Hello! I’m new here so bare with me on my first post.
I got a ball python a little over a year ago, she’s a pied ball python and she’s been really great but recently I noticed she’s sitting under her water ball and isn’t very active even at night. She’ll eat, but I don’t know if I’m overthinking. Her tank is 70 degrees with 50-60 humidity, nothing has changed since last June, but I’m worried about the lack of activity currently especially since there’s no sign of shedding. I redid her enclosure the beginning of April and she was thriving up until 2 weeks ago I want to say? I don’t have any good recent pics of her.
Your temperature is WAY too low. The hot side should be 86 to 88 degrees with a basking spot of no higher than 90 degrees. I am surprised that she is even eating.
It would be good if we could see her entire set up…….
Agree with others that she needs warmer temps. Hot spot in high 80s, warm side should have an ambient temp in the low to mid 80s. For reference, I try to not let the cool side of my snakes’ enclosures drop below about 75F (I don’t keep ball pythons but do keep two species with similar requirements). Your humidity sounds good, but temps definitely need to be warmer.
What sort of heating device are you using? Just wondering if the fix is as simple as setting your thermostat higher, or if you’ll need a different/additional heating element.
I have 2 heating mats at max heat, but if there’s any suggestions to help increase temp that would be great. Like I said she’s been thriving until now.
What kind of heat mats and when we see her set up we should be able to help you. Does she poop regularly? I really don’t like the look of her substrate just from what I can see. I am not being critical at all. We all just want to help her and you.
If the room the enclosure is in routinely gets below 75F, heat mats aren’t going to be enough on their own. Heat mats do a good job at creating a hot spot on the ground, but they don’t do much to raise the ambient temperature in the enclosure.
I’d recommend adding some sort of overhead heat source. A ceramic heat emitter, deep heat projector, or radiant heat panel could all work and would all be effective at increasing the ambient temperature. They each have their pros and cons. What sort of enclosure are you using?
Also, what do you mean when you say your heat mats are “on max”? Does that mean you’re not using a thermostat and are just using a dimmer attached to the heat mat? If so, you’re going to want to invest in a thermostat. What kind of thermostat will depend partly on which overhead heating element you decide to go with.
Knowing more about your current enclosure and setup will help me to know which direction to point you in regarding overhead heat/thermostats.
It’s on maximum heat according to the dimmer, I have a thermostat and humidity gage as well, but I’ll definitely figure out an ambient heat for her. It’s a 40 gal front opening enclosure with a mesh top that I cover with a towel to avoid mold build up. Her tank is bioactive with cocofiber sphagnum moss, cork wood, regular wood, monstera plants, and plant soil for the monstera as well as grow lights that are only on during the day. Everything baked or otherwise cleaned before being put in the tank. I plan to add extra coverage but like I said I’ll send a pic when I’m home.
Thank you! Admittedly I adopted her off impulse and have been trying to compensate for that in trying to make sure I take care of her as well as I can, she’s my first snake so it’s been a lot of learning and adjusting so I’m happy to improve her tank however I can. Temperature I’ll definitely figure out ASAP and I plan to add more clutter and a bigger hide on the warmer side.
Do you have a thermostat, or a thermometer? A thermostat is a device you plug your heat source into to keep a steady temperature. A thermometer measures temperature. (If you already know this, I apologize, but I’ve seen people confuse those things before.)
The reason why I’m harping so much about a thermostat is that you will absolutely need one for your overhead heat source. I do not recommend just using a dimmer for that, you need something that can adjust the heat output without you having to manually monitor and adjust it, otherwise it’s very easy to burn or cook your snake.
Since you’re using a glass enclosure, that kind of rules out radiant heat panels. They work better with PVC enclosures. Look into a ceramic heat emitter or a deep heat projector. One of those would probably be easiest with your setup.
