Possibly sick BP, could really use some help figuring out if it's a big deal or not

[Malum Argenteum]

Sorting through information online is challenging at the best of times, so I always take what I read with at least some grain of salt. The issue with husbandry stuff I keep coming up on is just the sheer amount of information available, much of which can be challenging to navigate and is often conflicting.

One thing that helps a lot is knowing how to determine if an animal care site is written by someone knowledgable. Websites that should be ignored (found by searching 'ball python care') are:

-- those with cute, generic, or novelty names: 'cutesnakes.com', 'ilovepythons.com', 'happysnake.com' (I made these up, but you get the idea).

-- those that are 'Amazon Affiliates', who are just trying to sell stuff. One famous site of this sort is claiming that to care for a BP I need a UVB lamp (which isn't at all necessary) and Repashy Calcium Plus (which is a terrible idea, since Vitamin A overdose is pretty likely, and rodents already have a perfect calcium/phosphorus ratio). This site also recommends incandescent lamps for heat, and additionally a heat mat only if the room goes below 70F at night. This site also advises putting the heat mat temp probe in the enclosure with the snake (rather than taped to the mat, since "this does not enable the thermostat to control the temps that the animal feels, only how hot the heat mat itself gets. In other words, it renders the thermostat almost entirely ineffective."

-- those that have "care sheets" for a very wide range of herp species (snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs, in one I found). This is the easiest red flag to spot, and will weed out about 90% of the junk. No one knows how to care for all these species, and anyone who is very knowledgable about the one or two groups of animals they're invested in isn't going to publish a bunch of fluff about other species.

-- those that are way oversold: "This complete guide will teach you everything you need to know about ball python care." It might teach everything the author knows about ball python care, I suppose.

-- those that have impossibly basic information: "(Ball pythons) are known for their unique characteristics. They have stout body, a small head, and smooth scales. Their coloration varies widely, the most common being a base color of brown or black with light brown or gold sides and dorsal blotches. The belly is usually white or cream." Use this clue to tell what level of readership they're targeting, which is casual clickers rather than actual owners doing real research.

Unfortunately, it isn't possible to Google questions and get answers anymore -- the internet is flooded with AI written nonsense. You need to find a reliable source of information first, and then dig around there.