Care Sheet
DESCRIPTION
Ball pythons (scientific name Python regius) are a heavy-bodied, subterranean-terrestrial species of python that has become extremely popular in the pet trade due their generally calm temperament, hardiness in captivity, and variability in color / pattern. The name ball python stems from their tendency to curl up and hide their head within their coils when threatened. Worldwide, a more common name is royal python due to the species being considered sacred and historically worn by royalty in parts of Africa.
In the wild, ball pythons inhabit termite mounds and rodent dens in eastern central Africa, along the equator where there is little to no seasonal variability. Due to the nature of tropical-dry forests, rainy seasons saturate the soil causing ball pythons to occupy higher ground for a portion of the year. Ball pythons will also surface in search of food, mates, and new den spaces. While above ground, this opportunistic predator will often include birds to their otherwise primarily rodent diet. Because of this situational behavioral adjustment, ball pythons aren’t considered obligately fossorial. This is not to be confused with arboreal behavior as the species’ physiology is not developed for an arboreal or even semi-arboreal lifestyle. Understanding of the species is key to successful husbandry.
HOUSING
The most popular and convenient methods of housing ball pythons include plastic tubs/racks, glass tanks, or professionally built enclosures. All of these options can be suitable habitats, but each comes with its own advantages and disadvantages.
Whether you choose a manufactured encloser or choose to make your own, they must provide the following necessities:
o adequate ventilation to prevent stagnant air
o thermal gradient
o proper humidity levels
o sufficient space without being too large
o security to prevent escape
Sizing — For juvenile BPs up to 2’ a 10-gallon (or equivalently sized tub) enclosure is adequate. Subadult females and most adult males are happy in a 22-Long for a few years before they outgrow it. For adults, an enclosure that’s 36x18x12” can work but 4’x2’x2’ is ideal to provide them with enough room for the duration of their lives.
For information on rack tub sizing, please refer to this informative video (below) by Kinova
CAUTION: Never use TAPE inside an enclosure. No matter how secure you think it is, there is a high risk that the snake will find a way to get stuck on it, causing injury or even death.
GLASS – Aquariums (glass tanks made for holding small animals) offer the best visibility for viewing your snake and come in a wide variety of sizes. However, it can be difficult to maintain the proper heat and humidity, especially in larger tanks. In addition, the clear sides all around may make a shy ball python feel exposed and insecure. Care must be taken to ensure the lid is secured to prevent escape.
PLASTIC – Use of plastic storage tubs (usually by Sterilite or Rubbermaid) has become an increasingly popular option which is cost effective, utilitarian, and very functional. Their lighter weight makes cleaning very easy, and multiple tubs can be stacked in rack systems to hold multiple animals in a relatively small space. Holes for ventilation can be made in the plastic using an drill or soldering iron and can be placed strategically to allow vertical air movement and cross-ventilation. The biggest pro to plastic is its ability to contain and maintain heat and humidity. The downside is that these plastics lack the true transparency available in glass and this can be an aesthetic deterrent to some.
PROFESSIONAL/CUSTOM - Professional-level snake enclosures from manufacturers such as Animal Plastics, Vision, Focus Cubed, etc. These can be purchased online or at reptile shows and come either fully assembled or requiring assembly. Many of these can be ordered with custom features such as heat tape, heat panels, ventilation and lighting options as well as featuring great visibility but also tend to cost significantly more than glass or plastic.
Product Links
ARS Racks - Metal rack manufacturer based in Indiana. This is the brand I prefer. The owner is great, and they offer military discount. They do allow pick-up in person and at shows but most people have them shipped. Unless worked out otherwise, ARS hybrid racks come fully disassembled in many pieces. This saves money in shipping but can be quite a task to reassemble. They are worth the work.
Freedom Breeder - If you live on the western side of the states, it could save you money in shipping to go with Freedom Breeder. They are based in California and ship their metal racks come partially disassembled making them a little easier to put together than ARS. I have not personally purchased from FB and do not know if they offer military discount.
