Things you wish you knew before getting a ball python

Hey so I plan to get a ball python sometime in the future and I was wondering what are some things you wish you knew before getting a ball python or just getting a snake in general

Thermostats are necessary, when I first got my snake I didn't know that you needed one. They'll prevent your snake from,getting burned by the uth and you'll be able to change the temperate it runs at

No Aspen for Beeps. Ever. Lol, horrible for the humidity.

That they are like potato chips. Can't have just one [emoji15]


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Nothing really unexpected happened for me since I did a lot of research and followed the caresheet on this forum like the bible LOL.

I wish I had bought a herpstat right off the bat instead of buying three hydrofarm/jumpstart thermostats (the $30 ones). The herpstat lasts forever and is so accurate and reliable, being a dimming type thermostat.

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Originally Posted by zina10

That they are like potato chips. Can't have just one [emoji15]


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This, this and more this....

Got my first one and within 2 months i have 5 now.

following the feeding guide and having regular weigh-ins really ease the mind and help you know if you and the snake are on the right track.

Glass is a pain in the glass!
Snakes have moods
They live 30 years
You never want only one (you have no idea how hard it is to have only one right now)
Coconut fiber is the wonder substrate that works wonders
Ball pythons can be trained and are not pet rocks
Ball pythons love the floor and will do anything in their hypnotic snake powers to have you put them on that floor... resist!
Patience in the beginning is hard to do but worth the effort.
Do not fear new technologies in the hobby / Do not fear change. Information gets updated and knowledge is fluid. Learn with it and don't be rigid when a new way of thinking comes along (I am looking at you bioactive movement you tempting succubus!)

I have to say have a thermostat. I have been grilled -and verbally abused in some cases- on Facebook for not having a thermostat. Not alot of helpful people on there if your new and inexperienced. Another thing i wish i knew beforehand is how addictive snakes are!! Like seriously, i had one and was really happy with her. Now i have 3! Lol.

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Originally Posted by BallPythonWannaBe

No Aspen for Beeps. Ever. Lol, horrible for the humidity.

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This! I had problems with aspen humidity-wise like most people do, AND ugh it's SO messy! And I have carpet too, every cleaning day was a nightmare.

Also, no worrying where worrying is not due. When I first got him 'omg why didn't he eat' 'why isn't he going in his warm hide' 'why is he just sitting there'. It was endless lol. If you have too notch husbandry(and you should), then don't worry too much.

Handling too much! Unfortunately, I am someone who did this when I first got my snake, and luckily I didn't stress him to the point of not eating but still. Your snake can live up to 40 years, there's gonna be lots of time to handle him in the future.

As for not being able to have just one, that depends on you! I don't see myself ever getting another snake, ball python or not. But thats just me, many people here can't stand having just one, from what I've read, lol.

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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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Originally Posted by Joci

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


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Same :rage: Trying to turn my mom onto racks to make life so much easier

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Originally Posted by BallPythonWannaBe

Same :rage: Trying to turn my mom onto racks to make life so much easier

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Maybe get a job and buy your own? :P (I'm a parent, lol)

That they are so addictive.

Thank you everyone you have all been really helpful I've already done alot of research on them and some of the things I knew which made me feel better and for the things I didn't know im happy to know 😊 like I knew that the Aspen stuff wasn't all that good but I didn't really know any alternative to it and now I know not to be cheap about the thermostat so thanks 😁 oh and that I would expect to want more

Oh and what would you suggest for keeping the humidity up

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Originally Posted by GrimsStation

Oh and what would you suggest for keeping the humidity up

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Maybe put some moss inside your ball python's hides. That already helps the humidity quite a lot (and they spend a lot of time in their hides anyway).
If you want to have a beautiful, natural-looking terrarium, I would suggest you go for cypress mulch. It's good at keeping humidity. You could also use coconut mulch but that is a bit dirtier and makes it more difficult to clean.
If you want a rack or if you want to quarantine the snake, then I would suggest you use newspaper pages. They're cheap and don't drain a lot of humidity. You can also go for paper towels.
You shouldn't use Reptibark, pine shavings, spruce bark, pine bark pellets or artificial gras.
I use cypress mulch and I have to spray about twice a week.

Wish I read more about the approximate weight an animal should be at a given age. I bought 2 ball pythons (the first I've owned) from a very experienced and reputable breeder (Garrick DeMeyer from royalconstrictordesigns). The weight was listed at 150ish grams for 11 month old snakes. I had no idea at the time how undersized that was. I don't even know how it's possible to have a ball python and be feeding it consistently for nearly a year with it only growing to 150 grams. The other snake was only slightly bigger. I've had them for about 2 months now. Have been offering adult mice every week (occasionally more) to put some weight on them.

