Very active ball python giving his father sleepless nights

[Greg Nel]

Hi everybody this is my first but certainly not my last appeal for advice/reassurance. I recently bought my male spider ball python from a reputable breeder. In all the pre-purchase visits I had befoe taking him he was kept in a tub in a drawer rack at the breeder and seemed extremelly shy and everytime he was taken out he would be in a tight ball.
Once I got him settled in his new home which is spacious and has climbing vines in it he seems to have burst out of his shell. He is always looking out of his hide and watching everything going on during the day and when night arrives he is a different beast altogether!!!! He comes out and spends hours exploring his tank and climbing around.
I was always led to believe ball pythons are shy and a touch lazy.
Is his behaviour normal or should I be looking for something potentially causing him stress?
Thanks,
Greg

[Zincubus]

How long have you had him ??

Some snakes take a week or even longer to settle in . Some will be ultra active in that time , some will hide away for a week .....

I wouldn't worry too much .. The Royals that are kept in a plastic tub with a hide and a little bowl of water ( some are kept like that !) are described by their owners as 'pet rocks' as they hide away and don't do anything !! ( somehow overlooking the fact that there is nothing for them to actually do !!

That's an extreme example but many do describe them as boring and yet if you ( as you have ) put some vines or branches in their vivs they will happily climb and explore for hours in the evenings .

I have a few that are also alert if not active during the day as well ..


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[Aerries]

I have given all my Balls/Royals a 36x18x18 exoterra with deep enough substrate to actually burrow and a resin tree branch and an xl exoterra waiter dish. I’m ALWAYS finding their accurites flipped over and ever time I clean out their water dish there’s always one or two new burrowing trails under or around them lol. Even during the day I’ll catch my BEL, my Cinny, and my younger Banana Ball cruising around “hunting” I swear they are forever hungry lol.


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[Greg Nel]

Thanks very much for the reassurance. I have had Castro for a month and it was after about a week that he started his evening/night adventures. He is a very enthusiastic eater and will take anything I offer.
I feel much better now and will just monitor his behavior.

[redshepherd]

They get active when they're hungry and looking for more food. If he's eating well, then it's normal LOL.

If he's roaming during the day as well though, he may be too hungry or something is stressing him out.

I was always led to believe ball pythons are shy and a touch lazy.

If you experience almost any snakes outside of ball pythons, ball pythons are indeed relatively shy and more sedentary. They're also totally nocturnal, so owners tend to not see their activity since it happens overnight.

Compared to carpet pythons, all colubrids, other semi-arboreal species, and nearly every other snake species- yes they are actually a lot more inactive. Handling a ball python is also very easy and slow-paced- often they will just sit around. That's why people describe them that way. lol

[Greg Nel]

I must say I have been taken aback by his activity as when I first showed interest in buying him he would not come out of his "ball" unless my wife was holding him and tickling him. He now enjoys being handled and hasn't curled up since.
He would eat every second day if I gave him a chance. But he eats every five days to a week. He is not fussy at all. He is a yearling.
My other two females are smaller and less active but do also come out at night.

[Bogertophis]

He sounds like a joy to me...I love it when snakes are enthused about their surroundings, & if it was "stress" he wouldn't be eating so well. Since you
haven't had him very long, he might also be searching for his "home turf" which suddenly disappeared when you got him, or he might be hunting, but
if that was my BP, I'd really enjoy his activity.

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