CSerpents Racks - If you are wanting just a small reliable rack system, my go-to is always CSerpents. The owner, Chris, is one of the hardest working people in the industry and offers amazing customer service! They are based in Florida and his racks come pre-assembled. You can also pick up his products at the larger shows he vends.
Vision Caging - Vision is one of the oldest and most trusted producers of PVC enclosures. They often have sliding glass fronts and are stackable.
Focus Cubed Habitats - A newer company, husband and wife team that offers really modern, built-to-order enclosures. These are made of quality materials and have been highly recommended by many in the industry. They do come flat-packed so assembly is required.
Zen Habitats - Another manufacturer of sleek, modern looking enclosures but these one’s offer a lot more open glass for better viewing. They also have great stacking storage options that go with any enclosure you choose.
SUBSTRATE
Under no circumstances should you keep these animals on raw pine or cedar shavings. Pine, cedar and other phenol-containing woods have toxins which can cause significant health problems in a variety of herps and other animals and should not be used. Sand, gravel, crushed walnut, and eco earth are also very poor choices for ball pythons due to the risk of impaction. Your choice on substrate should be something readily available and one which lends itself to easy spot cleaning and other cage maintenance chores. You should check your enclosure daily for odors or more visible signs or waste and remove them – replacing the substrate when necessary.
Some viable options for substrate include but are not limited to:
o Repti-Chip, Pro Coco, or other similar coco husk product
o Aspen
o Newspapers/Newsprint
o Paper towels / blue shop towels
o Cypress Mulch
o Carpet (Not recommended. Can harbor bacteria if not changed frequently)
o Care-Fresh or similar products that do not pose impaction risks
o 100% kiln dried pine shavings*
What substrate works best for you will depend on the type of enclosure you use and how well you are able to maintain humidity. If you are struggling with bad sheds, I would recommend a moisture retaining substrate such as coco husk. If you have too much moisture, switching to a dry bedding such as paper towels or aspen might be your solution.
*Special note: While raw pine is extremely harmful, the process of kiln drying removes the oil-based irritant. 100% kiln dried pine shavings are available and can be an excellent substrate for reptiles. Please do not use any product unless the manufacture has specified that it is kiln dried! I have personally found the white and yellow pine shavings from Tractor Supply to work very well with ball pythons and other species I have kept.
HIDES
Ball pythons are reclusive, ambush predators that appreciate a secure, dark place to curl up and feel safe. It is best to provide two adequate hides in your BPs enclosure – one on the warm end and one on the cooler end so that it does not have to make a choice between regulating its body temperature and feeling secure (to their own detriment these snakes will sacrifice warmth in favor of a hide).
Hides can be constructed or bought in a wide variety of forms shapes materials. For best sanitation you should avoid hides that are very porous, difficult to clean or which could rot mold or mildew. Whether store-bought or homemade, a ball python will prefer a hide that is small and snug-fitting, so that it feels “hugged” on all side and even from above.
Be sure that all hides identical in size and construction to prevent hide bias from interfering with temperature regulation. Ball pythons tend to favor hides that give them more security and will pick the most adequet hide even if its too warm or too cold.
TEMPERATURE
78-85F (ambient temps)
85-90F (hot spot temps)
Below 75 should be avoided for animal health
Night and seasonal drops in temps are not necessary as it will occur naturally with house ambient temps. Maintaining proper temperatures is essential to keeping your ball python healthy – failure to do so can lead to a host of issues including poor feeding response, digestive issues, and potentially lethal respiratory infections. For this reason, you want to make sure you are able to measure the temperatures accurately. The stick-on analog type thermometers used in aquariums, and the dial-type usually found in pet stores are inaccurate and do not reflect contact surface temps.
Do yourself and your ball python a favor and invest in a digital thermometer. One of the most cost-effective and easily available is the Accu-Rite digital thermometer/hygrometer combo available at large stores such as Wal-Mart. These typically retail for less than $15 and include a probe making it possible to monitor the warm side and cool side temps as well as the humidity levels all simultaneously. Keep in mind, these thermometers only read ambient temperatures.
