Swimming BP?

Hi all! :D
So I've decided I want a BP. Been dreaming of having one for quite some time really and I'm finally pulling myself together to do all the prep work and whatnot.
To that end I've been devouring several threads on this site about tank setup and I also ordered some books.
My first book arrived today (Ball Pythons by Colette Sutherland) and in it the author says that all Ball Pythons are good swimmers.

Nothing in any of the tank setup stuff that I've read here thus far has said anything about setting up a swimming area for the ball python so obviously it's not necessary, but it got me thinking: would it be something that a BP might like to have??? I can easily imagine putting a plastic water tub in a T8 (aside from or in place of the water bowl).

Any thoughts on this?

Thanks much!

If you do provide a large water bowl, don't have it deeper than a couple inches... They're not a swimming species, so deep water only has risks LOL. They can drown.

It's a pretty rare bp that likes water. They can swim but the vast majority don't want to. Bps that like to climb are a lot more common-lots will do so at least sometimes. You can offer a water bowl big enough for the snake to sit in if you'd like- a few will do so sometimes just because they feel like it- but anything bigger is a pretty ineffective use of space.

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

If you do provide a large water bowl, don't have it deeper than a couple inches... They're not a swimming species, so deep water only has risks LOL. They can drown.

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Really ? Surely it would have to be unbelievably deep for one to drown wouldn't it or have steeply sloping inwards sides !??

They do have decent muscle tone , clearly not as much as a Boa but I've seen them telescoping around and stretching up whilst yawning . I actually think , as mentioned above , that it's possibly just a case of wasted space as they probably won't spend long soaking like many other types of snake do .

Ball pythons are horrible swimmers, flopping side to side. Their reaction is often to get out of the water as fast as possible. Climbing space would be more enriching than swimming space, and swimming space is effectively negative space to your enclosure, shrinking how much effective room the ball python has to occupy

Oh, Ok. Since you all have properly deduced that I'm looking to provide enrichment for my ball python what are your thoughts on climbing in a cage (thanks for bringing that up kcl and oxylepy)? Is a T8 too short to have a log to crawl around on? Should I be looking into a T10/11/12 or is that too much space for a baby ball? I do plan to cut the space in half until it grows bigger, I just don't have a clue how much vertical space is enough vs too much. Any other ideas for enrichment would be welcome as well. Being a first time owner I only plan to get one snake.

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Originally Posted by Flyheight

Oh, Ok. Since you all have properly deduced that I'm looking to provide enrichment for my ball python what are your thoughts on climbing in a cage (thanks for bringing that up oxylepy)? Is a T8 too short to have a log to crawl around on? Should I be looking into a T10/11/12 or is that too much space for a baby ball? I do plan to cut the space in half until it grows bigger, I just don't have a clue how much vertical space is enough vs too much. Any other ideas for enrichment would be welcome as well. Being a first time owner I only plan to get one snake.

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I have a T8 with a log that my male loves to use at night. My female has a separate T8 and I removed her log because she never used it. It seemed for an obstacle for her. So it just depends on the snake.


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Just an FYI. Relatively speaking ball pythons are not active animals. Most don't do much unless you include creeping to the front of the cage to see if you have food when you enter the room. Big girls mostly lay around even when given the opportunity to do something else. Many boys and juveniles will show activity at night. If you want one that may climb get a boy. I saw a study awhile back where they were looking at gut contents (forced regurge) in wild balls. The females had 100% rodent. The boys were eating rodents and birds. Boys are generally thinner of build and smaller than girls so it may make it easier for them to climb.

I have not met the ball python yet that will voluntarily take a swim and they are not exceptionally graceful when they do swim.

Offering climbing opportunities is a definite yes in my personal opinion. You should be able to do it in a T8 or in a T10. Some will love it, some won't care about it. My 1000g male actually still manages to climb and drape himself across his suction cup plants without knocking them down most of the time. Both the T8& T10 have the option of a basking shelf that they can climb onto. I just got mine and the sealant is curing so I can't tell you how my snake likes the shelf, but I know that Sauzo (? I think it was) has commented that his bp Dottie loved her basking shelf.

As for other enrichment options - introducing items with various textures, very small amounts of spices or similar natural items with scent not in water or on food (be judicious about this), occasional cage rearrangement, providing live plants, and target training have all been used by zoos and rehab centers with snakes with success. Always be careful with what you provide - if you're not sure it's safe, just skip it. Also don't start messing around with the cage until your bp is comfortably and consistently eating.

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Really ? Surely it would have to be unbelievably deep for one to drown wouldn't it or have steeply sloping inwards sides !??

They do have decent muscle tone , clearly not as much as a Boa but I've seen them telescoping around and stretching up whilst yawning . I actually think , as mentioned above , that it's possibly just a case of wasted space as they probably won't spend long soaking like many other types of snake do .

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Just in case, you know LOL. Since tubs usually do have vertical sloping sides, so it got me thinking the BP could drop in unexpectedly. In the natural world, water is first shallow on the edges and all.