Birthdays were listed as 8/18/16 and 8/19/16 on the form they arrived with, so now one of the snakes is over 14 months old and weighs 270 grams! The other has a greater feeding response and I've gotten him up to about 400 grams. So I actually put about the same amount or significantly more weight on these snakes in 2 months than Garrick DeMeyer did in 11. And I wasn't even overfeeding them. They ate mostly 1 adult mouse a week. There were 2-3 weeks where they ate 2 per week, and 1 week where the male ate 3 adult mice (he ate 2 in one sitting and a couple days later ate another that one of my other snakes refused- didn't want to waste it). Other than that, they ate 1 mouse per week.
I would really like to know how he managed to only get a ball python to 150 grams after 11 months of life.

It's not the biggest deal because they are healthy snakes and that's what I care most about, but I do have plans to breed and seeing as the snakes I bought were an albino and an albino pinstripe, I could have got them from any number of reputable breeders who would have likely had them at a higher weight. Just assumed a reputable breeder would have them at a normal weight. I am still new to pythons, but from what I've seen on forums and youtube it isn't uncommon for a yearling snake to be 500+ grams. Mine were 150!

To purchase from a breeder that has a good reputation, not purchase from a petstore.

Mites are a possibility with your new snake and you need to take precautions to treat them while they are still in quarantine setup (paper towel substrate, hides and water bowl only... spray paper towels with PAM- Prevent-a-mite and let dry, use treated paper towels for a couple months and watch for signs of mites like black dots with legs, soaking, etc.

Do a lot of browsing and find a morph you really like... Purchase that morph, even if it costs a little more, verses settling for an animal you don't really like just because it is cheaper. These guys live for ~20 years or more, so it pays to purchase and keep what you enjoy.

Purchase a well-started snake that is already feeding well on f/t. Ask for weights, ages, and what they're feeding on when seeking to buy. You want a well-established feeder to give you the best chance of having a good feeder at home. Preferably, one that is already taking f/t rat fuzzies, pups, etc.

Find a source and / or have a plan for getting your feeders before you get your BP. Buying online in bulk can save you a lot of $$ as can purchasing from a local breeder. Many areas don't have a local source though, so you need to investigate beforehand.

Doing your research before you buy anything will save you time, money, and headaches. I went through a lot of trial and error and a lot of reading, including reading a lot of BS from so-called experts, before I finally got to the point I'm at now with 2 healthy snakes in dialed in environments. Take what you read here and elsewhere, not as the word of God, but as advice and apply it to your particular situation. A lot of the advice you get isn't general or generic, but tends to favor the keeper giving the advice. You might not do well on UTHs alone because your ambient temps aren't 85 deg F because you keep you snakes in your living room rather have the room temp lower for yourself, that you might need a heat lamp or RHP. I had bad experience with glass, despite all the advice given, but what might work in Florida doesn't work here in South Dakota when dealing with glass, for example.

I will say this (my "advice"):

I use 2 AP T8 enclosures with an RHP in each.
Reptichip substrate
Mist bottle as needed

I have no issues with the heat or humidity, despite the constant environmental changes that are South Dakota weather. Winter's Coming, so naturally humidity is dropping, temp is dropping, but my snakes are doing just fine. I did not have this luxury with glass.

No issues whatsoever. Your results will vary.

Bottom Line:
Know what these guys need to thrive and adapt it to your situation. There will be some trial and error. But having as much info as possible before diving in will save you in the long run.

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Originally Posted by illaoi

Wish I read more about the approximate weight an animal should be at a given age. I bought 2 ball pythons (the first I've owned) from a very experienced and reputable breeder (Garrick DeMeyer from royalconstrictordesigns). The weight was listed at 150ish grams for 11 month old snakes. I had no idea at the time how undersized that was. I don't even know how it's possible to have a ball python and be feeding it consistently for nearly a year with it only growing to 150 grams. The other snake was only slightly bigger. I've had them for about 2 months now. Have been offering adult mice every week (occasionally more) to put some weight on them.

Birthdays were listed as 8/18/16 and 8/19/16 on the form they arrived with, so now one of the snakes is over 14 months old and weighs 270 grams! The other has a greater feeding response and I've gotten him up to about 400 grams. So I actually put about the same amount or significantly more weight on these snakes in 2 months than Garrick DeMeyer did in 11. And I wasn't even overfeeding them. They ate mostly 1 adult mouse a week. There were 2-3 weeks where they ate 2 per week, and 1 week where the male ate 3 adult mice (he ate 2 in one sitting and a couple days later ate another that one of my other snakes refused- didn't want to waste it). Other than that, they ate 1 mouse per week.
I would really like to know how he managed to only get a ball python to 150 grams after 11 months of life.

It's not the biggest deal because they are healthy snakes and that's what I care most about, but I do have plans to breed and seeing as the snakes I bought were an albino and an albino pinstripe, I could have got them from any number of reputable breeders who would have likely had them at a higher weight. Just assumed a reputable breeder would have them at a normal weight. I am still new to pythons, but from what I've seen on forums and youtube it isn't uncommon for a yearling snake to be 500+ grams. Mine were 150!

