my ball keeps burrowing beneath the carpet in his viv. any ideas why?

i hope this is the right thread for this question; apologies if it's not!
so he's a healthy-and-eating 2 year-old and he's starting to act out of the ordinary: i'll come home and see a giant lump underneath the bedding and realize he's made his way underneath his carpet. at first i thought he was cold - trying to get closer to his heating pad beneath the carpet - but after obsessively monitoring his temps for almost a week i've found no change (air temp never drops below 75 F, his UTH for the warm hide is around 89-93 F and works fine) and have noticed he tries to stretch towards the cool hide (not staying on the warm side).

so last night as i go through this routine of pulling him out and fixing his enclosure i noticed something: while fixing his viv i set one of his hides on my bed, letting him go into it, i noticed he stops trying to go inside when his body is about half-way through. that's when my my second hypothesis came: is he too big for his hide/enclosure and therefore not comfortable in them? the enclosure is 20 inches long, i believe (i'm at work at can't measure) and has these hides in size large. he's probably over 3ft.

after setting his viv back up and placing him inside towards his cool hide, i noticed he did the same thing: stopping when his chunky bits are half-way through, and sloooooowly going in. any other ideas? i was already planning on getting him a bigger enclosure in a month or so but i might have to make that sooner than later. any insight or advice is very appreciated! thank you guys!!! (:

The reptile carpets are not good for Ball pythons, they are a bacteria breeding grounds. Are you regulating the UTH with a thermostat?

My best guess would be that your snake does not feel secure in its hides and is using the carpet as a makeshift hide.

I would definitely try a bigger hide. The reptile basics hides are very nice.


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Reptile carpets are not good for any reptile. Eventually they start to smell bad, and if they smell, you know there's a lot of bad stuff in them.

thanks for your reply. yes, i use a thermostat for regulating the UTH. any suggestions on what else to use besides the carpets? i wash them with every viv cleaning and have 2 that i use in rotation. i use them bc i worried he might burn his belly if he lays directly on the glass. i agree that he might not feel secure anymore, and i've also noticed him laying differently in the hides, which started right before he found his new hiding place beneath the carpet. do you think the size of his hides could be the issue? it's really the only thing i can think of at this point, and i'm getting tired of rebuilding his viv almost every night lol. again, thanks for your reply!

that's what i'm going to try; since his hides are the exact width of his tank i'm going to get a bigger tank, too. thank you for the advice!

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Originally Posted by butterballpython

Reptile carpets are not good for any reptile. Eventually they start to smell bad, and if they smell, you know there's a lot of bad stuff in them.

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the reason i use them is to make sure he can't burn himself if he burrows himself directly onto the glass. any suggestions for moving away from carpet? thank you for the input!

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

the reason i use them is to make sure he can't burn himself if he burrows himself directly onto the glass. any suggestions for moving away from carpet? thank you for the input!

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If you are using a thermostat like you mentioned, then there should be no risk to you snake if its directly over UTH on the glass as it should not get hot enough to burn them.

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Originally Posted by Rikoku

If you are using a thermostat like you mentioned, then there should be no risk to you snake if its directly over UTH on the glass as it should not get hot enough to burn them.

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alrighty then, no more carpet! they were quite the pain to try and keep clean. i'm just a worry-wart is all. (: thank you for the advice.

TRY A BIGGER HIDE. ;)


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Originally Posted by mangiapane85

try a bigger hide. ;)

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yes, i plan on getting him a bigger viv all together! Thank you for the reply! :d

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

yes, i plan on getting him a bigger viv all together! Thank you for the reply! :d

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Sounds like a T8 would be perfect for him.


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Originally Posted by Mangiapane85

Sounds like a T8 would be perfect for him.

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i'm not familiar with T8, would you mind sharing a link if possible? tysm!

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

i'm not familiar with T8, would you mind sharing a link if possible? tysm!

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http://www.apcages.com/home/terrestrial/T8/T8.htm

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Originally Posted by Rikoku

http://www.apcages.com/home/terrestrial/T8/T8.htm

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you guys are great. any preference between the swing doors or sliding? there's one of these Exo-Terra terrariums at my local petsmart, size Large/Low 36x18x12 inches (for some reason that size is not listed on that site). think i should go with the bigger T8 instead?

