Racks vs Cages

[O'Mathghamhna]

ball pythons are naturally found living inside of termite mounds, and would rarely see the surface. If you were to keep them in viewable enclosures, the hides would be of most importance to reduce stress in the animals. In which case, yes you will be looking at a pretty tank that you snake would likely only explore during the night time hours. So does having that big spacious enclosure make sense?

Well, since we enjoy relating animals to humans instead of the other way around, we think that the animal would feel more comfortable in such an exhibit. However, the truth rests somewhere in the middle. Because of the very nature of ball pythons, most if not all, thrive inside a tub enclosure - it's secure, its dark, and can hold humidity extremely well. Inside a larger display, your animals may feel more vulnerable, stop eating, stress, lose weight, or they may thrive and be active all the time. It can come down to a per snake basis, but by and large most folks notice the best result in a rack style system.

Now, don't let our friends in Europe read this, or we may get the good ole "poor americans torture animals in racks" speech like they do in the retic community, helodermia community, and ball python community. . . sigh.

Very well put. My babies have large hides on both sides of their tanks, plus vegetation, and driftwood. So there's lots of security offered while also giving them room to stretch out (which they do frequently) and explore. Very rarely do I find them tightly coiled or hiding their heads. They eat well, have very even and calm dispositions, and are thriving quite well! As you stated, it's probably best to judge this on a "per snake" basis. Mine are in a very quiet room and I check on them a few times a day (quietly) so there's minimal disturbance to them. I just love it, and for me personally it brings me great joy to furnish their big tanks with fun things for them to explore and hide in.

While rack/tub systems are certainly not harmful to the snakes, and they do serve some great purposes, I just can't help but feel like they foster the whole "snake collection" mentality, as opposed to the "these are living sentient beings who deserve enrichment and variety," just as they would have in the wild. Does that make sense? But as you stated, perhaps it's the side of me that personifies snakes with human emotion. Anyway, to each their own!