Everything You Need to Know About Ball Pythons
There is a lot that goes into caring for a ball python, especially for a beginner serpent owner. Knowing what to purchase for your snake and how to requite it the best environment to continue information technology good for you is of import for whatever beginner.
And then, I decided to practise some inquiry on everything yous would need to do to care for your ball python.
What Does A Beginner Need To Know About Caring For A Ball Python?
You need to know that these snakes make wonderful pets, are nonvenomous, can grow up to 2-5 feet long, and can become accustomed to being handled better than most other snakes. You likewise demand to know what kind of habitat you need to create for them also every bit the fact that they alive on average xx-thirty years in captivity.
Taking care of a ball python is a long-term delivery because they tin live to be about 40 years old simply in general, they volition stay around for up to 20 years.
Everything you will desire to know virtually caring for a ball python will be in the article below, and so read on if y'all're considering buying one of these snaky friends.
Choosing the Best Terrarium
In that location are different kinds of terrariums bachelor for your pet brawl python. Each enclosure or terrarium comes in a variety of sizes that can best arrange the size of your snake.
At that place are also different types of materials that y'all can discover in many enclosures that will all-time adapt your python. A few of those materials are listed below:
- Rubbermaid (plastic containers)
- Glass Tank
- Wooden Vivarium
- Plastic RUB
- Exo Terras
Some say that having a drinking glass terrarium works fine with brawl pythons, merely the ceiling tops go far hard for the owner to maintain a level of humidity that works best for their snake.
It is too said that almost ball pythons will do well in any environment.
While they tin survive in nigh an enclosure of any fabric, it is very of import to know the size of your python or the size it will grow to.
The size of your python will determine how large it volition go and that will lead you to choose a terrarium that will them.
Equally a hatchling, a brawl python is about ten inches long. A standard 10 to 20-gallon enclosure will exist suitable until it grows out of it.
Every bit they grow into adults, the females grow to almost three to v feet long, while a male person grows to about 2 to iii feet long.
Virtually adult-sized brawl pythons volition need a 36-inch long by 18-inch wide by 12-inch tall terrarium or enclosure that will be neither too large or too small for this awesome pet.
In that location have been many snake owners who have tried out an assortment of enclosures for their many species of snakes, and all together they accept voiced a consensus of which brand and material of an enclosure is the best. That is the Exo Terra.
Five of the all-time terrariums for your brawl python can be found listed beneath:
- Exo Terra Glass Terrarium Mayan (Buy Hither)
- Exo Terra Brusk All Glass Terrarium (Buy Here)
- Exo Terra High Glass Terrarium (Buy Here)
- Exo Terra Brusk All Glass Terrarium (Buy Hither)
- Exo Terra Pelting Wood Habitat Kit (Purchase Here)
This specific brand called "Exo Terra" is listed considering they designed these terrariums to exist specifically for reptiles and amphibians, which will brand a perfect home for your python.
This brand designs their enclosure to take glass doors that can brand accessing your python easier while keeping the enclosure completely secure in guild to avert any unwanted snake escapes in your household.
The bonus is when you lot are not handling your crawly pet snake, yous can peer in for a clear view through the tank's glass.
We wrote an commodity that's all near how to choose the best terrarium for your ball python and it's size. In the commodity, we recommend terrariums as well every bit tell yous the prize. Find the article here.
Heating and Lighting
With every snake, at that place are a few guidelines that yous will need to follow to brand sure the health of your python is at its best.
Inside its enclosure, y'all will need to create a hot spot on one terminate of the enclosure and a cool spot on the other side. This tin help the python communicate with y'all how information technology is feeling.
For example, your python will travel between the hot and absurd side regularly. If it is sick, your python will likely be spending nigh of its time on the hotspot to continue itself warm from any illness information technology may be suffering from.
Paying attention to where your pet is staying tin requite yous insights into his or her health.
"Your python will travel between the hot and cool side regularly. If information technology is ill, your python will likely be spending most of its time on the hotspot."
Your ball python's hotspot, also known as a basking spot, will need to be set to a temperature of 88 to 96 degrees Fahrenheit and their cool spot, also known every bit the ambient temperature, will demand to be ready to 78 to 80 degrees (your cool spot should never fall below 75 degrees).
Here, y'all can find an article nosotros recently wrote that discusses all well-nigh the all-time temperature for keeping a ball python.
If you lot are feeling nervous about keeping rails of the temperature in your snake'south enclosure manually, you can buy a digital thermometer that has a probe.
