Removing items in cage for feeding

Def dont want to have to dig a termite mound in the room. But I think fake rock caves and driftwood looks a little more natural then newspaper and toilet tubes for hides. Thats the nice thing we can all customize how we want. If you want minmal in a plastic tub it is surely proven to work. Rather have at least a somewhat natural look minus termite mounds and termites.

If you have the space fill it !!!


We always stress our Balls like to "Hide" I see nothing but ample space to hide in this set up.

My Normal has 2 Hides (Hot & Cool) and One in the centre, Guess where he is now and has been for the last 24 hours, Under His water bowl !!!

I was feeding my Lesser in his tank QT reasons I remove nothing, Most times ( I know where he is hiding) I dangle the food in front and he'll stick his head out and nail it !

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Originally Posted by snake lab

If you want it natural looking then build a termite mound. Thats where most balls are found in the wild. Dug into termite mounds.

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I believe that is if you want a natural lay box... they are not social creatures and snakes per KM2 and mounds per KM2 don't line up at all. It is well documented they will invade a rodent or other prey item burrow eat the residents and in a few days move on to the next.

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Originally Posted by IAFFbuckeye

Looks like the clutter won out with you recommendations

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That does not make it the right answer.

Here's the problem I've seen with the kind of set up you've built....it's not with feeding, BP's are pretty good hunters when they're in the mood, the problem is with the cleaning. The more stuff you put in your BP's enclosure, the more stuff you will need to completely clean every time you break the cage down.

The first few times we do it, it's all fine and well, but the more we have to do it, the more it becomes a PITA. So, human nature being what it is, we start to put off the complete cage cleaning, a little at a time...or, we start to not clean all the stuff in there as well as we used to.

Then the snake decides to finger paint with its feces one time, and you start to wonder why you bothered with all that stuff in there...

It can become a downward spiral.

Minimalistic cage set ups are easy to maintain, easy to clean, and honestly, all that stuff in there is for your benefit...your snake couldn't give a rat's butt either way.

But, having said all that, I don't discourage you from trying it your way. It's part of the learning process and the first step in the development process of being a ball python owner.

As long as you know all the fancy stuff is for you and not your BP. Like it was said above if you really wanted to make it a natural environment for them build a termite mound. I don't think it's bad for the snake to have all that stuff as long as you provide all the basics it needs ie, hides water humidity. But I do believe it will end up being a giant pain for you in the long run. Cleaning all that is not going to be fun and prey to god you never get mites!

Good points by everyone. Only time will tell after cleaning the cage week after week I might go the simple route for sure. Im sure your right about once she does paint the cage with a certan matter I will be second thinking this jungle I have created lol.

I actually find my rack the hardest and most time consuming to clean. I spend about 30-45 min an enclosure all the stuff and the 5 hole rack takes 4-5 hours. I'd suggest loose the damn racks first they take more time to clean than anything... unless you just clean the tubs... and don't bother with the poop painted upper surfaces... just saying. There is a real value in lidded tub racks, faster to clean for sure. I have no trouble keeping my enclosures clean, the rack with tubs with just substrate and water bowls is the biggest cleaning problem I have! Too many hard to reach corners and too big to place in a sink and spray out.

About 5 years ago i was fortunate enought to go on a hunting trip to africa. Our first stop before we went for plains game was in ghana for duiker. I can tell ya from first hand that ball pythons are found in groups in termite mounds as well in burrows. Now are they in groups because they are social? Or because of necessity? I would think its more out of necessity but either way i never saw one on a limb or in a tree.

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

I actually find my rack the hardest and most time consuming to clean. I spend about 30-45 min an enclosure all the stuff and the 5 hole rack takes 4-5 hours. I'd suggest loose the damn racks first they take more time to clean than anything... unless you just clean the tubs... and don't bother with the poop painted upper surfaces... just saying. There is a real value in lidded tub racks, faster to clean for sure. I have no trouble keeping my enclosures clean, the rack with tubs with just substrate and water bowls is the biggest cleaning problem I have! Too many hard to reach corners and too big to place in a sink and spray out.

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Your experience is directly 180 degrees opposite from mine.

Get a lot of poop painted upper surfaces, do you? :rofl:

I've had that happen maybe three times in five years.

how many tubs are you cleaning that it takes 4-5 hours? Last week I did a full clean up, disinfect tubs and the rack itself, new cypress, all water bowls and hides cleaned. 8 baby bins 3 medium tubs 15 adult tubs and also 4 4ftx2ft cages all cleaned in about 2 and half hours. I also spot clean as often as I can remember to so I don't get poop smears that often. I have never had poop on top of the rack, only the side of tubs.