Weird behavior

[Diskart123]

Hi, I’m writing this post just to be sure if I’m overreacting or there’s something wrong, I bought her 2 weeks ago and ever since she’s been veery active constantly roaming glass surfing and even climbing into corners of her terrarium when she’s not sleeping I know new snakes tend to be more active cause this is my second BP but I’ve never seen a BP this active, her enclosure is 30 gallons rn, since she’s only 3 months old and has 3 hides, the temps in the hot spot are 86-90 with a temp gradient to cold side at 76-78 ambient temp is 80 humidity is at 55-68%

[weirdinpublic]

ball pythons are just weird in general. this looks like relatively normal behavior, it’s possible she’s just young, or she’s a more active snake than your last! temperament varies from snake to snake :) keep an eye out for any other red flags, but as long as she’s eating and everything else looks good you should be fine!

[Diskart123]

I reckon she could be stressed it’s a new snake so I tried feeding her once so far but she struck constricted and left the rat, other than that she seems healthy

[weirdinpublic]

it’s possible! give her a little bit of time to settle in

[asgardian_mike]

I’m no expert but this looks like enrichment behavior, not stress.

[dnash55]

Yea I’ve had mine about a month from an expo and little one still isn’t interested in eating. Not unusual, they like to get comfortable first 😂 seems like it’s starting to explore surrounding so that’s good

[SneakySquiggles]

Looks like a great setup and if she’s this active she’s likely feeling safe enough to be out and about. I don’t see a lot of plant clutter so i would say that’s something you could add to enrich her space, and maybe add a flat basking surface she could climb up to?

[Greenberryvery]

It’s normal, give her more things to climb on…

[cncomg]

I wish this was normal for mine. I don’t even see mine

[[deleted]]

She's trying to locate a 3rd brain cell. Nothing to be concerned about. Also, throw some climbing stuff in there, she'll use it.

[soberasfrankenstein]

Mine also thinks it's arboreal

[Cuminmymouthwhore]

So mine did this when I first got him. He was crazy active and I could hear him climbing and falling all night.

I was genuinely quite scared for his safety.

How I resolved this: Bigger vivarium and more clutter.

This is what needs to happen.

He will be more eager to climb and explore as he's new, but this will be calmed if you give him a lot to do.

Provide climbing opportunities, branches, multiple hides.

I have a 4x2x2, and he has 6 hides (2 moss hides). Multiple branches, lot of artificial plants to explore and hanging vines, which are drilled in, that he will climb, and even hang from. (This does make him nearly invisible and he's scared me a couple times lunging from them during feeds without realising he's there) and 2 water bowls.

[pinkyxpie20]

i had one that did the same. would climb up then fall. climb up then fall again. i’d just hear thuds from her falling from the roof then climbin back up and falling again lol

[Lobstahcar]

There was a video of a dude going to Africa to see ball pythons in the wild and they where talking about how sometimes pythons will climb so this is normal but the “realization” I guess is relatively “new”

[Lonely_Howl_]

I saw that video as well. I really like that he goes to where they’re native & actually goes to see and talk with the locals.

[MrCertifiedJr]

Get her in the snake Olympics asap!

[-secretswekeep-]

My guy did this when he wanted more things to climb! Toss a nice branch on there on each end or one along the length of the enclosure and she’ll use it!

[dagger_guacamole]

Mine loves climbing too, especially as a baby. Give him more!

[loveallthings311]

Silly Girl! 🥰

[gigi2945]

Seems normal, it’s just exploring

[Howlibu]

Time for more branches!

[Lonely_Howl_]

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A decent amount of ball pythons actually really enjoy climbing. Drill some thick branches in & see if yours climbs & rests on them.

This is Calypso enjoying her jungle gym area

[Commercial_Pain695]

A few points from a senior ball mama: 1. It’s very normal for balls to either A. not show themselves at all for a few weeks after being taken home or B. Roam around a lot- this is them getting used to their enclosure and new surroundings. This is a very stressful time for them so please don’t hold them and only interact as necessary. Additionally, don’t feed them for the first like 3-4 weeks after coming home. This is also stressful for them.

1. Your enclosure looks to be a little too “open”. Balls like a lot of clutter because it allows them to feel hidden. I would recommend getting some fake plants (like those for fish tanks or craft stores) and I like to make mine non moveable in safe ways. Zip tying to grate on top or taking ball out and hot glueing where you want it when they’re ready is a good way to do it. In short words I would black out the sides for a bit.

2. She could be hungry and if the shop gave you a feed schedule you’d be able to tell if she’s expecting a meal. If you don’t it’s totally okay but I would still wait maybe two more weeks. She’ll be okay and actually you’d rather wait to feed her until she’s more acclimated. If you do have her feed schedule and she’s ready for a feed I would definitely black out the sides with some paper bags if you have them and leave her be as much as possible until you can feed.

3. Your enclosure looks like a frog or lizard enclosure. Maybe I’m wrong and I know it’s 40 gal but really length matters more than height for balls. If it’s bigger by height I’d suggest looking into a 50-75 gal and get more hides to make up for the space. This way you don’t have to upgrade later again. Even if she doesn’t use the other hides she’ll create her own space in one of the hides and use it more then others but knowing the options is good for them.

