Care Sheet for Ball PythonsAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 3.17 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 10/27/2005 |
Main Category: | Snakes |
Sub Category: | Ball Pythons |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Pregius88 |
Years Experience: | 3 to 5 Years |
Species: | Ball Python, Python regius (My Speciality) |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | All phases of the ball python species, all morphs as well. |
Sexing and Characteristics: | Short tailed pythons can be particularly hard to sex. The most conclusive way is probing (even this may not work). This should be done by an expert only! |
Mostly Active During: | Night |
Substrate and Water Needs: | Substrate should be either newspaper, papertowels, or bark. I reccomend bark as it releases more humidity. If you do use papertowels or newspaper add two water dishes, one on the cool side and one on the warm side (the one on the warm side should be small).
The water dish on the cool side should be large enough to soak in and concealed with artificial leaves. Change water every two to three days if not daily. Also treat the water to remove chlorine and other chemicals. |
Lighting and UVB: | You must require light for atleast nine hours a day and darkness for atleast nine hours. You don’t need UVB you can use an incadescent bulb or a flourescent strip light. Too much light or too little light will stress the snake out. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | Heating a snake can be hard... ...air temperatures on the heated side should be around 80f day and 75f night. Substrate temperature should be 85f day and 77f night. The cool side should remain 75f-76f.
Overall humidity should be 60% to 80%. |
Heating and Equipment: | An adjustable human heating pad is the best way to go. Don’t use light for heating as air temperatures should be low with warm substrate temperatures. Remember heating and lighting are not the same thing. |
Caging Provided: | Babies are easily housed in a ten or twenty gallon terrarium.
Mid-sized snakes are best kept in a 40 gallon terrarium.
Adults should be housed in a 60 to a 75 gallon terrarium.
Provide atleast 2 hideboxes, one in the middle and one over the heated side. Climb branches for climbing and vines and branches for ease of shedding. |
Diet: | Carnivorous |
Description of Diet: | Babies can be fed pinkey rats/mice/gerbils (live) once or even twice a week.
Mid-size snakes can be fed small rats or mice (prekilled ONLY) once evey week to twelve days.
Adults can be fed the same as mid-size snakes, and as often. |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | When using thawed mice or rats provide a calcium powder with it. |
Maintenance: | Remove feces asap and spot clean, remove wet substrate asap, and remove shedded skin asap and spot clean. Clean entire cage and replace substrate at the very least once a month (should be cleaned every 2 weeks).
Clean interior of bare cage with a little bleach and lots of hot water (RINSE WELL). Replace substrate and clean cage furniture with scentless antibacterial soap. Give the snake a warm bath in clean water. |
Some Words on this Species: | The ball python makes a spectacular pet snake for anyone. They are very docile and easy to maintain. Wild imports may refuse food but captive bred balls accimulate very quickly. They grow to lengths of about 3.5 ft to 6 ft. Morphs and albinos tend to cost quite a bit whereas norms only cost about 90 bucks.
When cared for properly they live long and healthy lives, reqular vet checkups only ensure this more. |
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