Lazy or Problem?

[myballsandmyword]

Ok so I finally gotta ask this, as it is now the middle of March and bp has only come out of its hide MAYBE 5 times in monthes, i state the fact that it is the middle of March because upon my arrival to this forum a couple monthes ago I read lots about how bp's (specifically females) go into a form of hibernation during the winter monthes, including fasting, hiding, and well lots of nothin!!! So since late November Ralf (unprobed) has indeed went on a feeding strike lasting no more than 6 weeks, recovered phenomonally, now eating 2 small mice every 7-10 days, but has yet to become an active snake again, Ralf has almost literally stayed under his/her hide on the warm side for nearly 3 monthes, i did go through trial and error in attempts to get the proper humidity and proper temps on each side, during my attempts I noticed that Ralf wouldn't even switch sides to the other hide if one became to cold, sure you'd say he is more secure and comfortable in 1 hide, so i modified (what i do best) each hide with cardboard walls on order to ensure they were the same size inside, as well as switched them around, leaving the temps regulated.
I have done every thing i know how to and have came a long way on herp education since I first got this bp in september, but now I simply have to ask, is there a problem else where I over looked, or is the snake lazy and will be fine and active later???

Btw: he is already in the quitest, emptiest room in the house, is only handled 10-20min. every other day, sometimes a couple days in a row though, and i have went up to 2 weeks w. no handling

thanks ahead of time for any reponses!!

[Shelby]

Ball pythons.. and most boids are sedentary creatures. They don't do a whole lot.. they're all about being inconspicuous and conserving energy.

Secondly.. they are nocturnal. I am sure your little buddy is making his rounds long after you have gone to bed. Daytime is bedtime for BPs.

[myballsandmyword]

I assumed that he was nosing around after bed also, but during my attempts to get a hot side and a cool side, i noticed that he would STAY on the cool side (70-75 at night) until it i decided to warm it back up, and vicaversa he would STAY on the hot side ALL night (sometimes an experimantal 92 at night) even though there was a cooler spot for him. . When i do see it out now, he freezes in motion and quickly pulls back in the hide if not all of him is out or will stay frooze till its quit then go back in that hide.

None of this would be much of a concern except for the fact that the snake is no where near as active as it was when i got him, but perhaps he was just checking out/trying to break out of his new home. .

[mr~python]

temps should be 80-84 cool, and 90-94 warm day and night. he was probably really active when you first got him because he was in a new envirement and that makes a snake nervous.

[Shelby]

Temps of 70-75 are not healthy for a ball python.. you do not need a night temp drop! It should never be below 80 degrees in the cage anywhere, ever.

Being too cool could be the reason why he's not doing anything.. and Marshall is right, a snake in a new environment is initially more active as they explore their boundaries.

[myballsandmyword]

i did go through trial and error in attempts to get the proper humidity and proper temps on each side, during my attempts I noticed that Ralf wouldn't even switch sides to the other hide if one became to cold,

The temps are fine now, they have been since early January,I specifically tried to word all that so the fingers wouldn't be pointed in that direction, but i mighta missed something. . .

[Shelby]

Ah.. well maybe it's just too late for me.. I thought you meant that is what your temps are now.

As long as temps/humidity/cage furnishings etc are all correct, I wouldn't worry about his inactivity. It's pretty normal.

[frankykeno]

If he's got the right temps and humidity and there is a decent thermal gradient between his hides than all you can do is provide the best environment and let his instincts do their job. He may well be moving around quite a bit when you are sound asleep. I know I rarely see our 6 ball pythons out of their hides unless they are looking for something to eat LOL. The only thing that came to mind about the hides....are they identical in size, construction, etc? I have talked to people that had BP's with a really strong preference for one hide type over another and would choose it even if it wasn't in their best interest to do so. Once they were offered an identical hide to their "favorite", they seemed to be more likely to move back and forth....just something to think about.