Hey there. I have my normal ball python for about 3 months now. He’s around 10 months old.
He’s in a 120x60x60m tank (attached a picture of his enclosure).
He eats only if I leave the prey close to one of his hide, but has been 3 times in a row. I wonder if there is any tips for making him less stressed out ? I don’t handle him since he wasn’t eating regularily, he successfuly shed once since I have him. He goes out most of evening time, sometimes exploring and climbing, sometimes just chiling on top of on his hide. Husbandry is always checked and correct. Just ordered more clutter to cover the back. Is there any tips on I can make him feel more safe ? Thanks for your help!
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Enclosure looks nice.
Keep his terrarium in a low traffic part of the house. Try to avoid sudden bright light at night. I turn on the hall light if I need to go into the snake room after dark.
Short, gentle handling sessions every few days will teach him you don’t eat snakes. I usually just offer a hand then a finger stroke down the back or side. Then leave them alone.
If he’s eaten three times in a row it won’t be long til he pops out of the hide and expects food.
Lots of clutter. Sticks, rocks and plants. They like leaf litter.
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Looks good over all, but blacking out the sides and back glass might help, as well as more clutter. My tank is almost identical, and I used self-adhesive foam sheets on the outside, as those help a little bit with insulation as well. I wouldn’t worry too much though, as long as he’s eating it’s all good. Some snakes just like privacy when they eat.
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I second blacking out the sides.
The dollar store sells drawer liner that can be stuck onto the sides, on the outside. It’s a nice and cheap way to do that.
Also, is that grapewood in there?
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Thanks a lot. I will check on adhesive black coverage. Should I cut it around the vent ? My tank has vent on sides as well.
Yes all branches are grapewood from a reptile store in Paris, except the log on the right side that is made of cork
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Just a heads up that while grapevine looks amazing, it is prone to molding. I had a beautiful branch in my boa’s enclosure that I had to throw away when it started looking a bit… furry. 
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Black construction paper works well. Just tape it on
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You’ve got a lovely setup for your snake. You’ve also gotten some great tips, as well.
I second this. If he’s eating every time, there’s nothing at all wrong with continuing the feeding regimen you’re using. If he were feeling insecure in his home, he wouldn’t be eating so well. Some do want to be alone when they’re feeding. They know they’re vulnerable while eating and they want privacy for their meal.
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Agreeing with what everyone else has said. Overall all of what you’ve mentioned sounds great as far as the decor and the behaviour.
Also, @autumngeckos and @caryl are right about the privacy and shyness. Ball pythons are typically ambush hunters, so some just feel safest while in a nice snug hide and it’s dark. They’re also not really a daytime species, so while the UV is a good thing as an additional benefit for day/night cycles and some possible medical benefits when under the weather, they don’t always like being out where they would feel more vulnerable in bright light.
Ball pythons have personalities that can vary quite a bit. I have one girl who becomes extremely defensive when she’s in an enclosure with a clear front. She prefers a semi-clear tub. One of my males does well in a small tub because he was severely burned as a young snake and not only is he extremely shy, but has some scarring that makes it difficult to move. The lower top on a tub helps him kind of inch along a bit better than how he moves in the open.
I have a couple of them that don’t care about anything and just enjoy being in a larger space with the right temps for how they’re feeling.
It may take a bit more time and effort to really figure out all of his quirks, but you already have a great start.
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Yup to everything everyone has said. Some of my kids will eat out in the open and some prefer to eat in their hides. They have a choice.
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Yes. That’s why i brought it up too. Mold can do a real number on your snakes. Especially black mold. It does look really nice, but trust me it isn’t worth it. Mold exposure can cause your snakes to develop serious respiratory disorders if you are unlucky.
It’s expensive and harder to find, but ive been enjoying liana jungle vine. Mopani wood and cork rounds/halves/flats are cheaper and more readily available too. All do great in high humidity applications.
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For what it’s worth, the only mold I’ve ever seen on wood in my animal enclosures is the white fuzzy variety, not the scary black kind. Still best to avoid it, though.
Grapevine is great for more arid animals. My childhood bearded dragon had a big beautiful grapevine branch that never molded in his 10+ year life, and I’ve had a piece of grapevine in my sand boa’s enclosure for the last 4 years with no issues. But if you need to add moisture to an enclosure to maintain humidity…then grapevine will mold, in my experience.
I’ll have to check out liana jungle vine and mopani wood, I’d never heard of those. Currently I’m just using an artificial climbing structure for my boa and had kind of resigned myself to that, but I’d love to be able to use natural materials in her adult enclosure.
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Mopani wood is beautiful but a tad pricey.
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I buy mine from my local reptile shop, but after a quick online search, it keeps popping up as galapagos jungle wood on sites like chewy, etc.
As long as it looks like that, it’s the right stuff.
And mopani wood can be pretty pricey. It’s extremely dense and heavy so it can support a lot of weight, but it can be difficult to incorporate into an arboreal setup without perma-locking it into a handmade background.
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