Care Sheet for Ball PythonsAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 0 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 02/19/2008 |
Main Category: | Snakes |
Sub Category: | Ball Pythons |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Potatoman |
Years Experience: | 3 to 5 Years |
Species: | Ball python |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | N/A |
Sexing and Characteristics: | Females are usually larger and more heavily bodied but there is no way to be absolutely sure unless you pop them or probe them. DO NOT attempt to sex your snake unless you have been shown by a professional or a reptile vet. |
Mostly Active During: | Night |
Substrate and Water Needs: | You should change the water bowl every day to every second day. A lot of people say that you need a water bowl big enough to let your snake soak but I don’t think its all that true because snake will rarely soak unless they have mites/ticks.although some do like to soak but its your choice. Ii think that they would be more grateful if a larger one is provided. A substrate that is recommended is paper towel for when you first get a snake because it is easy to spot mites or other problems. Other substrates include aspen bedding, coconut fiber, repti-carpet.repti-bark, and/or newspaper if you want to get more economical.you should NEVER use sand because it can get in the eyes, and scales and cause infections. Also never use cedar or pine because they are poisonous and will harm your snake. |
Lighting and UVB: | Ball pythons do not need UVB lights or any other lights because they are nocturnal and get all of the calcium and nutrients form the mice that they eat, however if you would like to provide a light to make the cage nicer i would suggest a light that is not all too bright as not to disturb the snake.some people need heat lights depending on where they live and depending on the cage size/temps you may need a bulb anywhere between no bulb and 100 watts. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | About 85-90 in the day time on the hot side and around 75-80 on the cool side. At night the overall cage can fall between 75-80. The humidity should be around 50-55% and when in shed around 65-70%.if you cant keep the humidity up to the right percentage then you can put a towel over 3/4 of the cage top or a different sized towel to provide proper humidity.if this doesn’t work then you can put the water dish on the warm side to help water evaporate. I would recommend getting an acu-rite (sp?) to measure temps and humidity because the stick on ones suck and are not at all accurate. |
Heating and Equipment: | A lot of people get heat lamps and no other source of heat but I would suggest getting a heat mat connected to a thermostat to keep the temps under control. If a heat mat doesn’t keep the correct temps you can get an appropriate heat lamp to keep at the recommended temps.i will tell you this and if you don’t take my advise then you will almost definitely end up with a burnt snake. DO NOT USE HOT ROCKS. |
Caging Provided: | Sometimes a 20 gallon will be sufficient but I prefer to use a 30-40 gallon.i only only use a 40 gallon for an abnormally large snake. When they are babies I recommend using a ten gallon do to stress if they are in a big enclosure.when they are a sub-adult you should use a 20 gallon but i house them in a 30 gallon at this age because they are more adjustable. They are sub-adult in about a year to a year and a half old. I wouldn’t recommend using a glass tank with a screen lid because they let heat as well as humidity out.i use a plexi-glass top. If your lid does not lock in place I would get weights and/or clips because ball python are stronger than someone would estimate. |
Diet: | N/A |
Description of Diet: | When they are babies/hatchlings you should feed pinkies or fuzzies. When they are sub-adults you should feed medium to large mice depending on size(ball pythons vary greatly in growth)
when they are a small adult they will take small rats and as a full grown snake they will take medium to large rats(usually large) |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | None are needed.they get everything they need out of mice. |
Maintenance: | Remove and feces as soon as you see them. You should spot clean every day to every other day and clean the entire enclosure as needed. |
Some Words on this Species: | These are a very good snake for a beginner to advanced herp keeper. I advise you NOT to get a wild caught specimen or one that looks mal-nourished in a pet store because you feel sorry for it because they often harbor parasites and will not eat. Overall a great snake and if properly care for a long-time friend that you will enjoy. |
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