Climb Suggestions?

[blackcrystal22]

PS. Oh, that yellow water bowl you've got pictured there. It's very pretty, and it was the first one I bought, but mine always seems to be coated with slime (read: bacteria) after only a few days. Even after bleaching and hard scrubbing. Drives me nuts. I've basically taken it out of commission because I couldn't convince myself it wasn't a health hazard.

If you find your water bowl doing that to you, too, I recommend the blue glazed ceramic ones instead. The glaze seems to lack the microscopic crevices bacteria like to hide in.

Or you could just buy a ceramic ramekin for $3 at walmart.

Ball pythons trying to "climb" out of their enclosures display signs of stress which often has to do with their environment. Giving them branches that lay on the ground are fine for decor, but anything that is elevated shouldn't be used on ball pythons because they are not good at climbing and will often fall. You won't see them sitting on branches, but rather roaming them in an attempt to escape.

A couple of things that could be making your little girl roam:
- Improper temps. Do you have a proper heating gradient and humidity at 60% in that tank?
- Tank size. For a young ball python, that tank is awfully big and tall and may be very difficult to maintain. Shorter long tanks tend to work better for non-arboreal species. (non-climbing)
- Hides. Log hides are terrible for ball pythons. They do not provide real security and should be replaced with small tight hides like these:
http://www.reptilebasics.com/hide-boxes/
Also, in a tank setup, it's recommended to have two hides (one on cold side and one on warm side) so the ball python doesn't have to choose between being comfortable with the temperature and its security.

It's likely not stressful, but the large water bowl is a bit unnecessary and won't raise the humidity like you think it might. You should clean out your water bowls every couple days and with a large heavy hard to clean bowl like that, it could be a nuisance. They also don't need to soak, so a small bowl like a cooking ramekin would be suitable.

-JW