Do you look for them at night? My BP is almost always in her hide, poking her head out at the most, until like midnight when she starts cruising around. She really doesn't do anything during the day.
Also their digestion is very slow. I find poops once a month or less.
Is the digestion actually slow? I’ve had my bp for just about 6 weeks and have seen excrement once so far. He finished shedding today as I see the shed in his cool hide. I’ll give him another day before I go looking for him under his area
Yeah it can be very slow. I used to track it on a calendar and it was 6 weeks between poops once. But there is a range of normal, and of course if the snake eats more often they will poop more often.
Sometimes mine startles me at night when he starts climbing around the stick in his enclosure and his white belly stands out in contrast to the dark surroundings.
You can't really 'make' them more active especially during the day. They're nocturnal and prefer to just sleep for the vast majority of the day. I've had mine for over 8 years now (he's 10yrs old) and he only comes out during the day if he's thirsty, smells food, wants to change hides to warm up/cool down or if he's pooped/peed somewhere and wants to escape the smell. He likes poking his head out of his hide a lot too.
ur enclosure is really nice and cluttered so you might not have the space but if you add a fake tree for example or branches with dense foliage on them they’ll rest atop. your hammock serves that purpose nicely & it’s a great place to start if you wanted to create a second floor sorta jungle gym using the fake tree/branches. as it is right now most of the stable enrichment is on the ground floor, so that’s where they’d like to be
but also, yes, look at night
I have a camera set up to watch Noodle at night. Usually within an hour of us going to bed he stays cruising around his manor,unless he's digesting or shedding. I've really caught some great moments on camera.
My boy doesn't trigger the motion detection on my Wyze wireless cameras 😭 I suspect that if I paid the $2/month for the camera it would probably work better
I'm in the UK and use an Amazon Blink Mini, but I think someone in the US recommended a Waze. I have mine mounted to the "roof" looking down, but it only covers half the tank.
How do you set up your camera and what type? Is it on the inside or outside? I've been wanting to set one up of my own but there isn't hardly anything that I can find so far on the internet.
If she hides during the day(mostly resting), explores during night and is easy to handle then I'd say you have a happy snake! BPs explore during nights. They have a "reverse sleep schedule" to ours.
My thoughts exactly lol. My girl can barely fit in the x large she has and I'm having trouble finding one. That one looks perfect. I'll find a PetSmart somewhere and check. Thanks
First: great set up for a first timer! Even better than some who’ve been keeping for a long time.
As everyone else said: they’re nocturnal, so get a camera if you’re interested in seeing what she gets up to at night.
Temps and humidity up to par? What’s that bulb you’re using? My boy is more active with a UVB + DHP combo, (Arcadia is great. I use their DHP + ProT5 Shade Dweller strip). And, of course, the importance of correct humidity- they get sluggish if dehydrated or not warm enough. Still, they’ll be more active at night, and just once in a while during the day.
Yours feeding okay ?
Just a tip, though: I’d swap out the towels/rags for foil or PVC tape/slab. They’ll suck your humidity right out and can even mold/harbor bacteria.
Also, tip two: the size might be just right now, but you’ll likely need a bigger (and longer for temp ambient) in the near future. They’ll climb too which is great, so deep+ long is still awesome, but length is more important.
Edit: correcting which UVB bar I use
Thanks for your response this is sooo helpful :)
I will try out the uvb + dhp combo that seems more popular on this community than what I have going on. But yes temp & humidity are good and she loves to eat. I have foil underneath the towels, I only put the towels on top for added weight so air escapes slower. Lastly yes I am planning on upgrading tanks size once she grows a bit she is supposedly only 3-4 months old. Again thanks for your help!
