Ball Pythons
Ball pythons (Python regius) are from tropical and subtropical regions of west and central Africa. Their care requirements are not difficult to achieve in a captive setting, but a few basics must be met to keep them happy and healthy.
The enclosure: Excellent enclosures have been constructed from many materials. Glass, plastic, and wood can all be used safely and effectively. A baby ball python can be kept in a 10 gallon tank or equivalent. An adult will utilize much more space if available. Ideally, a large enclosure with a 4’x2’ footprint and 2’ of height would be used for a large individual, although smaller enclosures are acceptable if other factors are available.
Ball pythons are prone to obesity in captivity. A large enclosure allows for exercise and mental stimulation, which can both combat unhealthy weight gain. However, if space only allows for a 3’x2’ enclosure, for example, frequent handling, taking your pet ball python to different places, and frequently changing the decorations inside the enclosure can also provide the animal with the exercise and stimulation it needs.
A water bowl large enough to soak in should be provided, and should be clean and full at all times with fresh water.
The substrate, or bedding, in the bottom of the cage should be either coconut husk, cypress mulch, or aspen shavings. Several inches should be used so that the snake can burrow, push bedding around, and otherwise explore. These three beddings are superior for their humidity retention, mildew resistance, and relatively dust free nature.
At least 2 hiding places should be provided, one on the cooler side of the enclosure, one on the warmer side. A good hiding place should have only one opening, just large enough for the ball python to enter. The entire hide should be small enough that the snake fits inside very snugly, somewhat like a tunnel would feel to it in nature.
Temperature and humidity:
A ball python needs more heat than the standard person keeps their home. They also need a range of temperatures so that they can choose for themselves how warm they want to be. During the day, a basking area should be provided, and the surface beneath the basking light should stay in the low to mid 90s. This can be measured with an infrared heat gun, an inexpensive piece of equipment that ought to be standard for any reptile keeper. Simply point the temperature gun at any surface and it will tell you how warm that surface is.
The ambient air temperature in the enclosure should range from the low to high 80s. The cool side of the cage should never be warmer than the low 80s. At night the basking light can be turned off, and the cage can be allowed to drop into the mid 70s.
While a heat bulb or radiant heat panel warming the basking zone from above is best, heat tape (from Flexwatt) or heat pads beneath the tank can also be used effectively. They should be connected to a thermostat, and checked frequently to prevent burning out or overheating. Again, a heat bulb or radiant heat panel is best.
Full spectrum UVA/UVB lighting is beneficial to all reptiles, although nocturnal snakes have lower requirements than most. If you wish to provide UV to your ball python, a lower wattage tube light bulb, not a coil, should be used. All heating and lighting implements should have a guard or screen between them and the animal to prevent burns.
Humidity should be kept between 40% and 70%, with occasional drops down to 30% and spikes up to 90% acceptable. A large water bowl, a good substrate that holds humidity, and occasional spraying with a water bowl should be able to maintain this range without much trouble. Let the spraying and spikes up into higher humidity ranges coincide with your snake’s shed cycle to help them shed all in one piece.
Feeding:
We at The Reptile Barn do not discourage live feeding. Sensing, hunting, wrapping and eating a live prey animal is the single most effective exercise and mental stimulation a ball python can have in our opinion. However, your snake’s safety must be first. If you do not have the time or ability to sit and watch your snake the entire time a live animal is inside the enclosure with it, then live feeding is not an option. Mice and rats can and have killed ball pythons. If you cannot guarantee complete supervision, frozen thawed prey should be offered.
The staples of ball python feeding in captivity are mice (Mus musculus) and rats (Rattus norvegicus). While these are not native to Africa, ball pythons have lived long healthy lives when fed exclusively on these prey items. They will often also accept gerbils, hamsters, baby rabbits, quail, chicks, and others. We discourage these alternatives not because they are unhealthy, but because they are more expensive and harder to source, so if your snake decides it likes them better than mice or rats and refuses to eat those as staples, you are in for a much more expensive and difficult feeding regime than expected.
The size of the prey item should not exceed 10% of the weight of your ball python. A good rule of thumb is that the prey item can match the width of the widest part of your ball python’s body and perhaps a small amount more. Rats labeled as ‘medium’ from major rodent providers should suffice for even a large girthy female ball python.
Hatchlings should be fed more frequently than adults. Ours are offered food once per week, and adults generally are dropped back to once every 2 weeks. Our largest females sometimes only eat every 3 weeks.
