Things you wish you knew before getting a ball python

[BallPythonWannaBe]

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


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

[Godzilla78]

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

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

[KillerKame]

That they are so addictive.

[GrimsStation]

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

[GrimsStation]

Oh and what would you suggest for keeping the humidity up

[Caali]

Oh and what would you suggest for keeping the humidity up

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.

[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!

[artgecko]

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.

[SiXandSeven8ths]

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.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

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!

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.