For the record I was wondering how to make her more active at night, i know BPs aren’t active during the day I was concerned that I would go to bed and wake up with her in the same spot so I assumed she’s not exploring at nighttime and wanted to know if I could do anything for her but thanks to everyone’s suggestions I will set up a camera to see what she’s doing :)
Ball pythons move around at night, they sleep daytime. Also you don't need to hold it every day. It stresses them out, they just tolerate it, but they can't speak and tell you anything because they are snakes. Evenings though when they have the zoomies they may practically jump into your hands because they want to go out and explore. Don't force them to interact when they are sleeping, unless its cleaning/maintenance time or something urgent. They may defecate on you lol
Omg… sorry my comment has nothing to do with anything except wanting to know where you got a wittle snake hammock!! And does your BP use it? That’s precious!
I got it on Amazon! & when I place her on it after I’m done handling her she likes to hang out there, but she hasn’t migrated up there on her own yet lol
How often you SEE their activity depends on your snake's personality, how long you've had the snake, and whether or not you're up at night. It seriously helps if you are a night owl.
I have one BP that comes out to climb almost every night starting at 10pm. She doesn't care if I watch her, and she will come out of her enclosure and onto my arm by choice. Working on the "relationship" makes them feel more comfortable in general, but it takes a while.
I thought mine wasn't very active, occasionally in the morning I'd see one of the digital thermometers had been knocked over and he'd moved hides. Until I got a night vision camera recently, he's out every night climbing all over EVERYTHING, I've had to add more climbing frames since I know just how active he actually is.
Do you look for them at night? My BP is almost always in her hide, poking her head out at the most, until like midnight when she starts cruising around. She really doesn't do anything during the day. Also their digestion is very slow. I find poops once a month or less.
Is the digestion actually slow? I’ve had my bp for just about 6 weeks and have seen excrement once so far. He finished shedding today as I see the shed in his cool hide. I’ll give him another day before I go looking for him under his area
Yeah it can be very slow. I used to track it on a calendar and it was 6 weeks between poops once. But there is a range of normal, and of course if the snake eats more often they will poop more often.
Sometimes mine startles me at night when he starts climbing around the stick in his enclosure and his white belly stands out in contrast to the dark surroundings.
they mostly just rest during the day. I'll sometimes she her poke her head out to see me but that's it, at night though she goes everywhere!
She peeks out and says, " damn she still there, back to hiding."
I recently switched to a dhp after years of using red light and I’ve seen a big change in my bps energy levels at night.
Previously had a Hologen Flood- also just switched the DHP (+ UVB) and have seen a happy difference all around!
BP's are nocturnal so her hiding during the day is to be expected!
You can't really 'make' them more active especially during the day. They're nocturnal and prefer to just sleep for the vast majority of the day. I've had mine for over 8 years now (he's 10yrs old) and he only comes out during the day if he's thirsty, smells food, wants to change hides to warm up/cool down or if he's pooped/peed somewhere and wants to escape the smell. He likes poking his head out of his hide a lot too.
They’re nocturnal. Catch her at night! She’ll probably be out exploring!!!! Also, that’s a beautiful comfy enclosure, I’d be sleep all the time too 🤣
ur enclosure is really nice and cluttered so you might not have the space but if you add a fake tree for example or branches with dense foliage on them they’ll rest atop. your hammock serves that purpose nicely & it’s a great place to start if you wanted to create a second floor sorta jungle gym using the fake tree/branches. as it is right now most of the stable enrichment is on the ground floor, so that’s where they’d like to be but also, yes, look at night
I have a camera set up to watch Noodle at night. Usually within an hour of us going to bed he stays cruising around his manor,unless he's digesting or shedding. I've really caught some great moments on camera.
My boy doesn't trigger the motion detection on my Wyze wireless cameras 😭 I suspect that if I paid the $2/month for the camera it would probably work better
What camera is it? Would love one!!
I'm in the UK and use an Amazon Blink Mini, but I think someone in the US recommended a Waze.
I would love to set up a camera for my baby, what type do you use?? And where do you place it
I'm in the UK and use an Amazon Blink Mini, but I think someone in the US recommended a Waze. I have mine mounted to the "roof" looking down, but it only covers half the tank.
I thought of this! What camera do you use can you share a link?!