*A note on fasting
Some people claim that fasting is ‘common, but not normal’ for ball pythons, and indicates something wrong with your husbandry or with the health of your snake. We respectfully disagree. Ball pythons in shed, ball pythons interested in breeding, ball pythons adults during the winter months, all frequently lose much of their feeding response. Another thing to note is that a stressed out human often overeats. A stressed out reptile often fasts. Eating makes a snake vulnerable. When a baby ball python is moved to a new home, where every smell, sight, sound and interaction is new, a certain amount of stress will inevitably be present. This type of fast should not last more than a few weeks. An adult fasting in the winter might last several months. If you have any concerns about your ball python not eating, whether you purchased it from us or not, please first check your husbandry, and second reach out to us. We will never turn away a concerned pet owner who is trying to help their ball python stay healthy.
Handling: Our rule of thumb is, once your ball python is eating well, handle it regularly. Every day, if you can. Keep your handling sessions to 15 minutes or so, and let the animal explore. Let it climb things in your house, let it climb you! This is excellent socializing, excellent mental stimulation, and excellent exercise. While a ball python has certainly not been domesticated in the sense that a dog has been, it can still become an extremely trusting, friendly, inquisitive pet that will genuinely not stress out in the slightest when you interact with him. The key really is frequent handling. The more positive interactions you have with your snake, the more it will learn to trust you, until the point where it will visibly relax while you handle it, with some curious tongue flicking, but no fear response at all.
Baby ball pythons fresh out of the egg will not be this way! They poke their head out into the unknown, and have to assume that everything out there is a threat. They will hiss, they will posture, they will nip your fingers. But they are harmless, and honestly adorable when they do this, and if you stay calm, and move slowly, and never hurt them, they will move past this phase quickly.
Illnesses: Ball pythons are remarkably hardy. The more perfect the husbandry, the less likely your ball python will ever get sick. Some of the most common ailments are respiratory infections, scale rot/fungal problems, and impaction. We adhere to the old way of thinking. If you aren’t a doctor, don’t pretend to be! Youtube is a fantastic resource, but in our minds, every pet animal should have a small fund set aside in case a vet visit becomes necessary. We recommend reaching out to your local reptile community before bringing home your snake, to get recommendations on the best exotics veterinarian in your area. All of the above health complications can be handled easily by a competent veterinarian, and usually for less than $250, sometimes much less. If your enclosure, temperature, etc. are just right, chances are you’ll never need to use this fund or actually take your snake in, but we feel it is better to be ready for this than to be scrambling around on the internet looking for at home remedies in the middle of the night with a snake who has a rapidly worsening respiratory infection.
Best of luck with your new ball python! He or she will probably live 15, 20, even 30 years with you, so take good care of him and never hesitate to reach out to us with questions, or concerns, or just to update us with pictures!
The enclosure: Excellent enclosures have been constructed from many materials. Glass, plastic, and wood can all be used safely and effectively. A baby ball python can be kept in a 10 gallon tank or equivalent. An adult will utilize much more space if available. Ideally, a large enclosure with a 4’x2’ footprint and 2’ of height would be used for a large individual, although smaller enclosures are acceptable if other factors are available.
Ball pythons are prone to obesity in captivity. A large enclosure allows for exercise and mental stimulation, which can both combat unhealthy weight gain. However, if space only allows for a 3’x2’ enclosure, for example, frequent handling, taking your pet ball python to different places, and frequently changing the decorations inside the enclosure can also provide the animal with the exercise and stimulation it needs.
A water bowl large enough to soak in should be provided, and should be clean and full at all times with fresh water.
The substrate, or bedding, in the bottom of the cage should be either coconut husk, cypress mulch, or aspen shavings. Several inches should be used so that the snake can burrow, push bedding around, and otherwise explore. These three beddings are superior for their humidity retention, mildew resistance, and relatively dust free nature.
At least 2 hiding places should be provided, one on the cooler side of the enclosure, one on the warmer side. A good hiding place should have only one opening, just large enough for the ball python to enter. The entire hide should be small enough that the snake fits inside very snugly, somewhat like a tunnel would feel to it in nature.
Temperature and humidity:
A ball python needs more heat than the standard person keeps their home. They also need a range of temperatures so that they can choose for themselves how warm they want to be. During the day, a basking area should be provided, and the surface beneath the basking light should stay in the low to mid 90s. This can be measured with an infrared heat gun, an inexpensive piece of equipment that ought to be standard for any reptile keeper. Simply point the temperature gun at any surface and it will tell you how warm that surface is.
The ambient air temperature in the enclosure should range from the low to high 80s. The cool side of the cage should never be warmer than the low 80s. At night the basking light can be turned off, and the cage can be allowed to drop into the mid 70s.
While a heat bulb or radiant heat panel warming the basking zone from above is best, heat tape (from Flexwatt) or heat pads beneath the tank can also be used effectively. They should be connected to a thermostat, and checked frequently to prevent burning out or overheating. Again, a heat bulb or radiant heat panel is best.
