#ball python tips

[danieldreamwalking]

GUESS WHOS GETTING A SNAKE TOMORROW

BEEN PREPARING FOR THIS FOR YEARS

MY LIL SNEKY BABY

ITS GONNA BE SO AWESOME 😈

HE COMES HOME IN A BAG 😃

WILL POST ONSHOT OF HOW I GOT HIM IN MY MCU DR SOMTIME CUZ I SCRIPTED HIM IN LITERAL *YEARS* AGO

[beetlejuicesgraveyardrevue]

Hi snakeblr/reptiblr! My girlfriend and I are planning on moving across the country in the near future. We're in the very early planning and saving stage right now and the thing I'm most concerned about is organizing travel plans for my pets. Obviously there's a lot of moving parts that go into traveling with any animal, I have 2 dogs and 2 cats as well, but as a relatively new snake dad (1 BP and 1 corn, I’ve had both for a little under 1 year) I'm interested to hear if/how other reptile owners have done long distance moves like this. I'm considering leaving my snakes in their current set ups with a friend, getting entirely new set ups once get to my new place, and then having them ship the snakes to me once everything's settled... but that leaves me with quite a bit of anxiety because i'd really rather be in charge of their care... at the same time a 3 day long car ride with dogs, cats, and snakes doesn't sound like a great option either. I just really want them to arrive safely with as little stress for them as possible. I've considered rehoming them locally before I leave but that's an absolute last resort, they're my kiddos and I want them with me forever. I would be devastated to rehome. Would love any advice or stories if you have them to share!

[orochihigh]

Snake School is Back in Snession!

Here’s the new and improved Orochi High snaracter lineup! A few things have changed (They’re sneniors! O-Hi is in Snokyo now! There’s a new guy!), but for the most part, they’re the same old snaracters you fell in love(?) with seven years ago. Enjoy, and keep those snoots astute. The best is yet to come!

Updated snaracter descriptions below:

Truffle Amaguchi

Species: Ball Python (Silver Bullet Morph)

Length: 0.7 meters

Age: 18

Truffle Amaguchi is an ordinary girl starting her final year at Orochi High. She was born in Osnaka and moved with her mom and little brother to Snokyo two years ago.

Truffle is a romantic with very little real-life experience. She loves reading shoujo snanga, and has somewhat unrealistic expectations as a result. Her hobbies are reading, collecting bones and natural hisstory items, and going to the museum. Truffle does well in school, but has been struggling recently, putting her university hopes in jeopardy.

Truffle’s favorite snekcessory is a cute red bow with a mouse skull in the middle. She has a tiny kink on the tip of her tail.

Mochi Shinda

Species: Western Hognose (Wild Type)

Length: 0.5 meters

Age: 17

Mochi Shinda is a short Western hognose who was Truffle’s first friend at Orochi High. A mischievous prankster, she comes off as a bit insensitive but cares more than she lets on. She has been known to play dead to get out of unpleasant situations (like gym class).

Mochi enjoys cooking for her five younger sniblings and inventing new dessert recipes.

Mochi always wears a cool spiked taillet.

Marzipan Ono

Species: Burmese Python (Hypomelanistic Morph)

Length: 4.5 meters

Age: 18

Marzipan Ono is a big girl with big headboobs and an even bigger heart. Soft-spoken and shy, she does her best to stay out of the way but inadvertently causes accidents and injuries because of her size. Marzipan loves animals and has a pet bunny named Minchi. She volunteers at the local zoo. Her favorite animal to work with is Meg the giant ground sloth, who is currently pregnant and expecting a calf soon!

She wears a tiny pink bow on her tail at all times.

Atheris Hispida

Species: Hairy Bush Viper (Wild Type)

Length: 1 meter

Age: 18

The mysterious, venomous Atheris Hispida has always counted on his “tough guy” status to keep sneople at tail’s length, but when Truffle stumbles (literally) upon his deepest secret, he fears his reputation is at stake!

He wears his tie loose because he thinks it makes him look cool (it does).

Nise Ashinashi

Species: “Kingsnake”

Length: 2 meters 

Age: 19

Not much is known about secretive new transfer snudent Nise Ashinashi. He moved to Snokyo from Nagasnaki and he comes from a wealthy kingsnake family, but that’s about it. Nise keeps his cards close to his…neck? Or is he more tail? He has a distrust bordering on prejudice towards venomous species, though he is warming up to Yakamashii. 

Whatever you do, don’t steal his beanie, no matter how tempting it is. Ever.

Yakamashii Ogoe

Species: Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Wild Type)

Length: 1.2 meters

Age: 18

Loud, outgoing, and sometimes annoying, Yakamashii Ogoe is nevertheless Atheris’s closest friend. They grew up together in the same neighborhood and bonded over shared experiences (and tastes in video games).