These are the reptile basics hides that were mentioned as well. Not the prettiest but get the job done.

http://www.reptilebasics.com/hide-boxes

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

you guys are great. any preference between the swing doors or sliding? there's one of these Exo-Terra terrariums at my local petsmart, size Large/Low 36x18x12 inches (for some reason that size is not listed on that site). think i should go with the bigger T8 instead?

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It is difficult to maintain proper humidity with a screen top glass tank. The T8 would last the life of your snake and will help maintain the proper humidity and the quality is great!. Depending of the size of your snake, you could also use a divider and house two snakes in there if you wanted to expand your collection.

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Originally Posted by Rikoku

It is difficult to maintain proper humidity with a screen top glass tank. The T8 would last the life of your snake and will help maintain the proper humidity and the quality is great!. Depending of the size of your snake, you could also use a divider and house two snakes in there if you wanted to expand your collection.

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Once again, the T8 sounds perfect for your snake. Forget all that exoterra crap. Lol! Jk... to each their own. Heck, all my snakes live in plastic tubs. :D


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

you guys are great. any preference between the swing doors or sliding? there's one of these Exo-Terra terrariums at my local petsmart, size Large/Low 36x18x12 inches (for some reason that size is not listed on that site). think i should go with the bigger T8 instead?

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I'm about to put my only display snake into a T8. And I will definitely be going with the swinging doors. Easier access to the entire living space.

But yeah, it's long overdue for him.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...e300ae75fe.jpg

However, he does beat me in Foosball every single time!

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...e086b5a146.jpg


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

you guys are great. any preference between the swing doors or sliding? there's one of these Exo-Terra terrariums at my local petsmart, size Large/Low 36x18x12 inches (for some reason that size is not listed on that site). think i should go with the bigger T8 instead?

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Exo Terra IMO are over priced for what they are. APCages rock, I have them and know plenty of people with them. They're easy to clean and IMO better for the snake because 3 sides are dark. Regarding the sliding glass versus swinging, I would go with the Sliding glass.

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Originally Posted by Neal

Exo Terra IMO are over priced for what they are. APCages rock, I have them and know plenty of people with them. They're easy to clean and IMO better for the snake because 3 sides are dark. Regarding the sliding glass versus swinging, I would go with the Sliding glass.

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Why do you prefer sliding Neal? Just curious.


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Originally Posted by Mangiapane85

Why do you prefer sliding Neal? Just curious.


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Cause with the APCages you have 3 options:

1.) Sliding Glass
2.) Sliding Acrylic
3.) Swinging Acrylic

Acrylic can scratch easy, plus the glass is cheaper. I have a T8 with glass doors, then I have a t3 with glass doors. I also have a T3 with swinging doors, only because of the snakes I keep in the swinging door T3.

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Originally Posted by Neal

Cause with the APCages you have 3 options:

1.) Sliding Glass
2.) Sliding Acrylic
3.) Swinging Acrylic

Acrylic can scratch easy, plus the glass is cheaper. I have a T8 with glass doors, then I have a t3 with glass doors. I also have a T3 with swinging doors, only because of the snakes I keep in the swinging door T3.

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Gotcha. Sliding it will be. Didn't realize the swinging doors only came in acrylic, though it does make sense.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mangiapane85

Gotcha. Sliding it will be. Didn't realize the swinging doors only came in acrylic, though it does make sense.


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Yea. I have no experience in cutting glass or even if it's possible to get smooth edged corners and to drill holes for the brackets, but when I'm going to call around after I sort some other things out to see if I can find somebody to do that.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mangiapane85

Once again, the T8 sounds perfect for your snake. Forget all that exoterra crap. Lol! Jk... to each their own. Heck, all my snakes live in plastic tubs. :D


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rikoku

It is difficult to maintain proper humidity with a screen top glass tank. The T8 would last the life of your snake and will help maintain the proper humidity and the quality is great!. Depending of the size of your snake, you could also use a divider and house two snakes in there if you wanted to expand your collection.

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thank you both for your insight! it does feel like i'd be getting more from the T8. i have my ball in a mesh-top now but it's been covered in saran wrap since i got it to maintain humidity lol. trying to cut corners always seems to bite you in the end. :P looks like i'll probably end up getting the sliding glass.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mangiapane85

I'm about to put my only display snake into a T8. And I will definitely be going with the swinging doors. Easier access to the entire living space.

But yeah, it's long overdue for him.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...e300ae75fe.jpg

However, he does beat me in Foosball every single time!