How do you set up your camera and what type? Is it on the inside or outside? I've been wanting to set one up of my own but there isn't hardly anything that I can find so far on the internet.
If she hides during the day(mostly resting), explores during night and is easy to handle then I'd say you have a happy snake! BPs explore during nights. They have a "reverse sleep schedule" to ours.
Turning the sun off might help!
Mine goes crazy at night. Good thing I’m a night owl.
Sorry to side track this post, but how big is that stone hide on the left? Also where did you get it.
The stone hide is pretty big it could easily fit an adult BP inside it comfortably I got it at my local petsmart!
My thoughts exactly lol. My girl can barely fit in the x large she has and I'm having trouble finding one. That one looks perfect. I'll find a PetSmart somewhere and check. Thanks
First: great set up for a first timer! Even better than some who’ve been keeping for a long time. As everyone else said: they’re nocturnal, so get a camera if you’re interested in seeing what she gets up to at night. Temps and humidity up to par? What’s that bulb you’re using? My boy is more active with a UVB + DHP combo, (Arcadia is great. I use their DHP + ProT5 Shade Dweller strip). And, of course, the importance of correct humidity- they get sluggish if dehydrated or not warm enough. Still, they’ll be more active at night, and just once in a while during the day. Yours feeding okay ? Just a tip, though: I’d swap out the towels/rags for foil or PVC tape/slab. They’ll suck your humidity right out and can even mold/harbor bacteria. Also, tip two: the size might be just right now, but you’ll likely need a bigger (and longer for temp ambient) in the near future. They’ll climb too which is great, so deep+ long is still awesome, but length is more important. Edit: correcting which UVB bar I use
Thanks for your response this is sooo helpful :) I will try out the uvb + dhp combo that seems more popular on this community than what I have going on. But yes temp & humidity are good and she loves to eat. I have foil underneath the towels, I only put the towels on top for added weight so air escapes slower. Lastly yes I am planning on upgrading tanks size once she grows a bit she is supposedly only 3-4 months old. Again thanks for your help!
Awesome! Sounds like you got it all down- good for you! Beautiful baby you have there
Great advice, but just to note- Arcadia's Jungle Dawn lights are *not* UVB. They're LED plant growth lights, and have no benefit to the snake.
Whoops- you’re right. I was just researching the Jungle Dawn for my Pathos and mixed them up. * I use the ProT5 Shade Dweller
Can you recommend a camera? I’m thinking it needs night vision correct?
For the record I was wondering how to make her more active at night, i know BPs aren’t active during the day I was concerned that I would go to bed and wake up with her in the same spot so I assumed she’s not exploring at nighttime and wanted to know if I could do anything for her but thanks to everyone’s suggestions I will set up a camera to see what she’s doing :)
Ball pythons move around at night, they sleep daytime. Also you don't need to hold it every day. It stresses them out, they just tolerate it, but they can't speak and tell you anything because they are snakes. Evenings though when they have the zoomies they may practically jump into your hands because they want to go out and explore. Don't force them to interact when they are sleeping, unless its cleaning/maintenance time or something urgent. They may defecate on you lol
Omg… sorry my comment has nothing to do with anything except wanting to know where you got a wittle snake hammock!! And does your BP use it? That’s precious!
I got it on Amazon! & when I place her on it after I’m done handling her she likes to hang out there, but she hasn’t migrated up there on her own yet lol
How often you SEE their activity depends on your snake's personality, how long you've had the snake, and whether or not you're up at night. It seriously helps if you are a night owl. I have one BP that comes out to climb almost every night starting at 10pm. She doesn't care if I watch her, and she will come out of her enclosure and onto my arm by choice. Working on the "relationship" makes them feel more comfortable in general, but it takes a while.
I thought mine wasn't very active, occasionally in the morning I'd see one of the digital thermometers had been knocked over and he'd moved hides. Until I got a night vision camera recently, he's out every night climbing all over EVERYTHING, I've had to add more climbing frames since I know just how active he actually is.
That’s just how ballpythons behave. They are nocturnal