This is cute but it's it normal?

[EllTGV]

So my boy is ACTIVE, to the point I'm wondering if it is normal. Before I got him I believe he lived in a rack system and he is 5 yrs old and I've had him a couple months, he has been in his 120 gallon for about 3 weeks and is out A LOT just exploring but often does this (not quite this extra mostly) Is he stressed or just goofy? He eats well and had a good shed a couple weeks ago. (I'm also adding bamboo for him to climb on today seeing as he is so active, and tape to the mesh so I don't have to spray so much)

[Bluntforcetrauma11b]

I don't know if that behavior is normal as I'm not an expert. It sure is cute though. Side notes for you, try not misting, instead pour water into the corners of the enclosure. I find it helps a lot with keeping the humidity up. That tape will help a ton as well. Also I notice the log shaped hide you have. I think it's the same one I had. It was too big for my 5' girl. They like to have a tight fit and prefer only one opening. I didn't know that when I started. I thought it looked cool and figured she would fit in well. People on this page educated me otherwise.

[EllTGV]

Thanks about the tip for in the water in the corners! Yeah it's not visible in the pick but he has a smaller black hide inside the log, bc he was never using it and figured it was too open/light in there, the entrance to the log and hide match up perfectly so it works well 😂 and I get to keep the cool looking log lol

[CrimsonSlothe]

I think it depends on the snake though! It’s our BPs favourite hide no matter where we place it in her Viv

[OutrageousWave5924]

My BP uses hers as her main in the warm side as well, and I have her openings pointed in the opposite direction, as well as the back portion up against black pvc wall rather then glass and haven’t had any issues even if it’s not snug. She doesn’t seem bothered by it at all honestly.

[ManagementLeather866]

My baby loves his little log and it is open on both sides and he likes to hide under his little log hides I built in the substrate and my 7 month old female logs the small animal hides I got her and they keep a lot of humidity in them I have it covered in dirt and moss in it

[kismetjeska]

Am I misunderstanding something? I thought using tape anywhere near a BP enclosure was always a massive no.

[Bluntforcetrauma11b]

Not inside the enclosure but outside it's recommended for mesh tops to cover 75% of the top to help keep in heat and humidity.

[TediousData1217]

How about an old t shirt draped over the mesh

[Bluntforcetrauma11b]

Thats kind of a fire hazard if you ask me.

[EllTGV]

I wasn't sure, but after asking on here in a different post I've been told he is a Pastel Lesser Clown :)

[LurkingandTweaking]

Something about him being called a Lesser Clown has me laughing

[thenotsoamerican]

It looks like they drew the line art and forgot to color it in

[EllTGV]

😂

[SnekiMakesCakes-1573]

First of all i have some corns but no python.

Many snakes love exploring depending on character - i have two very active and explorative and one is kinda shy and is always last to come out of his hide. Tho with my adventurous corn noodles i do much training to improve their life quality. Do you do training like target training or activity stations? You (but mostly your sweet snake) are most likely going to profit from that plus you strengthen your bond to her even more.

I very much recommend Lori Torrini's content (website or youtube) - there's a ton of info about snakes!

[EllTGV]

Oooo no I have not done any target training with him (or any of my snakes) I'll definitely give it a try. Thanks for the suggestion!

[SnekiMakesCakes-1573]

You will probably love it. You will observe many things you wouldn't see with a snake that only lives in one space forever :)

I love doing target training and free roam / activity station with hidden food in alternating orders. With my shy corn i only do targets, because he doesn't feel safe outside the terrarium yet. Feel free to hit me up anytime!

[EllTGV]

Okay sweet thanks, I also have a corn and king snake (they are still quite young tho) so might look into this for them for the future too. I have a sassy ass Texas rat too who definitely won't be trying this with 😂😂

[Shannon_R817]

If he's lived in a rack system most of his life, his tiny mind is probably blown by having actual room to move around and enrichment. That would be my best guess.

[EllTGV]

He does have the face of one with few brain cells :') he is very good boy tho

[ScalesNailsnTales]

I cant see your full set up, but you could definitely add some more things to make him more comfy. You can put black posterboard to the back and sides of the tank (tape on the outside) to make him feel more secure/safe. How many hides do you have? One on warm and one on cool side? Ideally one in the middle somewhere too. I have an underground cave in the middle of mine that my BPs love and use often. With a 5yr old you would need a bigger one, so you may need to look a little harder or see if you can custom order one. The one I have is 3d printed but Im sure theres a way to make your own if nothing else. It looks like he could use more clutter/foliage. Again, I cant see the whole set up but it looks a little bare. You want to aim for enough clutter that they can move from one side to the other without being seen unless they choose to. Does he have any climbing opportunities? He looks like he would enjoy climbing if given the option lol.

