Thermostat probe placement in my tank?

[CakeLike]

My snake is with me for 6weeks and he is STILL glass surfing every night and climbing enclosure walls. I don't get his behaviour at all.
I have tried everything to make him a nice home.
He's got a big enough cage 24x16x16. Water bowl, branches to climb, two hides, heat from above and below, humidity of 55 to 70 %. He eats fine.
Where is his problem?!

Just recently he added to the list of strange behaviour. He now digs in the substrate at one spot of the enclosure which he never did before. He doesn't burrow, just uses his snout to dig into substrate.
I thought I had the perfect temperatures but always people suggest the temps musst be wrong if the snake wants to escape hence my question.
I heat with a heating panel from above and heat mat from below.
I use a thermostat each. The heat panel probe is positioned about a hands width from the ground under the panel. It reads temps of 84 to 86.
With the mat I provide a hot spot. the probe is on the bottom of the tank above the mat. It reads 88 to 90.
On th cool end I have a Thermometer that gives me 77 to 79.
He stays in his cool hide 99 percent of time when he sleeps.
Meassuring with a heat gun, I reach temps of
86 to 88 on the warm side substrate and 77 to 81 on the gradient from warm to cool side on the substrate.
The decor which is closer to the heat panel like the branch reach temps of 86 to 92. And he likes to use them as well.

So what's wrong? I experimented with slightly hotter and slightly cooler temps, didnt change anything in his behaviour.

Here's a picture of the enclosure. One probe on the left side wall and the other under the left side hide.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVNp9B9s...dium=copy_link

Is my probe placement off?

[KMG]

Most of my snakes dig around. My BRB and Bloods were notorious for destroying they're nicely covered enclosures. They'd dig up all the plants and move everything. I ended up just putting them on newspaper because of it. My Ball will at times dig around but it's mostly good so she's still on substrate. My Cen Am Boa actually burrows and is completely under the substrate 95% of the time. I wouldn't call that normal but I don't worry about it. I know the numbers are good and the enclosure is secure. So I let the snake do as it pleases.


As for probes this is how I do mine for my RHP.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...91#post2359891

As for your snake and now seeing your setup, I would add more moss to the hides. Make them as tight as possible. You might also want to turn the openings inward so they don't look out. A huge needs to make the snake feel secure. If the door is opened to basically a window that's not going to give them that. Most all my hides are turned in our even backwards, it at least a angle.

Then relax. If your numbers are good you are worrying over nothing. You may actually be causing it changing things and constantly getting involved. Maybe not.... But maybe.

[Snow Balls]

If you’re only seeing him exhibit this behavior at night and not 24/7 then he’s most likely fine. If you are in fact measuring your temps and humidity correctly then there is no problem, you’re just over thinking it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CakeLike]

It just seems odd to me that he constantly changes behaviour or gets new quirky traits. Ball pythons are not known for inconsistancy I guess (except feeding).
I would blame it on hunger but that would be odd as well for a ball python. I have been feeding him smaller meals and that means he is not taking as long of a break after feeding and is still active.
I could feed him bigger mice again to keep him less active but I care about his health and wont stuff him because of this.

[KMG]

It's not unhealthy for a snake to be active. Unless I just fed my GTP, ETB, BRB, Dum, and Col Boa move around almost every night. My Kings and Hoggies will be moving during most days. I even caught my Col Boa moving around during the day twice last week. You know what I did about it? Nothing. The numbers are good so I have nothing to worry about. I knew she was getting hungry and just remedied that tonight. Now she'll be still for a couple days having ate a XXL rat, but those others will probably be moving again tomorrow night or the night after. As long as my snakes are holding weight, eating, and shedding I don't worry about what they do.

[Hugsplox]

It just seems odd to me that he constantly changes behaviour or gets new quirky traits. Ball pythons are not known for inconsistancy I guess (except feeding).
I would blame it on hunger but that would be odd as well for a ball python. I have been feeding him smaller meals and that means he is not taking as long of a break after feeding and is still active.
I could feed him bigger mice again to keep him less active but I care about his health and wont stuff him because of this.

It's odd to me how you want your snake to be less active. It doesn't sound like anything is wrong other than you constantly changing things because you think there's a problem. All due respect, how many times do you have to be told he's fine before you just leave him alone? Yea you've had him for 6 weeks, but if you're going in there every other day moving stuff around and changing stuff you really haven't let him settle in. I think it would do you and your snake a world of good to leave that enclosure alone for a few weeks.

