Lan Fan the Japanese Rat Snake

[Starscream]

I'd also like to hear more about the thinking behind those sloped ledges.

At first glance, I thought they don't look like they would be comfortable for the snake to rest on. Gravity will try to pull them off. Then, I realized that snakes have a much lower center of gravity than I do, and they have belly scales that can grip that rough surface almost effortlessly. Still, I'd like to hear your thoughts on why you designed them that way when a flat surface would be even more stable.

That is a fair question. I have several thoughts that went into the specific construction of these shelves that contributed to why none of them are a completely horizontal surface.

This is a recreation of something a Japanese rat snake would find in nature and something that specifically Lan Fan would find in her natural range. When I looked at basalt cliffs in Japan specifically, they were not flat, they looked like a challenge to scale. They have been eroded by time and the sea, which makes for an uneven surface to traverse. This also creates challenge, as you noted -- it's not easy to traverse, which gets her thinking and using her brain. These shelves are intended to be enrichment for her, very permanent enrichment that will not be easy to remove should I ever decide to, so I wanted something that would challenge her.

My main focus when making them was the verticality aspect -- I wanted to attempt to emulate how rat snakes climb up tree bark, but with a rocky aesthetic. There are a few opportunities for this, and I have yet to see her actually do it, but I think I ultimately underestimated how large she is in relation to the shelves. Still, she's able to use them to grip and climb up, which makes her use her body in interesting way she might not have on a flat surface.

Also, these are incredibly stable and are locked in place on the enclosure. Even though they aren't horizontal, as you noted, her scales are suited to grip and scale something like this. Their comfort more lies in what heating and lighting elements illuminate them -- they all have varying degrees of UVB access, with shelter form the UVB beneath them. The central shelf and the branches in front of it have access to the heating element, with a few choices from her on how close she wants to get to it while still staying within safe distances.

So challenge was definitely an intentional part of it. Ultimately, if she didn't like them she wouldn't use them. Even so early, only two weeks after introduction, she's using them nearly exactly how I designed them, and as she gets more familiar with how to grip them more to her tastes, I can only imagine her usage will increase. Especially as I increase her heat lamp temperature to get her up to feeding temp.

[Homebody]

My main focus when making them was the verticality aspect -- I wanted to attempt to emulate how rat snakes climb up tree bark, but with a rocky aesthetic. There are a few opportunities for this, and I have yet to see her actually do it, but I think I ultimately underestimated how large she is in relation to the shelves. Still, she's able to use them to grip and climb up, which makes her use her body in interesting way she might not have on a flat surface.

You should install a camera. I did and it really helps me assess the effectiveness of my DIY creations. When I first got the camera, it was a real eye-opener for me. I saw him engaging with features I thought that he ignored and in ways that I never would have suspected. The time lapse feature allows you to do a lot of observation in a short amount of time (sample video).

I would love to provide my snake with vertical climbing opportunities. I've got ledges and tubes and vines and a sky hide, but nothing that makes him climb vertically. I've tried putting vertical climbing features in his enclosure but he doesn't use them. He doesn't use them because he doesn't need to. With only 14" of height, he can practically telescope up to his sky hide. He does get some vertical climbing opportunities when I allow him to free roam my living room. Until I get more room and can build a bigger enclosure that will have to be enough.