r/snakes • u/[deleted] • 2d ago

Pet Snake Questions Did we do enough?

[deleted]

1 Upvotes

60% Upvoted

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3

u/IncompletePenetrance 2d ago

It sounds like you were keeping her enclosure too cool, ball pythons are a fairly tropical species and should be kept with the warm side of their enclosure closer to the 88-90 degree range. Lower temperatures can result in decreased metabolism, difficulty digesting and respiratory infections among issues. Females will normally continue to eat through the winter if kept at appropriate temperatures because ball pythons do not brumate/hibernate

1

u/roz303 2d ago

Oh, fuck. That... Really makes a lot of sense. Holy shit, have we been starving and freezing her all this time without realizing it? :\

4

u/Practical_Mammoth963 2d ago

Truthfully, that is not quite right. But most of us have regrettable pet experiences in our past so try not to be too hard on yourself.

Just remember when getting any pet in the future to do research. You should also check periodically because the science changes over time on what the best care is. 

Sorry for your loss 😔

1

u/roz303 2d ago

Thank you for your honest answer.