1. Better husbandry practices. I originally got into snakes due to a friend of mine who had a few reptiles and I trusted her knowledge, but she didnt know much more than your average pet owner. When I asked her for a list of supplies for my BP a thermostat wasn't on the list, so I started out with a screen top tank filled with aspen and nothing to regulate my heat source. Ouch.


2. Quarantine. I added snake after snake to the same rack for so long that I'm lucky I never had an outbreak of any sort. I have a separate room for new arrivals now, but sometimes I forget about it and add a new snake right in with my established collection. Oops. Eventually I want to move most of my collection to a different part of the house. That should help my brain switch gears.


3. Racks are great. Not only are they easier to keep up, but the BPs love them. While it's possible to make them comfortable in tanks with enough work, racks are so much better at holding heat and humidity and giving them a sense of security. Some snakes are well-suited for tanks, but for BPs it's racks all the way.


4. Feeder sizes vary. Though most people can agree on what a pinky is, there are different names for different sizes and sometimes different gram weights for different size names. My local mom and pop pet shop doesn't do fuzzy rats, it goes from pinkies to pups. I've also noticed that some rodent suppliers start smalls at 40 grams while others start at 50. I wish we could standardize feeder sizes.


5. Fasting is not inherently bad. With most ball pythons it's inevitable. Sometimes it means you fed them a bit much and they're full. Or the temp is off. Or the humidity is off. Sometimes there doesn't seem to be any reason at all. Snakes can go without food for a long time without losing weight or suffering any ill effects. Waiting until they're ready to eat is so much better than trying to force the issue.