Despite carrying a nasty hemotoxin in his fangs, Yakamashii is mostly harmless. He excels at sports and hopes to become captain of Orochi High’s successful Koudo ( 絞道 - "Way of the Wrap") team this year.

The O-Hi tail band he wears shows off his school spirit!

Monoko Mori

Species: Monocled Cobra (Albino Morph)

Length: 1.5 meters

Age: 19

Regarded as the most beautiful girl at Orochi High, Monoko Mori has many admirers. Despite being confessed to on an almost daily basis, she has turned down every single suitor so far. Though she is not unkind, her quiet demeanor and disinterest in dating have earned her the reputation of being cold.

Her striking albino coloration, while attractive to many, makes her sensitive to light and susceptible to sunburn, so she is often forced to limit outdoor activities.

Her hood piercing stands in stark rebellion against her otherwise pristine appearance.

Hachi Mitsu

Species: Ball Python (Bumblebee Morph)

Length: 0.8 meters

Age: 18

Unlike most of his peers, Hachi Mitsu seems to have it together. He knows what he wants to be when he grows up (video game designer), and he knows what he’s got to do to do it (get good grades and make it into the prestigious Snokyo Institute of Technology). He and Marzipan become fast friends after he offers to tutor her in snath.

He has a neurological condition called “the wobble,” which he inherited from his dad’s side of the family. He’s pretty good with a power chair, though–just watch your tail!

Hatchi has contacts, but prefers to wear glasses at school because he thinks they make him look smart.

Jun Aoki

Species: Emerald Tree Boa

Length: 1.2 meters

Age: 18

Jun is a striking emerald tree boa that lives with their grandmother in an apartment building near the coast. At school, they usually keep to themselves, doodling in the margins of their homework or painting elaborate landscapes in Creative Club after class. Most snudents consider them unusual and intimidating, but few have taken the time to really get to know them.

They enjoy collecting shells with their grandma and keep their favorite, a beautiful textile cone, on a cord around their neck.

[saltycharacters]

[ID: Artwork depicting Klavier Gavin from Apollo Justice / Ace Attorney in the Owl House universe. He’s posing casually while angling his staff like a guitar, and his ball python palisman is balancing on its tip. Following this is a brief comic comparing Owl House’s Light Glyph to the meme, “Me as a Baby”, showing that the symbol in the middle resembles the strange clothed gnome- the artist is also drawn in the corner squinting at this and murmuring, “Holy shit”. End ID]

I've Owled Klavier Gavin's House

-----------

Don't forget, help Palestine:

-> arab.org <- Click once a day for free

-> gazaesims.com <- Instructs how to donate esims

-> gazafunds.com <- Randomly selects a fundraiser for you to support

-> Fundraiser spreadsheet <- Lists Gazan fundraisers

-> Operation Olive Branch Spreadsheet <- Lists other ways to support

-> Resource link google doc <- Has tons of information and links

[fellowshipofthenoodles]

Hi! I met a ball python at a small animal rescue yesterday with the spider morph "wobble" condition. He was surrendered by a previous owner. Because the shelter is overwhelmed, he's in a pretty small enclosure (basically a plastic drawer - the rescue is at-capacity and doing the best they can). I got to interact with him a bit and I'm considering adopting him. I don't have any other pets and can provide a pretty stress-free environment, but I'm still unsure if it's wise to adopt him or not. He's 10 years old and his wobble is considered "moderate". Do you have any tips on keeping a wobbly snake? Any help is appreciated - thank you!

Hello!

Thank you for considering adopting him, we need more people who want to give them good lives rather than breed them ❤️

Generally good a big thing to keep in mind with wobbly snakes is the decor. They can get caught on things easily and sometimes can be at risk of hurting themselves or having decor fall on them. Very sturdy decor is ideal, you want bigger pieces of wood and such that you can make sure are very stable and not going to fall or move easily. Avoid things like hanging plants since they can get tangled in them, using larger standing plants that won’t be a tangle risk is the best option for greenery.

Be prepared with feeding that they are more likely to bite you during this because of the difficulty orienting themselves. Anything that can cause stress or excitement will make the wobble worse so food time can be precarious. We’ve found that drop feeding is an easier way to do things both for us and for Dizzy.

We don’t really handle Dizzy except for health checks, we don’t want to add stress and since handling isn’t necessarily enjoyable we keep it at a minimum.

They can be more sensitive to heat so having the heat a degree or two lower than the typical recommendation can help with not making the wobble worse.

Unfortunately snakes with the wobble do often have shorter lives, closely monitor him and see if the wobble gets worse with no signs of improvement. If you feel like he has little quality of life then take him to the vet. It’s a sad part of keeping wobbly snakes but important to keep in mind. Ball pythons can live for 20-30 years though so if he’s around 10 then he likely still has a few years at least and a good home can go a long way to helping his wobble!

