Crowley progression thread

I am finally starting a progression thread for Crowley. First I'd like to mention he was born on July 15th 2013 and will turn 6 years old next month. I adopted him on August 22nd, he was 39 days old and weighed 123 grams when i picked him up. My mom had a pet store and invited me to come with her to see her local snake breeder as she knew snakes were my favorite animal. He had only 1 baby normal ball python left to sell from the current clutch, i had him in my hand and he was just so adorable, even my mom found him cute and she wasn't too fond of snakes back then. She told me I was allowed to adopt him if I wanted him. I was 22 at the time and was completely able to care for him myself and pay for anything he needed. I just couldn't say no to such a cute little baby ball python and I adopted him. This was a spontaneous purchase which I usually never do without research but I asked the breeder many questions and decided that I could take care of my new little baby.

Since my mother had a store (which was in the house) I could literally just go downstairs and buy anything I needed for him. He started off in a 10 gallon tank but quickly moved up to a 40 gallon once he was settled in. I know most people advise against upping the tank size too soon but Crowley did fine and was eating well shortly after I got him. My mother already had the 40 gallon tank set up as a display for the store and she gave me that at a great discount for Crowley. I did tons of research about ball pythons the day I got him and learned everything I needed to take care of him. He had a cool side with a hide at around 80 degrees and a warm side with a hide at 90 degrees, I got him a fogger (which he still loves today) to keep his humidity at 55% or 70% while shedding. His setup got upgraded over time and I now use a thermostat to make sure his hot side doesn't get too hot and to keep his humidity perfect. He also had a water bowl and a volcanic rock to rub on for shedding. The spoiled little guy also had vines and branches to climb too. He was such a clumsy little noodle when he was a baby, he'd wake me up at night (he lived in my bedroom, I still lived at home back then) making noise from his butt falling off his branches, I'd get up thinking he got hurt but was always fine as he could only really fall 1 foot.

Here are some baby pictures of Crowley:
First is a picture the breeder took and is the youngest picture I have of Crowley, I unblurred it as much as I could with photoshop but it's still blurry.
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...HgI6lOHA_f4hZg
Next is a picture of Crowley in a cichlid rock, I learned to regret giving him a hide that has a bottom as once he shed and pooped/peed in there and wouldn't come out, I had to gently break the rock to get him out.
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...OWMZ0iGr4kPnuk
Next is a picture of Crowley with the tongue sticking out, hanging out on the couch with a blanket on it
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...UxYCgIcvD6aWQ0
Here it shows the full length of the little guy on the same couch and blanket
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...DiKNUHSJxKT7wE
Next is a baby picture of Crowley balled up, I edited out the background and made it clearer with photoshop
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...cHnqU_Ppio6X28
I will post in sections as there is a lot to say about Crowley for the almost 6 years that I haven't started this thread for till now. This post is all about his time as a baby.

Here is Crowley after he was a baby but before his adulthood, I guess you can say snake teens. So we has around 1 to 3 years old in these pictures. Now what can I say about these years? Well he became more social as I handled him more and more. He started to love massages, no worries I never squeeze him, I let him choose how hard he wants the massage by just offering my hand and he tightens himself to tell you to massage him and I'd pet his muscles. He'd even have his tail start waggling if he really liked it. At this time I had moved out with my boyfriend and liked in a basement apartment. He had a bed and a 2"x2" table to do "missions" on at that time. Of course he never stayed on the table and I was constantly having to grab him but that was just how his missions were back then. He got a little gym made of rope and java perches which I now call his little Crowleyland.

Here are some pictures of him around 1-3 years old.
I call this one, Crowley taking a selfie, as it looks like the tail is holding the camera as if he took his own picture
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...MWon1PH79ndY3A

Next is just a cute picture of Crowley with the tongue out
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...zc3LYDQqVnDVJs

Next is Crowley asking to come out after feeding him, this is what I call "smushing"
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...w9uNJDwDvdm9Jg

My first picture of Crowley yawning
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...YnUZqEHmEvIO0M

A cute picture of Crowley in his cave
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...MD3r-xfBCFmfYI

A picture showing Crowley's beauty
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...NzRi5ew9HKWYhQ

This next picture was on new years, I forget what year but we were at my parents place and when we came back home late he was in his branches. He was waiting for us to take him out all that time.
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...blr8SyttprehhA

I took him out pretty much daily back then for about an hour at a time, continuing to get him tamer and even better around humans.

