ok
i don't want to upset the person who added the post saying that BP's don't like/need a big tank because they feel more secure in smaller enclosures but I have to point out that they are only half correct.
Yeah ball pythons like to feel secure, and a lot of the time they will spend their days and nights coiled up in the smallest hides they can get into but that doesn't mean they should be kept in small 20gal tanks all the time. May I point out that Africa, the place they come from is a pretty wide expanse of terrain and any animal being kept by people should be provided with a habitat that is large enough for them to move and stretch about within from time to time. Keeping a snake that can reach the size of a ball python should have as much stomping (or slithering) ground as possible.
The key is to provide the BP with plenty of suitably small hides for it to get under or within so that it can move from place to place and feel secure. This also means that you can provide a variety of hot/cool/med & humid places for the reptile to regulate its body temperature more naturally.
It breaks my heart to see beautiful animals being kept in nothing more than shelves where they can hardly move, frankly i think it is a disgrace and those that do it are probably more interested in breeding and making a few bucks than enjoying what they have.
Oh and just to pre-empt all those out there who would come back with the 'i keep my snank in a rack and it eats every time therefore it must be happy argument', i'd just like to point out that some of the most obese people in the world are the unhappiest and nothing stops them getting down to burger king for another whooper with extra fries.