I hope this helps with your decision ❤️

[maculategiraffe]

hello! was it difficult to socialize hildegard? have you ever been bit? does it hurt?

ball pythons are generally extremely docile and highly recommended for beginner snake owners because they have basically no aggressive instincts. their standard operating procedure when they think they might be under attack is to hide, under their own butts if necessary. so in terms of socializing her it was mostly about taking a little self woven basket of noodle out of her terrarium and putting her on our ankles under a blanket and then waiting for her to slooooooowly relax and uncoil and start exploring. by now she is completely unafraid of us and doesn't even flinch when we pet her head unless she didn't know we were there (she doesn't see very well so she flinches easily from any sudden movement in the vicinity of her face, more from instinct than actual nervousness I think). she likes my boyfriend better than me because his body is APPARENTLY the perfect temperature for warming her little tummy on and she will squiggle around until she finds his leg and then pile herself up on his shin and fall asleep.

the only time either of us has been bitten is once when my boyfriend went to feed her and she accidentally struck his hand instead of the rat. (we consider this user error on our part and fairly easy to avoid with proper use of rat tongs.) she let go immediately (unlike when she accidentally struck a towel near the rat she was aiming for and decided to just try and eat the towel instead) and the injury was extremely minimal. teeny tiny pinpricks that only broke the skin because of the force of her strike. her teeth are soft and flexible, somewhat like toothbrush bristles, and she isn't venomous, so a bite isn't a big deal unless she is actively trying to swallow you whole, and even then it's mainly a problem for her. there are tips and tricks online for getting a really determined and misguided ball python to let go of something they have decided they are going to eat, including a finger, but I've never had to try any of them and even then I think for the finger in question it's more like being caught in one of those little finger trap toys than being devoured by a beast.

she's definitely the best and prettiest and most wonderful noodle in the whole world but other ball pythons are probably pretty good too

[solisitude]

oh my god any black sisters hcs?? pls?? they're so underrated i fear

now THIS is a damn good ask anon THANK YOU for this. and you bet your ass i have some good ones for them.

narcissa black headcanons

has always been very tall

has very fragile bones but has never so much as sprained an ankle

exceptionally smart in arthimacy

never rushes about. she is always perfectly calm

values punctuality

has an appreciation for early muggle fashion

bruises very easily

would not be caught dead with her hair in a ponytail

cries very silently and stoically

hates the feeling of chapped lips

has a secret sweet tooth

something of a teachers pet even if she was never in the absolute top of her class

admired by most younger year slytherin girls

always has her nails done. always french tips.

fidgets with a dragonfly pendant she always wears when she's nervous

cried herself to sleep every night for the first week at hogwarts because she was scared

really wanted to try out for the quidditch team but was forbidden from doing so because her mother said it was "unbecoming of a lady"

sometimes when she's comfortable she will hum a lullaby andromeda used to sing to her

has a frankly unnerving stare

the only indication that she is irritated is a slight purse of her lips

very used to getting her way

does not talk about her emotions very easily

very interested in wizarding politics and reads the daily prophet every morning

is often underestimated and uses it to her advantage

andromeda black headcanons

the original white sheep of the black family

despite her upbringing she has never felt superior to anyone because of her blood status

has always had a bit of a soft spot for narcissa

smokes occasionally

was vehemently against the concept of marriage until she met ted

she's the one that proposed

"hey ted. let's get married." "okay meda, whatever you want"

and they just did it

can pack a mean right hook

enjoys reading muggle feminist literature in her spare time

always has her hair in a kind of messy updo

has a lot of friends who she genuinely cares about

tried to talk to narcissa after she was disowned but narcissa ignored her

buys sirius a christmas gift every year

was the first person sirius told about his crush on remus

is incapable of sitting in a chair properly. always has a leg propped up or her back on the armrest

does not enjoy solitude

does not cry often

took sirius to his first tattoo appointment

her love language is acts of service

tried to stay at hogwarts for as many holidays as she could

blushes very easily

bellatrix black headcanons

oldest black cousin

uses her wand to tie up her hair often similar to how sirius ties his up

sharp witted and quick to retort

dresses in all black always

cackles instead of laughs

used to lock andromeda and narcissa in her room when she was 12 and they thought it was a joke but she'd to it only when she knew their father was drunk and violent so they'd be spared

sneaks out after curfew to walk in the forbidden forest

started studying black magic at a very early age because she wanted to be powerful

can not eat spicy food

once hexed a boy's fist into his own mouth because he tried to touch her without permission

picks at the chapped skin on her lips when she's bored

often created her own spells and practised them on younger years

was extremely prideful and vain

did not like either of the black brothers and saw them as competition

has a pet ball python she keeps on her neck

[tearsinthemist]

Want to learn something new

Want to learn something new in 2022??

