Habitat

[KierstenD]

Hi everyone! I originally had a small log structure in my pythons tank. But it was very small and she would smush herself in it to the point she was literally folded in half. While she was in there you couldn't get her out unless she crawled out herself and she missed her feeding night because of it. I just took that out tonight once she came out of it and put in a new half log like she had at the pet store. But she has been crawling around and won't go in it yet. Will she get used to it and sleep in it? Thanks!

[KMG]

Half logs are not great for BP and many other snakes. They prefer a tight, dark hide, with one small opening to enter and exit.

You can make the half log better by adding a big clump of moss at each opening. This will give the snake a better sense of security while inside. This can also be beneficial during a shed as you can dampen the moss and give your snake much needed humidity.

If you add the moss to it the snake should find its way and like the hide fine. Having two big gaping holes for doors as it does now may not give the snake the security it desires. Another easy fix as I suspect you don't have moss on hand(get some, its super handy) is take a dark colored thick towel and lay it over the log to make two curtains that will give security. It may not look the best but you can make it pretty later.

One last thing. You say the snake messed a feeding because you could not remove it from the log. Is this because you are feeding outside of the enclosure the snake is living in? Doing this has no benefit for your snake and only a tad of benefit for the owner when live is being fed. If you are feeding frozen/thawed feeders there is no reason to feed outside the enclosure. Cage aggression is a myth. Take it from a person that owns several snakes that are known to be very aggressive feeders that are much larger than a ball. I feed them all in their cage and can go in their cage any time I need to without any fear of them thinking its feeding time. The only exception is my GTP who becomes a striking missile after dark.

Search the forum and you will find no experienced snake owners here promote feeding in another container. It only stresses the snake out and put you in a better position to actually get bit.

[KMG]

I forgot to add this link. This are very widely used hide boxes. They come in all sizes, are easy to clean, and not to bad on the wallet.

If you order some that are big enough to grow into you can make the hide seem and feel smaller by again adding moss to the interior of it. Also like I already mentioned make moss in one of these hides works even better to give your snake great sheds.

http://www.reptilebasics.com/hide-boxes