Is it safe to use this?....

[NocturnalBC]

I feel kind of silly asking this but I was wondering if it was ok to put any kind of rock in my ball python cage? I found this awsome looking white rock with crystals thru it that would look great in the cage, plus it would give him something to help with sheds. I'm just asking because I know there are some kinds of wood that aren't to be used and was wondering if that extends to rocks to. I've already scrubed, boiled, and baked the rock and know 100% there is nothing on it that can hurt the snake so now it's just a question of whether it's ok to use this kind of rock. Any opinions would be great. Here is the actual rock.

[tigerlily]

I think it would be ok (but that's just me). Snakes climb over rocks all the time in the wild, so I can't see why ours can't. I would just make sure there aren't any really sharp points, and if there were - I would file them down. I would be very vigilant about checking to make sure that your snake didn't get cut. If you feel secure with the decision then go ahead.

Oh and you may need to monitor to make sure that rock isn't absorbing too much heat! You don't want to accidently make a heated rock! It may be just too much of a hassle, so it up to you!

[frankykeno]

We use natural rocks on our b.p.'s enclosures. I clean them up really well and like Christie said, I make sure they aren't any really sharp points on them. Both snakes seem to use them for crawling on or resting their heads on but since we haven't had either snake long I can't comment on the long term use of natural rock.

Hopefully someone that has kept snakes a long time and uses natural cage decorations (rocks or wood) will comment further.


~~Joanna~~

[Forrest]

I have used natural rocks in my cages for about 5 years. My BP really likes them before and after a shed. My Corn snake likes to be in the rocks about 50% of the time, so go for it and see how your snake reacts to it. If you feed your snake live prey in the same enclosure make sure to remove the rock before placing live food in there, or your snake can end up with some nasty cuts in its mouth ( didn't actually happen to my snake but it did to my old roomates).

[Smulkin]

So long as it isnt kryptonite or some of those really sharp edged volcanic rocks you'll be fine. I used some for a while when Neph was smaller and had them sitting under heat lamps so they warmed up (but temp monitored).

Nice observations on the feeding - I haven't fed live with rocks in the cage so hadnt considered that.

[pumba]

I ain't got any rocks in my cage other than the ceramic hides and rock type of water bowl, but I was just wondering. How does the rocks cut the mouth if you feed live? Does that happen if the prey gets on the rock before the strike and the snake hits the rock as well as the prey? Just wondering.

Curious me!
Ray