The General Care of the Ball Python
(Python Regius)

Natural History- Ball Pythons come from central Africa

Acquisition- Ball Pythons are being bred quite thoroughly in the United States, so finding one that is captive-bred, not wild-caught, should be easy. This is EXTREMELY important because ball pythons are notorious for not eating when first imported, especially adults. So, try to get a captive-bred baby, and stay away from wild-caught adults. Another advantage to getting a captive-bred instead of an imported one is parasites. Ones from the wild are usualy teaming with external and internal parasites which can spread to other animals and are a pain in the a** to get rid of. The cost to get rid of bugs in your snake will definetely be more than the money you saved by buying imported rather than captive-bred.

General Description- Ball pythons are one of the smallest of the pythons, adult females reaching as long as 6 feet, males tend to get smaller at around 4-5 feet max. But on the average, most ball pythons tend to get a tad smaller. When threatened, they will roll up in a ball with thier head in the center (hence the name ball). Normal colored ball pythons are black to chocolate brown with a series of irregular tan blotches with white aligning the blotches. Of course this is the normal color, ball pythons are very popular and are becoming "designer" pets, which meens that they are being bred for specific colors. There are many morphs, albino, high gold, striped, jungle, black striped, and my favorite, pie-bald. Just don't be expecting a nice price, since they are rare and in high demand, they are extremely expensive, but I think the normal coloration is beautiful enough. (For a list and pictures of some of the morphs, go here)

Housing- Ball pythons are easy to house becuase of their size. Since they only get to about 5 feet long, they do not need a large inclosure, in fact, for some b.p.'s, if an enclosure is too large, the snake will stress and sometimes stop eating. A 35-40 gallon aquirium works well for adults, I do not suggest a 20 for full grown adults, but it is perfect for juviniles. Ball pythons also need to have a large water bowl to drink from, it also helps raise the humidity, which should be at about 45% - 65%, but they can be kept at lower humidity levels. If you do keep them at lower humidity, then you have to make sure that they are hidrating themselves properly. The water in the bowl should be changed every 5 day's or so, or whenever it gets dirty. Hide box's are very important, because that's where they spend most of the day. A hide box can be constructed of an old box with a hole cut in the side, or even a shallow flower pot with a hole knocked out of the side. Like all reptiles, ball pythons need heat. This is best accomplished with a heat pad or heat block under the cage to supply heat from the ground. Heat lamps can also be used, just make sure that it is out of reach so the snake cannot burn on the hot metel. Other things can be added to cage to either make it more attractive or other purposes. Rocks, live or fake plants, and even branches can be placed insede the enclosure. The only one that will need to be put in is a rock, it gives them something to rub against to aid in shedding. Another thing to add to the cage to make it more appealling is a more natural substrate. Newspaper is perfect, but not that pretty. Such things as sand and bark can be used. But if housed on bark or large grained sand, they need to be fed someplace else to prevent impactions.

Feeding- Ball Pythons are notorious for being non-eaters. But as long as they are captive-bred or a baby as an import, feeding should not be a problem. Ball pythons can be aggressive feeders, so if you feed them with pre-killed prey, make sure to use tongs to feed with. I have been bitten twice by my ball because I didn't use tongs. Probably the best food you can give them are pre-killed rats (when adults). Feeding live or dead mice is not a worry, becuase the mice natuaral instinct is to hold still, causing no problem for your snake. The rat's natuaral insinct however is to fight back. For juviniles, feeding should consist of one medium or adult mouse about every week. When they get bigger, feed them two adult mice a week. Then when they are adults, feed them a medium or adult rat every 1 1/2- 2 weeks. Once every 1 1/2 weeks for larger females and every 2 weeks for adult males. (Since females tend to get larger than males)

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