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...e086b5a146.jpg


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hahaha what a qt pie! again, thanks for your reply.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Neal

Exo Terra IMO are over priced for what they are. APCages rock, I have them and know plenty of people with them. They're easy to clean and IMO better for the snake because 3 sides are dark. Regarding the sliding glass versus swinging, I would go with the Sliding glass.

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thanks for your insight. if you don't mind some questions since i'm not familiar with the product: how does a UTH/thermostat work with the T8/APCages? and what size UTH would you recommend for the T8? ty in advance!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

thanks for your insight. if you don't mind some questions since i'm not familiar with the product: how does a UTH/thermostat work with the T8/APCages? and what size UTH would you recommend for the T8? ty in advance!

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Anytime.

Okay, so heat tape and UTH are based off the same principal. They warm the bottom of the enclosure to create a hot spot. However, UTH can get way way hotter than heat tape. Also with heat tape it's way cheaper. When you order a T8, the guy makes a slot on each side so if you use heat tape, you simply put a thermostat in the slot that you tape on the heat tape. That regulates your temperature. That way it doesn't get to hot and you don't end up harming the animal. I would go with heat tape for your T8. I would say it's absolutely necessary to put your heat tape on a thermostat, though I don't believe it gets as hot as an UTH will unregulated, it can still get over 100 degrees. You can get heat tape from reptilebasics, I think they use THG if I'm not mistaken. You just buy the amount you want, likely a foot long and have them install the connections for you.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Neal

Anytime.

Okay, so heat tape and UTH are based off the same principal. They warm the bottom of the enclosure to create a hot spot. However, UTH can get way way hotter than heat tape. Also with heat tape it's way cheaper. When you order a T8, the guy makes a slot on each side so if you use heat tape, you simply put a thermostat in the slot that you tape on the heat tape. That regulates your temperature. That way it doesn't get to hot and you don't end up harming the animal. I would go with heat tape for your T8. I would say it's absolutely necessary to put your heat tape on a thermostat, though I don't believe it gets as hot as an UTH will unregulated, it can still get over 100 degrees. You can get heat tape from reptilebasics, I think they use THG if I'm not mistaken. You just buy the amount you want, likely a foot long and have them install the connections for you.

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There is also an option for them to add heat tape to your T-8 when ordering.

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Originally Posted by Rikoku

There is also an option for them to add heat tape to your T-8 when ordering.

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Yea, I forgot about that. They charge $35 for that though when you can get that for under $10. lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Neal

Anytime.

Okay, so heat tape and UTH are based off the same principal. They warm the bottom of the enclosure to create a hot spot. However, UTH can get way way hotter than heat tape. Also with heat tape it's way cheaper. When you order a T8, the guy makes a slot on each side so if you use heat tape, you simply put a thermostat in the slot that you tape on the heat tape. That regulates your temperature. That way it doesn't get to hot and you don't end up harming the animal. I would go with heat tape for your T8. I would say it's absolutely necessary to put your heat tape on a thermostat, though I don't believe it gets as hot as an UTH will unregulated, it can still get over 100 degrees. You can get heat tape from reptilebasics, I think they use THG if I'm not mistaken. You just buy the amount you want, likely a foot long and have them install the connections for you.

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very informative, tysm! so are UTH incompatible with APCages? just trying to get the most accurate picture of the cage, though i might just go with the heat tape.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rikoku

There is also an option for them to add heat tape to your T-8 when ordering.

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thanks for the info! i'll be looking into heat tape.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Neal

Yea, I forgot about that. They charge $35 for that though when you can get that for under $10. lol

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is it simple to put together on your own? would you happen to have a link to any useful resource on that?

thank you all so much!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

very informative, tysm! so are UTH incompatible with APCages? just trying to get the most accurate picture of the cage, though i might just go with the heat tape.

thanks for the info! i'll be looking into heat tape.

is it simple to put together on your own? would you happen to have a link to any useful resource on that?

thank you all so much!

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Here is the tutorial straight from reptile basics. This method involves using the rivets

http://www.reptilebasics.com/thg-heattape-connections

This is a video on how to solder it. (People say this is more secure and less prone to failure)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GPUjmwBwoM

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rikoku

Here is the tutorial straight from reptile basics. This method involves using the rivets

http://www.reptilebasics.com/thg-heattape-connections

This is a video on how to solder it. (People say this is more secure and less prone to failure)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GPUjmwBwoM

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perfect! looks like i have some research to do when i get home. thank you so much!