What am I doing wrong?

I recently moved my female ball python from her first enclosure into her adult enclosure. She's about a year old, 42 inches, 950 grams. Her enclosure is 48 inches wide by 24 inches deep by 24 inches tall. Cool side stays around 80 degrees, warm side stays around 86 ambient temperature with the belly heat at the warm end around 92 degrees. Humidity is about 45% - 55% on the warm end and about 55% - 65% on the cool end. She fits perfectly fine in both her hides and mostly stays in her warm hide during the day and will occasionally sleep behind the leaves on the cool end. She has a good amount of cover in the enclosure with fake foliage. But ever since she has been in this new enclosure, she spends 4 - 5 hours every night trying to escape. At first I thought it was just because she needed to adjust to her new enclosure, but she's been doing it for over a month now. It wouldn't be much of a problem to me if she was just roaming around the enclosure, but she spends a lot of time ramming her face (like she's trying to dig a hole or push through the wall) into the corners where the glass doors meet the side walls. And she pushes really hard and I'm afraid she gonna hurt herself really bad. Any advice on what I can do? Is there anything I'm doing wrong? She's my first ball python so I'm not quite experienced with them yet.

How are you checking your temps. Do you have a temp gun. The first thing that comes to mind that it may be too warm for her.

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Originally Posted by L.West

How are you checking your temps. Do you have a temp gun. The first thing that comes to mind that it may be too warm for her.

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I was wondering about this too. OP do you think we can also see a picture of your set up?

I use the temperature probes from the Herpstat 2 and 2 AcuRite thermometers/hygrometers to check the temps.

https://m.imgur.com/a/sbdtb

You can't check surface temps like that. Please get a temp gun. They are invaluable. Worth every penny.

I don't see pushing the boundaries of a larger new enclosure itself a sign of distress but seeing 86 as the ambient temperature might be a sign. Ambient should be in the low 80s to upper 70s and it may indeed be a tad too warm.

Edit: seeing a CHE inside the enclosure terrifies me. Not sure why people in Europe and the UK think having a heat lamp or CHE surrounded by a wire cage that is also heated by the CHE is acceptable. Also, did you tape down the probe cords?! Are the thermostat probes for the UTH on the inside of the enclosure?

Edit 2: GET THAT INTERNAL CHE OUT OF THAT ENCLOSURE!

Seconding the temp gun, chances are her hot spot is too hot. Also remember you want to check the temp under the substrate with your temp gun to make sure cage surface does not exceed 92 F.

There seems to be a lot of dead open air space, so I'm wondering if it may be worth getting an extra plant or vine to hang down or drape over her hides so she has a bit more cover from above. Alternatively adding branches of driftwood could help too.

Why is there is light fixture inside of the enclosure. She can stretch up and really hurt herself by burning. Get it out of there. Also 86 is way to warm. Should be 80.

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Originally Posted by SDA

I don't see pushing the boundaries of a larger new enclosure itself a sign of distress but seeing 86 as the ambient temperature might be a sign. Ambient should be in the low 80s to upper 70s and it may indeed be a tad too warm.

Edit: seeing a CHE inside the enclosure terrifies me. Not sure why people in Europe and the UK think having a heat lamp or CHE surrounded by a wire cage that is also heated by the CHE is acceptable. Also, did you tape down the probe cords?! Are the thermostat probes for the UTH on the inside of the enclosure?

Edit 2: GET THAT INTERNAL CHE OUT OF THAT ENCLOSURE!

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Good call about the Che SDA! I'm so used to rhp's that I completely missed that! That and the tape, which I must be utterly blind because I can't see it?

I don't see any light bulb in the viv to be fair .. that white flash at the top middle of the viv looks like a reflection of the main room light bulb , I'd guess ?

Also why all the hate for ceramics in cages ??

Am I missing something here I thought most of the guys in the US used ceramics in guards ( regulated by a thermostat of course ) ..??

Oh and digital temp guns are a must for any reptile keeper in my opinion.
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We use CHEs outside an enclosure, not inside. As someone who has burned a snake many many years ago, I can't in good conscious even remotely begin to agree that putting a 300+ degree heating source surrounded by a metal cage is a good idea in any country, universe, reality, etc.

This is in relation to a only ball python which will climb over everything in an enclosure no matter where you put it. Any other reptile is a mute argument because a ball python is not any other reptile, they are curious noodles that like to crawl on anything dangerous just to mess with their owners.

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

I don't see any light bulb in the viv to be fair .. that white flash at the top middle of the viv looks like a reflection of the main room light bulb , I'd guess ?

Also why all the hate for ceramics in cages ??

Am I missing something here I thought most of the guys in the US used ceramics in guards ( regulated by a thermostat of course ) ..??

Oh and digital temp guns are a must for any reptile keeper in my opinion.
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

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it the black metal cage at the top left in the cage. Ceramics IN cages is a hot mess...literally. That is common sense not to put hot things where a snake can touch them. In the US they sit on top of the cage OUTSIDE of it.

I've seen the "in cage" heat bulb setup both in the US as well as in other countries.

I don't think its a good idea. The cage around the bulb gets hot. Far hotter then even a overheated heat tape. Burn to a quick touch kind of hot. So yeah, if that could be replaced with a radiant heat panel or a outside heat bulb, that would be great.

I think the snake is stressed. That is a BIG change and a BIG cage with lots of open space. With the light sides and back plus the tall glass front, the snake might feel very exposed, despite the hides and some of the greenery.

What kind of setup was she in before ?

Here is an idea how you can make that cage seem more "private". When I had large display cages, I built my own removable shelfs. Basically a custom cut piece of wood on legs. You want it about half the height of the cage. And reaching about half way towards the front. You can also built a "corner" shelf or two like that. Basically you are cutting that "wide open" space into half, creating more of a "cave" like feeling for the snake.

As a bonus, once the snake feels more secure, they use the shelf to climb on top of and explore. You can get creative...you can fasten (NO TAPE) greenery along the edge of the shelf to hang down somewhat, or greenery on top. Even some natural driftwood can be used.

Its hard to see, but in this picture you can see a corner shelf I built for my display cage. I used custom cut wood and a piece of drift wood. I cut thick branches as "legs" and screwed them onto this. It covers the corner and is a bit longer on the long side. Jag LOVES it. He crawls under and over it and lately loves to drape himself on top while "watching" going ons.

Granted, when I moved him from his tub into this cage, he WAS stressed at first. Its a new enclosure, more size, and that can be scary at first. It took him a good 4 to 5 weeks to stop cruising for a way out. Now, after a few months, he is completely at ease.

With a shelf like this, it becomes even more crucial that you remove the bulb/cage, as it would become easier to reach for the snake and even a relatively short "touch" would burn it...

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...g/large/h4.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...g/large/c2.jpg

Even with a shelf like this, you keep your hides ! You can pull them halfway out from underneath the shelf or to the front. Basically, you want to fill out the dead space a bit..

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...g/large/c1.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...89254108_n.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...g/large/j2.jpg

All that said, just because a ceramic heat emitter is on the OUTSIDE doesn't always make it safe, either.

They are often in dome lamp, which is placed on a wire mesh that is on top of the cage. That wire mesh is not all that far from the heat emitter and can ALSO get very hot, much like that "cage" around the ceramic heat bulb.

Which is why I don't like heat bulbs of any kind with snakes. I think under tank heaters and radiant heat panels are a better choice.

The light you see in my pictures is purely for some "illumination". And it appears far brighter then it is. It is a VERY dull, low light, extremely low wattage tiny LED bulb ;) My dome doesn't even get slightly warm..