I am thinking of getting a ball python and would like to build my own caves from clay. I drew a quick sketch of my plans and would like some feedback on it. First off how much volume should the cave have? I reckon I need to make several sizes for a growing ball python, but how many should I make, and how big should they be? Also I'm wondering a bit about the size of the entrance, I've read that balls get up to 4 inches in diameter is this so and how big should the entrance be?



The cave is in two pieces for easy access (one underground part and the lid resting on top) and the entrance is level with the ground. I am thinking of attaching a piece of driftwood to the lid as a handle and to hide the lid a bit (parts of the wood will be resting on the surrounding substrate as for extra stability if the snake decides to climb on it). It is going to be made out of clay and the substrate will be some kind of dirt/sand mix.

I would really appreciate if you guys could answer some of my questions or give me some feedback on my design