Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ever since Ibought thatmagnetic Exo-terra cave for my ball python, he just sits in it ALL DAY. He only seems to come out really late at night,when I am asleep.I know this because I put a mouse on the other side of his cage just so I could see him, and he never came out! However, I woke up the next morning and the mouse was gone. It was a thawed out mouse in case you want to know. Is there anyway I can get my little guy to come out at least earlier in the evening so I can watch him slither around his cage? I don't want to remove the cave because I know it could be very stressful,even though he has a hollow "stump" in the cage as well. I've had him since June of last year, in case that can help you guys. I love my Sultan and want to see more of him. People in the house forget he exists because he hides all the time!

Welcome to the world of ball pythons. A hidden/hiding ball python is a happy ball python. If you want to see him, just get him out! But if you want to see him slithering around his cage...well he won't, as long as he has his cozy little hide!

Jason

my ball spends apporoximatly 10% of day "roaming"

Ball Pythons naturally tend to be very nocturnal. All mine stay hidden during the day, and come out exploring at night. Only thing you really have an option with, is based on the room he's in. Does it stay for the most part naturally lit? If you can get it relatively dark for him earlier, he'll probly come out sooner. you could always try draping a towel or something over the cage to block out any interior lighting, leaving just enough glass exposed for viewing.
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Female Ball possibly gravid from 66% poss het axanthic
Trio black rat snakes placed together 12/14/05

Chris LaViola
CMLReptiles
Website under construction
CMLReptiles@aol.com

As its been pointed out ball tend to be nocturnal and generally only come out of their hides between dusk and dawn unless they are looking for food or water or they are uncomfortable in their hide. Also this time of year they kind of hibernate - so it's very likely that he could not come out for several months.
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Tosha

"Nihil facimus sed id bene facimus"

7.33.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and gang)
1.0.0 Angolan Python (Anakin Skywalker)
0.0.1 Green Tree Python (Verdi - yeah I know but my kids love the book)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Desert Tortoise (Pope John Paul aka JP )
2.2.1 Fish (1,2,3,4)
0.0.2 frogs rescued from pool skimmer

leaving a live mouse (I presume it was live) in the cage unattended. You really couldnt blame the mouse if it were to knaw your snakes eyes out.

>>leaving a live mouse (I presume it was live) in the cage unattended. You really couldnt blame the mouse if it were to knaw your snakes eyes out.
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>>
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He said it was thawed out, so I'd assume it was not alive?
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Jay A. Martin
Jay Martin Reptiles

Its lunch time, I am forced to skim!

>>Its lunch time, I am forced to skim!

LOL. Me too.
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Jay A. Martin
Jay Martin Reptiles

maybe it had just been playing in the snow, so he gave it some hot chocolate and placed it in the snake cage! Never know...
Jeremy Conrad
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Isn't it cooler that serpent's don't walk anymore?
(Genesis 3:14)

>>maybe it had just been playing in the snow, so he gave it some hot chocolate and placed it in the snake cage! Never know...
>>Jeremy Conrad
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>>Isn't it cooler that serpent's don't walk anymore?
>>(Genesis 3:14)
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Jay A. Martin
Jay Martin Reptiles

ROFLMAO!!!

yea i let the little mouse go play in the snow for a while, that's it. when i had to thaw him out ho, he was kinda yellow. I think he was playing in some yellow snow....ewwwwwwwwwwwwww!

PS-seriously tho, it was a froxen mouse i took out of the fridge and thawed. maybe i should handle him more to get him used to me? he's in my bedroom, which is dark usually cuz i'm barely in it. as for hibernation, he's been doing this since i think the summer. when i try to take him out, either he is just so fat or puffs up and it's really hard to get him to budge, but when i do get hiom out after hours of tug o' war(ok maybe like 10 minutes actually) he seems nice and healthy. i'd just like to see what a ball python does in his free time when he's acclimated to his home and stops trying to escape. it's more interesting watching him bask than watching him stick his head out of his cage! lol well thanks for the help and will still take some advice if anybody has some more...

You have a happy, eating pet ball python!

If he's hiding and eating then you are doing everything right. If you want to see him more, start a routine where you take him out to handle him for a few minutes every couple of days. Eventually you can work your way to daily handling, if that's what you're hoping for.

Good work.
Joel
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0.1 Ball Python
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake
1.0 Leopard Gecko

Give it time and care. Mine come out at night and really move around when it's dark.
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1.0 Normal Ball Python (adopted from animal rescue)
0.1 Pied Ball Python
1.0 Pastel Ball Python
1.1 Columbian Red Tails
0.0.1 Cal Kingsnake
1.1 Normal Leopard Geckos
1.1 Albino Leopard Geckos
0.1 Tarantula from Grandmas house YEARS ago
1.0 Crazy owner

my 2 hatchlings were very nervous when i first got them.
the way i got them used to me was lying down on my couch with them on my stomach, i made a dark hide for them with my hands, and waited for them to get curious, it took a couple times, but now when i take them out, they go right into explore mode, and will slither all over me, and it takes them a couple minutes sometimes to release my hand when i put them back into their cage.
besides, they seem to like body heat, my larger males have no problem with walking around my apartment coiled around my neck