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Ball Python Care Sheet
Interest in ball python care has been growing steadily and the ball python, also known as the royal python or Python regius, rivals the corn snake in popularity.
This reptile is a native of West Africa and enjoys high humidity and heat. They can make rewarding pets as they can become quite docile and used to handling. The species typically is not very aggressive and will coil itself into a ball when threatened rather than bite to defend itself. If you wondering why they are called ball pythons, then there you have it! :) The only real negative aspect of ball python care is that they can sometimes be very picky eaters. Make sure you purchase a captive bred python from a professional breeder. Most breeders will keep feeding records and it is important that you get a snake that feeds regularly and is not a problem feede
Ball Python Care : HousingYou should make every effort to provide an enclosure that is well ventilated, and has a secure lid. Rule #1 of ball python care is to not lose your snake! These snakes pound for pound are very strong and will easily escape if given the opportunity. I've had a snake escape in the house before due to not properly securing the lid to the tank, and boy was my family upset!Most baby snakes feel very uncomfortable in new surroundings, especially if they have any wide open spaces. It is advised that you keep baby to juvenile ball pythons in an enclosure no larger than 10 gallons, and that you provide plenty of hiding spots. Adult ball pythons do very well in 20 to 30 gallon enclosures, and some people opt to keep more than one per a vivarium. I do not recommend this however. Besides the secure appropriately sized enclosure, you may need these... It is a good idea to have multiple hiding spots so that your ball python does not feel vulnerable and exposed. Ideally, you may want to place one hiding spot on both ends of the enclosure. The water dish should be placed on one end which we will call the cool end. The other end of the enclosure is something we will call the hot or warm end where we will be making the effort to heat the vivarium by means of either under the tank heating or heating bulb. We need to provide this temperature gradient because reptiles are unable to metabolize and regulate their own body temperature. Without us providing a temperature gradient in captivity they will die! Avoid any substrate that has a strong odor (Pine For Example) or that is too fine grain or dusty (Don't use sand!). The only substrates I personally recommend for this species are aspen shavings, newspaper, and coconut fiber. The aspen shavings seem to work the best as it retains moisture and helps maintain the proper humidity level. You should be able to find these at any respectable pet store. Make sure to spot clean every few days or so, and to deep clean the enclosure with a 25+ parts water, 1 part bleach solution every few months. Make sure to rinse well with water afterwards!
Ball Python Care : Heating, Lighting, and HumidityBall pythons are primarily nocturnal and generally won't bask in direct sunlight so you won't need any specialty lighting for UVA or UVB; however, you might want to purchase a basking light to maintain the ~75-88 degrees Fahrenheit day time temperature. Try to maintain a 75-80 degree nighttime temperature if possible.Personally, I do not use any type of basking light or ceramic heater. The basking lights have the uncanny ability to dry out the air while raising the ambient air temperature. It can sometimes make it difficult to maintain humidity. If you do use any form of lighting, be sure that your snake cannot touch the bulb. I have had no problems using an under the tank heating pad that covers 1/3rd to 1/2 of the surface area of the enclosure. People have reported success using either heating method, or both at once. It is really up to you, and if you are still unsure I would urge you to do some more research and speak with a professional breeder. It isn't recommended that you talk with pet shop owners as they may be biased and motivated to sell you a product. Please do not use a hot rock or heat rock as they can concentrate heat when they malfunction and very badly injure your reptiles. I have had an Iguana injured in this way in the past. It was really terrible! Proper humidity should be maintained by misting the vivarium daily. If your python is shedding in pieces then there is a humidity problem and efforts should be made to increase it. Placing an additional water dish on the warm side of the vivarium and creating a hiding spot packed with moss or vermiculite should help. Make sure to spray this special humidity hide daily.
Ball Python Care : FeedingAlthough ball pythons will readily accept and eat hamsters and gerbils, it is recommended that you only feed mice and rats. There are two reasons for this in particular.I have made it a habit to feed pre-killed prey items that have been refrigerated and then thawed out to room temperature for consumption. If you want to feed live prey items, then please make sure to stun the mice or rats beforehand so that they do not bite and possibly kill your snake. Unless you are an experienced reptile keeper it is a good idea to feed the pre-killed variety, making sure that the food item is no larger than 1 and 1/2 times the width of the largest part of the snakes body. If you have a substrate other than newspaper that can possibly be accidentally digested, then you may want to consider feeding your snake outside of his enclosure. After the first shed a hatchling should immediately after the first shed, then put on an approximately once a week feeding schedule. This is something you shouldn't have to worry about as responsible breeders and pet shops should not sell you a python that has not had its first shed. Juvenile pythons should be fed once every 5-7 days or so, while adults only need to be fed once weekly. Obesity in snakes is a common problem that can dramatically shorten their lifespan. If you wish to know the sex of your ball python, then take him to a veterinarian or reputable and experienced breeder for probing. Proper ball python care involves regularly taking your snake to an exotic animal veterinarian for deworming and annual exams.
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