My climbing Ball, Austin

Of course, I'm certainly no expert - but I think that when they are constantly roaming and NOT settling into their hides (except for routine nocturnal movements) that CAN be an indicator of stress or something not being quite right in the set-up.


Hopefully someone with more experience than me can chime in here and correct me if I'm wrong - it's been known to happen! LOL

hm thats interesting... it seems to me that hissler goes in her hide when she IS stressed (like when we first brought her home and when she shedded and when she went to the vet and he pissed her off) even if she isn't moving, she'll still stay out of the hide and just chill somewhere else like on the sand part of her tank or on top of a rock... or she'll climb the tree and rest sometimes at night in between trying to push the top off. one time she slept up there during the day while the heat lamp was on that surprised me because the temps were perfect but the tree isnt in direct light from the lamp i think she really just likes to be high... but if anyone else thinks this is strange by all means tell me!

im pretty sure an over-active BP is a sign of stress too. its not abnormal for a BP to want to be on a branch or something like that when they are active though.

My BP is out and about like clockwork every night( i think still trying to plot her escape hehe) and she is all over the place. Even after i feed her which is usually around 5pm by 6 or 7 she is already out and about again. I was never into the sterilite plastic cages just cause i always though that i was very limiting to the snake. it may not even be right but thats just the wayi look at it. And seeing my snake spend so much time on her climbing branches and whatnot makes me think even more that they should have some kind of exercise.

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Originally Posted by DrEwTiMe

My BP is out and about like clockwork every night( i think still trying to plot her escape hehe) and she is all over the place. Even after i feed her which is usually around 5pm by 6 or 7 she is already out and about again. I was never into the sterilite plastic cages just cause i always though that i was very limiting to the snake. it may not even be right but thats just the wayi look at it. And seeing my snake spend so much time on her climbing branches and whatnot makes me think even more that they should have some kind of exercise.

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I'm with you, although I have no experience with sterilite racks at all, I like the bigger enclosure better (40 gallon breeder, hopefully upgrading to a AP T-10 soon) just cause I feel the snake has more to explore, climb, hide in or whatever.

so it appears I am not the only one who thinks if my snake could talk he would be repeating 2 words over and over - GET OUT!! he is extremely active at night and during the day. He sits on his branch high up in the tank most of the day andwanders around the cage at least several hours of the day and I would swear its like he is trying to get out. i really hope its not stress cause I'd be really bummed out. any way i can tell till I have the time to take him to a vet?

He is eating fine, and he had a shed when I first got him - somewhere aroune 3rd week of february I think.I had to help him out with the shed because it was too dry inside...the pet store guy told me to buy wood chips for bedding, then I find out thats what is drying everything out, so I switched and he seems to be fine now.

well do sheds have anything to do with stress? cuz hissler shedded just fine a week ago in an entire piece and all even with the eye caps and it was the first shed since i got him in january

Hmmm, I still say that a consistently active ball python, one that will not settle into a hide is a stressed ball python. I would love to see what Adam has to say regarding this.

Like Robin I'd like to see some of the big collection breeders/hobbyist chime in here with their experience.

From my point of view, the simple fact of life is if you have a larger collection/breeding group of ball pythons the only realistic way to keep them is in racks. Nothing is ever perfect however years of experience gained by the top breeders in the BP world seem to show that ball pythons do just fine over their lifetime in an appropriate tub/rack system. Just me, but I'm not into reinventing the wheel LOL.

For the private pet owner or smaller collection, if you wish to use larger glass enclosures why not. As long as the viv is appropriate as far as heat/humidity, extra hides, etc. and your snake is doing what it should as far as growth, eating, shedding, defecating then I see no real harm. If however, your snake is constantly trying to escape or falling from heights on a regular basis I would personally rethink things. Ball pythons from what I've been lead to believe life lives of quiet contentment deep in termite mounds for the most part. They rarely climb nor hunt prey from trees (other than the study referred to above). They are ambush predators that prefer confined, low light/dark spaces in which to hunt and rest.

That being said, for me anyways, a happy BP is one that is using it's hides a lot. I know when we were trying to settle Brannagh in one of the major signs of stress for her was a refusal to retire to her hides. She constantly patrolled her enclosure, trying to get out, striking at anything that moved and basically exhausting herself. Thanks to Adam's trick with the scrunched up newspaper she eventually stopped this. Once she got that there was no danger, she was able to curl up in her hide and relax finally. It was actually the first small sign that we were making progress with this big female.

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Originally Posted by HisslersMommy

the sand part of her tank

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Did I hear that right? You have sand in your tank? If so, thats not good HisslersMommy. It can get stuck inbetween the scales and not to mention the sand particles that could be ingested if you feed inside.