URGENT: Need Advice About Ball Python Swollen Face

[Bogertophis]

As far as cage size, there's more than one issue, & snakes are "individuals" too (they might not all be looking for the same thing).

For an adult male BP, on average most (in the US*) tend to think that an enclosure that's 3' long & 18" wide is good. It's safe to assume that many breeders provide less than that, while some private owners prefer to go bigger, & apparently keepers in Europe/Germany (etc.) tend to favor much larger enclosures than in the U.S. So there's no easy answer.

Height of enclosure can be important: Snakes are less likely to rub their heads/noses (on the "ceiling") when it's higher (harder to reach). But the downside is that with a taller enclosure comes the fact that more air space is that much harder to heat & to keep humid enough for a BP. No one said this is easy...

If your snake is being restless, it's important to find out why before you try to fix it. It might not be that he wants more space...only that he's uncomfortable with what he's got. This could mean not enough 'cover': does he have a cool side hide AND a warm side hide? & are they the right type? (what exactly are you using for him? Sizes & types?) It could also mean temperatures aren't comfortable- too warm or too cool. Time to recheck that.

BPs may climb a little over lower branches- they might also appreciate more "clutter" (fake plants, etc). Also, if his home is in a busy part of your home, that too might be unsettling to him, & make him push to escape. Or if there's other issues going on- other pets nearby, loud music (vibrations) etc.

Hunger can also make a snake want to escape to go hunting for more food. Is he being fed enough? (Since we're not seeing him...) Vet can help w/ this too.

I would reassess all this first, rather than quickly changing his home, as that too is very unsettling to a captive snake. But right now, it's important to figure out if he's pushing on his face, & if so, why? The vet can help figure out if that's what likely caused this swelling. (By ruling out other things like an impacted tooth, etc.) Sadly, this is an issue that we see now & then with captive snakes, not just BPs. (We see more BPs here just because of the forum name but many here have all kinds of snakes, myself included.)