Your ball python can't tell you the warm spot has drifted cool, that humidity is too low for a clean shed, or whether a refused meal is normal or a warning. baskr watches the pattern across your logs, temperature, humidity, weight, feeding and shedding, and shows you what needs attention before it becomes a problem.
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Doing okay
Ball Python
Humidity low with a shed due
38% this week vs the 55–65% target. Raise it now to avoid retained eye caps.
Warm spot
28–31°C · 82–88°F
Cool side
24–26°C · 75–79°F
Humidity
55–65%
Ideal ranges for Python regius, the same targets baskr scores your logs against.
Basking and warm figures are surface temperatures at the spot; cool and ambient are air. Measure with a probe or infrared thermometer at the animal's height.
Nocturnal
Active by night
Grasslands and forest edges of West and Central Africa
Wild climate. Warm, humid savanna and forest edge; lots of rodent burrows.
Why the care is what it is. This is why baskr holds a 31 to 32°C warm spot and 55 to 65% humidity, and why all that hiding is normal, not a problem.
Logging is the input. The product is spotting when a single off reading becomes a pattern worth acting on.
28–31°C (82–88°F) over the warm hide
A few degrees cool for a week and digestion slows, a snake can even regurgitate a meal it can't process.
A cool side of 24–26°C (75–79°F)
No real gradient leaves a snake unable to regulate, and drives it to hide or roam restlessly.
55–65%, higher (~70%) during a shed
Too dry and sheds come off in patches; persistently damp, stale air is a respiratory-infection risk.
Steady gain in growing snakes, stable in adults
A downward trend across weigh-ins, separate from a normal fast, is an early red flag.
One right-sized rodent every 1–2 weeks
baskr helps you tell a normal ball-python fast from a run of refusals paired with weight loss.
A single complete shed, eye caps included
A patchy shed or retained eye caps usually points to humidity that was too low that week.
Safe to include
Avoid
A shy, tropical snake benefits from dense cover, sturdy plants and vines help it feel hidden and hold humidity. Use robust, non-toxic species that won't be crushed, and skip anything you can't confirm is safe.
Staples
Occasional / treats
Never feed
Supplements. None needed, whole prey is a complete diet, so no dusting or multivitamins are required.
Good to know. Offer a single rodent roughly the girth of the snake's widest point every 1–2 weeks; adults can go longer. Frozen-thawed is safest, and occasional refusals are normal for the species.
The right kind of kit, pick brands you trust.
Warm-end heat
An overhead heat source or heat mat on a thermostat, positioned to hold a 28–31°C warm spot. Provide gentle, even belly and ambient heat rather than a fierce basking beam.
Thermostat
Non-negotiable, it controls the heat source so the warm end can't overheat or burn a hidden snake.
Thermometer + hygrometer
Digital, with probes at both the warm spot and the cool end, not stick-on dials. Humidity is as important to track as temperature.
Enclosure
A 4×2×2 ft (or larger) front-opening vivarium that holds humidity well and locks securely, pythons are strong and will test gaps.
Snug hides
Two tight, opaque hides, one per end, so the snake never has to choose between warmth and feeling safe.
Grounded in your own logs and the ideal ranges above, plain language, never a diagnosis.
Warm spot read 25°C for 6 days, below the 28–31°C your ball python needs to digest. Check the mat, thermostat or lamp before offering the next meal.
Monty has refused 4 feeds, but weight is holding and it's mid-winter, this looks like a normal seasonal fast, so keep tracking weight.
Humidity has averaged 38% this week and a shed is due, raise it toward 65% now to avoid a patchy shed and retained eye caps.
Enter your own readings for an instant care score, the same check baskr runs for you every day.
Enter a reading or two above to see Ball Python's care score.
A quick guide, not a diagnosis. Ideal ranges vary with age, morph and setup, and individual animals differ, so confirm anything critical with an experienced keeper or a reptile vet.
Aim for roughly 28–31°C (82–88°F) at the warm spot, with a cooler side around 24–26°C (75–79°F) so it can thermoregulate. baskr checks the temperatures you log against this range and flags a sustained drift, but always verify with good thermometers at both ends, since a cool snake struggles to digest and may regurgitate.
Ball pythons are notorious for refusing meals, and it's often completely normal, season, breeding condition, shedding, or a slightly cool enclosure can all pause feeding for weeks. Check that the warm spot and humidity are right first. baskr tracks refusals against weight so you can tell a harmless fast from a real problem; if weight keeps dropping or refusal drags on, consult an exotics vet.
A good rule is a rodent roughly as wide as the snake's girth at its widest point, it should leave only a modest bulge. Feed one every 1–2 weeks for a growing snake, less often for adults, and avoid oversized prey. If you're unsure, check a current care sheet or an exotics vet rather than guessing upward.
Keep humidity around 55–65%, rising toward 70% when a shed is coming, to get a clean single-piece shed with the eye caps. Too low causes patchy sheds and retained caps; too high with poor airflow risks respiratory infection. baskr watches humidity and shed intervals together and flags when a shed is overdue or humidity has slipped.
Log your ball python's care in seconds and baskr does the watching. Free for your first 3 animals.
Start freeLast reviewed August 2026. General husbandry guidance, not veterinary advice, and ranges vary with age, morph, subspecies and setup. Confirm anything critical with an experienced keeper or an exotics vet.