Ground Dweller ???

[JohnNJ]

I thought BP's stayed on the ground. Is this normal behavior?

JohnNJ

[RichardA]

They are pythons, and pythons like to climb sometimes.....LOL

I had one that did that for a while too.

[Argentra]

When they're young and small, they like climbing and aren't bad at it. Once they get older, though, it's up to us keepers to make sure there's nothing too high in their enclosure they could get hurt falling off of...cause they WILL fall once they get bigger.

My spider girl seems to think she is an actual spider and not a snake, since she continuously climbs up over the vines in her tank and pulls them down with her weight. She also loves draping herself over the thermometer.

[starmom]

It could be a stress response to the openness of the tank for such a little snake. It could be stress from having such open and large hides. It could be a response to too high of heat on the floor. It could just be because he likes to climb!

I would enclose the sides of the tank and get some smaller and more enclosed hides. Double check the temps and make sure they are spot on. When this is done, if he still climbs, then so be it

[Dragoon]

mine climbs when it is looking for a way out. every so often i see it wraped around the thermostat probe wire looking around the edges of the lid for a way out.

[Argentra]

It could be a stress response to the openness of the tank for such a little snake. It could be stress from having such open and large hides. It could be a response to too high of heat on the floor. It could just be because he likes to climb!

I would enclose the sides of the tank and get some smaller and more enclosed hides. Double check the temps and make sure they are spot on. When this is done, if he still climbs, then so be it

Ah, thank you for noticing the things I didn't in my rather tired state, my friend.

Yes, you need to change a few things in that tank. Get two identical hides that have one opening and completely surround the snake. Plastic flower pots work great and don't cost much.
Also, get rid of the carpet (which is hard to keep clean and collects bacteria like nothing short of sponges) and use newsprint paper, paper towels, or aspen for bedding.
As was said, cover the sides as well as the back of the tank for added security and make sure you have your screen top covered with either foil or plastic. (I can send you a picture tutorial I made on how to cover the screen if you like).
Unless you have humidity problems, replace that huge water dish. You only need something for them to drink from that is low and wide...they don't need to fit into it.
And you can add some more greenery to fill in the open spaces in the tank, since BPs don't like open areas.

All that should really help your pretty little one settle down. If they still climb after all that, then they just like doing it.

[JohnNJ]

Get two identical hides that have one opening and completely surround the snake. Plastic flower pots work great and don't cost much. Also, get rid of the carpet (which is hard to keep clean and collects bacteria like nothing short of sponges) and use newsprint paper, paper towels, or aspen for bedding. As was said, cover the sides as well as the back of the tank for added security and make sure you have your screen top covered with either foil or plastic. (I can send you a picture tutorial I made on how to cover the screen if you like). Unless you have humidity problems, replace that huge water dish. You only need something for them to drink from that is low and wide...they don't need to fit into it. And you can add some more greenery to fill in the open spaces in the tank, since BPs don't like open areas.

The snake is my son's. The tank is in my living room so I can't use newspaper or paper towels. My only option is aspen. My concern with aspen was that the UTH would be too hot since I don't have a thermostat. The reptile carpet reduces the heat and I wash it in a bucket with disinfectant every other week. Also, it's easier to clean out the tank with the carpet than with aspen.

That water bowl is smaller than the one I used with my previous BP, many years ago. That snake loved to sit, fully immersed, in the water bowl. I will put a smaller bowl in there.

The back of the tank is covered with a background picture. I'll get the same for the sides. And I will get some more plastic plants to fill in the open areas.

The screen top has a red light on the hot side and a piece of cardboard covering the other half. I don't understand the foil or plastic covering the screen. What about air flow?

The two log hides are used alot. The other side of the tank (cool side) has a ceramic tree with plastic top; you can see it next to the water bowl in the last photo. The base is hollow and the snake spends lots of time in there. Do they really need to be identical?

A lot has changed since I had BP's 20+ years ago.

Thanks for the advice.
JohnNJ

[JohnNJ]

I moved stuff around in the tank, moved the heat lamp and added more hides (closed all around except for one opening). The hollowed out ceramic tree is still the hide of choice. We'll see if the others get any use over the next few days.

Thanks for the advice.
JohnNJ

[starmom]

Good job! And now it is just a waiting game to give him time to settle in to the new set-up

Many people choose to wait an extra couple of days for feeding when such big changes occur in the cage

[JohnNJ]

Good job! And now it is just a waiting game to give him time to settle in to the new set-up

Many people choose to wait an extra couple of days for feeding when such big changes occur in the cage

I forgot to mention that I also put in a smaller water bowl. I'm also going to add a few more plastic plants and cover the two sides of the tank.

Tonight was feeding night. I guess I'll put it off until Thursday or Friday.

Thanks for the advice.
JohnNJ