Care Sheet for Ball PythonsAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 4.25 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 07/10/2003 |
Main Category: | Snakes |
Sub Category: | Ball Pythons |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Luke |
Years Experience: | 1 to 2 Years |
Species: | Ball Python |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | Ball Pythons |
Sexing and Characteristics: | Must be probed at a vet that handles snakes. |
Mostly Active During: | None |
Substrate and Water Needs: | I prefer AstroTurf because it is very cheap and easy to clean when needed. Newspaper will work, but I don’t use it because I prefer the look of astro turf. NO CEDAR CHIPS THEY ARE TOXIC.
For water a shallow plastic dish will work or you can go the more expensive route and buy a rock dish which will also serve as a rubbing rock for shedding. |
Lighting and UVB: | I use one 50 W infrared light to keep his cage dark this way I can leave it on all day and it won’t bother him. Pythons don’t need as much* UV as a lizard would.
*They still need a some of the UV rays but most of the vitamin D they would get from UV A+B comes from the mice they eat. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | I keep mine tank at a constant 85 F on one side of the tank all day and 75 F on the other. *Check caging for more info.
For humidity I keep a water dish inside and lightly spray down his cage in the morning. If you have a screen top cage this is very important. The humidity in the cage should NEVER drop below 50% or 60% just to be safe. When the snake is shedding this is very important. |
Heating and Equipment: | I keep a temperature gradient not by day and night but from one side of the cage to another. On one side of the cage he has a heat pad and the Infrared light concentrated on one side which keeps the area at 85 F. On the other side I have nothing. My room is in the basement so it is always 70 F to 75 F. This allows him to chose the temperature of his body at any point during the day. I don’t let the cage go over 95 degrees F because that allows bacteria to build up. |
Caging Provided: | Right now he lives in a ten gallon tank, he is now getting too big for it at 24 inches long. In the wild ball pythons live in the burrows of the gerbils they kill so they feel more comfortable in a smaller cage than a larger one. This does not mean they will be comfortable in a ten gallon tank for their whole life. Pythons are able to live in a ten gallon tank until they are at max 30 inches long then they must move into a 20 or 30 gallon tank. I am going to jump to the 30 gallon tank because he should be able to live in it for the rest of his life. This is not necessarily true because he may even outgrow this tank if he gets to be longer than average. YOU MUST PROVIDE HIDE BOXES. These can be the expensive caves from the pet store or just a shoebox. The ball python must be able to seclude himself and hide after he eats otherwise he might stress out and regurgitate(spelling?). I put two hide boxes in my cage one on the warm side and the other on the cool so he can feel safe while regulating his body temp. As I mentioned in Temperatures and Humidity I have the cage setup to have a warm side and a cool side. It is also smart to have cage top clamps to prevent the snake from pushing off the top of the cage these are easy to get at many pet stores. You also have to have a rough item such as a stick (has to be clean of course) so it can rub against it when shedding. In my tank I provided a rock dish and a climb branch for this. Finally I am done with caging. |
Diet: | Carnivorous |
Description of Diet: | Hatchlings=pinkies
Juveniles=Fuzzys (weaned mice)
Adults= Adult mice (easier to get) or rat pups
ALWAYS SERVE PREKILLED, LIVE MICE CAN HURT YOUR SNAKE. IF YOU DO GIVE A SNAKE A LIVE MEAL SUPERVISE IT SO YOUR SNAKE DOESN’T GET HURT.
Feed a Hatchling or juvenile 1 or 2 food items every 4-7 days as they grow faster than an adult you may even find they eat more than this but you will have to watch out for obesity which I will explain in the maintenance section. Feed an adult 2-3 small food items (such as the mice) or 1-2 large food items (such as the rat pups every 7-10 days. |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | None for a healthy snake. But a common problem with inexperienced pet owners is dehydration of the snake.
If your snake is dehydrated (which can be seen because of lateral folds in the skin) give it Gatorade *registered trademark of the Gatorade Company* because it will restore electrolytes and rehydrate better than water. Consult a vet before doing this though to be sure it is dehydration and not parasites. |
Maintenance: | Again very little maintenance for a healthy snake. Just make sure it is being fed right, always has fresh water and has a clean cage which is actually pretty easy, but there are always exceptions especially in a sick snake when you have to put in extra effort. Now I will explain another big problem that is easy to prevent, Obesity. Your snake will usually eat a lot but this is not always good. Pythons in the wild have to work to get a meal, but a prekilled mouse doesn’t exactly put up as much of a challenge believe it or not. Obesity can be seen because the snakes skin can be seen between the snakes scales. The scales should be nicely set next to each other not spaced out. This signals obesity and your snake should be fed less cut the amount of food you feed it down. Don’t starve it as this can hurt the snake but lower the rations you feed it until it goes back to the right weight. |
Some Words on this Species: | I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL BUT A VET IS. Always consult a vet when solving dehydration, Obesity, or any other problem because every case is different. Ball pythons are a great pet but be ready to make a 20 year commitment when you get one they will grow 5-6 feet long as adults and weigh 20 pound if you can’t handle that you won’t be able to handle a python. That may seem harsh, but I hate seeing snakes in the humane society because the owner didn’t know it would grow that big that is irresponsible. But to the responsible snake owner I say good luck and I hope this article helps. |
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