Now comes Crowley's young adulthood. Our basement apartment flooded and Crowley got to live with grandma (my mother) for a little bit till we found a new place. I went to visit as much as possible but cried every time I had to leave my little Crowley at my parents place. Luckily that was only for about a month till we found a new apartment. I can tell Crowley was happy to be out of that dank basement and into an upstairs apartment. At this place he has a bed to do missions on and our first Christmas there my parents got him a bigger java branch which I now call his medium Crowleyland along with with old little Crowleyland too, he later got a tent to go in too. All this stuff to do on the bed and he'd still climb down and try to go in the computer. I always told him as I picked him back up "we don't go in computers".

Here are some pictures of Crowley from about 3-5 years old.

Crowley coming for the camera
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...Ks-rfr3v8t_fbY

Crowley on his medium Crowleyland
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...ejkdIhirE-v8G4

Crowley looking out the window, he couldn't do that at our basement apartment
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...YyGRGYSWN6GIKw

My first successful attempt at a panoramic shot, Crowley got so long he needs a panoramic shot just to capture the whole snake
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...zFWFqJqmcx0JjE

At this time he used to get lots of missions daily, other than after feeding and during shed of course. He'd get about 2 hours a day usually in 1 hour sessions.

It's always nice to see such a well-loved & well-cared-for snake enjoying his surroundings. You've done great by him, & if he had the right facial muscles, I'm
pretty sure he'd be grinning in most of these photos...;) I like his "normal" BP coloration too, he is a very lucky snake to have such a devoted owner. :gj:

Next is the most recent and we are now moved into our very own house! :) Crowley now has his own room to do missions in and got an old bird gym from what was my mom's macaw but is now mine since 2 months ago. We re-purposed the bird gym into something fitting for a snake and it is now called his big Crowleyland. So in that room he has so much stuff, he got a new bigger tank for himself when we moved (thanks again to my parents for buying and setting up his new tank, I think it's 60 gallons). Now his old tank is in his room with a cave in it, he has the small, medium and large Crowleylands, he has a scratching post and a tent and also another hide box. He's got so much stuff in his room for him he never gets bored. I can now also take him outside without having to worry about other tenants (we have an actual yard now). This is Crowley in his adulthood at over 4 years old to almost 6.

Here are some pictures of Crowley at the house.
I have this one in a huge poster frame, he is at the top of his big Crowleyland
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...FXGk9BmlUysu8E

here is Crowley in his new tank in his bamboo
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...ZLiNaCnGbOmzAc

Here is Crowley with his new plushy friend which I named Plush Crowley
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...Tw4sY2SZtNushA

Here is a nice zoom in on Crowley's head, he has a little scar on his head from trying to go in the closet and getting his head stuck in it. We fixed this by adding one of those bug guard things at the bottom, a trim or what ever they are called, this has worked and he can no longer stick his head in the closet. this was the one mistake I made as I didn't fully snake proof his room. He can now safely do missions in his room and no longer get in trouble. There are still a few places he shouldn't go so I supervise him the whole time he is in his room.
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...TWusQ5dhEUL_KQ

Here is Crowley enjoying his medium Crowleyland and his scratching post
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...2Rwwa1m8kaiRU8

Another cute picture with the tongue
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...izLx031WwZcWz4

And here is the comfy snake in his tent
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...FDFX5uM5JjAQeM

Now that he has his own room where he pretty much can't be bad he gets an average of 3 hours of missions a day and absolutely loves it. He can roam around his room all he want while I use the laptop that's in there, of course I check to see where Crowley is every 2 minutes. After he's done doing missions in his room and goes to either his cave or tent, I let him hang out there for a bit then I take his cave to the couch and hang out with him there. At this point the snake is as tame as can be, he is a lot less head shy, still enjoys the occasional massages and just loves being with his humans.

I recently got a camera that lets me upload the videos I take to YouTube (my phone's videos did not upload to YouTube for some reason) so i now have videos of Crowley doing missions in his room.