Absolute beginner adult ballet series (fabulous beginning teacher)

40 piano lessons for beginners (some of the best explanations for piano I’ve ever seen)

Excellent basic crochet video series

Basic knitting (probably the best how to knit video out there)

Pre-Free Figure Skate Levels A-D guides and practice activities (each video builds up with exercises to the actual moves!)

How to draw character faces video (very funny, surprisingly instructive?)

Another drawing character faces video

Literally my favorite art pose hack

Tutorial of how to make a whole ass Stardew Valley esque farming game in Gamemaker Studios 2??

Introduction to flying small aircrafts

French/Dutch/Fishtail braiding

Playing the guitar for beginners (well paced and excellent instructor)

Playing the violin for beginners (really good practical tips mixed in)

Color theory in digital art (not of the children’s hospital variety)

Retake classes you hated but now there’s zero stakes:

Calculus 1 (full semester class)

Learn basic statistics (free textbook)

Introduction to college physics (free textbook)

Introduction to accounting (free textbook)

Learn a language:

Ancient Greek

Latin

Spanish

German

Japanese (grammar guide) (for dummies)

French

Russian (pretty good cyrillic guide!)

Jan 2, 2023

Want to learn something new in 2023??

Cooking with flavor bootcamp (used what I learned in this a LOT this year)

Beekeeping 101

Learn Interior Design from the British Academy of Interior Design (free to audit course - just choose the free option when you register)

Video on learning to read music that actually helped me??

How to use and sew with a sewing machine

How to ride a bike (listen. some of us never learned, and that's okay.)

How to cornrow-braid hair (I have it on good authority that this video is a godsend for doing your baby niece's black hair)

Making mead at home (I actually did this last summer and it was SO good)

How to garden

Basics of snowboarding (proceed with caution)

How to draw for people who (think they) suck at art (I know this website looks like a 2003 monstrosity, but the tutorials are excellent)

Pixel art for beginners so you can make the next great indie game

Go (back) to school

Introduction to Astronomy (high school course - free textbook w/ practice problems)

Principals of Economics (high school course - free textbook w/ practice problems)

Introduction to philosophy (free college course)

Computer science basics (full-semester Harvard course free online)

Learn a language

Japanese for Dummies (link fix from 2022)

Ukrainian

Portuguese (Brazil)

American Sign Language (as somebody who works with Deaf people professionally, I also strongly advise you to read up on Deaf/HoH culture and history!)

Chinese (Mandarin, Simplified)

Quenya (LOTR fantasy elf language)

Dec 26, 2023

Want to learn something new in 2024??

Beginner-oriented video on how to sail

This guy has so many videos on baking different types of bread. SO very many.

Coding in Python - one of the most flexible and adaptable high-level programming languages out there - explained through projects making video games

Learn to swim! (for adult learners. I don’t care if you live in Kansas or Mali or wherever. LEARN TO SWIM.)

Learn how quantum mechanics works. Then read some more about it

[Learn about quantum mechanics again, but in a more advanced engineering/mathematics class. Then read more about the math and physics of it]

Poetry Handbook, by Mary Oliver

Something I learned this year: how to sew a quilt (Here’s a very easy beginning pattern that looks amazing and can be done with pre-cut fabric!)

How to hit the ball in softball

Tutorial video on what is under the hood of most (gas) cars + weird engine sounds and what they mean

Full beginner mechanics technical training, if you want to go more in depth

Playlist on how car engine physics work if you want to go ultra in depth

Lecture series on architecture design through study of buildings

How (American income) taxes & tax law work (choose “audit course” at checkout for free class)

Pickleball for beginners (so you can finally join your neighbor/friend/distant cousin who is always insisting you join their team)

+ Para-Pickleball for beginners (for mobility aid users!)

School is so much more fun when there’s no tests:

American Law - Contracts

Shakespeare’s Life and Plays

Fairy Tales: Meanings, Messages, and Morals

Modern Poetry

World History [Part 1, Part 2]

Learn a language:

Arabic + Resource Guide compiled from Reddit (includes info on different dialects)

Chinese (Cantonese) (audio)

Urdu (frequently recommended course on Reddit) + Resource Guide

Yucatec Maya

[starscatteredsky]

Tips and fashion for a ball python??

tips and fashion for a ball python

pt: tips and fashion for a ball python

sunbathe! make sure to use proper sun protection!

dress in the colours of your morph!

use a heat seeing filter, mood rings/clothes/makeup/nail polish, heat seeing goggles, or other ways of connecting to the way your kintype sees!

try out some snakeskin makeup looks!

wear snake themed jewellery!

try some hissing vocals!

make/commission a snake mask, or get some fangs to wear!

make a blanket and pillo burrow

get a heating pad, electric blanket, or other things to keep yourself warm

wear leathery, sequinned, or scaley textures!

here’s the fashion inspiration board!

