My BP has been out of his hides the last 2 days and he usually sleeps during the day and comes out when it gets dark. Yesterday morning he was out and real feisty striking when I would walk by. I thought he was hungry cause it was feeding day. However he didn’t eat his rat. Not sure if it’s anything to worry about. He’s my first snake and I’ve had him about 2 weeks.
A snake that is uncomfortable will be grumpy.
What are your temps and humidity? What kind of heat are you using? Lighting?
If you would post pictures of the enclosure that would be very helpful. There is definitely something off I believe with your husbandry. That kind of behavior is not normal for ball pythons so something is wrong. A picture of him would be nice too. Also what are you feeding?
Yeah that sounds like some stressed behavior.
Knowing the setup will definitely make it easier to pinpoint what’s wrong
I’m using 100w deep dome light in daytime, 100w Ceramic Heat Emitter Night Heat Lamp Bulb on a thermostat. Tank is 120G
The temps on hot side are usually from 85-91,cool usually around 75-77
Humidity around 50%. I do have trouble maintaining humidity. I have moss I spray and try to mix water in substrate. Got some hvac tape to use on the top screen.
He has been completely normal until recent. Just worried me. He ate real good last week and shed well. I don’t get him out much and when I do it’s maybe 15 min and never some days after he eats.
He eats F/T pup rats.
I have more green leaves I plan to add for clutter. I’m also working on him a background and other hid areas we are making ourselves
He looks pretty full in this photo as if he just ate. He may just not be hungry, but I also agree with @armiyana that his behavior also sounds like stress.
A 120gal might be too much space if he’s just a little guy still, especially if he was kept in a rack setup before you got him- it can be an extremely drastic change for him.
Definitely go for adding a bunch of clutter, don’t be afraid to overdo it either as they love it.
Thank you! He was fine the first week and few days but I just noticed this behavior. And he’s so grumpy and striking a lot more. I was just worried about him but I will def try adding the extra leaves and stuff I bought
You are welcome! Your setup looks great but a 120 tank is quite large for a baby or even a juvenile. Definitely try filling it with as much clutter as possible. And your boy looks to be a good weight so I would not worry too much about feeding him at this point. He just needs to feel safe and adjust to his surroundings. It may be a bit of a trial and error period but he will eat eventually. Keep us updated
Edit to add: Btw your boy is really pretty!
Awwww… Little cutie. Banana pieds are just adorable little guys.
If that first picture is recent, that is a bit of a stressed posture.
Also along with the clutter, if the hides are really roomy you can try adding a bit of moss or crumpled newspaper to make them tighter for the little one. He might just not be getting the comfortable squeeze he wants.
If adding more clutter doesn’t work I recommend trying to size down to a smaller enclosure or tub setup for a bit.
These little guys can stress out sometimes if they have too much space. They like finding tight little spaces to curl up in and ambush prey.
Once he’s eating well for you and getting more comfortable with you he might have the confidence for the larger space if you try again. Sometimes you need to space up a little at a time. These little guys can have all different personalities when it comes to their preferences in homes and sometimes as much as we want to offer a big space they just want a dark little tub to hide in.
This sort of thing happens a lot with BPs so don’t feel like it’s something you did. And skipping a meal or two while reorienting shouldn’t be an issue at all.
Thank you so much ![]()
Thanks! Yeah that pic was just a day or 2 ago. He has been defensive since I got him but little worse lately. I know he is just scared