Full spectrum UVA/UVB lighting is beneficial to all reptiles, although nocturnal snakes have lower requirements than most. If you wish to provide UV to your ball python, a lower wattage tube light bulb, not a coil, should be used. All heating and lighting implements should have a guard or screen between them and the animal to prevent burns.
Humidity should be kept between 40% and 70%, with occasional drops down to 30% and spikes up to 90% acceptable. A large water bowl, a good substrate that holds humidity, and occasional spraying with a water bowl should be able to maintain this range without much trouble. Let the spraying and spikes up into higher humidity ranges coincide with your snake’s shed cycle to help them shed all in one piece.
Feeding:
We at The Reptile Barn do not discourage live feeding. Sensing, hunting, wrapping and eating a live prey animal is the single most effective exercise and mental stimulation a ball python can have in our opinion. However, your snake’s safety must be first. If you do not have the time or ability to sit and watch your snake the entire time a live animal is inside the enclosure with it, then live feeding is not an option. Mice and rats can and have killed ball pythons. If you cannot guarantee complete supervision, frozen thawed prey should be offered.
The staples of ball python feeding in captivity are mice (Mus musculus) and rats (Rattus norvegicus). While these are not native to Africa, ball pythons have lived long healthy lives when fed exclusively on these prey items. They will often also accept gerbils, hamsters, baby rabbits, quail, chicks, and others. We discourage these alternatives not because they are unhealthy, but because they are more expensive and harder to source, so if your snake decides it likes them better than mice or rats and refuses to eat those as staples, you are in for a much more expensive and difficult feeding regime than expected.
The size of the prey item should not exceed 10% of the weight of your ball python. A good rule of thumb is that the prey item can match the width of the widest part of your ball python’s body and perhaps a small amount more. Rats labeled as ‘medium’ from major rodent providers should suffice for even a large girthy female ball python.
Hatchlings should be fed more frequently than adults. Ours are offered food once per week, and adults generally are dropped back to once every 2 weeks. Our largest females sometimes only eat every 3 weeks.
*A note on fasting
Some people claim that fasting is ‘common, but not normal’ for ball pythons, and indicates something wrong with your husbandry or with the health of your snake. We respectfully disagree. Ball pythons in shed, ball pythons interested in breeding, ball pythons adults during the winter months, all frequently lose much of their feeding response. Another thing to note is that a stressed out human often overeats. A stressed out reptile often fasts. Eating makes a snake vulnerable. When a baby ball python is moved to a new home, where every smell, sight, sound and interaction is new, a certain amount of stress will inevitably be present. This type of fast should not last more than a few weeks. An adult fasting in the winter might last several months. If you have any concerns about your ball python not eating, whether you purchased it from us or not, please first check your husbandry, and second reach out to us. We will never turn away a concerned pet owner who is trying to help their ball python stay healthy.
Handling: Our rule of thumb is, once your ball python is eating well, handle it regularly. Every day, if you can. Keep your handling sessions to 15 minutes or so, and let the animal explore. Let it climb things in your house, let it climb you! This is excellent socializing, excellent mental stimulation, and excellent exercise. While a ball python has certainly not been domesticated in the sense that a dog has been, it can still become an extremely trusting, friendly, inquisitive pet that will genuinely not stress out in the slightest when you interact with him. The key really is frequent handling. The more positive interactions you have with your snake, the more it will learn to trust you, until the point where it will visibly relax while you handle it, with some curious tongue flicking, but no fear response at all.
Baby ball pythons fresh out of the egg will not be this way! They poke their head out into the unknown, and have to assume that everything out there is a threat. They will hiss, they will posture, they will nip your fingers. But they are harmless, and honestly adorable when they do this, and if you stay calm, and move slowly, and never hurt them, they will move past this phase quickly.
Illnesses: Ball pythons are remarkably hardy. The more perfect the husbandry, the less likely your ball python will ever get sick. Some of the most common ailments are respiratory infections, scale rot/fungal problems, and impaction. We adhere to the old way of thinking. If you aren’t a doctor, don’t pretend to be! Youtube is a fantastic resource, but in our minds, every pet animal should have a small fund set aside in case a vet visit becomes necessary. We recommend reaching out to your local reptile community before bringing home your snake, to get recommendations on the best exotics veterinarian in your area. All of the above health complications can be handled easily by a competent veterinarian, and usually for less than $250, sometimes much less. If your enclosure, temperature, etc. are just right, chances are you’ll never need to use this fund or actually take your snake in, but we feel it is better to be ready for this than to be scrambling around on the internet looking for at home remedies in the middle of the night with a snake who has a rapidly worsening respiratory infection.
Best of luck with your new ball python! He or she will probably live 15, 20, even 30 years with you, so take good care of him and never hesitate to reach out to us with questions, or concerns, or just to update us with pictures!
