Stress Induced by Enclosure Size

Ok, I have a question. As a relative newbie (noobe?) I have done a lot of reading on the forum about BP husbandry and such and have done my best to set up my BP environments according to the guidelines I've read here. Many have mentioned that a large enclosure can stress a snake out. I'm just wondering why that is. In the wild, they're born into a huge environment with no walls/glass/doors. They take advantage of local burrows and other hiding places when they feel the need. So as long as a BP is provided with the proper needs (hides, water, proper temps & humidity. etc.) why does the size of the enclosure produce stress in the animal?

They don't just take advantage of burrows, they live in them. Almost exclusively. They are very, very rarely seen out in the open. They don't even come out to hunt, as their food generally runs right down a tunnel towards them. So while they are live to Africa, they don't live in Africa, if that makes any sense.

Yeah they are not born into a huge environment. They are born in one of those borrows/termite mounts. In the wild they spend most of their lives hiding in the ground. They are built to snatch up any little rodent that crawls down into their den. The only time they come out in the open is if they are having no luck with food finding them so they set out to find it, and even then only do that at dusk or dawn when they are likely not to be seen.
However, like any living thing there is always a few oddballs. If anyone has watched Ball Pythons in the Wild! by Dr. Steve Gorzula (a documentary on how they catch ball pythons in Africa) They found 1 ball python up in a tree during the daytime! They even note that it was the only one out of the hundreds they caught that they saw up in a tree.

The biggest problem with giving a ball python a large enclosure is keeping the husbandry spot on at all times. Glass tanks are difficult. They don't hold heat and humidity well, they are big, heavy and hard to clean. Using a smaller enclosure means that you can keep the temperatures and humidity just right, and it is much easier to move around and clean.

Then there is the issue of security. Ball pythons are very shy snakes. They PREFER tight cramped quarters to vast open spaces because the open spaces make them feel vulnerable to attack. If your snake is constantly scared of being attacked, then it most likely won't eat, and if it doesn't eat, it dies.

That being said, you can make a large enclosure work, but honestly, it wouldn't be worth it to put a ball python in a nice large enclosure. Find a different species of animal that appreciates the extra space! Not one that spends all its time hiding in a hole :P

If you could turn your living room in a sufficient BP enclosure. Meaning the heat and humidity is perfect. There are plenty of hides and a water bowl then hypothetically there would be no stress. Reason being, the BP would never leave its hide. Now if there was a large amount of space between the warm hides and the cool hides, like in a large tank or home made cage, then you would have stress. The BP would sacrifice its physical comfort and temperature needs just so it could feel safe. There fore it would never move from warm to cool and vice versa..

That's exactly it--the ball python isn't able to move from a secure location to another without crossing open space, so it can't thermoregulate. What's more, even with a proper hide, it's still basically hiding under something like a rock or a piece of wood in the middle of a great big area. To an animal that normally lives in burrows, that is a VERY exposed situation, and it wants to get out of there as soon as possible--so when the lights go out, it looks for a way out--a way to get somewhere safer. A more tightly enclosed environment is more comforting.

That having been said, enclosure size is more of an art than a science. The vast majority of ball pythons prefer a small container--sometimes it seems, the smaller the better! I have had one hatchling now in 3 years of breeding that required a 16 qt tub in order to feel comfortable. This little contrary creature roamed constantly in a shoebox bin, and would not feed. I tried all of the usual tricks, and they only served to agitate him more. On a hunch, I plunked him down in a bigger bin with a hide, and the next day he ate--the roaming ceased.
So, they are all individuals.

For those of you setting up naturalistic enclosures for ball pythons, do your best to remember--if you want to replicate a ball python's habitat, your enclosure should look like the inside of a Termite mound or rodent burrow. This has some pretty cool possibilities, if you think about it.

But it definitely shouldn't look like a forest floor with plants and branches everywhere--to a ball python, that's 'outside'--a place they rarely go unless they absolutely have to in order to eat, drink, or mate.

Thanks folks. You've given me a lot to think about. I think my enclosure might be a little bit on the large side but not by a lot. I'm going to the Ontario Reptile Expo this weekend and I'll talk to some more folks to get some ideas on how to modify the enclosure.

Thanks a lot for the info!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kaorte

The biggest problem with giving a ball python a large enclosure is keeping the husbandry spot on at all times. Glass tanks are difficult. They don't hold heat and humidity well, they are big, heavy and hard to clean. Using a smaller enclosure means that you can keep the temperatures and humidity just right, and it is much easier to move around and clean.

Then there is the issue of security. Ball pythons are very shy snakes. They PREFER tight cramped quarters to vast open spaces because the open spaces make them feel vulnerable to attack. If your snake is constantly scared of being attacked, then it most likely won't eat, and if it doesn't eat, it dies.

That being said, you can make a large enclosure work, but honestly, it wouldn't be worth it to put a ball python in a nice large enclosure. Find a different species of animal that appreciates the extra space! Not one that spends all its time hiding in a hole :P

---

That's not quite right. Lilith, though she is not huge. About 6 Ft. She has her own small room. Yes I said room. I don't use a cage at all. She has Custom cave hides and and a small pool with waterfall. Yes she sleeps alot in her den, but she does come out and move about.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Reptis

That's not quite right. Lilith, though she is not huge. About 6 Ft. She has her own small room. Yes I said room. I don't use a cage at all. She has Custom cave hides and and a small pool with waterfall. Yes she sleeps alot in her den, but she does come out and move about.

---

Well....that is extremely unnecessary.

Oh nevermind....Hey there Arsinoe....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kaorte

Well....that is extremely unnecessary.

Not sure why you are banned....Anyone care to shed some light?

---

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...hreadid=118070

Now back to our regular programming :D