For surface temperatures, I highly recommend buying a laser temp gun. These are fairly cheap (~$15) and are the only way to accurately see the temps of your hot spot’s temperature. Failure to monitor surface temps could result in your animal being burned by their hot spot.
HEAT SOURCES
NEVER use a heat rock with your ball python or put any sort of heat source inside the enclosure with your ball python that it can come into contact with! These snakes are not very sensitive to dangerous heat levels and can easily burn and injure themselves.
Ball pythons do very well when heated from below (UTH = under tank heat). This can be achieved with heat mats made specifically for this purpose and found in most pet stores. Also available through online retailers is a product called Flexwatt, which is a thin sheet of heating elements that comes in a wide variety of customizable sizes.
When using any sort of UTH, make sure there is some clearance beneath the enclosure to allow air circulation to prevent a build-up of excess heat. It is critical that no UTH should ever be used without some sort of control on the amount of heat it puts out. Human heating pads should not be used.
Radiant heat panels are most often available as options in custom designed or professional level caging solutions and do not restrict themselves to UTH mounting approaches, often offering heat from a vertical or overhead source.
And finally, overhead heat in the form of light bulbs or Ceramic Heat Emitters (CHE). A CHE screws into a socket like a bulb but provides only heat without any light. These can be used as a supplement to a UTH to help maintain warm enough ambient temps.
Bulbs and CHEs can work but tend to dry out the air making it difficult to maintain healthy humidity levels. Also keep in mind that ball pythons are nocturnal creatures, and therefore a bright white light shining into their enclosure can cause stress. Red “night” bulbs are also not recommended. Make sure that all such heat sources are out of reach of your snake, or they will get burned!
THERMOSTATS:
Regardless of the heat source you chose, they ALL must be regulated by a thermostat. Failure to do so will result in severe burns to your snake and potentially a fire.
Not to be confused with a thermometer, a thermostat is a digital device that regulates output from a heat source to maintain a set temperature. My favorite thermostats are the Herpstats produced by Spyder Robotics. They are easy to use, reliable, and come in a variety of sizes to run multiple enclosures. Vivarium Electronics has a very similar product but the Herpstat has proven to have a better failsafe. While a thermostat will likely be the most expensive (starting around $150) part of your enclosure, it is the most important. If you are unable to afford a decent thermostat, you can pick up a dimmer switch fairly cheap at any hardware store. This should only be used as a temporary or emergency fix until you can pick up a better one.
HUMIDITY
50%-60%
60%-70% during a shed cycle
Providing the proper humidity is important in maintaining good health and non-problematic sheds. Both excessive and inadequate humidity levels can lead to illness in the form of respiratory infections and a very damp environment easily lends itself to the growth of mold and fungus which can contribute bacterial or fungal infections, scale or belly rot.
As with measuring temperature, accurately gauging the humidity with a hygrometer is important. Again, a digital solution is far superior to an analog one.
Methods to raise humidity in the enclosure include but are certainly not limited to: misting, placing the water bowl directly above the heat source on the warm end, partially covering screen lids with a lightly damped towel or foil wrap, or using a humidifier. Do not sacrifice significant ventilation or otherwise contribute to stagnant air conditions! You can also add a damp moss inside of a hide or food container, giving your python a humidity-rich spot that it can hang out in whenever it wants.
LIGHTING
Because ball pythons are a nocturnal/crepuscular, neither UV lighting nor supplemental lighting is required. They do fine with ambient room light and some sort of day/night cycling. Excessive lighting can induce high stress levels.
WATER
Your BP should have a readily available supply of fresh water at all times. Use a relatively weighted bowl or dish to prevent it from being overturned. Soaking is not a typical behavior in ball pythons, so an oversized container is not necessary unless needed as a means for maintaining adequate humidity. Ball pythons who soak should be checked for mites and proper humidity levels. It is recommended the water be replaced (not just “topped off”) and the dish cleaned while doing so every few days at a minimum to prevent build-up of bacteria. This may need to happen more frequently if bedding is pushed into their bowl.
