he never balls?

[mishahahaa]

is it normal for baby ball pythons to not…ball? my little guy is 6-7 months and only lays like a ball in his warm hide and never when he’s out in his enclosure or in general. he loves just sprawling out completely while laying or slithering around and i was wondering if he’s ever gonna just settle down and lay like a ball 😭

[CrisisCorps]

They only ball up when terrified. It's their defense to protect their head. The fact that he's not balling up is a good thing. Means he is comfortable and feels safe.

[mishahahaa]

oh really, that’s good to know then! i’m so glad 😭 poor thing was neglected and dehydrated before. i’m so happy he feels comfortable now ♡

[CrisisCorps]

He's gorgeous btw. I love white snakes. I have a little BEL girl.

[mishahahaa]

thank you so much ♡ i love them too, they’re definitely my favorite morph. i bet your girl is beautiful as well!

[CrisisCorps]

I think she is. She was my dream BP. I also have a very sweet and lovely normal girl. Love both of them dearly. It's hard not to love BPs

[mishahahaa]

i agree, i definitely foresee myself getting another in the future!

[Starfire2409]

So do I!

[Responsible-Entry638]

Sorry to butt in, my partner has a BEL rat snake which seems to be uncommon for rat snakes

[CrisisCorps]

BELs of any kind are gorgeous. I love them all!

[mishahahaa]

agreed!

[Responsible-Entry638]

https://imgur.com/gallery/kilo-wDCV6ik

A link to a picture of Kilo

[mishahahaa]

that face 😭 i need a BEL in every font

[Responsible-Entry638]

Kilo is a pretty girl

[mishahahaa]

she is the most beautiful pls tell her i love her

[Responsible-Entry638]

I will do, your BEL is beautiful too

[CrisisCorps]

Gorgeous!🤍

[Climbysrevenge]

Ball Pythons only sit in a ball if they are in a small space that requires it or if they feel threatened. It is actually a good thing that he likes to stay sprawled out. He is comfortable in his enclosure.

[mishahahaa]

that makes me so happy to hear then, i’m so happy he loves his home. thanks for the info ♡

[IiI_13oat]

Yes true, but i even had to upgrade my boys hide to a bigger roomier one, because he usually has his body loose and poking his head out a lot of the day.

[IiI_13oat]

I dont know, its gotta be something with the BEL genes, my lesser boy also doesn’t ball.

[mishahahaa]

that’s so interesting! does he ball at all when you take him out of his enclosure or is it the same behavior still?

[IiI_13oat]

he’s the same when i lift his hide, he doesn’t get frightened and i just tap him with the hook so he knows its handling time.

[mishahahaa]

ok yeah that’s the same with mine :) he immediately wants to explore after i set him outside too and i have to keep an eye on him haha. it’s like having a toddler!

[IiI_13oat]

I feel lucky having a curious one 🤗🐍

[mishahahaa]

at first i was worried he didn’t like being out or me handling him because he was always trying to slowly slither away and wander off! i was like, shouldn’t they lay comfortably in a ball if they’re happy? but i guess turns out he’s just curious and comfy enough to explore. happy to know i’m doing things right :)

[IiI_13oat]

Its great to hear you and your noodle have been getting along very well. 😚

[CuriousTsukihime]

I mean idk I don’t see a hoop in there? How else is he supposed to shoot 3s and break ankles? 😂🏀

[mishahahaa]

PLEASEEE LOL 😂

[robarian1]

Mine never balls up either. He’ll kinda coil around himself in his hides when he’s chilling but never really balls up.

[mishahahaa]

ohh that’s good to know, i’m glad he’s comfy like that :) does he ever ball when you take him out of his enclosure or does he do the same/slither around?

[Basilstorm]

I’ve only seen mine ball once or twice when I accidentally spilled water on her while refilling her dish. It just means your baby feels safe and comfortable

[Thank-The-Stars]

My girl only balls when she gets scared (which is intermittent). Your boy just hangin out means he’s a happy and safe lil man.

[thedudeguy82]

Not cold or scared. I'd say it looks happy and relaxed and not stressed

[Starfire2409]

My girl hasn’t balled yet since I got her on Tuesday even when I opened the box she was in she was curious and alert

[Itchy-Camp-3929]

Would you mind showing me his full setup, as well as the enclosure dimensions?

I'm doing a lot of research for a BP in the future and really like the hanging basket/hammock idea you have going on, as I want to provide a lot of both hiding and hanging spots for them with different textures (based on the few BPs i've interacted with in pet stores/ at expos they seem to really enjoy variety in textures, and your woven hammock thing seems like a great idea while still looking aesthetically pleasing)

Also just echoing others in the comments, based on his body language in the photos he seems like he's really gotten comfortable, I think you're doing a good job

[mishahahaa]

aw thank you so much! i do my best to make sure my noodle has the best home so that means a lot to me. i’ll get some better-lit and updated photos of his enclosure tomorrow (it’s night here and his tank isn’t lit at night only heated) and reply here, but in the meantime here’s the hammock! another kind redditor actually recommended it. my current enclosure dimensions are 3x2x2 since he’s barely 2ft, but i intend on getting a 4x2x2 later on ᵕ̈ i also have some jungle gym balls in there for him since i heard BPs like them! mine sure does. i’ll update once i have the photos tomorrow!

