Basking?

[kgrah1]

My dear snake, dim as she is, seems at least vaguely aware of the seasons. I try to keep the temps and humidity in the tank consistent throughout the year, but her behavior does change. In winter, she ate less, as wild snakes tend to do. Spring had her hiding underground pretty much the whole time, only coming out to feed. Fall and she's in her branch. Now it's summer again, and I think she's trying to bask, which she's never done before. She'll lay on top of her log on the cool side and wait for me to turn on the light. Then she'll chill there for a few hours, and then lay half-buried in the shade with her head and neck sticking out to watch me. I should also note that she's become quite the voracious eater! Big improvement. Maybe I should expect a growth spurt? She'll be having her first birthday in a few weeks.

But anywho.

I get mixed answers from the pet store, so I'll ask here: Do ball pythons bask in the sun? If so, should I be happy that's she's figuring out how to be a snake(this poor dear who took months to learn to strike at food)? If not, should I be concerned? She doesn't look sick, and she's about as active as she's always been. I've also heard that they dislike climbing, yet she's hefting herself up any available surface.

She ate last night, so I left her light off for most of today, because she likes her quiet after a feed. Not ten minutes after the light was on, she was back on the log, sunning herself.

[Eric Alan]

Nope - no basking for these guys. Hiding during the day and hunting at night is their thing. It does sound like you're paying a lot of attention to and learning a lot from your snake though. Keep it up!

[I-KandyReptiles]

Ball pythons are typically found in burrows in the wild. They do not bask.

I had a Bp that climbed as well. As long as your husbandry is correct, I wouldn't be concerned.


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[kgrah1]

I'm going to clean out the tank tomorrow, because that needs done. If she goes right back to hiding underground, it may have just been that she didn't want to lay in the bedding. If she stays on the log, I'll watch her a while longer and see if she starts acting up. She may have just found a new hobby.