Enclosure Concerns!! Bin to animal plastic!

[Yepp]

So, my girl is still only 6 months. 360 g. But I recently had her in a tub (with locking clamps & holes drilled in) that was about 2' x 1.5'. Saw she was getting a little cramped after having to upgrade her hides. They just took up so much of a foot print that she didnt have much wiggle room with 2 hides & a water dish.

So I ordered an Animal Plastics T8. With sliding glass doors, a basking shelf, and a radiant heat panel installed. I personally added LED lights & door lock.

The first time she got in it, she explored it for like 30 min straight! I thought she loved it.... Key word "thought". Ever since the initial exploration, she dug herself a hidey-hole under the shelf. (I built up ramps on either side with substrate & she immediately destroyed one lol That's what they do) And she doesnt come out from there.

She's still eating. Tho she never turns down food. But she keeps a portion of her body in that self made cave even when tempted with food.

Is the T8 too much space too soon? I don't want to move her back but it's been 3 weeks. And I think the moving back would shell shock her.

I've used all old hides & decor. Had to get larger water dish. And she relied on light from window to tell time in old tub. Now she had dimmable leds (which I never have @ full blast). And added additional decor to give her a better sense of security.

I'm on the verge of calling animal plastic and asking for a divider to see if it's too much space.

I might be over stressing something small but any advice would be so helpful!

[Moose84]

That is an enormous enclosure for a ball python of that size. With that being said you are going to get different opinions from different people. I would also say that the behavior sounds somewhat normal for the species. As long as she is eating I wouldn't be too worried. IF she stops eating I would fill that thing up with clutter because like I said before, it is a big enclosure for anything other than a big adult female. For a comparison, we don't move hatchlings into a 5040 series tub until around 400 grams. Even then, some of them stop eating and have to go back or need a hide.

[Bogertophis]

I agree with Moose84's post- I wouldn't move her back, that's just more stress. And hiding is what BPs do, so just 'clutter it up' some & don't worry- she's eating.

[Yepp]

That's a huge difference for real! The cage divider is sounding like a good idea then. It would make it 2' x 1.5' x 1'.

I've been talking to some people that live around me. They reminded me that they move around @ night. So i might be just missing it. They recommended setting up go pro for night time to confirm she is stationary.

[Waterman]

Bps hide. It’s what they do. If it’s still eating your fine. My daughters is in a 3x2xhowever high, I forget...and is smaller than yours by 100 grams. Was put into it when he was smaller than he is now. Still eats like a champ. Loves the cage. Fill it up with decor. Branches. Rocks and such. Use multiple hides. If it wants to burrow, as long as your temps aren’t too hot or humidity too low, that’s fine.