BP Activity

Is it better to see your ball python come out at night, or is it better to see them always hiding? People seem to have different opinions. Some say when they are out moving around that means they are stressed from something and others say it’s good when they come out. Which is true? I’m just wondering because my little guy has always came out around 8pm ever since I got him, and he’d usually knock everything over and go all around until around 2-3 am. He’d do this every night unless it was 48 hours after I fed him. I haven’t fed him in a week and he’s been hidden all day and all night since then. He hasn’t been coming out at night like he used to. I’m just wondering if this is better than when he would come out every night, or if there’s possibly something wrong. Could he be going into shed? I handled him 2 days ago and his eyes were not foggy.


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The only time I don't see my snakes move at night is during a shed. Other than that they almost all move around at night some what..... Some more than others of course. The Bloods move the least and the GTP and ETB the most. The rest are in the middle.

The Kings and Hoggies will come out day or night sometimes.

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Originally Posted by KMG

The only time I don't see my snakes move at night is during a shed. Other than that they almost all move around at night some what..... Some more than others of course. The Bloods move the least and the GTP and ETB the most. The rest are in the middle.

The Kings and Hoggies will come out day or night sometimes.

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Ok so maybe mine is in shed? Hopefully.


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Originally Posted by EthanMG

Is it better to see your ball python come out at night, or is it better to see them always hiding? People seem to have different opinions. Some say when they are out moving around that means they are stressed from something and others say it’s good when they come out. Which is true? I’m just wondering because my little guy has always came out around 8pm ever since I got him, and he’d usually knock everything over and go all around until around 2-3 am. He’d do this every night unless it was 48 hours after I fed him. I haven’t fed him in a week and he’s been hidden all day and all night since then. He hasn’t been coming out at night like he used to. I’m just wondering if this is better than when he would come out every night, or if there’s possibly something wrong. Could he be going into shed? I handled him 2 days ago and his eyes were not foggy.


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Normal for BPs to be active at night, & hiding by day. "Stressed" would be active during the day. ;) Some demolish their furnishings more than others, that's life.

Hiding more than usual means he's not looking for food, which means yes, he's probably going into shed cycle. If you're worried, you can "peek"- & have a small flashlight in hand to shine on his eyes if you want to be really certain, since sometimes the "cloudiness" is hard to see otherwise. I wouldn't worry... Snakes "know" (feel) a shed coming before we can see the evidence. ;)

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Normal for BPs to be active at night, & hiding by day. "Stressed" would be active during the day. ;) Some demolish their furnishings more than others, that's life.

Hiding more than usual means he's not looking for food, which means yes, he's probably going into shed cycle. If you're worried, you can "peek"- & have a small flashlight in hand to shine on his eyes if you want to be really certain, since sometimes the "cloudiness" is hard to see otherwise. I wouldn't worry... Snakes "know" (feel) a shed coming before we can see the evidence. ;)

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Ok great. Good to know. It’s about time for him to go into shed according to his previous two times. They were each exactly a month apart, and it’s been 1.5 months since his last one, granted I have been feeding him way less. Anyway, I hope the storm won’t mess up the conditions in his enclosure too much! [emoji120]


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It's actually perfect timing for him to be in shed- they usually prefer to be a bit on the cool side while in shed, & you'll probably be losing power anyway from the storm- this would be a very bad time to feed a snake anyway. I give him props for being so cooperative. :D

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

It's actually perfect timing for him to be in shed- they usually prefer to be a bit on the cool side while in shed, & you'll probably be losing power anyway from the storm- this would be a very bad time to feed a snake anyway. I give him props for being so cooperative. :D

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Haha ok that’s good to hear! It’s actually his feeding day today, but I’m definitely waiting until all of this is over to feed him. So it’s ok to have it slightly cooler but and slightly higher humidity? I thought that’s what causes RI


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Originally Posted by EthanMG

Haha ok that’s good to hear! It’s actually his feeding day today, but I’m definitely waiting until all of this is over to feed him. So it’s ok to have it slightly cooler but and slightly higher humidity? I thought that’s what causes RI


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Actually pathogens cause RI's. Every snake I've ever lived with has stayed in their cool hides when in shed- this also conserves their hydration, which is essential to a good shed.

Many members deliberately raise the humidity in enclosures to about 70% when their BPs are in shed. Or, just providing a humid hide can also be a big help.

You don't think that temperatures in the wild are perfectly consistent, do you? He should be fine. ;)