Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just got a relatively young baby female. she's way smaller than my first ball python and the guy i got her from said she's probably under a year. anyways, i brought her home and expected her to chill in the hide spot for a few days. but she almost never goes in it. she's always in other parts of the tank or trying to get out. even today, after i fed her, she is still roaming and checking out the ceiling. but when i take her out she is really stiff and very freaked out. she jerks her head back a lot, but almost never gets into a ball. my older ball is a lot less active, especially after being fed. is all this normal?
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1.1.0 Ball Python
1.1.0 Red tailed Boa
0.0.1 Dumeril's Boa

Every snake is different.
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-Man fears the beast in the Wolf because he does not understand the beast within himself.

Her behavior actually sounds pretty normal to me. A few things to consider:

1. I wouldn't try to mess with her at all after she eats. If she wants to wander around her cage, let her do it.

2. What size mice/rats are you feeding her? If she still seems to be active and "on the prowl" after she eats, you might not be giving her a big enough meal (see the FAQ here for more information on feeding).

3. Did she have a hidebox with her previous owner? If not then she might not be used to them and despite her natural instincts which tell her to hide she might be choosing to stay out because that was how she was raised.

4. Younger ball pythons, especially ones in new homes, tend to be a little "head-shy" so you shouldn't be surprised by that. She'll get used to you eventually and the fact that she's not balling up tells me that she's probably pretty people-friendly.

Good luck with her and have fun!
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John Scully
Delphi Pythons
www.delphipythons.com (website coming soon)

I fed her a small adult mouse (one that is like a ball of fluff, not very elongated). the guy i got it from said she ate a mouse a week.

it seemed like she had a hide in her previous enclosure. the guy put like 4 babies together plus a few baby red tails. it seemed pretty strange. but she does go in the hide, she just doesn't spend all her time there.

thanks for the help!
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1.1.0 Ball Python
1.1.0 Red tailed Boa
0.0.1 Dumeril's Boa

Depending on how big your girl is, a small adult mouse might not be big enough anymore. As a rule of thumb, the mouse (or rat) should be as big but no bigger than the snake at her "girthiest" point.

As for her previous living conditions, that sucks! She shouldn't have been housed like that with other herps but it sounds like you've got her in a much better enclosure now. Assuming your temps are good, then like I said before you shouldn't worry about the fact that she likes to spend a lot of time outside of her hide.

Good luck!
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John Scully
Delphi Pythons
www.delphipythons.com (website coming soon)

the mouse was a bit smaller than her gerthiest point. she ate well...i'm not concerned, just wondering. if you say its normal, then i'm happy
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1.1.0 Ball Python
1.1.0 Red tailed Boa
0.0.1 Dumeril's Boa

my new baby bp did the same thing, but only after i took out his carpet and replaced it with aspen. i showed him where the hide was, and now he spends time both in and out of it, but when i first changed the bedding he didn't go in the hide for almost 2 days. i think he was confused b/c he would sit behind the hide, just not in it.