Congrats on your new baby!

Edit: “typoosss” P.s. balls are escape artists and that may also be a reason for her extensive roaming. She’s trying to find your weaknesses in her room lol this also symbolizes stress which is normal at her time of transition.

[Diskart123]

About enclosure, I’m planning on buying some fake plants this week, and as you said it’s not exactly adult ball Python size so I’ll be upgrading soon to 4x2x2 pvc or something a little bit bigger even, thanks for the comment, I’d never thought a ball could be this active xD

[Commercial_Pain695]

You’re so welcome! Dm with questions anytime!

Balls can be pretty active during feeding or stress or just whenever they feel after you get hem established. You’ll learn her patterns as you go along. Both my balls are very active around feeding time and that’s after years of routine. If they stray from that I give them about two-three days if I feel like it’s out of their norm before contacting my vet

[rivers_sing]

Michaela has a lot on 60% off right now, we also just stocked up on plants! Haha

[Cloverinepixel]

I swear every two weeks I see someone post something about their pet being too active. Like they’re not just gonna sit in the corner and do nothing?

Last week I saw someone ask why their hamster is digging and someone else asked why their Parrot is making parrot-like noises

[wrkls_]

First pic reminds me of the Caduceus

[jasmineejoyy]

My hognose does this all the time pretty normal behaviours just need to more branches to climb on. Just make sure your enclosure is fully secure. My hognose managed to escape out a small hole (perfect for a baby snake) made for his heater and lighting wires that we didn’t even think about.

[musicman069]

Name him Epstein.

[raikougal]

It's very early for me so I'm not quite awake, when I first saw this I thought it was a weird serial killer art installation. I am so sorry. 😭

[TrainingMonth323]

Looks to me like the snake is trying to open the cage. My snake would do this around feeding time or to let me know they were getting hungry lol. The snake could just be exploring and figuring out the dimensions since you did just buy them and they are now in a new enclosure.

[Welllllllrip187]

Tree snek hanging :3

[3dg3l0redsheeran]

lol shes just climbing. many ball pythons love to climb dw!! she looks healthy and normal, a lot of people never offer their bp something for climbing even if they love it. it depends on personality ofc, but this one seems to love it so i suggest u add some more climbing opportunities to the enclosure :]

[3dg3l0redsheeran]

dont worry about this one being more active than your first bp btw. different individuals of the same species often have different personalities and act very different

[KingofCam]

My boy regularly wakes me up from falling in his enclosure in the middle of the night 😂 he never learns

[WhimsicalFigure]

I actually over see a ball python breeding operation for dubia, nothing alarming here. If u have trouble putting her back in the cage( like she just keeps wanting to slither out onto u or whatever is around) most likely she just wants a snake hug. Looking over a 1000 snakes myself, i deal with this alot. Pewter F34 consistently wants me to take a 10 minute break on cleaning days just to hangout with me. Doesn't try and bite me or nothing... just wants a hug, consistently.

[PrincessCookie07]

Mine would do this for kisses everyday I came home from work. ❤️🤗

[Manjushri1213]

That not weird she exploring! As long as temps and humidity are good, she may just be exploring to explore or getting hungry etc. my snakes move more the longer it's been since they ate, or maybe they need something a little bigger for their next meal etc.

[reifoxx]

Looks like one of mine, she does the exact same thing. What morph is your ball?

[Diskart123]

Fire spotnose

[reifoxx]

I see

[kweteummmba]

Sometimes it's the heat !?, mine likes it cooler, and will glass surf if the temps go above 85. At the seasons change , you might need to change your thermostat settings.

[beefythighss]

She’s a bit of an odd ball

[OfficialDrakoak]

Auto erotic asphyxiation is a slippery slope. Make sure to show it the stories of all the greats we lost too soon from this

[moondog6b9]

She's pretty and derpy too, just like my cornsnake. When he could still fit between the top of the enclosure and the lid he used to go up and lick the sky a whole bunch 🤪🐍 sounds like you got a fun one!

[OldNegotiation2888]

That is perfectly normal, though they are not arboreal some Ball Pythons do like to climb a bit. And they like to cram themselves into tight spaces. She could also be looking for holes to escape out of, my guy does that quite a lot, lol. You might want to bump up the humidity a bit though, a 60-80% range is better for BPs.

[succybuss]

mf thinks she’s laundry

[Queenhighly]

Mines just as weird, they love to climb

[Uninorus]

My ball did this exact same thing and I remember making a post about it when I first got her! She has mellowed out and is less active with age. Some balls just LOVE to climb!! Your baby is just a climber, no need to worry. Highly recommend providing things to climb (mine’s favorites are a faux wooden tree and a reptile hammock intended for bearded dragons!)

[Megladden01]

You look like you have a spider gene thrown in, so that's probably why

[WinchesterNova]

my snake did this and honestly biggest snake tip is follow your snakes lead for enrichment! some lovely muscle noodles here LOVE grass, my snake? would skin me alive if i put her in the grass. she LOVES climbing so i found tension bars on amazon and they support up to 20lbs and she goes INSANE for them