Last Christmas my 17 year-old son gave his old man $50 as a gift, with instructions to spend it on the materials needed to build Monty a Chill Tree...basically a place that I can put Monty so that he can 'chill out' while I work on the computer. It was a fun winter project, and were I to make another I would probably be able to slim the material costs down to $25-$30.

This tree was somewhat simple to make with PVC pipe joints, plastic greens bought at Hobby Lobby (on sale), and a hot glue gun. I also used a propane torch to burn/singe the PVC to give it a tree-bark look, which on other forums I had seen done for building perches for tree snake cages.

I won't take complete credit for the chill tree idea...I saw a similar tree on another Ball Python forum, but there were no instructions, only photos to go by. Additionally there were not any photos of how the tree was attached to a stand...or whatever was used. I made mine with a melamine shelf and a PVC coupler that allows me to easily detach the tree for washing, just in case Monty poops in his tree, which he did only once (so far). But cleaning was a snap!

I also place old pillows below the tree so that if Monty slips and falls (he's done that once also) he has a soft landing spot. On top of the pillows I place and piece of plastic shower curtain...I don't need snake pee on my carpet.

Now I know that Ball Pythons are not tree-dwelling snakes, but Monty seems to really like his tree. When I place him in it he either crawls all around from one side to the other giving him a good dose of exercise, or he'll sit in a perch and watch me while I work. And when it's time to put him back in his cage he usually doesn't want to go! When I'm not using the tree, it sits in my bedroom window...from the street you would never guess that it's not real and made of PVC pipes!

I would love to hear what others think of this chill tree idea, and if there's enough interest maybe I'll make up a set of instructions so that others here can make their own.

-Kerig