One Angry Ball Python

luckylilstar529 · 01-04-11, 09:20 PM

This is gonna be quite long lol, I apologize in advance.

So I woke up this morning to my boyfriend screaming, "Oh My God!" I looked over and my ball python Leonidus was on top of his cage... Ok, so I knew the day would come when he would eventually escape because the guy I got him from was a moron. He "built" the tank that Leo was in but instead of trapping the screen on his lid in between the two layers he nailed and stapled it to the top, not to mention keeping the snake on rocks and sand with a regular light bulb for his only heat source... Needless to say I thought I had more time with this cage, but he had other plans for
my day apparently...

My boyfriend ran grabbed the staple gun and "patched" the hole he got out of, we put him back and went upstairs to smoke our morning cigarette thinking he would be trapped for another couple days atleast. When we came back downstairs he was gone again... This time he had gotten down beside his tank and was hiding under the guitar. So we decided then and there it was time for a new cage. I locked him in his feeding tank with his heat lamp and ran to the store. We purchased one of the 40 gallon critter cages with the slide in top and came home to feed the rotten monster.

I set up his new tank, put him in and needless to say I have been getting dirty looks ever since, he actually snapped at me for the first time!

I looked at him and told him that he brought it upon himself haha.

This is him in his old tank

The dreaded lid

And finally him in his new digs, which he absolutely despises, but will come to accept eventually, I hope haha

Ch^4 · 01-04-11, 09:40 PM

Glad to hear you have things under control! I'd let him settle into his new home for a few days. The escape and new home were likely stressful for him, which may have caused the unexpected bite. BPs are very shy snakes, so just try to let him settle in for a few days before handling him again. Good luck!

luckylilstar529 · 01-04-11, 09:43 PM

He didn't land a bite, just struck at me. Scared the dickens out of me haha. He's usually very laid back, but yeah I am gonna let him be, I had to laugh at one point i peeked in at him and he came out just to glare at me haha. He definitely has personality

infernalis · 01-04-11, 09:45 PM

That is one nice setup you just got.

About the only thing I would change is the lamps, Get ceramic heat emmiters.

BP are nocturnal animals and the light is not "normal" to them.

Looking at your photo more closely, I'd say a heat emmitter in the heavy duty fixture (the ceramic socket) and a 60 watt red bulb in the plastic socket.

luckylilstar529 · 01-04-11, 09:53 PM

I was so excited because the new tank was under $100, I totally thought I was gonna be blowing a couple today.

I think he's weird or something, he thoroughly enjoys basking at times. Totally depends on his mood, but I've caught him on his logs and nestled into this one driftwood branch like tree thing the guy I got him from had in there. I have the lights set to switch at 9am and 9pm.

Damion930 · 01-04-11, 10:32 PM

Lol hope u don't think we r picken on ya but id get urself a dig hygrometer and thermometer as well got mine for six bux at walmart u can find them at lows and the like as well the analog ones have a tendency of malfunction if u get to u can get multiple readings from both ends of your setup

luckylilstar529 · 01-04-11, 10:38 PM

Hahahaha yeah he's a brat. I had them attached to his old cage with velcro, but he thought they were there for his own amusement to hang on... Needless to say I was woken up many times from him falling over and he actually broke a few due to them being submerged in his water dish. I thought the bamboo bars would give him something else to do, but as you can see from the first pic, I was wrong haha. I figure they will work in the interim, I plan to get better ones when I get some cash, his new tank about took me broke.

I am definitely going to go scouting at walmart tomorrow though... lol

shaunyboy · 01-05-11, 05:57 AM

he sounds like quite a charectuer that one

usually royal pythons (ball python) are pretty boring eventless snakes

you got a fiesty adventuress one

thats a nice new tank i'm sure he'll appreciate it in time

cheers shaun

Ch^4 · 01-05-11, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaunyboy

he sounds like quite a charectuer that one

usually royal pythons (ball python) are pretty boring eventless snakes

you got a fiesty adventuress one

thats a nice new tank i'm sure he'll appreciate it in time

cheers shaun

I think my BP is an odd one as well...he flies around day and night! He always will come to my hand so he can get handled. My new baby BP, on the other hand, is quite dormant as you said Shaun!

Mine loves his climbing sticks as well.....are you going to put them up in your new cage?

luckylilstar529 · 01-05-11, 12:40 PM

I need to find something to put in there for him to climb on, but his bamboo bars are too short to fit in his new cage

**Aaron_S** · 01-05-11, 04:07 PM

You don't really need anything. Ball pythons aren't natural climbers. You run the risk of them falling and injuring themselves, even injuries you wouldn't otherwise see. You can leave it as is and he'll be completely happy.

Ch^4 · 01-05-11, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

You don't really need anything. Ball pythons aren't natural climbers. You run the risk of them falling and injuring themselves, even injuries you wouldn't otherwise see. You can leave it as is and he'll be completely happy.

Definitely not trying to start a debate, as I truly respect your knowledge and experience, but I had to comment. As you know, snakes, even of the same species, can exhibit vastly different behaviors. For my adult BP, climbing is natural, but for my baby it's not....she doesn't have any climbing toys. (However, when handling her, all she wanted to do was climb...she may get a climbing toy).

The OP's BP seems to be a climber and I feel that inhibiting this behavior will result in a less "happy" snake. My BP knows if he's even inches off the ground and displays "appropriate" climbing behavior when lifted off the ground.

I've heard of chondros that spend more time on the floor than on a perch. I would never give my Cali King a perch or climbing toy of any type, because he is strictly terrestrial; he still tries to climb on everything. But a BP can certainly climb. If they don't have access to climbing toys, then certainly they won't exhibit climbing behavior. IMHO.

Damion930 · 01-05-11, 08:08 PM

Im with u ther ch^4 when I first got my retic everyone told me not to worry about anything to climb on that he wouldn't use it ever especially when he gets bigger then i saw a documentry of them in the wild and even full grown they are in the trees so I got him one and he's always on it I can see the risk of a high perch but her tank doesn't appear high enough to pose a risk if the snake likes to climb it seems it would be good for his quality of life to be able to but just imo and I could be wrong lol

luckylilstar529 · 01-05-11, 08:15 PM

Before I put the bars in he would press himself in the top of his cage and just hang there, or he would try to hang out on his thermometer and hygrometers, I figured it wouldn't hurt to put something in that would support his weight and give him more stability than just hanging there so that he wasn't falling every night. I would like to find something that would work in his new cage, but I haven't been able to quite yet. The new tank is shorter and wider. He's really quite strange, but that's why I love him

Ch^4 · 01-05-11, 08:32 PM

^^ Try making a custom "perch" or jungle gym using pvc pipe...a couple of "L's", "T's", some caps, and some pipe, and viola! Custom perch! Or you could get fancy and make scorched pvc perches (Scorched PVC Perches) if you have the time and space to use a torch!

Get creative and have fun! I can't wait until I have the time to make some custom jungle gyms for all of my climbers...!

Years ago, my BP would wedge himself in the oddest of places and that's when I decided to provide some climbing toys for him. I think he'd be a very grumpy python if he couldn't climb. Plus, it allows them to exercise more...

My Cali King somehow manages to wedge himself in odd places and falls, despite not having anything to climb on...Unless you can monitor them 24/7, or provide a viv that has absolutely nothing for them to wedge themselves between (very difficult IMHO), you cannot guarantee they will not fall on occasion.

Again, not trying to start a debate! I just think that snakes that are not strictly terrestrial should be given the opportunity to "choose" if they want to climb or not.