Here is one of them, hopefully the link works:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhi2AZkVESY

Here is my channel, it has videos of Crowley and mostly videos of my macaw, Jacob:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmI...tsZMycy5_84FFg

I think that's all the updates I have about Crowley for now. :) :snake:

That red ring on the rope appears (from here) that it might have enough room for him to get his head stuck in it? Might want to remove that? But otherwise
he clearly benefits from all this exercise...he's relaxed, curious, doesn't appear stressed, & I'm sure has better muscle tone than most other BPs lying around
all the time in their tubs. :gj: What a cute & personable BP & you've got some good creative ideas for things he can safely climb on. It's obvious that he
knows his way around too...:snake:

Love the video footage, and Crowley sure was a cutie as a baby! I'm not sure if you've already been asked this before, but out of curiosity, is he named after the Good Omens character? One of my all-time favorite books (though I have not yet watched the new TV series).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RedRabbit

Love the video footage, and Crowley sure was a cutie as a baby! I'm not sure if you've already been asked this before, but out of curiosity, is he named after the Good Omens character? One of my all-time favorite books (though I have not yet watched the new TV series).

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He is named after the Crowley from Supernatural, I also just liked that name because snakes crowl (crawl) around. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

That red ring on the rope appears (from here) that it might have enough room for him to get his head stuck in it? Might want to remove that? But otherwise
he clearly benefits from all this exercise...he's relaxed, curious, doesn't appear stressed, & I'm sure has better muscle tone than most other BPs lying around
all the time in their tubs. :gj: What a cute & personable BP & you've got some good creative ideas for things he can safely climb on. It's obvious that he
knows his way around too...:snake:

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Nah there is no way he'd ever fit his head in that, thanks for the concern on keeping my baby safe though. :) Crowley is such a spoiled little guy and I'm sure all that exercise is what got him to grow to 4'4" as I heard that is big for a male ball python, he also weighs 4 pounds.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Valyndris

He is named after the Crowley from Supernatural, I also just liked that name because snakes crowl (crawl) around. :)

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Here I thought you were a Downton Abbey fan...? :D (as in the Crawley family)

Crowley decided he wants to be a tree python now. I fed him last night and he decided to go bask under his heat lamp in his bamboo for about 6 hours (I went to bed before him so could of been longer). I always tell him he needs to rest and not climb all around his tank after eating, like he'd ever listen, that's not how snakes work but he took it easy in his branches and stayed in one spot, just readjusting slightly every once in a while. He does have a hide at 90 degrees so he could of went there to warm up if he wanted but he chose the bamboo, he did look very comfy though.

The rats I ordered from a new place last time and they came in half the size of what I'd normally get him, so eating small rats might be why he goes climbing after eating sometimes. Hopefully next time they get my order right and get proper sized rats for my little guy, with these rats I can feed him every 5-7 days whereas the bigger rats was every 10 days. I wonder, should I feed him 2 rats in a row? I've never done that and I'm not sure if he'd take a 2nd rat or am I better off just feeding more often like I have been?

Well here is a picture of Crowley hanging out in his bamboo after eating
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...-rPkby5gg_fHJE

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Valyndris

He is named after the Crowley from Supernatural, I also just liked that name because snakes crowl (crawl) around. :)

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Ah, how could I forget SPN's Crowley! :D

Here are Crowley's events from last night. He decided to pose all cute for the camera, this picture is just so cute other than it being a little dark, I don't like blinding him with the flash and I keep the lights dim for him as he is nocturnal and I don't want to confuse him by making it bright.

https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...PWHWTfxazAScH8

My husband was showing Crowley his buddy Plush Crowley and he gave him a boop on the forehead.
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...ptwT-1bddNo9sc

I went to get a drink and when I came back, I always open the door slowly, he was right at the door, I squeezed my way in and put my drink down, then grabbed the camera because the cute little guy found his escape route, I let him explore right outside his door before I put him back in the room.
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...xQSu21Mu9qUuMY

Also, during last night, my husband gave Crowley a nice little massage and that got him to pee right away, if Crowley could of said thanks he probably would of. It was an easy mess to clean up, I had to wash his heated blanket but it was due for a wash anyway. Normally I tend to wash things then he pees on it right after cleaning but not this time, glad I waited a bit to wash that blanket.

