You have entered the habitat of my Burmese pythons

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The habitat is a closet that I converted especially for my reptiles. I replaced the door with this louvered model for ventilation. Then, I added the slide bolts to keep it firmly locked from the outside.




This view shows the slide bolt at the top - there is also one at the bottom, though I rarely use more than the one in the middle. The kids usually stay pretty calm, though I do hear them climbing the walls sometimes (yes, they really can climb about 4 feet up the wall!). I normally find at least one of my pythons basking on a shelf.




There were already two shelves in the closet when I moved in, but they were too narrow for a python to perch. I used a piece of OSB cut to fit, and covered it with lino floor tile. The bottom shelf is the same, with the addition of a heating blanket under the tile. This keeps the snake warm, even up at this altitude.




I often find two or three snakes sleeping coiled up together. They really seem to enjoy each other's company. There is plenty of room here for them to be apart, but they rarely are.




Sasha loves to be up high, and keep an eye on things. Sometimes, she will not come down from her perch for days... not even for water. This makes sense, since Burmese are tree climbers in their native environment. That is the whole reason for the snake ladders and shelves.




It might look like a long way down, but trust me, these guys know how to use a ladder. These are shelf supports I found at Home Depot, and they work perfectly for the pythons to slither up and down. They can get anywhere in the habitat, and they certainly enjoy the view. The water dish is only at the bottom, because otherwise, they tend to push it off the shelf. Notice that white panel attached to the bottom of the ladder? That is a ceramic heating panel that emits lots of heat, without any light. It is infrared heat, too, so it is safe to touch without burns. It only heats surfaces, not the air.




The bottom of the habitat has some neat features, too. Under that newspaper is another sheet of linoleum floor tile. That protects the carpet from soiling, and makes cleanup easy. Under that tile is another electric heated blanket. The floor stays nice and warm.





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