humidified shelter

I recently made up a humidified shelter out of a plastic shoe box. I cut a hole out of one side, and I use dampened sphagnum moss. I have it sitting over the heating pad. My BPs seem to enjoy it so much that they hardly ever leave the damn thing. I guess that's a good thing, after all isn't a happy Ball Python one that you hardly ever see?

Does anyone else use something similar?

How often should I change the moss, and is there a better substance to use in it's place?

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Originally Posted by eightleggedfreak

I recently made up a humidified shelter out of a plastic shoe box. I cut a hole out of one side, and I use dampened sphagnum moss. I have it sitting over the heating pad. My BPs seem to enjoy it so much that they hardly ever leave the damn thing. I guess that's a good thing, after all isn't a happy Ball Python one that you hardly ever see?

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You should still see him out and about at night. I can usually spot someone moving even during the day, although they not as active.

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Does anyone else use something similar?

How often should I change the moss, and is there a better substance to use in it's place?

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The only time I use humid hides are when their eyes have turned blue and they are actively shedding. Sometimes they will prefer the humid hide if it is more snug than their other hides. When I do use humid hides, I use an identical one to the others, and just add a damp paper towel or some damp moss. Keep an eye on the moss, I would think changing it after bms/urates, if you notice mold, or once a week would be adequate.

Occasionally I see a head or two poking out, and they do come out at night to bask under their nightlight.

Thank you for the info! Do you think there's any adverse affects to leaving the shelter in there the whole time?

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Originally Posted by eightleggedfreak

Occasionally I see a head or two poking out, and they do come out at night to bask under their nightlight.

Thank you for the info! Do you think there's any adverse affects to leaving the shelter in there the whole time?

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I'm sorry if I've missed something, but by this comment, does that mean that they're roommates???????? *concerned* :confused:

Yes they're roommates. Is there anything major I should be worried about? I got them both as babies a few months apart and I've never had any issues. The only things I've read to say anything bad about cohabitating is about mixing species.

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Originally Posted by eightleggedfreak

Yes they're roommates. Is there anything major I should be worried about? I got them both as babies a few months apart and I've never had any issues. The only things I've read to say anything bad about cohabitating is about mixing species.

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Ball Pythons are not social animals, and sharing an enclosure can be very stressful for them. You may not "see" the stress, but that is because they don't exactly express emotions the way our more common pets might. When you see them "cuddling" together, it is not a social behavior, but actually a competition for the favorite spot in the enclosure.

Also, if one gets sick, it is highly likely that it will pass it on to the other, and they both end up sick. And if you find some unusual poo or other discharge that looks suspicious, you won't have a way of knowing which animal it came from.

They may survive just fine by living together, but if you really want content snakes that thrive in your care, they will do so only in separate enclosures.

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Originally Posted by eightleggedfreak

Thank you for the info! Do you think there's any adverse affects to leaving the shelter in there the whole time?

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as far as i know... offering a humid hide all the time is not good for them... but let's let the more experienced knowledgable members answer this one for you.

My older BP shed this weekend, and I removed their humidified shelter. From now on I will only be be providing the shelter when one of them goes into shed.

I really appreciate everyone's advice on this. I would love to separate the snakes, but unfortunately I don't have the space for two tanks right now. They're in a 40-gallon breeder, and I've provided 3 different shelters for them.

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Originally Posted by eightleggedfreak

I really appreciate everyone's advice on this. I would love to separate the snakes, but unfortunately I don't have the space for two tanks right now. They're in a 40-gallon breeder, and I've provided 3 different shelters for them.

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Tubs are inexpensive and don't take up much room. I would recommend looking into that option. Here's a picture (or two of my tub set up). These are Sterilite 1986 models from Walmart that cost about $8 each.

Stacked:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...8/0/Setup3.jpg

Lay-out before adding heat, substrate and snake:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...8/0/Setup1.jpg

With 250 gram snake at the time - I also have an adult 1600 gram female in one of these set ups, but the small hides have been replaced with a small kitty litter pan - she's quite content in there:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...aEnclosure.jpg