Here is a little short video of Crowley enjoying a massage then asking you all to boop the snoot. Since I was holding the camera I could only massage him with one hand but you can see him mushing onto my arm because he is enjoying the massage. Once I turned the camera off he was back to a 2 handed massage and he loved it. He even got the 4 handed massage last night as my husband was there too and he absolutely loves that, not sure why but my husbands massages get him really in the mood for more. He'll wrap his head around your hand and hold tight just so you can massage him harder. We don't squeeze him or anything and only massage so hard as we don't want to hurt the little guy even though he asks for the deep tissue massage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lU3Wa5q7Uk

Found Crowley like this, this morning, he thinks he's hiding. Glad he is in his warm side because I will be trying to feed him 2 rats for the first time in his life tonight. The batch of rats I got were a lot smaller than expected and are half the size of what I normally fed him (switched where I buy from), so I figured might as well try giving him 2 rats. He's eating those little rats every 5-7 days, so I want to try giving 2 and go back to feeding every 9-10 days.

Here is Crowley sleeping peacefully, thinking he's hiding just fine.

https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...3oMM-cTvPPWMOc

And an overhead shot
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...HCw3K0x2YdelZE

I got to wake up this morning to go "aww" because that is just so cute when he does this. :)

Well, I just offered Crowley 2 rats for the first time in his life. He gladly ate the first one but had no interest in the second one at all. I guess till my batch of smaller rats are gone, he will just be eating more often, which is fine by me. If he could talk he probably would of said "wtf mommy I already ate, why you shoving another rat in my face? I'm full!"

Here is Crowley picking out his next meal on his "menu".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrK7OoSAbtc

As some of you may know, I also have a macaw. I put the macaw poster and cockatiel poster I have in his room so he can look at the birds. He's so cute looking at the poster it's like he's picking his next meal on a menu. Of course he only eats frozen thawed rats and not exotic chicken but hey let the snake dream. :P

Oh you're such a TEASE! Talk about a "bait & switch", :rofl:

(BTW, some snakes will just only eat one item, no matter what size, & I guess you have "one of those". Silly sneks...)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Valyndris

He is named after the Crowley from Supernatural, I also just liked that name because snakes crowl (crawl) around. :)

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And here I was thinking Aleister...

Love the thread, keep 'me coming!

Just a few pictures from last night.

Crowley hanging out on his big Crowleyland:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/9pSyQOq.jpg

Crowley came over to see me:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/PcRDO5F.jpg

Zoom in on that beautiful face:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/r1Wzptg.jpg

Zoom in on his face, pointed at the snoot this time:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/0Lock62.jpg

That is all, have a nice day. :)

Last night with Crowley, I offered him a bath and some massages, I thought he was farting so I put his tail in the water to poop in there and then I found out he already pooped beside my leg. He made a human sized dump and got some on my shorts too so I did laundry with no pants on. I'm just surprised he was able to take such a huge dump without making any fart/pooping noises.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a58tG99eQ8

Crowley doing missions on his scratching post.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8Wj1F80vtg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Valyndris

Last night with Crowley, I offered him a bath and some massages, I thought he was farting so I put his tail in the water to poop in there and then I found out he already pooped beside my leg. He made a human sized dump and got some on my shorts too so I did laundry with no pants on. I'm just surprised he was able to take such a huge dump without making any fart/pooping noises...

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You forgot the old saying: "never trust a fart"! :rofl: Bad Crowley! ;)

Crowley doing missions on his big Crowleyland last night, he is super cute at 1 minute into the video, I just love that cute little face.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POqnMijG9uc

Today is Crowley's 6th birthday!
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...1EyC7-ajQZWbFw
Credit goes to https://www.deviantart.com/avalynbastian for the cute birthday snake art.

Here are some yesterday pictures of Crowley, wasn't quite his birthday yet but by the time I get pictures tonight I won't be able to post them till after his birthday.
His cute face.
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...bbjN3Kw7Ltwn9U

Hanging out on my keyboard.
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...XUHoh9sObbdmzE

I weighed him for his birthday and he is now 5 pounds. Last time I measured him on April 4th he was 4'4". Looks like he is getting more girth rather than length now. He was 3.6 pounds on April 4th but that was at the end of his 7 month fast. Since he's been eating again he's gained 1.4 pounds. He is so big for a male but he gets lots of exercise in his room everyday he comes out.

