Entertaining your BP

[WingedWolfPsion]

No, my ball pythons have never shown any fondness for stimulation...their behavior indicates more stress when they're exposed to novel situations, or their routine is broken.

My Oscar fish, on the other hand, does appear to enjoy mental stimulation, and he's a riot to watch when you add a new decoration to the tank.

The only thing my ball pythons appear to enjoy is eating and breeding, alas. They also like fresh water. That's pretty much it.

[Mike41793]

The only other stimulation I can think of besides the ones others have mentioned would be rearanging their tank. One of my bp is in a tank and every couple of months I'll switch out different hides or just switch the hides sides. Also i have some fake plants in there that suction cup to the side of the tank which she usually feels the need to knock down lol. Other than that no not really any stimulation like mazes or anything lol.

[ShockBunny]

That's one of the appeals for me about snakes....they don't need "love". XD I don't have to feel guilty if I don't take them out for a few days. I have dogs to love on instead!

Bruce the leopard gecko seems to enjoy "exploration time" outside of the tank, though. He'll crawl right on my hand to come out.

[KatStoverReptiles]

The only thing my ball pythons appear to enjoy is eating and breeding, alas. They also like fresh water. That's pretty much it.

And how exactly are they that much different from humans?

[LLLReptile]

There is a term called "enrichment" that actually fits this bill. Enrichment comes in many forms - handling for some, cage decor for others. For ball pythons, you could enrich their lives by providing a more naturalistic cage setup. Try different substrates, hides, waterbowls, different branches and wood for them to climb on.

Now, ball pythons have shown they can survive without these things, so they're not absolutely necessary, and not all ball pythons will enjoy this kind of thing the way others might. If you have racks upon racks of snakes, sure, this isn't exactly feasible, but if you only have one or two, why not devote a little bit of time to provide them with a more interesting environment to live in?

-Jen

[WingedWolfPsion]

And how exactly are they that much different from humans?

Humans also like TV and video games.

[heathers*bps]

I give mine balls to chase, squeaky toys to chew on, a running wheel to do flips in and I also teach them tricks.

[KatStoverReptiles]

I give mine balls to chase, squeaky toys to chew on, a running wheel to do flips in and I also teach them tricks.

No no no. We're talking about ball pythons, not your kids. hehe!

[heathers*bps]

No no no. We're talking about ball pythons, not your kids. hehe!

Oh, silly me. What was I thinking?!

My snakes get a furry thing with a long tail, that makes them do a fast catching movement, then it rolls up around them and doesn't move for quite a few minutes. Then my snakes do a disappearing act with it, cause its gone when I check back.

[xcrafter]

My python likes to stare me down. Also eating. I can't tell if she likes it, but when I'm holding her, I pet her and she contracts her body and flicks her tongue at me. Also she will wrap around in a perfect circle while I'm doing this... every time. She doesn't try to escape when I do this either. Quite the interactive baby ball.