(image desc in alt!)

you didn’t give any themes to follow or what morph you are, so i went with something hopefully general enough to work! feel free to re-request with more details if you want though!

x x x

x x x

x x x

enjoy and hope they help! -🩸

Requests open!!!

[image description:

a DNI banner with the background being the promotional image for Little Nightmares 2. The writing reads:

"DNI: radqueers, proshippers, radfems/TERFs, antikin/antitherian, homophobic/ ableist/ anti ACAB/ transphobic/ rasist/ antisemitic/ xenophobic/ antitheist/ anti athiest/ bigoted in any fashion, NSFW/sh/ed/cringe centered blog, fakeclaimer

Before you interact: We are pro mspec gays/lesbians, anti endo/tulpa "systems", enjoy MCYT/DSMP, pro self diagnoses with extensive research, multiple alters are punks/ anarchists"

end description]

[fictus-vulp3s]

Intro/about me!!!

Heyo!! My name's Clyde/Colt/Nikolai/Nik/Badger. I use dog, horse, or crow vivterms :33

I'm a draft horse, belgian malinois, fox, and wingkin!!

Below is a link to my pronoun page :33

I also age and pet regress!!!

Fav books: PJO, Grishaverse (i havent watched the show), Sherlock Holmes, If We Were Villains, The Secret History, The picture of Dorian Grey, Hercule Poirot

Fav shows/movies: Deadly60, anything by David Attenborough, How To Train Your Dragon, Jurassic Park

Fav colours: brown, forest green, cornflower, burgundy

Fav animals: otters, black tip reefs sharks, corvids, horses, foxes, orcas, parrots, ball pythons, gsd

Aesthetics: dark academia, piratecore, crowcore

I also live in the UK!!! And I really wanna chat to ppl!!! So pls message lol :33

Bear in mind the fact that i am a minor too, so, if you wanna message i dont mind, but dont be creepy lol

Tags

#f0x yips -> random posts

#f0x yelps -> rants/vents, possible tws

#badger mumbles -> regression related posts

#f0x yells -> pagan/witchcraft shit

[shadythetortie]

I just dropped the last three rescues off at their new home and man, why are Reptile People(TM) so god damn pretentious? This isnt my first day taking care of reptiles. I've had snakes for 14 years. But this fucking guy decides to preach outdated snake care to me like its my first fucking day on the job. Fuck. He has super nice enclosures that he built himself and his other animals look amazing and I have no doubt in my mind they will be well cared for but my god, he is so fucking full of himself.

Vent under the cut because I'm just pissy and need to talk about it.

Context: Kiera is a 16+ year old red tail boa that is 8 ft long and has always been aggressive in her tank but she is fine out of it. She's the only snake I have ever had this issue with that I couldnt fix with tap training or adding more cover, hides, handling, etc. Fred is a ball python that is suspected to be around the same age but always has issues shedding and can never seem to keep weight on even with added humidity around shedding time, increased feeding, and soaks. They are rescues. I do not know their full history. I was up front and very transparent about their problems and he did not have any qualms about it.

So we go in and I'm trying to explain Kiera's behavior so he knows as much as possible about these snakes. There's no point in lying about it, she isnt the nicest snake in the world and that's fine. She's the kind of snake that will strike the side of the tank if she is hungry and will go after hands if you smell like cats, ducks, etc. She tagged my dad once and latched onto my jacket because it smelled like ducks.

As I'm explaining that she isn't the nicest snake and can be unpredictable at times, this guy takes her out of the tub and starts handling her. Which is fine. But then he invites his two year old daughter to come pet her. My anxiety goes up a little, because I dont want this kid to get bit. Kid pets the boa and then he goes to put Kiera in the tank and she is trying to turn around and get out. Decides to try and go for his hand, but he's got a good grip so she doesnt get him. But like.

Me: Kiera can be unpredictable and has tried to bite

Him: Why do you keep going for my hand? :(

He gets her in the tank and shuts the door. Looks at me with a perfect copy of the Winnie The Pooh in a tux face and says "Oh, did you make the newbie mistake of feeding them in their tanks? All of my snakes get taken into separate bins to be fed so they dont get the hunting aggression in the tank. I'll fix that no problem."

I tried to explain that every single one of my snakes get fed IN their enclosure because then they dont get stressed and have the regurg issue with handling, and she is the ONLY one like this. He ignores me. Whatever, okay, kind of getting an idea of this guy. Then we go to put the ball pythons away.

"Oh, the other tank isnt set up with a lid yet but they'll be fine together, ball pythons can cohabitate, they're actually a social snake."

