Would a male ball python reach 5 feet

[Godzilla78]

oops, meant 40 gallon is 36" long, not 48", but 48" sounds better actually for a adult.

[PythonBabes]

BPs like to stretch out more than they like to climb. This can be different within the species, but this is generally true. My BP has space and items to climb all over and what does he do most of the time? Mostly just stretches out and sits there for a couple of hours and then goes back into his hides.

What's your purpose of coming on a forum for help and then completely disregarding any and all advice given?

[Dutti]

oops, meant 40 gallon is 36" long, not 48", but 48" sounds better actually for a adult.

In inches: mine is 23,6 long and yours is 36, mine is 31,5 deep and yours is 18, mine is 40 high and yours is 18. So you beat me in one point which is length and i beat you in 2 points depth and height and you are saying that your enclosure seemed the perfect size. Well, after doing this comparision my enclosure seems also to be the perfect size.

[Starscream]

This is not a cage measuring contest. As I said, you can get both height and length, but it IS important you provide length. That is why custom cages exist. Maybe a 4x2x3 would work better for you, but it is very important you provide them the opportunity to stretch out.

[Regius_049]

This is not a cage measuring contest. As I said, you can get both height and length, but it IS important you provide length. That is why custom cages exist. Maybe a 4x2x3 would work better for you, but it is very important you provide them the opportunity to stretch out.

Pretty much this. As you note, there is evidence that ball pythons do indeed climb a limited amount in a wild setting. Ball pythons have been found in low-lying branches and foliage, but it is not their predominant trait. If you had started this thread with something like: "I want to make my enclosure 2-3' high and give my ball python more room to climb", you would have received a much different reaction from myself and others here. Perhaps some stating you don' need the height, but still overall supportive. The problem is you are sacrificing length for height and your length (more specifically floor space) is pretty small for a a ball python. I am of the opinion that 4' is best for ball pythons, but 3' is probably fine for smaller specimens. I would still rather see 4', but 3' is probably acceptable.

To put this in perspective for you and to be complete, even if it were a very arboreal snake like a green tree python or jungle carpet python, 2' in length / width would still be insufficient. I know some people keep them in that, but they really should be in something at least 3' x 2' (L x W) x 2-3' high. Greg Maxwell himself suggests 3' x 2' x 2' caging for green tree pythons and notes 4' long is even better. Most experienced keepers note that additional height is indeed beneficial to these snakes, but floor space is even more so.

To be fair, your enclosure is 23.6" x 31.5" (per your measurements with the "addition") and a 40 gallon breeder is 36" x 18" typically. Thus, your cage has ~744 sq. inches of floor space while the 40 gallon breeder has 648 sq. inches of floor space, so you could argue you are winning out there. Additionally for comparison, an IRIS CB-70 (37 qt tub) is 33.5" x 17.8" or 596 sq. inches of floor space. I have to admit that really, if people are going to critique this guy's enclosure, then we should be critiquing breeders/keepers with snakes in CB-70 (or equivalent) tubs as well. I realize this is perhaps outside the scope of this particular discussion, but I have noticed, in general, people tend to be pretty OK with keeping adult ball pythons in tubs.

However, for a 4.5" ball python, as others have noted, I would really like to see something closer to 3-4' x 2-2.5', which would give you a minimum 864+ sq. inches of floor space. This, in my personal opinion, is the minimum enclosure size for an adult ball python.

[SDA]

Pictures are indeed worth 1000 words. If you don't think a ball python will be enriched by having a longer setup, I offer this (4 foot long by 2 foot wide by 15 inches high enclosure)

[Sauzo]

The size of the cage is not small. If i just turned it around everybody would say its big enough. Its that the height is more than the lenght. I doubt that someone else has such a cage. Now read please this thread and you will see that many of those experienced keepers don,t provide their BP,s with half or even 30 % of the height which i gave my BP to climb. Tell them please to consider rehoming their snakes: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...closure-height

The reason others dont have this cage is because the dimensions of it arent designed for a BP in mind. Something like the dimensions you have would be for a male GTP but again, even then i would prefer at least 3 feet of length.

And most dont provide 3 feet of height simply because for a BP, it's not needed. They arent boas and climb up into tree tops to perch and hunt. Sure they enjoy some height but the point wasnt that you were giving too much height, it was you werent providing enough floor space while trying to justify it with the added height.

It's your BP and your cage but just like your boa thread, you ask for advice and then try and argue the point when given said advice. I honestly dont know why i even chimed in on this thread as i should have learned from the boa thread lol. Guess i'm a glutton for punishment.

[Sauzo]

And yes they do like to stretch out. Here is Dottie hanging out. This her on a typical night. She does climb on her shelf but for the most part, she likes to sprawl out on the floor of the cage.

[Dutti]

Pictures are indeed worth 1000 words. If you don't think a ball python will be enriched by having a longer setup, I offer this (4 foot long by 2 foot wide by 15 inches high enclosure)

Again, i beat you on 2 points (height and width) and you beat me on one point längth. My BP won,t have the same space to stretch himself on the ground as yours, and yours won't have the height to climb and stretch himself to the above as mine. When I finish the setup I could post a photo of him climbing and happy to tease you with it

[Dutti]

And yes they do like to stretch out. Here is Dottie hanging out. This her on a typical night. She does climb on her shelf but for the most part, she likes to sprawl out on the floor of the cage.

we have discussed this in an another thread and found out that there is a big difference between males and females BP,s. While females (like yours) almost don't climb and remain on the floor, males ( like mine) are semi-arboreal snakes that climb a lot. Obviously that your experience is with a female BP and mine is with a male BP, and this why we have different experiences.. Here is the link for that thread and you can see in it a photo of mine hanging from a perch and hunting a live rat like a semi arboreal snake https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...arboreal-snake