Happy Birthday, Crowley! You cutie-pie! :fest:

Happy birthday, Crowley! Lookin' real handsome at 6 years old!

Crowley says thanks for the happy birthdays, he got massages for his birthday last night and then was hanging out between my keyboard and monitor for at least an hour. He's just so adorable. :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylPAqh_Ye6c

So after 12 days of not seeing Crowley, he finally finished his shed today, I always miss him so much when he goes into shed mode. I recently added a couple perches to his scratching post to make it easier for him to climb. I showed him these for the first time last night. He investigated them and I think he likes them, it makes it so much easier to climb up and down his scratching post. I didn't take pictures of it as I was taking a video for the full duration that he was on the perches. Here is the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hreyvVKzIWc
I was just so happy to see my little Crowley once again, been so long since I've seen him that I actually called him Jacob (my parrot's name). He is such a good therapy snake and I felt so much better after having him out and watching him do his missions and of course giving him a few hugs.

Crowley enjoying some massages outside last night.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayTTh18EcuU

I finally got it on camera! I got Crowley giving me a hug on camera! He does it often but I just now finally got it on video. He'll go on my nose and stay there for a while like he's giving me a hug. To me this is my ball python being affectionate towards me, we can't know for sure what he's thinking nor can I confirm it's a sign of love/affection but regardless it makes my heart melt every time. He does it at least once a month.

I remember back when the basement apartment I lived in flooded and I had to relocate Crowley to my parents place for a month till I found a new place. I rarely got to see him during that time but would go over as often as possible to clean up after him and feed him, I never had much time to take him out and handle him as my parents went to bed shortly after he'd get up. Once we moved to a new apartment and got Crowley moved in with us, that night he went on my nose just like in the video and he held that position for at least 5 minutes. It was like he was so happy to be back together with his family. I cried with joy that night as I was reunited with my baby, was out of that dank basement and Crowley gave me a nice long hug.

I very rarely show my face on the internet but I found it worth it this time to show that (to me) snakes can be affectionate. You may choose to believe it or not but to me it is Crowley giving me a hug. He is different than most snakes as I give this little guy tons of attention compared to the average snake gets from a human. He is usually out with me for an average of 3 hours a night and at least an hour of that time he is around my neck or in his hide right beside me on the couch when I watch TV after he's done his missions in his room.

https://youtu.be/llSqoZc_6Vw

Here is a picture also:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/HKG7rl1.jpg

Aw, he wuvs you. :love: Though unless he learns to talk, we'll never be sure if he's "hugging you" or just enjoying your warm breath on his throat? :D....;)

(I also posted this picture in the most recent snake picture thread to show off my silly comedy) I made a noodle soup, no worries, the noodles were cooled down and I gave Crowley a bath right after. He actually seemed to enjoy his time in the soup as it was squishy comfy noodles. I was expecting him to slither right out of the pan but he stayed there like a good snake and let me take cute pictures. I did this as I decided I wanted to do themed photos of my pets for each room. Bath/shower time pics for the bathroom and my pets being the meal for the kitchen. It makes for cute funny photos and I find it better than just having regular pet pictures everywhere.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/gBKhSUD.jpg

But did you eat the noodles?

Sent using mental telepathy.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Samurai

But did you eat the noodles?

Sent using mental telepathy.

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That was 50 cents worth of ramen noodles, of course I ate them! It was delicious with the hint of snake oil in it. :)

Oh my gosh haha! Now Crowley is just making me crave some instant ramen.

So last night Crowley came out at his usual time at around 8:40 and was in full missions mode, he did 3 hours in his room and 1 hour on the couch, he wanted more but I don't let him stay out longer than 4 hours due to the lack of humidity and heat out of his enclosure. Today Crowley came out really early, his light shuts off at 6:50 and he was out by 7:15. I expected him to really be full missions mode today as he was out so early and looked excited to start his missions early... 25 minutes later he already went in his hide at 7:40 (7 minutes ago). I'm glad to say I put a small heat pad under there so that he doesn't come out cold anymore but comes out just right, his hide in his old tank in the room is now at 83ish degrees. Sometimes I wonder what goes on in that little brain of his, wanting to come out early just to go nap in his hide in the room. It's almost like he prefers it in his room because the door of his enclosure in here always stays open. He has the same hide in his main enclosure at the same temperature. Maybe he prefers it in his room because I sit at the computer right beside him, who knows. I just found it so cute that he came out early to go in his hide and had to share. :)

