Ball Pythons
Scientific name: Python regius
Common name: Ball Python, Royal Python
Description:
Ball pythons are heavy-bodied snakes that average about 3ft.-4ft. in total length. Females tend to be larger than males. Hatchlings average 9″-11″ and the record length is 6.5ft.
Housing:
Ball pythons require a secure, well-ventilated enclosure. We prefer plastic storage boxes such as Sterilite and Iris tubs, with numerous holes for ventilation. Hatchling ball pythons prefer small spaces; often, if placed in too large an enclosure, a baby Ball python may be insecure and refuse to feed.
If you are just housing one or two Ball pythons, your most economical option may be a simple enclosure like a glass tank/aquarium. Another option available are specially designed enclosures that are specific to reptiles. Some of the best are made by Vision Products and BoaPhile Plastics.
When housing numerous Ball Pythons, rack systems are the best, most economical and efficient method of housing. There are several brands of commercially available rack systems. We built our own first racks out of Melamine which works well and is economical, but very heavy. Commercial rack systems can be bought at Vision Products and BoaPhile Plastics. We built our own racks out of XPVC sheets and upgraded all the heavy melamine racks to the PVC sheet racks. They are lightweight and were just as easy to assemble as the melamine racks. Most of our adult ball pythons are maintained in racks that hold Iris Cb-70 plastic tubs. Babies and sub-adults are housed in racks that hold Sterilities 12qt and 28qt tubs.
Based on numerous breeders we’ve spoken with and our experience, that ball pythons do extremely well on either aspen bedding or on newspaper. There are several good choices for substrates that will work well, but we prefer 1-2″ of Aspen for our Ball python bedding. Avoid carpet or other non-disposable substrates as they are usually impossible to thoroughly sanitize 100%. It is best to get substrate that can be changed out and the entire cage sanitized.
Ball Pythons are terrestrial snakes and although they do climb, branches are not a requirement. A hide box should be provided, regardless! This hiding place will give your snake a place to go to feel secure and safe. A hiding place can be a simple plastic pot dish with a hole cut out for babies to yearlings or a kitty litter pan for adults. Clean water should be available at all times. For hatchlings we supply a small 20 oz water bowl measuring about 6″ in diameter, 2-1/4″ in depth. Adults are provided a 52 oz water bowl, measuring 8-1/2″ in diameter and 2-7/8″ in depth. We have found that the heavy, plastic crock water dishes available at many pet stores are the best. Here is a place online to get the exact bowls that we use for our snakes – Pet Discounter. The water should be changed and the water bowl sanitized at least once per week.
Maintenance:
We check the cages daily, paying particular attention to any visual urates or stool as well as odor of the cage. If it smells fresh and clean, we let it be. If the Aspen smells or we see any urates or stool, we can choose to either spot clean if possible or may to remove the Aspen completely, tub is washed with soap and water and fresh Aspen is added. Cleaning your cages/tubs and accessories should be done as needed, or weekly. We clean our tubs and water bowls as needed or weekly, regardless. We use a generic version of Virosan called Chlorhexadine Disinfectant - QC Supply. Simply spray, wipe and you’re done! Regardless, once a month we wash all the tubs, hides and water bowls with soap and water. We also allow them to soak in bleach solution for 30min, rinse thoroughly and allowed to air dry.
Heating:
Proper temperatures are extremely important for the successful maintenance of reptiles. Don’t guess temperatures! We recommend using an under tank heater that covers 1/3 of the bottom of the enclosure. You will need some sort of thermostat to control the heat. We use and recommend Helix thermostats.
Heat in our racks is provided via 3″ or 11″ flexwatt heat tape that is actually inside the shelf at the back end of the tub. You can purchase Flexwatt at BeanFarm. We take the temperature probe and place it over the Flexwatt itself outside of the tubs. The probe rests right on the heat tape and the thermostat is set to 96°-98°F depending on our ambient temps. The probe is secured in place with foil tape that is available at any hardware store in the heat/air section.
We try and provide a temperature gradient for all our snakes; one end of the cage/tub is 8-10 °F warmer than the other end, with the cooler end of the cage averaging 80°-82 °F. This will allow the individual to choose an ambient temperature that it may need at any given time. In actual practice; ambient temperatures in the range of 79°-82° F with a small basking area heated to temperatures of 88°-90 °F. By selectively basking, a ball python can achieve temperatures intermediate to the extremes of temperature in the cage, which is the objective of a thermal gradient.
