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I have a question about housing ball pythons. When housing them some people say to use an arboreal setup. While others say to use a terrestrial setup. Which one is best for these snakes? Please respond.

Ball pythons are terrestrial snakes that will occassionally climb. In their wild state, they will rarely - if ever - be found in trees. Housing them in an arboreal habistat would be a waste of space.

when I got my pastel male, I thought I had a nice 10g, I didn't (it was being used by my youngest for her Painted frog) so all I had was a 36g hex tall, or a 20g tall, so I used the 20 tall, and gave him a nice branch to climb on and 2 hides (one is also a water dish) he is all over the branch at night, and he is in the warmer hide most days after he feeds, and then in the cooler hide after he has digested. He is out on the branch the day before feeding day, so I can tell when he is looking for food.
given the option I say offer both, nothing wrong with a rack system, I have seen it and the snakes have looked great.

I am please with his setup, and I know my Daughters snake is happy with things to climb on as well, but she hides out during the day in the low ground level hides
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Elizabeth (ecb)

Make this world a better and more beautiful place that You have been in it
*Edward W Bok*

BPs are terrestrial. I would venture to say that you do not need anything for them to climb on. The most important cage component/decor item would be good hidespots.
A tall climbing branch could even be dangerous if the snake falls off of it; they are really not that graceful.
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2.1 Ball pythons
1.0 Boa Constrictor Imperator
0.1 albino Cranwell's horned frog
1.0 bearded dragon
1.0 Tiger salamander
1.1 breeding Clawed frogs
1.0 black kittycat
3.1 Oscar cichlids
0.1 Paint horse mare

BP are terrestrial, so best put your money into a good terrestrial set up. Babies like to climb so some added climbing elements are good for them. I had a BP that loved to climb as a baby but when she got older the extent of her climbing was up onto a long branch that I had in her cage, she loved to just stretch out and lounge on it for a while (like a deck chair), then she'd grab a drink of water and back into her hide she'd go.

Tosha

1.1.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy)
0.1.0 Siberian Husky (Kita)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Dessert Tortoise (Pope)
5.4.2 Fish (1,2,3,4...)
0.0.1 Frog rescued from pool skimmer
0.0.2 Lizards rescued from pool skimmer