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150 grams does not mean is it underweight here is a new thing for you to learn, it's not about weight it's about proper body proportion.

Weight vary greatly from one individual to another I have animal that are a year and weight in at 1200 grams some that are 400 grams.

There are many things that affect weight, size out of the egg, how fast fast the animal get stated some may take 2 months (that means other can get that much of a head start, prey size, feeding frequency, skipped meal, fast and most importantly genetics, some animals are predisposed to be BIG.

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Originally Posted by Godzilla78

Maybe get a job and buy your own? :P (I'm a parent, lol)

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I do have a job actually. On the weekends only though so it dosent take away from my school work. I make enough money to buy the rack myself I just need to have moms approval and consent :D I also pay for my Beeps food by myself

I wish I knew about the different housing options. I researched for 6 mo and never knew there were racks or ap available. I thought racks were only available to breeders.

I wish I had known all that I now now about enclosures, heating, humidity and hides. There are many, many ways to skin a cut, but most of those ways are INEFFICIENT! If I could go back in time, I would never have bought all the crap I bought for my glass tank (wasted hides, heat pads, lights, a crappy Zoomed thermostat, bags of crappy aspen), and instead I would have bought ONE, read ONE very nice pre-made rack with digital thermostat and heat tape, (see vivarium electronics VE-6 model for example) and been DONE, and would have a much nicer setup for probably the same money I spent and wasted TINKERING around trying to perfect my glass tank!:rolleye2:

In the end, it was worth it, because I learned SO MUCH from trial and error and research AND I have a really nice display tank now, that I have invested a lot in, and I will probably use it for a more DISPLAY type of snake in the future.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

150 grams does not mean is it underweight here is a new thing for you to learn, it's not about weight it's about proper body proportion.

Weight vary greatly from one individual to another I have animal that are a year and weight in at 1200 grams some that are 400 grams.

There are many things that affect weight, size out of the egg, how fast fast the animal get stated some may take 2 months (that means other can get that much of a head start, prey size, feeding frequency, skipped meal, fast and most importantly genetics, some animals are predisposed to be BIG.

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he doesn't feed his snakes properly. a reptile is not like a mammal and there are not going to be significant health ramifications if an animal is congenitally underfed. the reptile is simply going to be tiny and grow at a much slower rate. you really want to take the position that virtually all of his snakes being 12-14 months old and weighing 150-250 grams is normal or ok?

Price: $550
Weight: 240g
Sex: male
Hatch-Date: 8/13/16
Morph: Bamboo


Price: $200
Weight: 172g
Sex: male
Hatch-Date: 8/31/16
Morph: Banana




Price: $200
Weight: 165g
Sex: male
Hatch-Date: 8/21/16
Morph: Banana




Price: $150
Weight: 95g ???????????
Sex: male
Hatch-Date: 1/12/17 ??????????????
Morph: Black Pastel Woma Pinstripe




Price: $225
Weight: 375g
Sex: male
Hatch-Date: 12/16/15
Morph: Emperor Pinstripe nearly 2 years old and 375 grams

Price: $200
Weight: 420g
Sex: male
Hatch-Date: 8/15/15
Morph: Fire Pinstripe Possible Orange Dream 26 months old 420 grams

that is just randomly clicking on snakes on the first page of his for sale. I didn't even have to look for egregious examples and I found some by randomly clicking 5 snakes. so yeah his snakes are undersized 100%. this is an exact mirroring of my experience with purchasing 2 of his snakes. it isn't genetics and it isn't poor feeding response. it's his feeding methodology. he doesn't care about the growth of snakes that he isn't holding back for a future project so he saves himself space and money by keeping them small, feeding them smaller prey items and doing it less often

I wish I had avoided glass and gone with a tub system right away. In my geographic region (northern Canada) it is was too hard to keep proper heat in glass.

Btw I use Aspen specifically to dry out my tub a bit because I have to have fewer holes to retain heat, high humidity is the side effect of this. Easy cleanup tip, line the bottom with paper towel and then put a light Aspen layer down. When you go to clean, remove ornaments and roll the Aspen up in the paper towel. Clean up remainder with mini broom and dust pan.

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Originally Posted by Zach_este93

I wish I had avoided glass and gone with a tub system right away. In my geographic region (northern Canada) it is was too hard to keep proper heat in glass.

Btw I use Aspen specifically to dry out my tub a bit because I have to have fewer holes to retain heat, high humidity is the side effect of this. Easy cleanup tip, line the bottom with paper towel and then put a light Aspen layer down. When you go to clean, remove ornaments and roll the Aspen up in the paper towel. Clean up remainder with mini broom and dust pan.

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I'm glad you said the thing about the paper towels under the bedding. I am receiving my first rack on Tuesday and I'm definitely going to have to do this for easier cleaning.