Quality of life

[Snake Judy]

Bad sheds and refusing food are sure signs of stress. It has been documented that Ball Pythons spend the majority of there lives in dark and compact burrows. I've read field reports as well. Rack systems were mainly considered do to how Ball Pythons lived their lives, they are more comfortable in smaller environments as a whole. Just because a snake is out exploring could mean many things, perhaps looking for a more secure place to hide. Since they are mainly active at night. Racks and large environments do both work quite well, with larger ones more hides are needed for comfort.

I'll disagree with you there. I guarantee breeders have tried larger environments and systems, and they chose rack systems because of how well Ball Pythons thrived in them. I would like to hear the opinions from Brian at BHB on this, I'll email him your post.


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Bad sheds are more a sign of inadequate husbandry, or in some cases a hormonal imbalance. Refusing food can be a sign of stress, especially in young/new snakes, but food strikes are common for ball pythons housed under a variety of conditions for a variety of reasons.

Again, I think ball pythons can do pretty well in rack systems, and they make achieving proper conditions easy for the keeper, along with cleaning and general maintenance. But I don't think they are necessarily the superior choice for your average keeper now that larger PVC enclosures and the like are so readily available.