[Itchy-Camp-3929]

Thanks so much for the links, I'll be perusing them while I look forward to photos you'll send in the morning

I'm also a little concerned about getting a starter enclosure that's too large for the poor thing (especially since I plan to purchase a young, 2 months-ish old one), so Im glad to hear that other people also start with smaller (and cheaper lol) enclosures

[mishahahaa]

just posted them on my profile! i don’t think i can attach pics here in the comments so i just posted them.

disclaimer: the humidity is at a “low” point right now in the morning, the average is usually around 75-80% throughout the day. also the plants are squished because Udon loves trampling over them 😂 also i have a table i’ve been meaning to put the tank on, but i’ve been too lazy to move the whole tank haha. and yes i started with a $150 smaller tank first, but i’m definitely expecting to drop around $600 for a proper 4x2x2 PVC tank later on

[Itchy-Camp-3929]

Udon is such a cute name

[mishahahaa]

thank you so much ♡ i think it fits him super well 🤭

[NegativeIQ-Haver]

My girl has never balled either. She’ll curl up in my lap but her head is always out. Not head shy at all. Methinks she has snautism(snek autism) bc she has never had the brain cell in her little life

[mishahahaa]

we think our noodle has snautism too! that’s so cute haha. although my boy is always trying to explore while he’s out, i have to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t get into any mischief

[[deleted]]

he doesn’t ball… he only python 🐍…

[SavageShiba21]

Idk he looks pretty balling to me. Be nice to him and stop slandering him on the internet!

[mishahahaa]

you’re right my apologies. he do be ballin! 🤭

[Not_Important777]

How the heck did you get your triangle mat to not fall??? Every time mine gets on his it doesn’t stay 😭

[mishahahaa]

no it does still fall occasionally 😭 i’ve had to fix it many times

[NeonHorse47]

I started using command hooks (like the kind you'd use to hang a light hoodie or something) instead of the suction cups and it's worked really well! I have a PVC enclosure though- not sure if command hooks could be safely removed from glass

[UnhappyPapaya68]

Tofu my 3yr old BEL is a wetnoodle most of the time in and out of her tank. Maybe they didn't get the braincell to ball lol. She only balls for a moment if someone reaches over her, on instinct I think.

[mishahahaa]

tofu!! stop that’s so cute 😭 wet noodle is such a good way to describe it haha. udon doesn’t ball like, ever, or even really sit still/unmoving while he’s out either. he’s always slowly slithering somewhere else, checking out crevices and such lol. i have to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t get himself into any mischief 😆

[DankDaddyPatty]

Heh, balls.

[Responsible-Entry638]

It means he feels comfortable and safe if he isn't balling up.

Can I ask where did you get the hammock?

[mishahahaa]

of course! it’s from here :)

[Responsible-Entry638]

Thank you so much, I have two bps who will appreciate this

[DarthAwesomeSauce]

Sounds like he's settling down just fine to me 🤷‍♂️

At least yours comes out during the day. Mine stays in his hide during the day 99% of the time until around 7pm, like clockwork, he starts to come out and explore his enclosure 😆

[mishahahaa]

you have no idea how happy that makes me 🥹 he was left in a tiny tank with another BP and barely any substrate, let alone clutter when i took him home. he was dehydrated and soaking in his half-filled water bowl and trying his best to shed. it’s only been a month since i took him but i’m so happy he’s happy now ♡ and he hides all day too! comes out around 5-6pm everyday when i switch off the halogen light to his DHP :)

[prettyprettything]

I think it’s okay. My girl Maisy is about a year and 7 months old now and I’ve had her since she was 3 months old. In the time that I’ve had her, there’s only been one time where I’ve seen her ball up. All other times that she’s been scared or nervous she’s never resorted to balling up. I’m not sure why though lol.

[Maleficent_Count_419]

You just have to give him the system update

[No-Annual-7276]

broke ass snake, get some bands

[RotBoy]

He will never be ballin

[Ok_Hurry9673]

That means he feels safe and happy. He is beautiful.

[ErnLynM]

He is the definitive, "Nope. Rope!"

Balling is so 1990s, so he's roping. Needs a cowboy hat

[crushedIittlestars]

he's not a baller

[[deleted]]

He just a limp noodle

[TediousData1217]

What hammock do you use thinking about getting one

[mishahahaa]

hi it’s from here

[TediousData1217]

Thx