Are ball pythons even [I]slightly[/I] arboreal?

[Skiploder]

Yes terms are important, I dappled in biology when in university so I am no expert. The OP asked if they could be 'slightly arboreal' not a scientific term but one that is understood to be somewhere between semi-arboreal and terrestrial. There is enough evidence that that can be made to say that they are sometimes found in trees, 6% of prey items was found to be avian species in that particular study. They do climb in the wild, saying they cannot climb is simply not true at all.

Do they need to climb? No, that also has been proven. Should we give them that chance, is a very thorny topic. Breeders can't allow it due to simple economics, it is not a requirement and space being at a premium not feasible. The question is for the rest of us to answer for our selves.

We strive to create a bit of captive Africa in our homes. How close we come to natural is a question of preference. If there are any studies about naturalistic vs minimalistic I have not found one yet. With out a proper study it is impossible to say if there is or is not a any benefit to the snake. They are very inquisitive creatures and the opportunity to climb, if practical, might have no benefit but it also presents no harm either. What is the harm if they are provided the opportunity to climb with in their enclosure?

When Robert Seib was still keeping indigos, he used to keep them in these amazingly large, spacious cages with japanese maples in them. When I asked him about them, he told me that in his studies, it was observed that when hunting, indigos sighted trees looking for the outlines/silhouettes of ophiophagus prey items i.e. - rat snakes and the like and then took to the trees after them.

He allowed them the opportunity to climb and exercised them in ways which more closely mimicked the type they would get in the wild.

Now, many other indigo breeders have never studied them in the wild and will tell you that they can live perfectly happy lives in a terrestrial cage. While that may be true, why not provide them the opportunity to exercise their bodies as nature intended them to?

I'm not against keeping a ball python in a 41 qt tub - it has been proven they can live long lives when kept as thus - however, if the keeper so desires, what is wrong with giving them a little more room, a little more varied diet, and perhaps placing a dead quail or chick in a branch for a little change of pace?

Well, as you stated in your above quoted post - absolutely nothing. I am sometimes a little amused by the vehemence (and no I'm not targeting anyone in this discussion) in which some people argue against providing them this opportunity.