Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Okay... I know this will clearly mark me as a newbie to snakes, but she's worth it... I receintly upgraded my 6 month old BP to a larger tank. I have a large plastic "root" (found at petsmart) for her to climb on. I went away for a day and a half and came home to find her "missing" from a seemingly escape proof enclosure. Upon further investigation, I found her hiding inside of the plastic root. I know she's been in there for at least 2 days (at most 3 1/2). The outter diameter is no bigger than my wrist and I'm worried that she might be stuck. How likely is that? She is not a very shy snake and normally seems to enjoy climbing around her new cage and even relaxing in plain view. She was fed 11/04, and is used to being fed every 4-5 days (she normally starts "hunting" a day or two before feeding). I'm hoping she'll come out to hunt, but figured it's better to post this sooner rather than later.
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Tammy
Owned by:

1.0.1 Argus Monitors
0.0.24 Veiled Chameleon Eggs
1.1 Ball Pyhons
0.1 Siamese Cat
1.1 Rescue Dogs (Lab & Bernese Mountain Dog)

Don't worry about her...if she can fit into the hide she can squeeze out. She most likely is just content with har new hide. Most ball pythons do not rest in plain sight and the "hunting" you are describing is a sign of possible stress. Don't get me wrong...there are other reasons a bp may appear restless but the fact that this behavior seems to have stopped tells me she was looking for a place she felt secure.

The only thing I would maybe do if I was you is cut away part of the root so you can remove her easily if need be. Just be sure to do it in a way that does not compromise her feeling of security.

Good Luck

The root you were describing sounds exactly like what i have in my BP tank. She loves to hid in it. Did you have any kind of hide in your snakes tank before the root? If not, she is probably just taking advantage of having a place to get away. What i do to get mine to come out is dangle food in front of the hole. Shes a huge glutton and will come right out to eat. Unless you have a reason to suspect shes sick, i wouldn't worry about her.

Thanks to both of you. She has another hide (a dark plastic bowl with an entrance hole) but she's definately ALOT more snug in the root. It's been 4 1/2 days since I've seen her, and I'm not used to that... I miss her!!! I dropped a live mouse in tonight with no response from her, which is unusual. We've gotten a cold snap here and her temps dropped (76 degrees). I've got her ambiant temp back to 80 degrees and her belly heat is at 90 degrees. I'll wait another few days and try to bribe her out again with food. Thanks again for your responses.
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Tammy
Owned by:

1.0.1 Argus Monitors
0.0.24 Veiled Chameleon Eggs
1.1 Ball Pyhons
0.1 Siamese Cat
1.1 Rescue Dogs (Lab & Bernese Mountain Dog)