Hello,

My fiancé and I recently adopted our 9 month old ball from a family nearby about 2 weeks ago. We don’t know much beyond their teenager bought the snake from a specialty reptile shop and they needed it to go to a good home. This kid apparently purchased it without getting permission and caused quite a stir in his household. We’d been planning on purchasing a python or boa so volunteered to take him despite having planned to get a younger one initially. We adore him and because I work from home, I enjoy having the company for late nights. Watching him climb and slither around is a real treat.

I have done extensive research on owning and caring for pythons for years. Also I’ve read a lot quite frequently in the last few months, for obvious reasons. I’ve done everything I can to create an ideal environment for Jolly (named after Jolly Roger, since his favorite hide is a skull and we love pirates) but am having significant issues with maintaining stable humidity. I come from Florida so I am used to humid air, but here it’s very dry.

Luckily I am around to mist the tank frequently but it isn’t a permanent solution. What happens when we go on vacation for Thanksgiving? I find myself having to spray 2-3 times a day just to keep it between 50-60. We don’t have a tank with a glass top, just the screen. I’ve heard towels help? Is there a specific terrarium we should save up for? Anything I can do in the mean time?

Right now I use aspen bedding because I’ve heard it’s a good, clean and safe substrate for balls. I’ve also heard it doesn’t hold humidity as well as other products. He has a large water bowl, since he's almost two feet now and I hoped it'd help with the humidity. Any thoughts? It's quite the process. To sleep I have to mist the tank, only cover half the top, leave one bulb on and set an alarm to get up and do it again.

As a side note, he has been yawning frequently and rubbing his head on the glass of his tank or décor. Is he feeling out his new environment? I worry he’s pressing too hard or something might be bothering him. I’ve checked for mites, but he’s never showed signs. And he ate without issues two days ago. He yawns so much, I’ve never seen any discoloration. We’ll be taking him to the vet soon, sooner if we see any problems but otherwise he seems like a happy, content snake. Hides most of the day, comes out to explore and climb at night. He’s such a cutie. We just want to give him the best we can. I am still astounded with how intuitive he seems to be.

Sincerely,

Dori