Care Sheet for Ball PythonsAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 2.71 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 08/01/2005 |
Main Category: | Snakes |
Sub Category: | Ball Pythons |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Basilisk15 |
Years Experience: | 3 to 5 Years |
Species: | Ball Python |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | None. There are some snakes that might have the same way of caring for them, but I don’t reccomend to use this care sheet other snakes. Just ball pythons |
Sexing and Characteristics: | When your snake is around two years old, you can take it to the vet and get probed. Other than that, females are larger than males. |
Mostly Active During: | Night |
Substrate and Water Needs: | They need a bowl of fresh dechlorinated water. Make sure they can’t tip the bowl over. Some good substrates are newspaper, paper towels, astroturf, indoor/outdoor carpeting. I don’t like those loose substrates like aspen shavings or repti-bark, because they can be a little messy and you can’t feed on them. You’ve heard it before, but don’t use pine or cedar chips. |
Lighting and UVB: | They don’t need any. The only lighting effects they need is room light or light from outside. Don’t put your snakes enclosure in direct sunlight. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | Half of the enclosure should be around 85-96 degrees and the other side should be around 75-80 degrees. Reduce the hot side to around 75-80 degrees at night. The humidity should be around 50-75 percent. Don’t risk raising higher or letting it drop. Two water dishes may need to be used if you have problems keeping the humidity right. |
Heating and Equipment: | I strongly recommend a heat pad with a thermostat. Heat lamps may dry out your snake. Don’t use heat pads and aspen shavings or similar substrates at once, because the snake could bury into the bedding and burn himself. |
Caging Provided: | I personally recommend rubbermaid containers over tanks. They’re cheaper, easier for humidity, and they are not very heavy. Start hathchlings off with a 10 gallon and when they’re full grown a 20-40 gallon is needed. They can stressed out if the tank is too big. |
Diet: | Carnivorous |
Description of Diet: | The need correctly sized mice and rats. Start hatchlings of with either pinkies, fuzzies, hoppers or rat pinkies, rat fuzzies, or rat pups. You can feed either pinkie every three days. You can feed either fuzzies every 6 days. you could feed them hopper or rat pups every ten days. It’s up to you. I think the largest thing they can eat are medium rats. Feed a medium rat every two weeks for full grow pythons. Give your snake time digest the food for two days before you handle it. |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | Mice and rats already contain the calcium, snakes need. Dust their food if have a gravid female. |
Maintenance: | The maintenance is pretty straight forward. Clean out the cage, feed it when it’s the correct day and handle your snake when it’s possible, except after it eats |
Some Words on this Species: | I’m no expert on these snakes, but these snakes are a great pet to own. Good for beginners. The downfall, is that these snakes are known to refuse meals at times. There are care sheets around the internet that have strategies to get a snake eating. I think these snakes are better than corn snakes and California kingsnakes, because they are less skittish. Good for people who want a boid and don’t have enough space for a big one. |
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