SHEDDING
Given good husbandry practices and properly maintained humidity your ball python should have no problems shedding successfully. A single-piece shed is ideal and should be your goal but so long as the snake sheds completely without retained patches, eye-caps or partial/incomplete sheds requiring special attention or intervention you are doing just fine.
Signs of an imminent shed include a pink or reddish belly, eyes that turn a milky blue-white, and fading colors. These signs clear up a few days before the actual shed. During this time, it is a good idea to pay special attention to your humidity levels – bumping them to 60%-70% or adding a humid hide to ensure there is enough moisture present to assist in the process.
Soaking prior to a shed is not necessary and can actually make the shed go poorly. However, if a shed has already gone bad, soaking can be helpful in removing the retained skin.
FEEDING
Ball pythons are primarily rodent eaters. In captivity, the most common diet is either domestic mice or rats. African soft-furs (ASFs) or multis are another option but can be more difficult to source. There is a common misconception that feeding ASFs will result in your snake refusing all other prey but that has never been my experience. There are some individuals that become “stuck” on one prey animal, but I do not believe that ASFs have any higher risk of this than feeding any other rodents.
Feeding a meal that is appropriate in size, readily available, and convenient for the keeper to obtain is more important than what is actually being fed. Keepers who raise foul might even find chicks to be a more convenient feeding option.
What size and how often to feed is always up for debate. Some keepers choose a prey item that is 10% of their body weight but the general rule of thumb is to feed a mouse/rat that is about the size of the thickest part of the python’s body.
How often to feed really depends on the age of the snake and what size prey is being offered. Young hatchlings still on mice should be fed every 5 days but with an appropriate sized rat pup, could do every 7 days. This is due to rat pups being a more dense meal than a mouse. Ball pythons over 1 year of age can be reduced to feeding once ever other week as long as the meal sizes are still appropriate. Females to be used for breeding can be kept on a weekly feeding schedule however, it is important to note that obesity in reptiles can have sever effects in the long term. To combat that, I recommend feeding down a size if you wish to feed adults weekly. I.e. either feeding a medium rat bi-weekly or a small rat weekly.
In the reptile world, there will always be an ongoing debate about whether it is best to feed live or FT/pre-killed prey. We will leave that up to each keeper to decide for themselves.
Live: Never leave a live rodent unattended in your snake’s enclosure longer than 20 minutes unsupervised. If the snake does not eat it within that time, remove it and wait a few days before attempting to feed again. It will NOT hurt your snake to miss a meal or two. Note: it is not uncommon for ball pythons to only want live prey. You must be capable and willing to feed live before committing to owning a ball python.
Pre-killed: A keeper may choose to kill the rodent first before offering it to their snake to avoid the risk of their snake being bitten. It is the keeper’s responsibility to use a humane (as quick and painless as possible) death. Also, ensure that the rodent is truly dead and not just stunned. A stunned rodent that “wakes up” can be dangerous. *Freezing a live rat is painful and an unethical form of euthanasia*
Frozen/thawed (f/t): There are many sources for rodents already killed and frozen. Commercial pet stores often carry them, as well as online vendors that can ship them in bulk as needed. Local reptile shows are another good source. Many snakes will readily accept prey that has been properly thawed and warmed. Rodents can be thawed overnight in the fridge and then warmed with either hot water (while in a ziplock bag) or a blow dryer on feeding day. Never use boiling water or a microwave for thawing rodents; doing so could cause the rodent to rupture or partially cook. Feel the rodent to make sure it is warm all the way through before feeding. Partially frozen or improperly thawed rodents can absolutely kill a ball python. It is also important to note that there is a strain of salmonella that is lethal to snakes and has been found in frozen rodent supplies. Be sure to always buy your frozen feeders from a trusted vendor.
Pre-scenting the area near your snake’s enclosure is a good way to get a ready, rapid feeding response. Warming a f/t or pre-killed rodent nearby or leaving a live rodent in a well-ventilated (escape-proof!) container close to your snake’s cage for 15-30 minutes can be a huge help in getting a sleepy snake ready to eat.