This will give you the accurate temperature of your snake's enclosure. You tin purchase a great digital thermometer specifically made for reptiles chosen Zoo Med Digital Thermometer here.
Using the thermometer is not too hard. You lot simply place the thermometer within your serpent'south enclosure, i end on the cool side of the enclosure while the probe faces the basking end. That way y'all can accept both temperatures read to yous at in one case.
You will likewise need to provide a heat lamp for your snake. Another option is that yous can buy a heating pad that goes underneath the muzzle (rather than overhead, which is also brilliant for some snakes), that way the rut passes through the bulk of the enclosure will proceed your snake toasty.
A few dandy heating pad options you tin purchase are these:
- Zilla Oestrus Pad (Purchase Here)
- Ceramic estrus emitters (Buy Here)
- Flukers (Buy Here)
- Basking bulbs (Buy Hither)
Most of these heating methods will do some good for your serpent and will assist it feel comfortable. But with basking bulbs and ceramic heat emitters, information technology is important to proceed an eye on the humidity levels in your snake's enclosure, because those heating methods will often dry out out the air in the tank.
The humidity level in your serpent's enclosure will need to exist nearly 50 to lx percentage, more on the 60% end if information technology is going through the shedding process, as this makes it more than comfortable and expedites this event.
You can purchase a thermostat to help with tracking the humidity levels here.
Lighting with ball pythons is non necessary, just if you practise choose to use 1, make sure to have your lighting run on a 12/12 bicycle, which means the calorie-free should be on for 12 hours and the next 12 the light should be off.
This copies the average natural lighting in the wild and will help your snake have a regular schedule of slumber, keeping it healthy.
If you never turn the light in your snake's tank off, your serpent tin can get stressed considering they are a nocturnal species.
Needed Substrate and Water
Substrates are basically bedding for ophidian, or kind of like litter for true cat boxes. Snakes need this in their tank to be comfortable, especially if they are a burrowing species. Ball pythons like to burrow and need quality substrate as well equally water in their enclosure to be happy and good for you.
Substrate
Forth with your snake's needs for a terrarium and a heated one, they will demand a substrate at the bottom of their enclosure. It is advised to provide a substrate in your snake'southward tank and then that when it is time to clean, it will be like shooting fish in a barrel and not much of a hassle. Information technology also makes your snake comfortable.
The virtually common form of substrates can be newspapers or newspaper towels, and those are probably your cheapest options.
There are cypress mulches and orchid barks that tin can exist purchased (which tin can help with controlling the humidity within the tank), though they can also
Exist sure to exercise your research on what particular substrate your subspecies of ball python does the all-time with. You will want to avoid materials that contain cedar because it is an oil that is deadly to reptiles.
You should too avoid sand, shavings, and pet bedding as well. Quality substrates should not be chemically treated or known to cause irritation, even in certain snakes.
"You volition want to avoid using materials that comprise cedar considering it is an oil that is deadly to reptiles. You lot should too avoid sand, shavings and pet bedding also."
Another thing to pay attention to is not using too much of this serpent bedding in the tank. Yous want your pet ball python to be comfortable, not buried all the time.
By making sure yous have the correct brand and corporeality of substrate for your snake, you are giving them the perfect environment.
Find a complete buyer's guide to bedding and how to selection the right kind for your ophidian, in this article that we wrote on our website.
H2o
You should go along a bowl of water in your snake'southward enclosure at all times. Snakes practice need less water less than other animals, but information technology is an of import affair to take in the terrarium.
You will need to check the h2o daily to ensure that they have not knocked substrates into the bowl or spilled it everywhere.
You should make sure that this water is clean and replace the h2o every bit needed. It is recommended to get out the bowl in there for a mean solar day or so and then remove it every other day and clean the basin, unless the bowl gets nasty.
You should use a shallow water dish. That way your snake tin crawl in and soak if needed. One inch of h2o should be enough for them to soak in and not have it be besides much of a danger.
Snakes don't drink like most animals and absorb the water through their skin, then if you don't encounter your pet lapping at the h2o like a dog, you can balance easy knowing that is a good matter.
Information technology is normal and common for snakes to defecate inside the water bowl from time to time. Exist prepared to disinfect and clean the h2o bowl weekly to keep harmful bacteria from growing.
Also, if you don't find little doggy-like pee puddles in the environment, that is considering brawl pythons have a solid form of waste matter instead. That needs to be cleaned regularly out regularly enough to keep your ophidian from getting ill and tin can be spot-cleaned.
