Ball python climbing to the top of the enclosure?

Is it normal for BP's to climb the top of their enclosure at night?

I think the humidity and temperatures are fine
(55-70℅ humidity, 88°F on the warm end, and 78°F on the cool end)

She has 6 hides and lots of clutter, she explores her entire tank but she'll climb up to the rim of the enclosure at night. (Her enclosure lid is mesh and opens from the top)

Shes a young ball python around 2 feet long in a 47 gallon enclosure, so it's surely enough space.

Is this normal behavior? Is she just exploring? Or am I doing something wrong with her husbandry.

Here's a photo of her doing it. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...0c8c85067d.jpg

BPs will climb if given the opportunity, and nighttime is when they're most active so she feels safest to explore more "avant-garde" areas like the more exposed top area of the tank. My male is at his most adventurous at night as well. Always craning around checking the limits of his home, high and low.

Thank you, that's very reassuring knowing other BP's are doing this haha.
This is my first BP and I want to make sure she's healthy.

mine has definitely used all of the climbing stuff i’ve given her and she definitely loves exploring at night - i think is just normal BP activities lol

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Originally Posted by Ruby

Is this normal behavior? Is she just exploring? Or am I doing something wrong with her husbandry.

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She senses the fresh air and she's seeking a way out. No matter how nice your enclosure is, your BP will seek freedom, at least until she realizes there's no way out.

Snakes are intelligent and naturally curious. If her temps/humidity are good and she is otherwise comfortable with her setup, then she may be looking for more mental stimulation. Can you open the enclosure and supervise? If she doesn't get enrichment in her enclosure (such as offering her new items to engage with and explore regularly) she may be bored.

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Originally Posted by Caitlin

Snakes are intelligent and naturally curious. If her temps/humidity are good and she is otherwise comfortable with her setup, then she may be looking for more mental stimulation. Can you open the enclosure and supervise? If she doesn't get enrichment in her enclosure (such as offering her new items to engage with and explore regularly) she may be bored.

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I'm a big proponent of activity sessions. I give my Children's python the opportunity to come out of his enclosure and explore daily. I have two activity stations that I use. A modified coat rack for him to climb on:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/NxYoKbE.jpg
and a pet tent for him to crawl around:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/5zMaTXU.jpg.
In addition, I've recently started adding items with novel scents (nothing perfumey) to his enclosure for him to ponder.

I used to let my BP out of his enclosure as well. Usually, he would curl up under my couch or my bookcase. While not terribly active compared to, say, a toddler on a playground, he took the trouble so he must have gotten something out of it. So, in my experience, enrichment not only engages your snake mentally, it's fun for you as a keeper.

I take her out daily to explore, and eventually, I will set up a snake room for her to free roam.
I occasionally rearrange the stuff in her tank for enrichment.


If she is bored, What else can I do?

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Originally Posted by Ruby

If she is bored, What else can I do?

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Probably, nothing. If you're letting her out daily, I doubt she is bored. Like I said before, I think she's seeking freedom instinctually. In the wild, being trapped is very dangerous. In captivity, not being trapped is more dangerous. Your BP just doesn't understand that.

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Originally Posted by Ruby

I take her out daily to explore, and eventually, I will set up a snake room for her to free roam.
I occasionally rearrange the stuff in her tank for enrichment.


If she is bored, What else can I do?

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Put some more branches in .. can’t really have too many


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Regarding Homebody's suggestions for activity above (post #8), keep in mind that his activity station is for a more arboreal type of python. BPs may climb a little near the ground, but what is shown there would not be suited for a BP. Avoid letting snakes fall from much height repeatedly, as injuries can occur. They do better with things like driftwood & tunnels to explore- & just make sure there are no holes they can get stuck in- they do not seem to recognize the danger ahead of time, & many materials are hard to cut thru, & it's dangerous with a snake that is stuck. A BP might enjoy exploring a warm pile of freshly-dried laundry- while you're folding it & bored. ;) All snakes also do best on materials that offer traction- smooth cardboard does not.
Letting a snake out to explore your room or home can seem like fun too, but they're much better at "hide & seek" than we are, so don't say you aren't warned. :rofl: Stay vigilant if you choose to try this- leaving the room for 5 minutes to get the phone is plenty of time for that "snake statue" to disappear. Ask me how I know...:D

Some people make a "jungle gym" for their snakes (various kinds) to climb on- if you keep it lower to the ground (more horizontal than vertical) it would work. I've seen bamboo & PVC poles used (fastened together) but for a snake that needs more traction, try zip-tying some good sized branches together. Keep in mind also that BPs are active at night- they're not likely to use any of these ideas until then. Instinctively they sleep & lay low during the day.

In warm weather, I've always found that most snakes enjoy some time outdoors, both for all the new scents, but also the natural sunlight seems to benefit them health-wise, sometimes increasing their appetite also. BUT- never leave a snake in an enclosure out in the sun- even a tank that's open on the top will overheat in "no time" in the sun & kill your snake sooner than you might think.

Putting a snake on the ground has risks too- many people do that (you'll see the photos!) but keep in mind they can pick up germs & parasites (intestinal worms from wildlife scats!) so personally, none of my snakes get to crawl thru the grass, much as they'd love to. They still like being carried on a stroll around my yard in nice weather though. Or else they're just secretly laughing at me for being such a chump? :snake:

(Remember to add your body heat to whatever the temperature is outside also- if your snake seems restless & not wanting to be held after 15 minutes, listen to them- they could be overheating. The smaller the snake, the faster their body can heat up excessively.)

