I would appreciate some friendly advice about Ball-Pythons please!!

[S.Strozzi]

Ok so, we aquired a 5yr old male ball python from a lady who developed an alergen to rats. We should have gotten more info before we go thim, but my husband wouldnt wait, and he claimed to know what he was doing. Truth be told he only knows how to hold him. He put raw soil from outside in the tank and some grass seed, but i made him bake it at the very least. He seema to be getting a pink belly at a slowish rate. I read that there could be many causes like starting to shed, not accustomed to the substrate, bacteria, too much moisture, mites and so on. I cant find anything on characturistica of a shed, bacteria or mites. So, if it is the soil then what IS a good substrate that can grow vines and such?? I also cant find what the appropriate humidity is supposed to be at. I do have his basking side at almost a constant 90 give or take a degree, and his cooler side at 80 give or take a degree. I cant find an accurate answer about humidity either, it seems to vary a lot. We do lice in a moit area so i know that will effect him, so what is a good humidity?? I also read that they require baths. His water dish is big enough, but he only drinks it. He does like the faucett tho. How often do they need baths, whats the best way to do it and what do i put in it?? Im sure i have many many more questio.s, but im kinda rushed at the moment. And additional info would be greatly appreciated, as long as its friendly!! Thanks for your time.

[kat_black181]

First, outside soil probably isn't a good thing to put in the tank. There's no telling what could be in it. I use aspen, but I have no idea what you could use to grow plants in.

For the humidity, anywhere from 50-70% should be fine. I keep mine 60-70% personally.

Ball pythons don't really need baths unless they decide to paint the tank after going potty or to help remove mites. I'm not sure where you heard that.

[kat_black181]

Oh, and congrats on your new addition! :-)

[NH93]

I second all of that ^
I myself am very new to ball pythons, and even though I have another snake, I am new there as well. However, I would suggest against having live plants in with your snake - not only because, depending on the species of plant, they can be toxic to snakes, but because ball pythons may climb and will ultimately destroy live plants (or so I've heard)!

Like all snakes, ball pythons shed their skin, and there really is no reason to give them a bath... but, since you are using soil at the moment, I would assume your snake could become filthy. I would just rinse him/her under tepid water, or let him/her slither through a damp paper towel in your hands.

There are many care sheets on this website that will give you all the information you need to know. People use many different kinds of substrates, from aspen or different kinds of mulch, to something as simple as newspaper.

Please take some time to read over those sheets Best of luck!

[BigJayPiercer]

First, outside soil probably isn't a good thing to put in the tank. There's no telling what could be in it. I use aspen, but I have no idea what you could use to grow plants in.

For the humidity, anywhere from 50-70% should be fine. I keep mine 60-70% personally.

Ball pythons don't really need baths unless they decide to paint the tank after going potty or to help remove mites. I'm not sure where you heard that.

X 2

And congratulations on your new addition. If you really want to keep him in a living Viv yoi can use a base layer of Eco Earth with about 2" of Cypress mulch on top of it. I have had living Vivs setup for my Macklot's Pythons in the past. It looked pretty cool until the flattened all the vegetation. Plus it's a pain to keep clean without introducing a colony of Springtails. The last straw was when I moved on of their basking rocks to find a budding colony of Sugar Ants.

Now I exclusively use Aspen for all my snakes.

Sent from my LGL45C using Tapatalk 2

[MootWorm]

Hi there, welcome and congrats on the new addition! First off, I'd take a look at the care sheets posted on this site. They're awesome! Your temps sound good, but if you don't already have one, definitely invest in a thermostat to control your heat source. How is the tank heated? Humidity should be around 50-60%, bumped up to 70 during a shed.

I would definitely get rid of the outside soil ASAP. You can put him on paper towels or newspaper for the interim. If you have your heart set on a planted tank, you can pick up organic potting soil, make sure it doesn't have any additives. If you already have plants, check to make sure they're reptile safe. I'd recommend pothos or ficus, or a bromeliad if you want some color. Fair warning, be prepared to replace often if they get crushed

[Neal]

Congrats on the snake and yea I would never use anything from outside. With all the pesticides and crap they use now days there isn't any telling whats in there.

[bandicoot4]

congrats on the new addition. i use paper towels, its easier to clean in my opinion and to keep the humidity i mist every other day depending on how well the humidity is holding up. oh welcome

[B.O.S Reptiles]

All the info above is great. Some recommended things like aspen, some recommended things like paper towels. If your snake is in a glass tank: use aspen. If your snake is in a plastic tote: use paper towels. The reason I say that is because paper towels do not hold in as much humidity as Aspen bedding. Glass tanks are usually bad enough at holding humidity as is, so it's good to try and finds little ways to raise it. (E.I live plants, humid bedding, misting, etc).
Pathos are perfectly fine for Ball Pythons, but I must warn you: Your snake WILL destroy it. Lol
Welcome to the site, the hobby, and congrats on your new Ball Python.

[alykoz]

Don't use a substrate not specific for ball pythons. Alot of them have chemicals that are toxic to your snake!