Will They Miss Their Space?

Well, in reality, there is no way that a snake can 'love' or 'hate' us. Those are just emotions that we press upon them to make them seem more human to us. Will they feel more secure? Yes. How can we tell? When I made the switch from tanks to tubs, I noticed an overall increase in her general health. Shed's were complete, appetites 'increased' (or they just showed more hunger/intrest in the prey item). It's really hard to put down in writing the difference that I have noticed in the behavior of my animals, but I did notice a change for the better after the initial setteling in period was over.

So after the switch should I let them settle in for a week like when getting a new snake?

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Originally Posted by CABALM

So after the switch should I let them settle in for a week like when getting a new snake?

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Did you mean, let them settle for a week before offering food? I think that's what you meant. Yes, a week works well.

And yes, the period when getting a new animal and settling them in their enclosure is usually a week with no disturbing or handling. (You can change water and substrate if they mess it)

yup. The only time that you should be in their cage is for general maintainence, aka cleaning, changing out water. If your normal feeding schedule takes place during that week time span, you can try feeding them, but don't be too worried if they don't eat for you. They'll probably still be setteling in. Just wait until the next week to feed if they refuse.

I didnt say it was great for them to fall... Its like a kid.. Your tellin me as a kid you never did something stupid that could have hurt you?? I know from experience Ive shot my self off of several jumps only to come crashing to the ground... I was fine bc I was young and my body can take it... If your going to say a snake cant handle a 2-3 foot fall then maybe you should go into the wild and see a snake fall 10ft from a tree and be fine... Theses animals have been around for millions of years... If they were fragile like glass they would have become extinct thousands of years ago...

OP... I think like your family and friends which is why I offer more room for my snakes... Ill agree a tub is the way to go but thats more related to humidity/temps than it is for size... I have my 07 clown I just got on tuesday in a 96qt tub... ate fine for me after only days. If you dont think they need the space... then dont give it to them...

I just dont believe in limiting an animals surroundings bc we "think" they like it better... I offer the room and let them decide... If I had a problem and it turned out the size of the tank was the issue id change it but 10 snakes latter ive had to make that change 0 times.

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Originally Posted by JoshJP7

I didnt say it was great for them to fall... Its like a kid.. Your tellin me as a kid you never did something stupid that could have hurt you?? I know from experience Ive shot my self off of several jumps only to come crashing to the ground... I was fine bc I was young and my body can take it... If your going to say a snake cant handle a 2-3 foot fall then maybe you should go into the wild and see a snake fall 10ft from a tree and be fine... Theses animals have been around for millions of years... If they were fragile like glass they would have become extinct thousands of years ago...

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Yes, we've all seen the animal planet show with snakes falling from trees 12-15 feet high. Black Mambas, jungle carpets and other ARBOREAL SPECIES.

All snakes are built generally the same, but have differences that make them suitable for a certain type of habitat.
Ball pythons are short and stocky with a rounded A shape, suitable for terrestrial ranges.
Jungle carpets, GTP are built strongly with the general O shape, but are incredibly long to help them climb fantastically well in the trees.
Bloods, anacondas and other water snakes are built with an oval shape best suited for water and boggy habitats.

The point is again, they are not arboreal and are not well suited for climbing. If you are going to argue that Balls are excellent climbers, do some research and convince us that its true. I don't see the benefit of letting a ball python potentially harm itself by letting it climb to some heights when they WILL fall eventually.

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Originally Posted by JoshJP7

I didnt say it was great for them to fall... Its like a kid.. Your tellin me as a kid you never did something stupid that could have hurt you?? I know from experience Ive shot my self off of several jumps only to come crashing to the ground... I was fine bc I was young and my body can take it... If your going to say a snake cant handle a 2-3 foot fall then maybe you should go into the wild and see a snake fall 10ft from a tree and be fine... Theses animals have been around for millions of years... If they were fragile like glass they would have become extinct thousands of years ago...

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I understand the point you are trying to make, but your comparisons are flawed. Ball pythons have been around for millions of years because of how they've adapted to their environment, you're making comparisons on a macro scale - the species would still survive regardless if 1% of them died from falls or otherwise clumsy behavior.

We aren't talking about the wild - we're talking about captivity. It is the keepers responsibility to keep their snakes as safe and out of harms way as possible. Period. You can't justify anything less just because "well they'll survive it if it happens and it will make them stronger." That's not how it should work, but unfortunately there are many keepers out there that roll the dice with their snake's well-being every day. I prefer not to.

OK but if they want to climb theyll climb right? Retics are known to be excellent climbers and i think we can all agree theyre much much larger than balls... To say a snake isnt "built" for climbing is kinda silly... Again i offer them the opportunity to climb... I do not make them... THEY choose to climb which tells me they enjoy climbing... If 1/2 of mine didnt climb id say maybe you have a point... but since all 10 climb... i cant agree with you... Yours dont climb bc they dont have the opportunity to... plain and simple.

Roll the dice??... So your telling me im a reckless owner bc I allow my snakes to climb??... Can we please take the height into consideration... Did i say i was dropping them out of my window from the 2nd floor? No.. is a snake going to get seriously hurt fallin a ft 1/2?? Prolly not... is there a chance... yea there is... is there a chance your going to get in a car accident and kill yourself every time you get in your car? Yea... Does that stop you from driving... I dont think so

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Originally Posted by JoshJP7

OK but if they want to climb theyll climb right? Retics are known to be excellent climbers

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Retics, for their extreme size, are relatively slender.
Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but when they are young and juveniles, that is the only time they are found in trees, because they're not heavy or bulky.

FWIW, there's been studies of wild ball pythons and they've found young males in trees, for whatever reasons. Perhaps to escape predators, other larger dominant males in the area, or to hunt for food (small birds or smaller arboreal mammals). Meanwhile, the larger adults are always found on or in the ground.