Care Sheet for Ball PythonsAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 4.41 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 04/23/2006 |
Main Category: | Snakes |
Sub Category: | Ball Pythons |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Anonymous |
Years Experience: | 5 to 10 Years |
Species: | Ball python/ royal |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | none |
Sexing and Characteristics: | Males are generally smaller and usually have bigger spurs than females.
males can grow up to 3-4 ft, somtimes 5 and females can grow up to 4-5 ft, somtimes 6
Ball pythons are heavy bodied snakes with very slender and narrow necks. They have a variety of morphs such as pastels, albino, mojave..etc
Ball pythons come from Africa and live in somewhat... tropical areas.
Generally, ball pythons are shy but docile. |
Mostly Active During: | Night |
Substrate and Water Needs: | There are a variety of substrates for ball pythons such as reptibark, eco earth, aspen, pine shavings, grass pellets, reptile carpet...etc.
in my opinion, those substrates give the most amount of problems. Wood shavings such as reptibark, mulch and aspen can carry parasites. Grass pellets grow mold VERY quickly if moist... and ball pythons need a fair amount of humidity.
reptile carpet grows bacteria very fast and you have to wash it every often.
for every single one of my snakes(9) i use newspaper. it works very good for me. its disposable, cheap, looks very neat, and you can check up on mites, feces,...etc.
Also, if your keeping large constrictors and feed it inside the cage, you dont have to worry about ingestion of the substrate. Newspaper keeps a fair amount of humidity if put in the right cage. It also does not grow mold,fungi....etc
i do not know why some people say newspaper looks bad but in my opinion, it makes the snake stand out very well and gives you that "clean feeling" |
Lighting and UVB: | Ball pythons do not require special lighting. i use black and red bulbs for the cages and all they need is room light. ball pythons have very sensitive eyes and a bright light would make them feel uncomfortable. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | In the warm side, i keep them at a constant temperature in the mid-high 80’s and the cool side in the low 80’s to high 70’s.
i have 24/7 heat and dont give them a night drop.
when it is summer and very hot, i turn the heat off everyday (its becoming very hot in ny..even at night)
humidty - i keep my ball pythons humidity at a constant
50-60 %. this is very easy if you have the right enclosure,ust mist the cage a few times in the morning, and a few times at night. |
Heating and Equipment: | You can use heat panels, bulbs, heat rope, heat tape, heating pads, and heat emitters.
DO NOT USE HEAT ROCKS, its proven that even when hooked up to a thermostat, heat rocks will produce hot spots with very high temperatures hot even to burn your snake.
consequences will not be nice. |
Caging Provided: | When they are babies, i keep them in 20 gallon tanks. when they reach adult size, ill keep them in a 4x3x2enclosure.
you really dont need an enclsoure that size, but bigger is better. a minimum would be a 40 gallon breeder tank . ( 36 x 18 x 18).
if you are going to give it a big enclosure be sure to put a lot of secure hides that will allow your ball pythons to go into when it wants to. give it some branches to climb onto. they are not aboreal and wont climb trees like green tree pythons but they will go on branches and rocks that are low to the ground. |
Diet: | Carnivorous |
Description of Diet: | When they are babies you can start them on mice fuzzies but i woudl stick to rats from the start(this will be easier so you dont have to switch when it grows)
when they grow around 2 ft you can feed them adult mice or rat pups.
as your ball pythons grows increase the size of the prey. the biggest your ball python will be able to eat is probably a medium rat. |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | None |
Maintenance: | Very easy. not messy, not expensive, not big, do not require high temps and humidity, and are hardy creatures. |
Some Words on this Species: | I would have to say, a ball python would make a great "pet" snake and a great snake to add to a collection if you are a snake enthusiast(as there are many morphs). these snakes are generally docile, and are one of my favorite snakes. |
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