Hot tip. No the fuck they're not. I didnt say that but what I did say was "That's not been my experience with them and everything I know says they should be separate. If you werent ready I could have waited a few days so you had time to set up."

"No, they'll be fine together. Ball pythons can live together fine. They're actually a social snake. But its only for the night, I'll have them separated tomorrow."

Alright fine. Whatever. Shows me the other tank that is being set up. Reassured that they will be separated. Proceeds to tell me that he doesnt LIKE to do it but he may have to powerfeed to get Fred's weight up and then turns to me with the same fucking face again.

"You do know what powerfeeding is, right?"

Yes, thanks, I know what powerfeeding is you fucking prick.

As we're leaving he's explaining how he used to run a pet store and bred his own snakes back in Ontario (ah so he's a breeder it makes so much more fucking sense now) and turns to me, like I'm supposed to be impressed, and says "Do you know how many aggressive animals I have handled? I've been bit tons of times."

I kind of lost my patience and just looked him in the eye for this one.

"I work in a vet clinic with aggressive animals every day. I've also had snakes for 14 years and never been bit."

I didnt get a reply cause there was a kid outside and he heard me say snake and him and his friends got really excited and started all talking about their snakes. Then one kid threw a snowball at the other, and the other kid went to throw a snowball at ME to which the new snake owner stepped in and told them off about throwing snow at nice ladies (which was a nice distraction for me to say bye and go to my car)

So like. All in all the snakes will be well cared for. But god fucking damn it. I'm just so pissy about this dude's attitude. Its not a prize that you get bit, or that you never update your knowledge about the hobby. Just because I look like a teenager (I'm 28) doesnt mean I dont know anything. I ran a snake rescue. These are the last three out because I realized I was in over my head and they needed a better home with more attention. I'm not fucking new at this.

Reptile breeders are like this like 90% of the time. Dog breeders will at least listen to what you are saying and then just tell you 'okay' and not listen to any of it. Reptile people though are so fucking preachy.

Ugh. I'm just. Mad.

[fellowshipofthenoodles]

Spotted: Croc shoe

[id: the very tip of Second Breakfast’s nose poking out from behind a bamboo root. She is a white and yellow albino ball python]

[reptilesoftheworld]

Caring for Your Pet Snake: The Complete Feeding Guide

Feeding your snake is a vital part of their care routine that hugely affects their nutrition and overall health. Whether you’re curious about what foods are suitable or how often to feed, this guide has you covered. We’ll dive into the various diets suited for different types of snakes, how to establish a feeding schedule that matches your snake’s life stage, and tips for effective feeding. If your snake stops eating, we'll also discuss potential reasons behind this behavior and how to tackle it. Whether a long-time snake keeper or just starting your journey, ensuring your scaled companion has the right diet is essential for a healthy life.

What Do Snakes Eat?

To keep your snake healthy and content, it’s important to understand their dietary needs. Snakes are carnivores, so their meals consist entirely of other animals. Here’s a rundown of what different species might eat:

Rodents: The majority of pet snakes, such as corn snakes, ball pythons, and king snakes, thrive on rodents like mice and rats. These can be conveniently purchased frozen from pet suppliers.

Birds and Eggs: Certain wild snakes hunt small birds and their eggs, though this diet is rare in captivity unless you have a species that thrives on it.

Amphibians: Some snakes like garter snakes consume frogs and toads in the wild, but these meals are not common in captivity.

Fish: Aquatic snakes, such as garter or water snakes, may hunt fish. However, be cautious—in some cases, certain fish can pose risks to snakes.

Insects: While juvenile or smaller snakes might eat insects, this isn’t typically the case for pet snakes.

Lizards and Reptiles: While larger snakes might prey on lizards or even other snakes, this practice is generally avoided in captivity due to potential harm.

Replicating a snake's natural diet as closely as possible is key to its health. Always consider the appropriate size and type of prey for your snake’s species to ensure proper digestion and well-being.

How Often Should You Feed Your Snake?

How frequently you feed your snake depends on several factors such as age, size, species, and appetite. Here’s a basic timeline to consider:

Hatchlings (Under 6 Months): Young snakes experience rapid growth, so they typically need to eat every 5 to 7 days.

Juveniles (6 Months to 1 Year): During this stage, feedings usually occur every 7 to 10 days. As they grow closer to adulthood, you can gradually increase the time between feedings.

Adults: Most adult snakes can be fed every 10 to 14 days. Larger species or those with slower metabolisms may do well with a feeding schedule of every 2 to 3 weeks, depending on their activity.

Species-Specific Needs: Some snake species may have unique dietary schedules, such as arboreal snakes that might require less frequent feedings than their ground-dwelling relatives.

Pay attention to your snake’s behavior and physical condition. Indicators of overfeeding can include regurgitation or excessive weight gain, while signs of underfeeding may be noticeable weight loss or lethargy. Adjust feeding schedules accordingly to suit your snake's needs.

