Ball Python Care for the Amateur and Professional

I would like to welcome you to my herpetological web-site. This site's motive is to inform amateur and professional herpetoculturists the facts and responsabilities of owning a Ball Python. In case you want more general information on reptiles and amphibians, I have links to other herpetological web-sites at the bottom of the page.

GENERAL

The Ball Python (python regius), also known as the Royal Python, is one of the most beautiful snakes in the world, displaying remarkable patterns of gold, ebony, and bronze. It is an extremely docile snake which is one of the reasons why they make great pets. The only time they are aggressive is during breeding season when the males might quarrel over a female. It is very rare for a Ball Python to bite, and when they do it usually occurs after you prepare its food,(mice and rats,explained in more detail later on) and it thinks your fingers are food because of the warmth and smell. If you do get bitten just wash with soap and water then apply an antibacterial ointment and a band-aid. Before you bring home your pet make sure there is a qualified Veternarian that has knowledge in medically treating reptiles. Ball Pythons are nocturnal so during the day they will generally sleep in their hide boxes, but at night you can watch them take baths, exercise, and if you handle your snake daily it will become tame enough to want to be held by you.

HOUSING

A young Ball Python 1 1/2 feet and less can be housed comfortably in a 10 gallon glass aquarium or cage. Once your snake reaches 2 feet it can be housed in a 20 to 30 gallon aquarium or cage for the rest of its life. The best substrates to use are astro-turf, newspaper, and aspen bedding. The substrates to stay away from are corn cob, alfalfa pellets, sand, and gravel for the fear of digesting it and causing intestinal problems. Another essential cage furnishing is a hide box. You can purchase different sizes of hide boxes from your local pet store. They come in stone, wood and plastic. Ball Pythons aren't heavy climbers but will appreciate a branch in the cage. You also need a water bowl. Make sure it can't be toppled by your pet and that it is big enough for the snake to soak its entire body. Besides the fact that they need water to survive they also need it to help with the process of shedding. A week before your snake actually sheds its eyes become hazy-blue and its body will feel rough. Your snake is supposed to shed all in one piece but if it doesn't just soak it in warm water and gently peel away the dead skin.

HEATING

The next thing that you need to provide your Python is heat. You can purchase a heat lamp and bulbs at almost any pet store. Get the temperature in the cage from about 80 to 85 degrees fahrenheit and at night drop the temperature to about 75 degrees. At night make sure you change the regular day-light bulb to a night-light bulb. Make sure the heat lamp is outside of the cage so that your pet doesn't get burned. Besides a heat lamp you can get an under tank heater that fits beneath your cage and you can easily adjust the temperature. The key heating tip is not to over heat or under heat the cage.

FEEDING

Hatchling ball pythons will eat fuzzies or hopper mice. Since they're young hatchlings will require at least two feeding dates a week. Once your Ball Python reaches 2 feet in length it will eat larger rodents (adult mice and SMALL rats). Try as hard as you can to teach your snake to eat its food dead. Use a pair of hemostats and dangle the food in front of your snake. A tip when thawing frozen mice, put the mouse in a bowl of hot water for about 5 minutes and when you think it's thawed gently squeeze its belly and if its not solid in any way go ahead and feed it to your python. The reason for your pet to eat dead food is because a live one will fight back in every way and can harm your python if unsupervised. A helpful hint is: increasing heat and humidity will help your python digest its food better.

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