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Care of your Ball Python
Hatchlings- Obtaining your baby Ball Python from the right source can make all the difference in the world in this case. Many novice snake owners fall victim to purchasing a snake based on it's price. The lower priced Ball Pythons that are common in many conventional pet stores are often imported from Africa, hatchlings produced from eggs laid by wild caught females that are themselves destined for the pet market. Often, these snakes are simply off to a bad start, exposed to parasites and less than ideal temperatures, shipped overseas by the thousands in shipping containers, missing their opportunity to eat their first meals, etc. Sadly, many will never recover from this experience, especially those that end up in the hands of a novice keeper that is unprepared for a dehydrated and weakened hatchling that refuses to eat. The truely captive bred hatchlings
of Ball Pythons, however, are
generally hardy and easy to care
for. Many dedicated breeders are now producing healthy babies that are well started and free of the problems that were once common with Ball Pythons. Additionally, many color morphs are being created through selective breeding and many new variants are available. Healthy hatchlings feed regularly on
appropriately sized rodents (in
this case, 5 to 8 day old
mice). The right size food item is
often a little larger than the
snakes own head and the snakes
ability to disengage its jawbones
and stretch around the prey item
allows the snake to accomplish an
amazing eating feat. A vitamin and
mineral supplement can be added to
the prey item just prior to
feeding, but some snakes
(particularly young ones) will
refuse the prey if it smells
unfamiliar. Dusting only the rear
end of the mouse and not the head
may be acceptable to many snakes.
Hatchlings may be fed twice a week
for the first few months to get a
good body weight initially, but
then cut it back to once weekly. I
recommend keeping a small water
bowl available at all times for
baby snakes, just be sure to clean
it regularly.
If you are having problems feeding your Ball Python, there are a number of "tricks" to get it feeding again. Try placing the snake in a paper bag (inside it's regular cage) with the prey item. If you are using pre-killed frozen foods, try warming the nose of the mouse against a light bulb and "teasing" the snake with it on the end of long foreceps. Alternatively, try a live mouse for a few feedings. These tricks attempt to elicit a feeding response based on the pythons heat sensitive facial pits that can be seen along the upper "lip" of the snake. Also, feed your snake at night or leave the mouse in with the snake overnight as long as the mouse is not old enough to injure your snake (i.e. it's jaws are not developed). My final suggestion here is to try a different prey item. A common prey item for wild Ball Pythons is gerbils and I have successfully "jump started" reluctant feeders with a gerbil. Transition your snake back to mice quickly, however, so your snake doesn't key in on gerbils for all it's meals.
Adults- The adults are
maintained in much the same way.
Using a larger prey item, feedings
can be scaled back to every 7 to
10 days throughout the warmer
months of the year. They don’t
need vitamin supplementation quite
as often either, maybe with every
other to every third feeding. I
often supply water to adult snakes
once or twice a week and then
remove the water bowl as they tend
to spill the water or defecate in
it.
 General-
The Ball Python is a smaller python, rarely exceeding 5 feet in length. Most of these snakes come from or originate from Ghana and Togo, Africa. They are largely a
nocturnal snake, most active at night, passing
the daytime hours in a secure retreat. A 10-gallon tank
will comfortably house a baby to
juvenile snake, but an adult will
need more space. A
40-gallon "breeder" tank (because it has a nice amount of floor space for your snake), or caging with
similar space to it is more
appropriate for an adult snake. In
general, the snake should be able
to fully stretch out along the
longest side of the tank. A
plastic shoe or sweater box for
the hatchlings or juveniles is
acceptable and is easy to keep
sanitary. Paper towels or
newspaper make cleaning quick and
easy and eliminates the
possibility of ingesting any
substrate. We use and recommend a
shredded aspen bedding for babies
and adults alike, as it is
absorbent, easy to spot clean,
and relatively cost effective. Adding some rocks,
branches, and small plants (live
or plastic) will make an
interesting landscape for your
snake to explore and add something
for the snake to rub against when
it has outgrown its skin and needs
to shed. Providing an area where
they can hide, such as a rock
shelter or hide-box is essential
and this should be placed on the
cool end of the tank. Keep a heat
pad, or thermostat controlled heat
rock available at all times on the
warm end of the tank. Proper
heating is essential to digestion
and the snake should have access
to an area that is in the range of
85 to 90 degrees. Lighting is a
matter of personal choice as the snake is nocturnal and
doesn’t need to be too fancy
since the snakes don’t seem to
care, just be sure your snake
always has access to shelter from
the light and heat if they so
choose. A red or blue nocturnal bulb used at night will enable you to check out your snakes night time activities without disturbing him. Put the lights on a timer
to give the snake a sense of a day
time and a night time, 12 hours on
and 12 hours off for daylight lighting. Lastly, make
certain the cage you keep your
snake in has a tight fitting,
escape proof cover. Use cage cover
clips if you have a screen cover.
Any means of escape will be
discovered by the snake.
Other Helpful Info:
Þ
Always buy a healthy captive
bred animal and learn as much as
you can from the source that you
are buying it from, such as age,
sex, what is it eating, etc.
Þ
Find a local veterinarian who is
knowledgeable about reptiles before
any problems arise!
Þ
Buy a good book about Ball Pythons or at least a book with a
decent section about these
animals and keep it on hand for
reference. This care sheet
contains only initial
information to get you started
and is by no means complete.
Þ
Enjoy your Ball Python! These are
fun and interesting pets.
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