Ball Python Care Sheet
Information & Care
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Can live to be 20 to 30 years of age
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Easy to maintain
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Little to no smell
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Native habitat is in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Also known as the Royal Python.
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Called the "Ball Python" because of how they curl into a ball when stressed or frightened. The name Royal Python came about because royalty in Africa liked to wear them as jewelry. Cleopatra was known to wear them.
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Contrary to popular belief that they just like to hide, they actually do like to explore.
Care Sheet
Size:
Hatchlings are about 10 inches in length. Adult females can get up to 5-6 feet, and males can get up to 2-3 feet.
Enclosure:
There are many ways to keep them, and they are argued about in forums and all over the internet. You can keep them in tanks or rack systems. As babies a 10 gallon tank or 6 quart bin is sufficient. As they grow, then you will have to move them to larger bins. You DO NOT want to put a baby into a huge bin or tank right away or it can affect their eating patterns. Juveniles need to be in at least a 20 gallon tank or a 15 quart bin. And adults need at least a 40 gallon tank and a 32 quart or larger bin.
Substrate:
While most big breeders just use newspaper substrate in their rack systems, I prefer to use Aspen bedding. I think it gives them a more naturalistic look to it, and are more than just snakes in a box. Do not use Pine or Cedar or other wood bedding as it is not safe for them. Bedding should be changed every 2-4 weeks, and spot cleaned daily.
Lighting & Heating:
Again, it is debatable if they actually need UVA or UVB lighting. It all depends on who you talk to in whatever forum you read on. To each their own. I don't use lighting, and instead just give them, and all of my animals, the light from my windows to signify day/night cycle. Heating can be provided by heat tape, a UTH, or a ceramic heat lamp. I have a rack system so I use heat tape. Whatever you use, make sure you use a thermostat and properly check temperatures with either a thermometer, or my preferred method, an infrared temp gun that I bought from my local hardware store.
Temperature & Humidity:
Snakes need a warm spot for them to lay on to aid in digestion at a temperature of 87-90 degrees. Any higher can cause burns. You want a gradient from around 87-90 on their warm side to 77-80 so that they can cool off when they want to. Humidity is essential to aid in their shedding. Unlike some other snakes like Hognoses and Sand Boas, their humidity should be higher. They need to be in between 60-70% to get really good sheds.
Feeding:
Mice or rats, although rats are preferable due to better nutrition. I feed my juveniles mice and once they get big enough I switch to rats. If you have a problematic eater and can find some African Soft Furred rats, you can try getting them to eat those. They can be picky sometimes.
Sexual Maturity:
They reach sexual maturity by weight. Males can reach sexual maturity as soon as 500 grams, but most breeders say wait until around 700-800. Females should be at least 1500-1600 grams.
Breeding: Breeding should be taken with serious care and consideration. Not only can it be dangerous on the animals, there are plenty of ball python breeders out there that have plenty to sell. If it's something that you want to seriously consider doing with specific lines then there is plenty of information out there on the internet. Otherwise, just enjoy the snakes that you've got. If you do want to get into breeding, be sure to buy from a reputable breeder and do the research because there is a lot involved.
To learn more about caring for Ball Pythons, check out World of Ball Pythons website.