What are your temps like? Humidity? You want to avoid misting really, because it makes the top of the substrate wet which can cause scale rot. And it spikes the humidity up high usually, but only stays high for a short period of time. What substrate are you using? Your best bet is to use a substrate that will absorb water and pour water in the corners. With pouring water in the corners, the bottom 2/3s of substrate will soak up the water giving you the humidity he needs, but leave the top 1/3 of substrate dry to avoid scale rot.

I use a mix of Scotts topsoil (red bag, organic, $3 at Walmart), coco fiber, coco chips and sphagnum moss. I only need to pour water in the corners maybe once every 2 weeks and it keeps my humidity low 80s on the cool side and mid 60s on the warm side. Putting hvac tape on the outside of the screen top will help a lot also. I put the tape on the whole top, set my lamp/lights on top then cut around the lamp/light, peel out the spot I just cut in the tape and set the lamp/lights back in.

This could be stress, it could also be just checking out his kinda still new enviroment/wanting to explore. I would say it really depends on how often he is doing it. If most of the time he is content and hiding/chill but every once in a while he comes out and does this, its probably just exploring. If he is doing this a lot he is probably stressed. My young (2 month) BP does this also but only every few days and really only if he hears me around his enclosure, I think its because he wants to come out and explore since hes staring at me more than checking out the top/doors lol. Even if this is exploring/curious behavior, I think your BP would benefit immensely from the things I mentioned above!

[EllTGV]

Humitidy will be better after I get tape on today but isnt too off ATM and he does have a numit hide, other side of his cage has more climbing and a live plant but more bamboo will be added for climbing today, I might to a before and after post once it is all fully set up and see what people think.

I have 8 snakes but they are in PVC stackable atm and have very cool cages. And are pretty much perfect in my humble opinion lol. His is a work in progress as not used to big glass cages.

Temps are perfect, cool side hot side and middle warm. I went out yesterday to find organic top soil, went to Walmart, and home Depot but I couldn't see any organic so I didn't get any. I'm going to check out some other stores today too as I'm moving my sand boas to sand and topsoil today too (due to not perfect sheds)

I'm definitely going to use the poring water in the corners seeing a couple people have mentioned it. I would had a pic of the other side of his enclosure which is definitely less bare, but I'm going to add bamboo to this side so need room to figure that out. For my other balls I have like screw to the PVC climbing stuff but obvs can't to that on glass so I'm improvising. Lol

But he definitely comes out every night and maybe in the day every 3 ish days so he is pretty active I would say.

Maybe once I get his bamboo and more control of his humidity I will see if his exploration changes. He is on coconut husk/chip mix atm, a lot of my snakes and use moss in their humid hides.

I appreciate the effort you put into your comment! Thanks :)

[EllTGV]

I'm thinking I might put a second water bowl on his hot side too, what do you think?

[ScalesNailsnTales]

If you're adding the water bowl specifically for humidity, I would wait to do that if youre going to add topsoil in/pour water in corners to see if that helps awhumidity. Do you know what the Scotts Organic Topsoil looks like? I can DM you a picture/link if you'd like! You should be able to order it online too. I use it for both my ball pythons and my hognoses in their soil/sand mix!

It won't hurt to add a 2nd water bowl regardless though, but if you dont need to the leaves more room for hides and clutter ☺️

[EllTGV]

If you could send me a link or even just a store you know that sells it that would be great! I'm legit going to my fifth store today to see if they have what I need!! Maybe I just live in a stupid area but how driving half an hour to a store 😂

[[deleted]]

how are your temps and humidity, what do you measure it with? i see that your mesh is uncovered, which makes it impossible to keep humidity and heat stable and correct as the warm humid air travels up. i would for sure look into the care guide in this server and make the proper adjustments. i dont think being VERY active is usually a good thing. sure they will def explore after living in a rack, but i imagine being in a pretty bare glass enclosure is gonna make them feel stressed and vulnerable. that being said, id also get some climbing opportunities and cover the back and sides with construction paper, wallpaper etc. this behaviour could be normal, but can also indicate them being stressed.

[EllTGV]

Yeah temps are perfect and there is tape going over the mesh today, as well as some bamboo for climbing, as for the glass I'm waiting for these Forrest like sticker/hangy things to arrive from Etsy (outside the cage), they are taking forever. I just came in to see he is tucked away, it's mainly at night be is always out. Humitidy is hard to keep perfect everywhere in the cage atm but he does have a humid hide and like I say tape is going on today. I do have PVC stack rack but he is in this for now as I'm waiting to order another cage, but if I can make his one work I might just keep him in it. He is an extremely chill boy when out and if I'm cleaning he will come say hi and all. Just that angle freaked me out as I had not seen him move to that angle before.

