The controversial enclosure is finished

[Miranda2]

I would consider adding two more shelves on the opposite side for a ladder effect, so if he sould slip and fall could catch himself as well as adding more usable space.

[Dutti]

I would consider adding two more shelves on the opposite side for a ladder effect, so if he sould slip and fall could catch himself as well as adding more usable space.

Lol.. He did fall but that happens only once or twice in the beginning when he is learing. Believe it or not, he did fall the first time i put him there when he tried to come down. But after two minutes he climbed again and repeated the try at the same area where he has fallen down before successfully this time

[KevinK]

[tttaylorrr]

****For the sake of any other snake keepers that may see this****

this is not a suitable enclosure for a ball python. ball pythons are primarily terrestrial, which means they prefer the ground over the air. but that does not mean they won't climb, and that does not mean you cannot provide them height as well. you can provide as much height as you do width; IMO height can be less than, but not more than, width. most of us advocate to provide your beep an opportunity to climb; give them the choice. this enclosure makes it the only option, and it will make for an unhappy snake as the one thing we KNOW ball pythons like is the ground.

will this unsuitable cage kill the snake? probably not. will this cage create stressors on the animal? it absolutely can, and i would never take that risk on my animal. i am far from an expert, so be sure to do your own research from multiple sources and come to your own conclusions.

mistakes are important learning tools. may future snake keepers learn from OP.

[Zincubus]

Because ball pythons are not arboreal you will never find a ball python in the wild living in a tree and with the way that setup is the snake basically has no choice.

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Just to play Devil's Advocate ..... there is a detailed article online somewhere by a former Royal Python trapper that includes the specifics of where they actually found the Royals in the wild and there was actually a surprisingly high % of them located in bushes and trees .... sorry ..


I'll try and find the paper or link to it ...


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[Dutti]

Just to play Devil's Advocate ..... there is a detailed article online somewhere by a former Royal Python trapper that includes the specifics of where they actually found the Royals in the wild and there was actually a surprisingly high % of them located in bushes and trees .... sorry ..


I'll try and find the paper or link to it ...


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I will help you find it..You have posted that article before in the first page of the following thread
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...arboreal-snake

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Because an animal is found in tree does not make him arboreal.

No one is denying their ability to climb they are ever classified as ground dwellers and are not equipped to be in trees like semi-arboreal and arboreal snakes.

When you have an animal in captivity your duty is to understand it's needs and provide for those needs adequately, that means ground dwellers snakes in terrestrial habitats and arboreal snakes in arboreal habitats.

Pretty simple and common sense really

[SDA]

Horizontal thermal gradient. That is all. Even arboreal snakes need this. Don't provide adequate horizontal gradient and your snake suffers. Sorry I had to chime in. This hasn't been pointed out and it is the Number one important aspect of ball python care.

[Sunnieskys]

***For the sake of any other snake keepers that may see this***

this is not a suitable enclosure for a ball python. ball pythons are primarily terrestrial, which means they prefer the ground over the air. but that does not mean they won't climb, and that does not mean you cannot provide them height as well. you can provide as much height as you do width; IMO height can be less than, but not more than, width. most of us advocate to provide your beep an opportunity to climb; give them the choice. this enclosure makes it the only option, and it will make for an unhappy snake as the one thing we KNOW ball pythons like is the ground.

will this unsuitable cage kill the snake? probably not. will this cage create stressors on the animal? it absolutely can, and i would never take that risk on my animal. i am far from an expert, so be sure to do your own research from multiple sources and come to your own conclusions.

mistakes are important learning tools. may future snake keepers learn from OP.

love this Taylor. you need to increase that font size and make it like a flashing neon sign! Lol

[zina10]

Just to play Devil's Advocate ..... there is a detailed article online somewhere by a former Royal Python trapper that includes the specifics of where they actually found the Royals in the wild and there was actually a surprisingly high % of them located in bushes and trees .... sorry ..


I'll try and find the paper or link to it ...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

There is a lot of information out there, but hardly a lot of it by people that actually DID spend months doing nothing but actually observing Ball Pythons in the wild. That is because of the location and difficulty in doing so.

In 1997 Dr. Steve Gorzula spent 3 month in Ghana doing nothing but that. His team spent the entire time with BP trappers, in different locations. There was a DVD made, but its more like a "home video" with bad quality. That is because of the "rough" living they endured during the time, and the trip's priority was not a quality film, but to collect data. There was no "professional" camera crew.

However, you do get to see them collecting Ball Pythons in the natural habitat. Most were found in burrows and termite mounds. At times they even found several Ball Pythons sharing burrows because burrows are used by all kinds of different animal species and there aren't always enough available. Ball Pythons have a inherited NEED to hide. They WILL go "up" to find a hiding place. When they were found in trees, it was usually in tree hollows. The snakes were looking for places to hide. They do not actively hunt in trees, they are far to slow and thick to do so, unlike true arboreal species who are at home in trees.

Another interesting fact was also that Ball Python would move to and thrive where land was converted to farmland, where de-forestation had taken place. They are not a species that lives in deep forests.

It is also difficult to put actual "Trees" into cages. Meaning, big tree trunks with tree hollows and thick branches, thicker then the snake and easy to maneuver on. Usually, in cages you will find branches that may be sturdy, but barely (if at all) the snakes diameter. Adult Ball Pythons do NOT make good climbers. They do fall off. Even if they figured out, hey, that's the spot I fell off of last time, doesn't make them better or smarter climbers next time.

But to each their own. Personally, I would not want my heavy adult Ball Python falling off a branch 3 foot up in the air. I wouldn't even want them falling off anything higher then a foot up in the air.