Humidity:
Humidity/Shedding: Ball pythons generally have few problems shedding their skin. When a snake incompletely sheds, and a portion of the skin is left adhered to the snake, the snake should be soaked in luke warm water for 1-2hrs, after which the skin typically comes off very easily. To avoid issues with shedding make sure the humidity in the enclosure is satisfactory for your ambient and the snakes needs which should be 50%-60%. This can be accomplished with humidifiers, a humidity box or simply misting the enclosure once or twice a day.
Feeding:
Ball pythons eat mice and/or rats all their lives. One appropriately-sized mouse or rat per week is a good feeding schedule. There are periods of time during the year when fasting is somewhat common in certain Ball pythons. Sometimes the fast can last several months and seems to be part of the normal life cycle of a Ball Python. It is possible to feed Ball Pythons thawed prey items, but they will feed more reliably when offered live prey. Live prey should not be left in the enclosure for more than an hour!
REMEMBER! A hungry mouse/rat may attack or even kill a ball python if left unsupervised.
All new arrivals should be allowed 1-2 weeks to settle in before attempting any feeding. If you find after waiting a
couple of days, that your snake still does not want to feed for you, follow these instructions.
1. Get a live mouse or rat of a slightly smaller size. If you feed small rats, use a weaned. If you feed weaned rats use rat pups.
2. After night fall, open the enclosure and place the prey item in the cage/tub.
3. Turn the lights off in the room and leave the room! Do not sit and stare through the glass even in the dark, just leave!
4. After an 30-45 minutes, sneak into the room and check on them. If the prey item is still uneaten, remove it and do not attempt any further feeding for at least 7 days.
5. Repeat these steps every 7 days. Do not try to feed every day.
Breeding:
Ball pythons reach sexual maturity anywhere from 18 months to 3-4 years of age. Breeding season in captivity typically ranges from November to March. We reduce feeding during this time. Both males and females should be well established and in excellent condition before any breeding is attempted. Breeding may be induced by reducing daytime photoperiod from 12hrs down to 8 hours and dropping nighttime temperatures into the mid 70’s. We introduce the male into the females tub. One male may breed as many as 3-6 females, but some breeders have bred one male to as many as many as 15 females. Misting the animals with water may induce breeding activity. Low pressure systems such as rain storms or snow is also great during breeding season!
Females shed 14-20+ days after ovulation; eggs are usually laid within 30 days of post-ovulation shed. Clutch size for balls typically ranges from 4 – 12 eggs. At an Incubation temperature of 88° – 90°F, these eggs take an average of 50-60 days to hatch.
Captive-Bred or Wild-Caught?
Captive-bred indicates that both parents of a captive-bred ball python are in captivity, and that the baby ball python hatched was the result of a successful mating between those parents while in captivity. In general, ball pythons that are hatched in captivity make better pets and breeders. Captive-bred pythons should be expected to be free from internal parasites, while most imported wild-caught pythons can be expected to carry a certain parasites. Captive-Bred snakes should be always chosen over imported snakes for a number of reasons. Best of all, no animals are removed from the wild when captive-bred pythons are purchased.
Most baby pythons sold each year on the market are “wild-caught or captive-hatched” specimens. What this means is that ball python eggs are either collected from the wild or obtained from wild gravid females, and these eggs are hatched in captivity. The eggs are laid and hatched at a farm or importer, and the resulting babies are shipped to the U.S. These babies are commonly labeled either correctly as “captive-hatched”, or misrepresented as “captive-bred”. Captive hatched ball pythons can do extremely well when raised in captivity. However, many such babies can have parasites and other problems not seen in captive bred animals. When purchasing captive hatched babies or imports
of any sort, it is always a “buyers beware” situation. It is our recommendation to always buy captive-bred hatchling ball pythons when possible.
General Comments:
Today Ball pythons are regarded by most as the most popular pet python in hobby. With their docile nature & low maintenance requirements, it is easy to see why. Purchasing captive bred specimens will help ensure a successful snake keeping experience. The multitude of color morphs that are now available, combined with the fact that new morphs are being produced every year and prices varying from $30.00-$1,000’s, truly make this python a snake for both novice and advanced collector alike.