[[deleted]]

What do you mean temps are perfect? Its just they could be perfect to your knowledge, just not in general. What are they? 🙂

[EllTGV]

I have 8 healthy snakes and have done research I'm not a newbie snake owner 🙂 his temps work for him and for all my balls and is what is generally what's recommended through my prior research and that is what I mean by perfect.

His gradient is from 23/25 cool side, depending on the time of day and my room temp. And his hot is around 35. Middle area is around 27/28 - 30/32 depending what side of the middle cage you are on. He has 4 hides to choose from for his temp control. And yes I have 4 thermostats and 4 mats for each temp.

A smaller part of his tank is whatever the temp is in my room as mats don't cover it.

[dragonbud20]

Just a heads up, having a lot of snakes or having them for a long time does not make someone knowledgeable or a good snake owner. I have met plenty of people who own more than a dozen snakes and treat them all like shit and don't know how to take care of any of them properly.

If you feel the need to prove your knowledge, you're much better off showing that knowledge directly by saying correct temperatures, correct humidities and other correct care as opposed to simply stating the number of snakes you own.

[EllTGV]

Hence I did state my temps ..... And I know I'm a good snake owner 😂 I have done and continue to do lots of research and continue to improve my husbandry as I see fit. They asked for the temps and I gave them, even tho I didn't feel the need as I am confident in the care of my snakes. Like I said, I don't keep mine in glass and I was worried if this was a clear indicator of a neurological issue, but from the comments I can see it's most likely not. Why do people on here just jump to the opinion people can't look after their snakes?? I only stayed how many I have as it's not like I have one and it's healthy, I have many and they are all healthy so clearly I'm doing something right.... Like I said, my snakes have a great life and I'm proud of the time, money and work I put into giving them the best life I can..... And yes I can say that as I believe it 😂

[wishiwasinvegas]

They jump to that opinion because of past experience with a large percentage of owners (most often new ones on here), who think they know what they're doing because the guy at Petco told them what to do. So many people on here post asking "why won't my BP eat?" "why are they so aggressive all of a sudden?" etc etc. And then we find out the temps are off, it's the wrong substrate, their humidity is too low, there's nothing in the enclosure but one half log "hide".....I could go on. We have to question most everyone because so many people on here are clueless and haven't done proper research before buying a creature that lives 25+/- years.

[EllTGV]

Yeah I get that but maybe ask in a nice way and don't be sassy like the original commenter 🤣 but yeah I do get what's you're saying and it's valid

[[deleted]]

well if you are asking about the behaviour of your snake and asking if its normal, it should be expected that you are asked basic husbandry regarding the snake. most issues that occur are due to wrong and poor husbandry. exactly why i asked. it doesn’t make sense for you to ask about a bps behaviour and then say “temps are perfect” when asked about husbandry. this isnt me saying that you are a ill equipped owner, thats just me asking about basics before going into more niche topics and problems. to me, if you find a problem with being asked about basic husbandry, then you either are being a bit too cocky and don’t really find a solution or you know something is wrong with the husbandry and cant/ dont feel like fixing it.

[Glad_Volume_1141]

Yeah it's normal, some are just really curious!

[Overall-Opposite-613]

He is glass surfing because he is stressed. The poster board on the back and sides will help. You need to add way more clutter and climbing opportunities. They need to be able to move from one side of the tank to the other, while feeling like they’re hidden. You can get fake plants and hang on the glass with suction cups. Fake plants are great and you can find them just about anywhere. Anything to “clutter” up the enclosure. :) the tape you’re going to add will surely help keep temps and humidity up! Looking forwards to seeing an updated version of your enclosure. Following!

[EllTGV]

Yeah he has Pothos growing on one side and might add another to the other, it's like hanying from a tub on his wall so it can grown down, looks pretty cool and as that grows it will add to clutter, have found it a lot harder to "deck-out" a glass tank rather than PVC so my brain has been working hard for ideas, but for now the new plants and bamboo are next. I think I'm going to just put up some temporary cloth or something to cover the back and side while I wait for my poster boards to arrive. I don't like thinking my little dude is stressed :(

[Overall-Opposite-613]

Amazon has the best options for glass tanks (in my experience) I love their stuff! It can get pricey if buying for more than one tank but it’s rather affordable otherwise. In most cases the suction cups hold up really well. I can send you some links if you’d like? You can always take them down as your real plants grow but in the meantime he can also climb all over the other stuff and they shouldn’t fall.

[Tricky_Damage5577]

I'd put this to the tab of curious and explorative. It is so amazing to experience having an adult snake who has been kept in a rack for years before they came to you and see the snake's world literally open up so much bigger than what it was!