Could be cold seeking and building to. Try doing a substrate change or adding more enrichment if they feel exposed they will tend to do that as well i added a 3rd hide for one of mine facing the back so he cant see me if i walk in. Agreed with everyone on temps being to low i run 78 to 80 on cold side and 88 to 90 on hot side heat mats on a thermostat and 55 to 65 percent humidity. If your using warm water in bowl might be to hot in hide if your not using therm. Mats can be just as dangerous as rocks if not they say 90 max but i ran my gun over one and it was 125.
Get the monstera plants out. They are appropriately named. In a limited space they release an alkaloid that kills everything around them then usurps the nutrients made available. Once they start pushing out adventitious roots, things start dying.
In a terrestrial space they will cause many plants to languish. If it manages to send a root into a neighbors pot, the neighbor will get sick.
In an aquatic situation they even kill all or most of the beneficial bacteria, fish, inverts etc then put on a flush of growth.
I have experimented with this several times and always come to the same conclusion. Monstera needs to be kept alone.
All good, I understand. I have 2 heat mats and a zoo med digital thermometer as well as a thermostat. There’s things I need to add, but this is how it looks right now. There’s 3 hides and underground space for her to move around in too.
Pothos, tapestry vine, spider plant, wandering jew, hoya, any type of melon if you have good lighting, really any non spinous type as long as it grows with the light you have available. Stay away from plants with a milky latex as they are often an irritant as well. Dandelion is an exception to that. If the light available is sufficient any of the edible grasses will work too and will tolerate a beating as well as an occasional trimming to maintain neatness. Oats, wheat, barley.
There are a few that should not be used in an enclosed space or around other life. Monstera tops that list. Purple velvet (Gynura aurantiaca) is so beautiful but the hairs can cause respiratory issues. Avoid pointsettia, rhubarb, castor beans. I have tried almost every type of plant I can find. Even gone as far as trying to grow cacti in a hydroponic set-up.
Research any plants before using them. If using commercially available plants, wash them and take cuttings. Use the cuttings in the terrarium.
I’m not saying you need to have plants because maintaining them can be a whole other hobby but definitely make sure that they are non toxic/harmless.
I think everyone else has covered the heating issues you’re having, I would follow their advice on that subject.
This is probably the most helpful list of plants I’ve ever gotten thank you so so so much. I’ve been trying to find good articles and information on plants but this is the most coherent.
Ah, I see the problem regarding temperature. With that thick substrate, a heat pad on the bottom of the enclosure is probably not penetrating that substrate at all. So yeah, overhead heating will definitely help.
What sort of thermostat do you have? I ask because different heating elements require different thermostats.
A ceramic heat emitter would probably be the least expensive option. It’s kinda like a lightbulb that produces heat but no light. The heat emitter itself is inexpensive, and it can function with a simple, cheap on/off thermostat. I’d recommend putting it on top of the screen in a housing, as it gets really hot and can cause nasty burns if the snake comes into direct contact with it, so keeping it outside the enclosure is safer. One big downside to CHEs is that they dry out the air quite a bit, so that makes it harder to manage humidity. Be prepared to be adding water to the enclosure a lot more often if you use a CHE. But they do a very good job of increasing the ambient temperature.
Second option would be a deep heat projector. It’s a different kind of bulb that produces heat but no light, and screws into a lightbulb housing just like a CHE. They don’t dry things out as badly as a CHE, which is nice. The main potential downside for your situation is that it produces a more focused beam of heat, so it’s not going to warm the whole enclosure as well as a CHE, but it will still increase ambient temps and will create a nice hot spot. Other downside is that it requires a more expensive thermostat that is pulse proportional and/or dimming.
I use both a CHE and a DHP for different species. Because I live in quite a dry climate, I avoid CHEs for more tropical species that need higher humidity. It just makes it too hard to maintain humidity. I use a DHP (or radiant heat panel) when humidity is a concern, and I use a CHE for my more arid species. But your mileage may vary depending on your climate.