[CakeLike]

It's odd to me how you want your snake to be less active. It doesn't sound like anything is wrong other than you constantly changing things because you think there's a problem. All due respect, how many times do you have to be told he's fine before you just leave him alone? Yea you've had him for 6 weeks, but if you're going in there every other day moving stuff around and changing stuff you really haven't let him settle in. I think it would do you and your snake a world of good to leave that enclosure alone for a few weeks.

I am not doing it constantly. I tried it then stopped when it didnt change anything.
I don't care if he's active or not I just care about him potentially hurting himself while climbing the walls, squeezeing through anything and trying to squish hinself through tiny gaps trying to get out of the enclosure.
I have studied about ball python keeping for over a year before getting him and now I am experiencing polar opposites of what I have learned about ball pythons and seen about them from other keepers I followed.
Bp's are pet rocks, you won't see them much at all, always hiding. He is very active all night. BP's are chill, he is jumpy and skittish.
BP's don't eat well and skip many meals, he is constantly hungry and looking for food (not complaining about this one).
So forgive me that I am pretty much confused and want to find any problems that could lead to him being so "different".
Different personalitys are a thing I am aware. But when everyone says they naturally act a certain way, then mine acts that different, I get worried about my animal. And I don't quite believe yet that I was "blessed" with a ball python that is the odd one out.

[Snow Balls]

I don't care if he's active or not I just care about him potentially hurting himself while climbing the walls, squeezeing through anything and trying to squish hinself through tiny gaps trying to get out of the enclosure.
I have studied about ball python keeping for over a year before getting him and now I am experiencing polar opposites of what I have learned about ball pythons and seen about them from other keepers I followed.
Bp's are pet rocks, you won't see them much at all, always hiding. He is very active all night. BP's are chill, he is jumpy and skittish.
BP's don't eat well and skip many meals, he is constantly hungry and looking for food (not complaining about this one).
So forgive me that I am pretty much confused and want to find any problems that could lead to him being so "different".
Different personalitys are a thing I am aware. But when everyone says they naturally act a certain way, then mine acts that different, I get worried about my animal. And I don't quite believe yet that I was "blessed" with a ball python that is the odd one out.

Ball pythons are not literal “pet rocks” people say that because you will hardly see them during the day because they will be hiding. They’re nocturnal so they ARE active at night, thus the term “pet rock” because when you are awake they are asleep and vise versa. He will not hurt himself climbing walls or trying to squeeze into places because he won’t even be able to get his snout into your cage sliding door. He’s jumpy because he is I assume a hatchling, you are hundreds of times bigger than he is. If you were constantly being watched and observed by a giant I’m sure you would be jumpy too. When people say “they don’t eat well and skip meals” because that’s what adult ball pythons do. Hatchlings should be automatic with feeding and rarely refuse food. They don’t start getting spotty with feeding until they hit their 1000g wall. Your Ball Python is NOT acting any different from anyone else’s Ball Python


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KMG]

"Bp's are pet rocks, you won't see them much at all, always hiding. He is very active all night."

I worked night for many years and now work a evening shift where I still stay up until 3-4am each night. Doing this I have had the privilege of seeing my snakes at night when they are out and about. Most people don't though so they are not always the greatest pets for those wanting to be entrained.

I fed everyone last night and my Col Boa is laying coiled out in the open. He has two nice hides but he has chosen to lay in the middle of the cage. Certainly not what you would guess he would be doing but that is what he is doing. I am not worried in the least.

You have to trust your snake a bit.


"BP's are chill, he is jumpy and skittish."

Being a bit jumpy and skittish sounds like a regular Ball to me. But what are we comparing them to? That could make a difference.


"BP's don't eat well and skip many meals, he is constantly hungry and looking for food (not complaining about this one)."

Only once has mine taken a break. Other than that one time in 10 years she eats wonderfully.

[CakeLike]

Yes he is a baby still. But that's why he can squish his nose into the gap and I am compelled to stop it but a snake doesn't listen when I scold him obviously like my cats do ��.
He also stops moving suddenly while actively exploring. Then he sits completely still for a few seconds and quickly moves again.
Like his mind was beamed into another dimension for a while.
Since snakes are not the most emotional and or social creatures we assume them to be driven by instict and primal needs mostly. So the assumption a snake would act a certain predisposed way is natural I believe. You wouldn't expect them to have mood swings and personality changes as much as say a dog.
Anyhow I'll be making a vet visit sometime soon to be absolutely sure there is nothing wrong even if it's unnessesary.