Crowley the king of dragons
Sequel to Game of Thrones spoiler: Drogon left to go find a new master. He has found him, King Crowley the giant serpent. He is loyal to his King as Crowley granted Drogon one wish. His wish was to resurrect his fallen brothers back to the living. Now Crowley and the dragon trio are out to conquer the whole world.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/kLYsGA2.jpg

So I got Crowley a size 7 crown ring and it fits perfect on his little head. I present to you King Crowley the royal python.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/DstN62O.png

Crowley being affectionate towards me. I love him so very much and this made my heart melt. I was in awe about this for days. I am putting this video in it's own thread as I feel like it needs to be seen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzXRFDfflGI

So I was sitting with Crowley on the couch, he looked like he was chillin' in his cave with the tail sticking out as he likes to do. I got up to discover his head was sticking out the other end (which has no entrance there). He is such a cute sneaky little guy. I think he wants to be a turtle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpOgxJS4k0c

Crowley "hugs" his hide when he wants to stay in there, he often does this to show me he wants to stay, he'll do that or slowly reverse back a little to tell me he doesn't want to come out. My snake has such good communication skills for something without vocal chords. 100% of the time when he hugs his hide like that he doesn't want to come out till maybe later. This time he did it on the couch in his hide, I think he liked that I put a heat pad under there.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/lAsebQj.jpg

This entire thread is so wholesome, finally got around to reading through every post and I love this so much. I love Crowleyland, wish I could set up something that nice for my BP! Having a snake safe room for my Noodle would be a dream. Also, I adore that "Crowley selfie" photo and the Crowley turtle video. So cute!

Crowley is such a well-loved and healthy looking BP, I'm sure that all that climbing around is great enrichment for him. He's very lucky to have such a devoted keeper. You two have a wonderful bond and it's always so nice to see your photos and videos. Crowley is definitely one of my favourite snakes on BP.net!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Luvyna

This entire thread is so wholesome, finally got around to reading through every post and I love this so much. I love Crowleyland, wish I could set up something that nice for my BP! Having a snake safe room for my Noodle would be a dream. Also, I adore that "Crowley selfie" photo and the Crowley turtle video. So cute!

Crowley is such a well-loved and healthy looking BP, I'm sure that all that climbing around is great enrichment for him. He's very lucky to have such a devoted keeper. You two have a wonderful bond and it's always so nice to see your photos and videos. Crowley is definitely one of my favourite snakes on BP.net!

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Aww, thanks, I love my little Crowley so much and spoiling him makes me as happy as him. He's a male and is 4'4", I'm sure all that exercise he gets has to do with it. Hope Crowley's room can give everyone ideas, a scratching post is pretty cheap for the amount of climbing space, I recommend one with the ladders though as I had to had perches for him to climb everything. :)

Crowley looks happy. Snake hugs are the best.

Thanks to some advice on these forums I decided to move Crowley's enclosure to his room so he is away from my macaw. I will leave him be till he adjusts but he seems to be doing just fine.

Here's a picture of his new setup in his room:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/LZK9fPJ.jpg

Crowley has been doing great since his move, I changed his hides to ones that don't require a bed for him to like it. They are a bit small and he lifts them sometimes (he still fits and loves them though) but my parents are in the process if figuring out the best materials and making him a couple new hides that will be specially made for him. My father does model train stuff and is really good at making things that are very similar to how to make a homemade hide. His room stays nice and warm and I made sure his temperatures and humidity in his enclosure were still right, I take temperatures all the time, can never be too sure.

