I recently upgraded my three year old male from a 20long to a 40 breeder. (Though the Breeder I got him from said the 20long would be fine and was a bigger space than he had him in.) I decided that worst case scenario, if he doesn't like it, I'd move Loki back to the 20 and turn the 40 into a fish tank. I found the 40B for sale for $20 so I really didn't have anything to lose regardless.
Now at first he was not happy about it, he spent a solid 48 hours hiding in one of his hides. Not moving. I did let him settle for a week, just unsure if he would need the time to resettle. Loki has always been a calmer snake, not really active more than happy to just hang out with you. Very slow moving, until he's hungry. Then he'd slither laps around his tank and nudge the lid.
NOW, since he's in the larger tank he is definitely more active. He seems to want to play more and seems to like exploring more. He isn't as shy about his space, used to be he'd only come out if the light was off. Now he doesn't care if my light is on or if I'm watching or movie. He's happily out.
Is this normal for behavior to change? Was I somehow stifling him before? Other than when I first moved him, he's shown no signs of stress. He didn't skip his meal the week he was moved or anything. I just kind of feel like I was somehow neglecting him. I got Loki at the end of July and I upgraded him on Oct 22nd. I'm a first time Ball Python owner and I'm constantly worrying.