Do Ball Pythons Do Well in Bioactive Enclosures?

[royalreilly]

I'm sure most of us have seen pictures or videos of people who have created bioactive enclosures for their reptiles or amphibians. I know that every time I see a bioactive enclosure I'm jealous of how beautiful and natural it looks. A lot of the videos I see are of people building these enclosures for geckos or frogs, but there are some for ball pythons also.

My sister just built a small bioactive enclosure for her pet millipedes, which got me thinking about this topic again. But that same night my sister sent me pictures of my god of destruction (aka ball python) in his exo-terra. (For context I currently am at boarding school, so my family is caring for my bp until I move back home in May.) In the pictures she sent me he was "digging" by pushing his face into his coconut fiber substrate and moss. By the next morning he had moved the large, heavy water bowl out of the corner of the tank. This bowl usually catches excess water caused by the mist from the humidifier that comes out right above it, but since he had moved it the substrate became wet and made a huge mess. Nearly every night when it becomes dark he comes out of his hide to "explore" but usually it ends in destruction. The plastic plants suctioned to the glass are torn down, the moss is pushed all around the tank, the water bowl is moved. He is definitely the most rough with the fake plants, though. I believe he tries to climb them, but he is too heavy for them to support his weight so all the plants just fall down.

So basically if he destroys his fake plants every night I can't imagine how destructive he would be in a bioactive enclosure. I would be afraid that on the first night he would either trample or uproot every plant. Does anyone have experience with ball pythons in bioactive enclosures? How do they do? Do they destroy everything or do they live in harmony with environment? Is a bioactive enclosure a good idea for a bp, or are they better suited for other critters? Thank you!

[Jmarshall]

I know people have definitely created bioactives with BPs but can't give any specifics. A BP would likely do well in one as long as all of their needs are being met. You would probably need to research plants that are both safe for the snake and hardy. I've heard people mention Pathos as being an appropriate plant but have zero experience with it. Maybe check out the search function on this forum.. Im sure there are plenty of resources on it.

[distaff]

My two cents: If the BP is having fun bulldozing, let him do that (not that you could stop it). It's a form of enrichment, and good exercise. A collection of beautiful plants around the outside of the enclosure can provide a similar jungle effect.

[Ax01]

i remember an old forumer named Kris when i join here. he had a buncha cool bioactive enclosures for his snakes, lizards and frogs. here's his experience w/ his enclosure: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...hings-of-my-bp

also checkout this cool, willy wonka like bioactive enclosure here: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...=1#post2647713

and here's a recent one i read about: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...oactive-update

good luck and post your build progress.