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Regarding Homebody's suggestions for activity above (post #8), keep in mind that his activity station is for a more arboreal type of python. BPs may climb a little near the ground, but what is shown there would not be suited for a BP. Avoid letting snakes fall from much height repeatedly, as injuries can occur.
Letting a snake out to explore your room or home can seem like fun too, but they're much better at "hide & seek" than we are, so don't say you aren't warned. :rofl: Stay vigilant if you choose to try this- leaving the room for 5 minutes to get the phone is plenty of time for that "snake statue" to disappear. Ask me how I know...:D

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Yeah, the coat rack is an arboreal station. I would never have put my BP on that. He liked to climb, but he wasn't very good at it. He would have killed himself.

I also agree that you should be careful allowing your snake to free roam. I never had a problem with my BP. He was big, slow and not very active. I recently stopped allowing my Children's python to free roam for just the reason Boger raised above. He is small, still relatively slow, but much more active. I kept losing or almost losing him. For his safety and my sanity, his activity sessions are now confined to the stations.

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Originally Posted by Homebody

Yeah, the coat rack is an arboreal station. I would never have put my BP on that. He liked to climb, but he wasn't very good at it. He would have killed himself.

I also agree that you should be careful allowing your snake to free roam. I never had a problem with my BP. He was big, slow and not very active. I recently stopped allowing my Children's python to free roam for just the reason Boger raised above. He is small, still relatively slow, but much more active. I kept losing or almost losing him. For his safety and my sanity, his activity sessions are now confined to the stations.

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Even the "slow" snakes can fake you out though. ;)

Here's a picture of her enclosure.
I thought this would be enough to keep her entertained.

Anything I should change or add? https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...f4a94db714.jpg

Here's a couple different angleshttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...a67777c5c2.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...92fd48cbd3.jpg

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Originally Posted by Ruby

Anything I should change or add?

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I'd cover the sides and the back in order to give her a greater feeling of security.

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Originally Posted by Homebody

I'd cover the sides and the back in order to give her a greater feeling of security.

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Thank you!

You can get black posterboard (should be able to get some at a dollar store or craft store) and tape them on the outside of the glass walls. That's what I did when my BP was in a glass tank.

There's a fair amount you can do. It's wonderful to have a super curious and outgoing snake in your life, but it can be challenging too. Also remember that freedom, in and of itself, is a primary reinforcer. As a result, some of my snakes who actively indicate that they want out are actually quite content to just sit with their heads resting at the edge of the enclosure once I open the door. They just seem to want to know that they have the option to come out.

For snakes that want more activities, here are a few things I do with my more outgoing guys: Offer regular enrichment inside the enclosure. Don't completely change/disrupt the whole enclosure, but add something new/temporary every week. It can be simple: a cardboard box, fresh cuttings from the yard, a plushy dog toy (they won't 'play' with those of course, but they do enjoy exploring and sitting on soft materials), a small shelf, a folded up towel they can crawl on/under...you get the picture. There are lots of possibilities.

Get one of those puppy 'playpens' with the fabric sides and the zippered top. I have a couple of these and when I don't have time to closely supervise a snake's 'outside' time I can put them in a playpen that I filled with enrichment items, zip the top, and let them trundle around in there for a couple of hours.

Consider target training. It's an excellent enrichment activity as it doesn't force handling on the snake but it engages their mind. And it has real usefulness for the keeper in terms of signaling that it is feeding time; it opens the door to teaching a snake to voluntarily shift between a permanent enclosure and a scale or a temporary enclosure during cleaning, or can signal the opportunity for non-food rewards like time outside of the enclosure. It's also handy as heck if the snake slips into a spot where you don't want them to be - you can target them out.

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Originally Posted by Ruby

Here's a couple different angleshttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...a67777c5c2.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...92fd48cbd3.jpg

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Ahhhh

You can add loads of branches in there !!!

Have them crossing over / intermingled.
They can be pulled out easily enough when you need to clean up and then put them back in different places each time


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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Ahhhh

You can add loads of branches in there !!!

Have them crossing over / intermingled.
They can be pulled out easily enough when you need to clean up and then put them back in different places each time


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

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I'll add to this thought: My snakes are mostly all climbers (rat snakes, etc) so what I do is install long branches diagonally, corner to corner (one high, one low), with another going the other way, corner to corner, so they cross in the middle- most snakes like that as there's more to hang onto. Branches for a BP shouldn't be so high up, & having them interlock in the middle adds stability.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I'll add to this thought: My snakes are mostly all climbers (rat snakes, etc) so what I do is install long branches diagonally, corner to corner (one high, one low), with another going the other way, corner to corner, so they cross in the middle- most snakes like that as there's more to hang onto. Branches for a BP shouldn't be so high up, & having them interlock in the middle adds stability.

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I have two limbs that cross in the middle and one that runs low to high along the back wall. I purposefully kept the branches away from my RHP, so my snake doesn't get too close to it.
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...urnishings.jpg

I get a kick out of seeing my snakes lounging on their branches, & they come up with new ways all the time, especially since I usually provide more than just 2 branches. Some kinds of snakes seem to feel safer when up in branches, or may prefer the vantage point to pounce on clueless prey below them. Then too, some snakes may also be after birds & eggs in the trees. And I think branches offer a work-out for their muscles & balance too- plus they make the most of the space available- like a second story in a human home.