Proper Feeding Techniques for Your Snake

Feeding your snake is not just about offering food; it’s crucial to ensure their comfort and health. Here’s a step-by-step guide to make the process smoother:

Select Suitable Prey: Choose prey that fits your snake's size and species. Typically, the prey shouldn't exceed 1 to 1.5 times the width of your snake.

Use Pre-Killed Prey: It's safer to use pre-killed or frozen-thawed prey. Make sure to thaw it thoroughly and warm it to room temperature before presenting it.

Feeding Time: Many snakes are more inclined to eat at night, so choose a time when they are most active.

Separate Feeding Area: Some owners opt to feed their snakes in a different container to prevent associations with handling and reduce bite risks.

Use Tongs or Tweezers: Offering the food with tongs or tweezers can keep your fingers safe from accidental bites.

Leave Them Alone: Give your snake space and time to eat without interference. Avoid handling them for 24 to 48 hours post-meal to ensure proper digestion.

Monitor and Clean Up: After feeding, check that your snake has consumed the prey and promptly remove any uneaten food to avoid spoilage.

By following these steps, feeding can be a hassle-free experience that contributes to your snake’s health and happiness.

What If My Snake Is Refusing to Eat?

It’s concerning when your snake doesn’t want to eat, but several common factors might be at play. Here’s how to handle it:

Temperature and Humidity: Snakes need a suitable environment to regulate their body temperature. Ensure the enclosure’s temperature and humidity are right for your specific species.

Stressors: Environmental changes, excessive handling, or loud noises can stress your snake, causing them to refuse food. A calm habitat with hiding spots can help alleviate their stress.

Shedding: Snakes often lose their appetite during shedding. If you notice signs like cloudy eyes or dull skin, wait until shedding is complete before offering food again.

Prey Issues: Your snake might be hesitant to eat if the prey is too large, too small, or simply not what they prefer. Make sure you provide appropriately sized and desired prey.

Health Concerns: A persistent lack of appetite could indicate health issues. Consider visiting a reptile veterinarian for advice.

Breeding Season: During breeding season, snakes may naturally reduce their food intake. Be aware of seasonal behaviors and adjust feeding accordingly.

A bit of patience goes a long way; snakes can skip meals occasionally without harm. Keep an eye on their health and behavior, consulting professionals when needed.

Want to learn more about reptiles? Read this blog.

[cyanocoraxx]

Hello! You have cool snakes and know a lot about them too, could I have some of your advice? I've recently been really into snakes, and seen tiktoks of how happy their owners are with them, it makes me really jealous and wishful for a snake companion of my own.

Except I know NOTHING about them, their care, needs or expenses. My experience with pets is a typical low to average maintenance dog, that's it. Never handled reptiles in my life. BUT SNAKES ARE SO ENTICING, and supremely cute too

I was wondering if you have any advice for a complete beginner on what kind of snake to get that's easy and as I said, for beginners (if it even works that way, I don't know a lot about snakes). If you have any resources and such.

Or even like, a checklist to see if I'm even eligible to own a snake (it could be hard idk). Want to know if it is even within my capabilities, the lifestyle needed and stuff like that.

Could you also give tips on their body language? I remember you mentioning in one of your posts that body language is important, and I wouldn't want to mess up. I want the potential cutie to like me after all.

Thank you anyway for your time! Appreciate it <3

so sorry for the late response i wanted to sit down and give a proper thought out guide and just haven't had time <3

checklist for eligibility:

you will need: a terrarium/vivarium, a heating device (heat mat, ceramic emitter or heat bulb), a thermostat (to control the heating device), a water bowl, a hide, substrate, and enrichment (sticks, leaves, decoration etc). make sure you have all of this on hand before you bring your pet home

you'll need to be comfortable or at least willing to feed your snake frozen prey, which means being able to consistently provide mice or rats (most common). most reptile stores will stock frozen!

depending on the species you want you'll need space for a vivarium. if you want a snake that can grow to be 4ft for example you'll need a space to put a 4ft viv.

you'll need to have time to regularly spot-clean their enclosure, which means binning their waste and removing shed skin. a full clean out once a month if not bioactive.

best "starter" snakes (imo):

rosy boa (2-3ft long, 25 years+)

royal python (3-6ft long, 20-30 years+)

corn snake (4-6ft long, 15-20 years+)

rosy boa - these little noodles don't get enough credit! they stay very small, they're very docile, and easy to care for. due to them being so small they only need small prey items which won't take up a lot of space in your freezer. they're very good eaters. downside is they're less common than royals and corns so depending on where you are you may struggle to find one near you. they can also be more food-motivated than royals and when they have food on their mind they can be a little more bitey - but with their tiny size, i promise you can't even feel it (from experience)

royal/ball python - a very common snake that can be found in most reptile shops. they're well known for being extremely docile and easy to handle as well as being super duper cute. they live longer than corns and rosys. downside to royals is they can be "fussy eaters" which can make new owners nervous - they're known for going off their food for months. they will also need larger prey items as they grow, so if you're not keen on keeping larger mice/rats in your freezer this is a downside. they're also more sensitive to improper temperature and humidity than corns.