Temperament and Handling
If you are wondering what the nature of your ball python might be, information technology is safe to say that they are quite shy creatures and spend most of their fourth dimension hiding in the terrarium.
The one goal you will want to accomplish will be establishing a level of trust between you and your ball python. This is important if you want to be able to handle it with ease in the time to come.
When handling your python, brand certain to support its unabridged trunk and remember to not to move besides fast. If a snake feels like it is not in a stable place, information technology volition squeeze your arm with its coils to give itself some semblance of balance and safety.
Once they have come to the realization that your intentions are non to eat them, they will tolerate being handled more frequently.
If you meet that your python is hiding when y'all are trying to handle information technology, the reason is from fear.
Information technology is agape of being handled, which is normal when you lot have kickoff purchased it and taken it dwelling. Don't try handling your pet too frequently in the starting time. Information technology needs some space.
One affair to notation is to be wary of handling your ophidian after information technology has eaten. It may regurgitate its meal if information technology has non had a chance to digest fully.
This tin can also happen if it feels threatened or scared, so exist sure to requite your ball python a couple of days later on feedings to have a fully digested condition before trying to hold information technology.
"One thing to note is to be wary of handling your serpent after it has eaten. Information technology may regurgitate its meal if it has non had a take chances to digest fully."
You python may become defensive and try to bite you if it feels threatened, but simply keep in mind that it is simply fearful of y'all.
Try to relax when y'all are holding information technology and
Feeding Your Ball Python
You demand to know that is it most common for ball python snakes to eat mice or other rodents, but the existent question can be which does it demand to eat? Mice or other rodents? There is also other options to choose from which include:
- Should you feed your snake pre-killed or live prey?
- How frequently should y'all feed your ophidian according to its weight and age?
Unfortunately, ball pythons are known for not eating as well equally they should. They cannot eat well for periods of time during the year, especially during the winter.
This will be normal but you should nevertheless keep an eye on your python to make certain information technology isn't suffering from whatsoever illnesses.
A practiced rule of thumb to follow when feeding y'all python would be to feed your younger pythons weekly because they will demand to feed in social club to abound, whereas your adult pythons will eat every 1 to ii weeks.
If you are yet unsure if this dominion is practiced to follow, at that place is a chart beneath referring to how much your python should weigh and how much you should feed it, too as how often. I hope information technology helps.
| Snake Weight | Prey Size | How Often? |
| Outset 3 to 5 meals | Pinky Rat 8 to 12 grams Hopper Mouse | Every v days |
| Less than 200 grams | Ray Fuzzy 13 to xix grams Small Mouse | Every seven days |
| 200 to 350 grams | Rat Pup 20 to 30 grams Adult Mouse | Every 7 to x days |
| 350 to 500 grams | Weaned Rat 31 to 45 grams Jumbo Mouse | Every 10 to 14 days |
| 500 to 1500 grams | Pocket-sized Rat 46 to 79 grams 2 to 3 Adult Mice | Every 14 to 21 days |
| Greater than 1500 grams | Medium Rat 80 to 150 grams 2 Modest Rats or 4 to 5 Adult Mice | Every 28 to 56 days |
When information technology comes to prey, feed your serpent pre-killed prey which is frozen and needs to be thawed before yous can serve information technology to your pet. By having frozen pre-killed casualty yous will accept a supply of food that will terminal longer.
If you lot snake becomes a flake picky, try lancing the prey before serving information technology, which may sound gross just volition help your snake think it was just live.
If you make up one's mind to accept alive prey to feed your snake, keep in mind that information technology is not recommended and the prey may put up a fight and cause some damage to your snake.
Mice tin can scratch or bite your snake, which can atomic number 82 to infections you will want to avert. Besides, feeding your pet ophidian live animals is a good way to make its beliefs more than aggressive and heightens the likelihood that your snake will bite you more than often, fifty-fifty on accident.
Find more about how to feed a ball python, like how much it volition cost and other tips, in this article that nosotros recently wrote.
Where to Become a Ball Python
If learning more about these awesome pet snakes has convinced you that you need one for yourself, your next step would be finding the correct identify to buy a ball python from, besides equally determining how much information technology will likely price yous and how much information technology would cost overall to buy a terrarium, food, etc.
Kickoff of all, y'all can discover ball pythons in pet stores merely on occasion and usually it is if this pet store specializes in reptiles.
