Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all. I just got a 1 y/o ball a few weeks ago. So far he appears to be ideal. No feeding problems at all. Just had its first shed, though it was a little patchy. However, he never ever comes out of his hide box on his own. When I handle him he seems calm though. He never even uses his climbing branch. Whats the deal?

From my own experience, the older a ball gets the less active it becomes. I have 3-4yr old balls that I never see come out. I also have a few 1yr olds that I see come out maybe 1-2 times a week. It maybe also still be getting use to its new home. Just keep a close eye late at night, you might see him crusin around. Good luck and congrats on your new friend!

I have a two year old het albino that cruises every night pretty much. I also have had a few normals that never really cruise. Like I benn told a million times on the forum it really depends on the snake. Everyone is defferent

Hey don't worry about the lack of activity. Is this your first snake? Except for a few really hyperactive species, most snakes do a whole lot of nothing that's cool to look at. If you want to see him, then handle him - just not all the time.

One thing about Ball Pythons, is that they are definitely a nocturnal species. Mine usually wait until so late at night I only see them cruising around on rare occasion. The thing is, that even if it looks like your snake hasn't moved from where he was in his hide box yesterday, he probably did. He probably just waited until you weren't looking so he could cruise around his enclosure and just check everything out. They are also wonderfully curious animals.

Of the Ball Pythons I have owned, past and present, I have seen them climb enthusiastically... but they are so clumsy! They fall off of whatever they are climbing on a lot. I prefer not to bother giving them branches to climb on, but that is up to the individual keeper. If nothing else, the branches can give you something to look at in the daytime, since your snake won't be out.

Since his shed was patchy, you probably will want to find a way to provide him with some more humidity. Daily misting is probably the simplest and cheapest way - just don't use a spray bottle that had some kind of a cleaner in it. You can go to any Walmart and buy a clean little spray bottle in the hair care area - yes, with all the girlie stuff - but the spray bottle doesn't have to look girlie, and they're cheap, and being made more ergonomic so you don't pinch your hand as much. Another thing I like to use to help with humidity is that I make my snakes' hides out of terra cotta flower pots (I use a rasp to cut a "door" in the rim, and widen the hole at the base of the pot). The clay pots serve a little bit like slow-release humidifiers in the cage. I soak the hides about weekly, when I clean the cage, and mist them daily. This keeps the relative humidity in the cages pretty much where I want it.

Also, if your snake has any patches of retained shed, you can help him best by soaking him in some mildly warm water (not what you would want to shower in; just barely what you would call warm) for around 20 minutes. This will mostly loosen any stubborn bits. Gently rub any areas that have retained shed skin, and it should come off easily after you soak him like this - you don't want to try and pinch at the stuck pieces, or you will end up hurting the good skin it's attached to.

Good luck!
~Rebecca
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0.1 Dumeril's Boa '04 (Courtney)
1.2 Ball Pythons
[1.0 '05 Orange Hypo (Specter)]
[0.1 '05 Het Orange Hypo (Sylvia)]
[0.1 '03 Normal (Sue)]
0.2 American Pit Bull Terriers (40lb darling lap dogs:Brandy&Mara)

Hey, thanks for the great advice. Yes, this is my first snake. Can you give me any advice on reading my snake's moods? Like what sort of behavior means what? Like I said, he always seems pretty calm when I handle him.