corn snake - very common so can be bought easily! they also tend to be some of the cheapest snakes, especially if you want to get a "normal/wild type" morph. due to them having a large range in the wild they can tolerate a wider range of temperatures and humidity levels. corns are much more active than royals and rosys, so if you want a snake you can watch do its thing then a corn is a good shout. with this being said, they can be more "squirmy" when being handled compared to royals and rosys as they kind of struggle to stay still.

however, you're not limited to a choice of just three species. as long as you research your snake thoroughly and make sure you have everything you need, you can keep whichever you prefer. my first snake was a brazilian rainbow boa which is a more "intermediate" species and "not suitable for beginners" but he's been great. with their more extreme humidity requirements, i just made sure to keep a hygrometer on hand (to measure humidity) and provided plenty of moss, a large water bowl, and regular mist spraying. never had an issue <3

basic body language:

it's important to note that when a snake is preparing to shed its skin it will be vulnerable. its eyes will cloud over and its skin will feel irritated. we call this being "in blue" because the snake takes on a milky blue colour. during this time your snake might become defensive and this is normal. you should leave a snake in blue alone.

signs of a calm snake: short tongue flicks, loose and relaxed body, moving slowly, fluidly moving towards stimuli, curiosity, regular breathing. a calm snake may sit in an "S" position but it will not be coiling up or fixating on you.

signs of stress in snakes include: long and slow tongue flicks, tail rattling, tail wagging, hissing, striking, open mouth breathing, regurgitation, body flattening, gliding (moving very quickly away), coiling with the head raised (preparing to strike)

this is a very obvious example of a defensive corn snake: their body is coiled into an "S" shape, the head is raised. it takes this position so that it can 1. have a clear view of you 2. to strike upwards/forwards at you if it feels threatened 3. to look bigger to frighten you off. this is a snake who doesn't want to be touched at ALL

let me know if you need anything else <3

[thicctator]

Hi!! I saw your ball python embroidery (stunning!) and wanted to ask you how you got into embroidery? I sew on occasion, but I’ve got this big collection of embroidery thread I want to use, and no idea where to start. If you have any tips, I’d love to hear them. Love your work!

Hiya! I picked it up as a means to manage my anxiety- it’s pretty cheap and easy to get into as well! If you find a simple pattern with only a few colour changes you can make something cool for just a few bucks!

I recommend using branded embroidery floss (DMC is my choice), but any needles, aida and hoops that you can access are perfectly fine :)

I’d just put a motif you like into Etsy and find an affordable local craft store/website - if you find you like it - invest in better kit as time goes on ^_^

[peachie-wren13]

crying on main again with whatever the fuck this is. Grief fucking sucks.

It's that time of year again where I remember that one of my best friends was 8 months older than me when we first met and now I'm 5 months shy of being two years older than he ever was or will ever be

when will the knowledge that we will only ever get farther apart in age and I will continue to change from the complicated 16 year old I was when I first knew him, stop feeling like someone is pouring molten metal on my chest?

It's heavy and it's hot and the burning heat of the grief over who he could've become scalds my heart with the weight of a thousand unfulfilled promises

we were supposed to get a house somewhere, the three of us; living together as friends with a zoo of dream pets, a monitor lizard, a handful of ball pythons, three cats, two dogs, and at least one bird.

He would perform, fire dancing and magic tricks for tips on the boardwalk, she and I would be artists drawing for commissions or just for fun and making ceramic mugs, plates, bowls and tchotchkes to sell at a stall at the farmers market.

He was supposed to finish forging me a sword for no reason other than he was learning to be a blacksmith and he wanted to.

I was supposed to ship him a box of my old webkinz because his had been donated years ago.

He was supposed to send me another post card.

We were supposed to meet in person.

He was supposed to grow old.

Now I get to feel my heart break all over again because instead of mapping how far from our road trip route it would be to meet up with him, I'm looking on FindAGrave for the location of his headstone so I can leave him a bouquet of blue flowers when we pass through Kansas City.

You were the kindest person I ever had the pleasure of knowing, I will spend the rest of my life striving to be half as good a person as you were.

I look for you in every clear blue sky and in every fiery sunset, Icarus.

I see you, in the way I scream to music in my car with the windows down, in the way I dance while washing the dishes, in every pun I make, hug I give, and candle I light, I see you.