Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I don't know how to word this question, so I'll describe the situation instead...

I purchased a few small litter boxes as hide boxes for my CB70 rack system. And I am very pleased with the small litter box idea. They are cheap, spacious, and a perfect fit for the CB70 boxes.

I placed the litter box upside-down at one end of the CB70 box. The entrance hole is on [what is now] the top of the hide box.

The rack system utilizes the CB70 box with top too. (This is a wooden rack system, and I don't care for the extra work of staining and sealing. The tops also give the illusion of safety to any wary apartment guests.)

There is only a 2" clearance space from the hide box entrance hole to the CB70 box top.

The only adult ball python that I currently house is a 1200g normal male. (The larger 3000g females are out on a breeding loan.) This male can easily slither between the 2" gap into [and out of] his new hide box.

Would a much larger 3000g ball python require more of a clearance space?

Chris
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mean people suck

The female may need more room, the hole should be slightly larger in diameter and the crawl space should be slightly more then she is tall. You can still put the hole near the top though. What about cutting out a corner of the litter box hide so that the entrance was partially on the top and partially on the sides?

Mark

>>The only adult ball python that I currently house is a 1200g normal male. (The larger 3000g females are out on a breeding loan.) This male can easily slither between the 2" gap into [and out of] his new hide box.
>>
>>Would a much larger 3000g ball python require more of a clearance space?
>>

"What about cutting out a corner of the litter box hide so that the entrance was partially on the top and partially on the sides?"

That's an interesting idea. The animal would have plenty of clearance space and still be able to burrow in the downward direction.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Chris
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mean people suck

That is how I have cut some of the holes in my larger hides, and they have all worked great for a long while now.
Evan Jamison

I really don't know why I prefer to place the entrance hole on top. The hole could be placed on the lower side just as easily. For some reason I think that the animals would more naturally burrow in a downward direction instead of merely slithering flatly underneath an object. This idea is completely unfounded. I have absolutely no evidence that the animals have a preference at all. And I doubt that they do. But I still can't get over the idea. It's crazy.

(WARNING: You obsess over the animals a little too much when you start worrying about the small details such as horizontal versus vertical entrance holes! LOL)

Chris
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mean people suck

A possible solution................Try one of each and see which they prefer if either.

Quig

LOL - obsess away - if its any help - the BPs in the wild video shows that most dens and termite mounds (that they dug out) the entrance was straight horozontal not verticle - does it matter - probably not as long as the space they hunker into fits them nicely they don't care. If you feed live in the cages then the hole on top may provide extra protection for the snake - maybe not.

Merry X-mas I gotta go wrap presents now!
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Tosha

"Nihil facimus sed id bene facimus"

10.35.0 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)
0.0.1 Lizard rescued from feline
0.0.0 frogs rescued from pool skimmer

your bigger females will have plenty of room to get in and out of the hide. Others may disagree but as i said in my earlier post I have had NO problems what so ever using the litter boxes, I have 3500g females that use them in the same fashion. I agree with you i think my animals prefer the entrence on the top of the box but as you said i have no proof.

Greg Power
B.O.A. Inc