of the tank? You need a gradient, so keep the lights on one side, the same side as the UTH and get a temp gun. They're around $20 and super handy. For a tank that size you maybe won't even need a 60w when the lights are on the same side as the UTH. Belly heat is crucial for health as well.

You can make the logs more secure, mine has lived in these since november. I turned the warm hide sideways for more privacy, cover the back by the wall of the tank, and put foliage covering the openings as much as possible. Can't see inside of any of the hides unless I REALLY look. Also if this is a little new snake, leaves and hiding = happy noodle.

I used to work at a big box pet store and can confirm 80% of the time the employees know jack squat about reptiles, they just guess and say it like it's facts because it's what the sales-hungry and careless leaders tell them.

Here are a couple pictures of my setup for ideas:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...2FZUeV54fl.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...2FNPDPg9tm.jpg

The top has a layer of plexiglass, two damp washcloths, and a towel mainly if I need heat retention. I also insulated the back with Exo-Terra foam, which really boosted temps and keeps them well.
I still mist my tank a couple times a day at least when he's in shed, but otherwise it stays around 50% for most the day without it. The humid hide is always there to offer a little boost when he wants it.

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And not to sound dumb with questions but does the inkbird thermostat just measure the temp or does it heat it up to a temp you choose


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And what should my lighting cycle be? I was reading the care sheet above and said that white lights aren't good? Should I get a blue day light? Currently I'm on a 12/12 hour day light red night light schedule


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by shan4404

And not to sound dumb with questions but does the inkbird thermostat just measure the temp or does it heat it up to a temp you choose


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Waaait I get it lol under tank heater and use the inkbird to controller temp.


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I see no one felt the need to continue commenting so if anyone cares for an update..got a thermostat controller on Amazon for half the price of the store and using petco online prices to price match in store saved me probably 60 bucks. Looking to get more decor and how's this humid hide? https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...cf4b287c34.jpg


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