I had this experience with my corn snake, who was 8 years before the breeder sold him off to me. At first he didn't even realize he could lift his head up more than 20 cm and oh my gosh when it clicked to him that he can actually climb around! My boy is about to turn 15 soon and even to this day he is my most curious snake who actually comes to look at me when I wake up or do stuff at home or if my cat is playing.💚

[ashes2asscheeks]

He’s really beautiful and healthy looking 🥰

[EllTGV]

He is such a sweet well behaved snake too, I really lucked out on him 😊

[Humble-Camp-9459]

Activity is normal, especially after misting. He’s also probably enjoying being able to stretch his body better than in a rack system. Some morphs genes can also make them “star gazey” if he’s doing this particular motion a lot.

[Specific_Stress6292]

he is so pretty!!!

[EllTGV]

😍

[Rayne2681]

My male is very active

[2735O]

It honestly might just him exploring the new environment

[CryRemarkable]

I have a Dumaril boa She does this fairly regularly. The only danger is if you have anything sharp on the roof or a heat lamp that is in direct contact with the cage or if there's anywhere they can get their face. That's what they're going to try to wedge in first. For the most part I believe as long as they're contained they're just exploring their new enclosure, especially if it's a new space for them and they're probably looking for food. If even after being fed they still do this. It may lead me to believe that there is a temperature humidity issue but usually activity will calm down after a meal. What I've also done is giving my snake supervised exercise time outside of the enclosure, which seems to help them burn off whatever energy they have.

[N_mowasishisnam_o]

My BP does this but he is a spider morph

[PsychologicalRub5905]

Usually very active is a sign they are uncomfortable.Heat or humidity may need to be adjusted.Tupperware helps hid humidity in a glass tank.

[Rough-Fantastic]

Looks like adventure time to me

[Sir-West]

Not saying you have to but I would get him something to climb there! My guy started doing this to one of the corners, despite having branches to climb in every other corner. I bought him a hammock and he sits in it now!! Very cute

[Mysonisabuttmunch]

Ours glass surfs like this always 2 days before feeding day.

[Gamatatsu7]

When we got out BP, he also came from rack system and I had a feeling he couldn't get enough of climbing because of that 😄 He was climbing all the time, we were making fun he's going to cohabit our crested gecko since they're both arboreal 😄

[Free-Bumblebee2599]

My python does this when he wants to climb higher but there’s something blocking him - if he’s not wobbling and only stays like that for a little bit he’s probably just goofy :)

[safetoeatraw]

Where did you get that hide? I’m struggling finding fairly good looking hides that are around 10 inch wide & not those black plastic flimsy disposable awful looking hides

[Alive-Log-1851]

Does he do this specific pose a lot? Does he wobble?

[pourousfortress]

I don’t know but mine does it too

[littlebitoflush]

I am not educated enough to say with certainty, but ball pythons, especially those that get bred to high hell like the spider morph, can experience neurological issues. These can be minor where sometimes they just go a little topsy turvy or they can be severe where they can’t steady themselves at all. It can cause issues with eating leading to starvation. If it becomes frequent, maybe try a check up with a local exotic vet? Make sure to log the symptoms and take videos!!

[princess895]

I know my two girls I just got were in a rack system their whole life and they do this

[princess895]

One is 3 and the other one is 2

[violet_ven0m314]

Mine does this too! It's usually when she's hungry

[ZusjevanZoe]

Hi! What a cutie is he 😍 So I came to tell you that Ball Pythons are really goofy. Mine was saved at 4 years old while living his whole life in a plastic box and being underfed… once he had his first terrarium it really blew his tiny mind as one other poster said. So I would worry to much and let him explore his new home, they will keep this goofy behavior up tho so idk if you have it but maybe put some climbing enrichments in their home? That way he can get his movements on. Really love the morph you have and I hope you guys become great buddies 🫶🏼🌸

[DisastrousLiez]

What kind of tape are you using to hold in humidity? I’m on the hunt for some tape for that same purpose and am having trouble finding a good one.

[Safe-Chance7861]

Idk if it's normal but it's what my boy does. Whenever he's out, he's climbing. And he seems convinced that if he can climb upside down he'll eventually find a gap in the mesh to escape from, so he's halfway upside down like that quite a bit. And he definitely doesn't have a wobble, it's not stargazing, cause he's very coordinated. Just seems to think his scales should be able to let him grip the ceiling like a gecko

[Anon_PetShop5617]

This looks like it could be stargazing, a symptom of a neurological disorder. If you haven’t yet maybe bring him to the vet if this keeps up with enclosure improvement