New Habits?

[ourdivineadventure]

I doubt you were stifling him and now he happily wants to play.

It's not in their DNA to want to play. IF the husbandry is correct (heat and humidity) then there is nothing worrisome at all about a Ball Python rarely to be seen. I worry more about the ones that are out and about despite good husbandry and eating.

New spaces and big spaces can be stressful to a BP. Esp. if they were in another enclosure for quite a while. That doesn't mean they won't eat. Most will not...but some do. Even when they are still not really comfortable and haven't settled down yet.

There is a great paper out there and documentary. Hard to find now. But it was a group of researchers that went deep into the wild. Really roughing it. To find and study BP's in their natural habitat. Not the ones near civilization that may have altered behaviors, much like our foxes and other wildlife that have moved into and are thriving in our cities.

In the wild most BP's were hidden. In old termite mounds. In rodent burrows. And yes..up trees too. Usually in tree hollows. Just another tight and dark hide. They actually come from arid areas, but the places they spend most of their time in, the hides, have higher humidity.

Of course they move sometimes. They are opportunistic hunters. They stay in their hides and wait for prey to come near. Eventually they have to pass urine or waste. That smell warns prey off. So the snake has to move to find a new hide.

They move to water. They travel during breeding season to find a mate.

But most of the time, they spend in a dark tight space and seem contend to do so. One has to always keep in mind the species and their unique needs.

Some snake species hunt, cover wide areas. Climb often and well, aren't shy, move during the day, etc etc. Ball Pythons are not like that.

All that said, of course you will have some that are more or less stressed, more or less curious. More or less comfortable with handling or a new enclosure.

A new place is stressful though. But sometimes that needs to be done, every time we get a new snake they have to go through that. They will get over it, as long as the husbandry is correct and you provide them with their most basic need. A lot of privacy. Not so open and exposed.

Your baby is eating. He will get used to his new space soon enough and settle down. So do not worry about it when he becomes more scarce again. Perfectly normal, and you did nothing wrong with the 20 g. either




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Do you happen to know what the title of the paper and documentaries are? I would love to try to track them down!