After letting Crowley adjust to his new setup I finally took him out for some missions in his room. I fixed a few things that made it easy for him to go somewhere he shouldn't. He rarely does a "bad" mission now but I'm always watching him full time, glancing over every 10 seconds. I also have a nanny cam I watch right under my main monitor in the room (I always glance over too, never risk trusting something that can crash). He was asking to come out for days (riding the glass) but I got him to wait and get used to his new surroundings first. I first let him out for a short period, gradually giving him more time out each day. He is now averaging 2 hours out a day and seems to enjoy doing his missions very much. Here is a video of him doing missions in his room. This is the nanny cam's video and it is in night vision.
https://youtu.be/0fJnBv-dIdE

He hasn't eaten yet, he may be on his winter fast as he does this every year, maybe he is still adjusting. I try feeding him every 10 days. He doesn't come out of his room, if I'm to try doing couch missions with him again it won't be at least for another month. The bird would be sleeping upstairs when Crowley would go to the couch. Crowley is the type of snake that grew up having a few missions in a small area gradually getting more time out and bigger spaces. Now he has a whole room that never stresses him out, he was raised as an explorer and it is what he loves to do. He's a strong snake, an avid climber that got used to climbing from a small area gradually getting to a bigger climbing area when he became an expert at it, he is 4'4" long which I hear is big for a male.

I love him so much and I am so glad to see he is doing much better in his own personal room. Here he is in his hide on his heated blanket in his room, it is at around 87 degrees and he loves to take ~10 minute breaks in some of his hides once in a while then continues his missions, he has another hide at 80 degrees, the room is usually 77 degrees but he roam around on a heated blanket most of the time and doesn't really get cold, he also has a humidifier in the room. I only turned the lights up for the picture, I always have them dim for Crowley as he is nocturnal and I want to simulate night time while still being able to see him of course.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/rQR3bgq.jpg

In before the lock

So aside from the hides and the bird, nothing seems to have changed. The snake isn't eating, yet you continue to have him out for hours a day on these "missions" you've made up.
You claim to love him so much, but you refuse to take advice that will help the animal thrive. He's surviving, not thriving.
The way you keep that snake is selfish and in no way shows you love him. Love means sacrificing and doing what's best for the person/pet you love. Until you sacrifice your own needs to believe your snake is something he's not your snake (reminder, he's a SNAKE) will never thrive...because YOU CHOOSE to steal that from him.

You've been given tons of great advice, yet you pick and choose what to listen to...you refuse to accept anything that doesn't benefit YOU. And who suffers? Yup, Crowley who you "love" so much.

For your snakes sake, you really need to listen, otherwise the poor animal will never get the life he deserves.

Look, we're here to help. Taking time out of our days because we care. Please understand it's not about you, it's about the animal. And until YOU change, your animal will never thrive. We want to help you get there. Please, for your snake, start listening.

Please try to keep this thread positive, if you don't believe in my methods that's fine but don't bash me for it. Crowley is doing great, sure he's on his winter fast, ball pythons do that, not eating at this time of year is very normal for him. I am posting his progress on here as I like to have a thread with his life that I can keep forever, this thread is the easiest way to be able to tell stories while still being able to post pictures and videos. This is the only place I post now due to all the hatred I've gotten and all I ask is to keep it nice as I will be looking at the thread for years even after Crowley passes as a way to remember him.

He grew up gradually getting more and more missions, slowly getting more over the years, from having just a chair with him in my arms to a small table with his little Crowleyland to having a double bed with his little and medium Crowleyland on it and then his finally his room which gradually got more stuff over time. He's the type of snake that likes to be out and explore. He'll ride the glass of his enclosure most of the night asking to come out. He no longer spazzes and loves to climb me and come to my face and say hi. Whenever my husband and I sit on the floor he'll gladly come over and climb us. His room is heated and humidified to suit his needs, I come out of his room sweating as it's hot and humid just for him. I never take him out if he doesn't want to, which is very rare. He would probably get depressed if I didn't give him his missions, he's so used to it and loves coming out.

My methods are different yes but I raised this snake not in a tub, but with love and affection and with lots of enrichment to keep him happy and healthy. If you don't like how I do things and think my snake is stressed I'd rather you just sit back and watch this thread and see how Crowley does rather than attacking me for something you don't believe in. I've seen many times where people have said they have affectionate snakes and that they love to come out just like Crowley and they do fine. It is just not seen often as people usually dismiss it and attack people for thinking so. I've had many people come to me saying their snake is like Crowley but just don't like to post publicly about it. I've even had an expert with over 30 years of experience that has thousands of snakes (he has the staff to take care of everything) say he believes snakes can show affection. This expert raises snakes in tubs and also glass enclosures and has experienced so much in his life and knows so very much about snakes and the different ways of keeping them.