How To Set Up a Zoo Level Ball Python Enclosure | Norwich Reptile Shed  

what a joy to see again ,,, keep rollin ,,,

As long as you give them a few good, dark cramped hides that are all identical and some foliage then you can make you ball pythons enclosure as big as you want.

I got a ball python back about 7 years ago. By instinct, without talking to the community at large, I got a 40 gallon enclosure, substrate, heat lamp, vines, hides, etc. Then I joined a ball python group on facebook and was flooded with "rack mentality". I remember feeling so guilty that I had set up this snake's habitat all wrong and that it needed a drawer the whole time! Looking back, no, my instinct was right. Big snake = big enclosure. Pets need enrichment and a natural environment. So glad the community has shifted over the last several years in that most people now frown upon keeping snakes in drawers. I know that your average person walking into big chain pet stores often get the wrong information and wrong set up for a reptile, but at least the general public doesn't put a snake in a drawer. It's counterintuitive to anyone outside that community.

Loved this interview, thanks for sharing. You guys continue to inspire me to always keep improving and learning. - Tracey

The London zoo exhibit main heat source was the heat bulbs; of course they climbed, in order to heat up. One of my BP does like to mooch about in branches, but that first example has no legs.

The animals should be cared for in the manner that is best for them as individuals whether their with a breeder or a pet home. Amazing enclosures, I want to build a snake zoo and live in it!

*watches intro* Well, there goes the next hour and a half of my life.

Is there any californian kingsnake/MBK uvb studies?

This is similar to what I aspire to have all my snakes in eventually. I mean, I have a 4' X 2' X 2' and for my large female, I know it's too small by the way she trashes it every night and either climbs up to the ceiling or just stands up tall and tries to rip the light fixtures off the ceiling. LOL. Every single one of my ball pythons prefer to be up high. And if an animal can literally SEE UV light, why in the world wouldn't you provide it? Even if they don't "need" it to survive? Aren't their natural behaviors enough of a need? And I agree with Ellie's point in that of course, animals not provided the opportunity to climb are going to be clumsy. They need to practice which they do "practice" to survive in the wild, but restricted from natural behaviors in captivity, of course some may be clumsy. I mean, all humans can walk and run, but if we were kept in a tiny room the majority of our lives and then let out and expected to sprint, most of us would fall on our faces. I would also argue, many animals also learn how to fall, the same way human athletes do, to avoid injury. I also have a former rack snake that is in a 55 gallon tub until he passes all his health issues and he was quite fat when I acquired him. Between being treated with antibiotics and being put on a diet, I was surprised & confused at the vet's office, to find he gained weight during this time & then it dawned on me that even tho the enclosure wasn't very tall, he did have branches to climb and I had been watching him develop more dexterity and strength, as he climbed and learned how to maneuver and muscle weighs more than fat! Also, while he wasn't in a rack for too long (3-4 years?), according to the breeder, he's had no issue adapting, all that was required was patience and his zeal for exploring and experiencing new things now makes me happy. I believe even the snakes that have been in racks for decades deserve the chance to have a better life. Ellie, you are so intelligent and have such a wealth of knowledge to offer, don't let anyone intimidate you into keeping quiet!

An enclosure which's allowing for the snake to stretch out fully sounds like such a ridiculous thing to even have to debate, when talking about animals welfare. 🙄 There's even research emerging about the social behaviours in rattlesnakes.