Escape Artist BP Keeps Burrowing in One Spot??

Hi everyone,

This is my first post here, I’ll try to keep it concise but my issue does require a little bit of backstory:

I’ve had my ball python Loki (male normal, 4 yrs) since May of this year. One morning around 3 weeks ago, my housemate called to tell me that my bp had escaped at some point during the night (I was out of town that night), but he had found him in a box under my bed. His escape method was rather ingenious:

I have a vivexotic viva+ medium viv (86x49x50cm), it has these special vents in the back which allow for wires to be routed through - for the lamp, thermostats and heat mat etc. My snake had burrowed underneath the wires in the centre of the back wall of his enclosure, and squeezed his body underneath them in such a way that he managed to pop the vent off. He then must have escaped through the hole (which is large enough to fit a UK plug through). I have since foil taped around the vent and also foil taped the wires down so that there’s no way for him to repeat his great escape.

Here’s the problem: Most nights since, and sometimes at dusk, my bp will go to the place he escaped from and burrow/rub his face against the foil tape. This has worried me a little. My immediate thought is that he remembers his escape route and is trying to do it again, however I’m not sure if snakes have the mental capacity for that? The second issue is that I’ve heard about snakes getting sores and infections from face-rubbing. And finally, if he is trying to escape, why? I have triple checked my husbandry, he has one overhead lamp on the hot side and a heat mat under his hot hide which is around 32 celcius. His cold side is 24-25 celcius and he has plenty of artificial plants for cover.

I would be extremely grateful if any of the more seasoned bp owners out there could shed a little light on this behaviour and hopefully put my mind at rest.

P.S. If anyone requires photos please let me know.
Many thanks in advance :)

I would not use tape in a cage and especially foil tape, that stuff is serious. I would use an epoxy to secure the vent. It will fill the gaps, secure the vent, and can be removed easy enough if ever needed.

As to the snakes repeated action I would believe they remember things like that and would guess after they exhaust their efforts they will stop.

Snakes definitely have a memory for escape routes. In the wild, they must learn & remember their way around (by scent & touch, & by vision to a lesser extent), otherwise they perish when predators come after them, plus they need shelter from weather (excessive heat kills them directly, & cold makes movement impossible so predators don't even have to chase them if they're trapped out in the open), and they instinctively brumate thru the seasons as needed.

I agree, tape is a no-go near snakes. I've heard of snakes popping off such vents before. You need a more permanent fix. Either a permanent (non-toxic when dry) glue, or drill a few holes to bolt that piece to the main body of the enclosure, only make sure that any exposed bolts are flat on the inside (not an abrasion hazard) because this snake will try again.