While brawl pythons are the most popular pet snakes, they're not as common a pet as goldfish or cats, and so looking for one might take a little more time.
To find a ball python, you can inquire pet stores in your area for a adept breeder they would recommend, or y'all can do enquiry on breeders yourself. You'll want to make sure yous find a breeder who is reliable and has a lot of good reviews, as some breeders might cut corners and you want a healthy, happy snake with no unhealthy tampering or illegal breeding or smuggling in its past.
Another selection is to look up reptile auctions nearby, although this isn't normally a common matter. Some places have more pet auctions than others, only if yous exercise manage to discover i nearby, chances are they'll have snakes and most usually brawl pythons.
Ball pythons cost anywhere from $30-$300 as a very rough ballpark, and these cost differences are due mainly to historic period, size, subspecies or morphs, and the reputation of the place selling them.
If you lot want to look at a couple of websites with their prices listed, feel costless to click here or hither.
When it comes to brawl pythons, terrariums, frozen mice, etc, I have done a quick cost breakdown below:
| Exo-Terra Terrarium from Amazon | $140.00 |
| Frozen Pre-Killed Mice (50) from Amazon | $87.00 |
| Ball Python from Snakes at Dusk | $70.00 |
| Zoo Med Forest Flooring substrate from Amazon | $15.00 |
| Hydrostat Thermometer | $17.00 |
| Terrarium Estrus Mat | $14.00 |
| Full | $343.00 |
In the finish, these prices can exist substantially different, depending on what kind of a ball python yous are looking for (be is a fancy morph or not) or if you choose to make your own terrarium or forego the thermostat.
Other things y'all could include in the rank are bendy tree branches or vines for your serpent to climb on or hiding houses for privacy.
Convenance Brawl Pythons
If yous are considering convenance brawl pythons, hopefully you take a decent corporeality of feel behind you. Ophidian convenance, in general, is non actually a venture for a snake possessor newbie.
The basics to know nigh ball pythons and breeding are the following:
- Ball pythons lay eggs instead of giving live nascence.
- They accomplish sexual maturity anywhere from 18 months to 4 years.
- Female ball pythons can exist successfully bred later 30 months or once they've reached 1500-1600 grams or virtually 3.five pounds.
- Some breeders put them through a brumation period before breeding them, but information technology is not necessary.
- Their prime breeding months are December through early on February.
- Female ball pythons conveying eggs might eat less just should eat more.
- They tend to lay i clutch of eggs per year and tin lay eggs yearly.
- They lay an average of 6 eggs per clutch, with room for more or less.
- Female pythons are bigger than male pythons. Male person pythons are nigh 2-3 anxiety long and female pythons are usually iii-5 anxiety long.
- You can brood well-nigh four or five females with one male per mating season.
- It will take 4-5 weeks for a female to lay eggs afterward mating.
- It takes 60 days for ball python eggs to hatch in the right circumstances.
- Eggs need to be kept at 89 degrees Fahrenheit to be healthy.
- Female parent ball pythons volition brood her eggs for about two months, which means she circles them and "twitches" to keep them warm.
- Brawl python hatchlings are 10 inches long when they start hatch.
- Ball python hatchlings are fully-formed at hatching and can eat small mice right abroad.
- Hatchlings might be nippier than grown-upward brawl pythons.
- It is all-time to go on the baby ball pythons split.
Those are just some quick facts in the world of breeding ball pythons. For more information, here is a useful website with a lot of information on this topic.
In the finish, breeding snakes
Brawl pythons are astonishing creatures and deserve our awe. If you, similar my friends, are looking at ownership one of these epic reptiles, I fully support that.
Related Questions
Tin can a brawl python hurt you lot?
A ball python cannot kill you lot but it tin can hurt y'all with its seize with teeth. However, it is nonvenomous and the unlikely bites volition be more like a cat'southward scratch than an bodily bite. Commonly, ball pythons are not known for biting and are quite calm.
What happens when a ball python bites you?
Nothing serious volition happen to you if you get bitten by a ball python. You will simply drain from getting bitten.
Y'all will want to wash whatsoever punctures and put a ring-help over your bite to forbid it from getting an infection.
You can too put some Neosporin or rubbing alcohol on any small wounds to prevent whatever gamble of infection, though it is unlikely to reach that betoken from a little snake bite.
What is the longest-living brawl python on record?
This article was professionally reviewed by our veterinarian for accuracy and completeness. However, we do not provide pet medical advice. You should hash out all pet health topics with your personal veterinarian.
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