Tips & Tricks for the Ball Python – Do’s & Dont’s for Care and Housing
Everyone keeps their ball pythons in their own way. On this page, we will show you how we house, feed and care for our animals.
Preparation:
You’ve been thinking about getting a ball python? That’s super exciting! Ball pythons (Python Regius) are not dangerous and are known to be good starter snakes. This is due to their calm nature and manageable size. They are naturally very friendly animals available in many different color variations.
However, it’s important to consider the following points before making a purchase:
• Ball pythons are not very active (like many other reptiles) and do not like to be taken out of their terrarium or rack daily. (This can cause stress and other health risks due to the significant temperature difference inside and outside the enclosure.)
So, it’s important to realize that most of the time, you’ll be looking at an empty terrarium (if they are in one of their hiding spots) or a motionless snake.
• You often hear that ball pythons are picky eaters. In practice, this means they may go for extended periods (sometimes months in a row) without eating or eating very little. They often prefer live prey over frozen. Consider whether you’re comfortable feeding live rodents to your snake if, for example, it refuses frozen food.
• Think carefully about whether you have enough financial resources and space in your home to provide proper housing and nutrition. Also, consider unexpected expenses like vet visits or equipment failures (terrarium, heat mat, etc.).
TIP: Do your research thoroughly before deciding to make a purchase!
Housing and Care:
If the above points haven’t raised doubts, you can start thinking about the type of housing you want to use for your ball python. Ball pythons, like all other reptiles, are ectothermic, meaning they cannot regulate their body temperature and rely on external heat sources to warm up or cool down. We started by housing ball pythons in terrariums, but we now use rack systems.
TIP: We recommend ensuring that the enclosure is fully set up and running for some time before acquiring the ball python. This way, you can address any heating or lighting issues without affecting the animal.
A well-decorated enclosure is visually pleasing and a true asset in any room! Try to match the size of the terrarium to the size of the purchased snake. With a 150x50x50 terrarium for a baby ball python, you can be almost certain that the snake won’t eat. Young animals prefer a small enclosure where they feel safe. Consider using a small terrarium that can grow with them (keep in mind that this can be expensive) or keep the baby in a curver box for the first period (with air holes, of course) placed half on a heat mat.
Adult snakes can also have difficulty eating in a terrarium. Many hiding spots, tranquility, and patience can often solve this issue.
For heating the enclosure, you can choose a heat lamp (make sure it’s well shielded so the snake can’t touch the hot bulb directly), a heat mat/cable, or a combination of both. It’s ideal for the snake if one side of the enclosure is heated to around 32/35 degrees Celsius and the other side is around 28 degrees Celsius. This way, the snake can choose the temperature that suits it at that moment.
Try to establish a day and night cycle, for example, by using a timer for the heat lamp. Our lamps (from other terrariums and the fluorescent lighting in the room) are on for 12 hours by default. We don’t observe a winter rest period and keep everything the same during breeding. Of course, there are breeders who do adjust the lighting hours and temperature and achieve good results with this.
TIP: Ball pythons (and many other snakes/reptiles) are solitary animals. This means they naturally live alone and only seek out their kind during the mating season.
It’s crucial to ensure that the conditions within the enclosure are as optimal as possible and remain so. We always recommend connecting a thermostat to a heat mat/cable and mounting it in a way that it never comes into direct contact with the snake. This is to prevent overheating, burns, or worse.
Further decorate the enclosure with plenty of hiding spots, climbing branches, rocks, (artificial) plants, and, if possible, a side and back wall. Make sure everything is securely fixed so it can’t be knocked over or dug under.
Avoid large temperature fluctuations and drafts, as they can lead to health problems such as pneumonia.
We use Cocohusk as substrate. This is made from coconut shavings and comes in various sizes. The advantage of this substrate is that it absorbs and retains moisture very well, maintaining the humidity at an appropriate level.
Lastly, humidity is important. If the humidity is too low, the snake will have difficulty shedding its skin. This often manifests as small pieces of shed skin scattered throughout the enclosure. If the humidity is too high, it can lead to skin problems and other issues.
This often happens when the substrate is too wet, and the snake doesn’t have a dry place to rest. Regularly spraying with a plant mister and providing a reasonably sized water bowl often solve most humidity issues.
It goes without saying that waste should be removed as soon as possible, and the water bowl should be filled with fresh water daily.
Feeding:
Ball pythons are constrictor snakes. This means they kill their prey by suffocation. We exclusively feed our pythons rats and mice, depending on the size of the snake. Young pythons start with pinky mice (mice that are 2/3 weeks old), and as the snake grows, the size of the prey increases until the snake is fully grown and can eat medium to large rats.
We feed young snakes every 5-7 days and adult snakes generally every 7-14 days, depending on whether they are being used for breeding or not.
You can purchase feeder animals from your local pet store, at expos, or, like us, breed them yourself. In addition to lab pellets, we feed our rats kitchen scraps like old bread, leftover vegetables (without salt!), and pasta scraps.
Feeder animals are cleaned at least once a week. We use hemp bedding as substrate because it absorbs moisture very well and is much less dusty than sawdust.
Rats and mouses are sensitive to dusty bedding, and despite being feeder animals, they deserve proper care! After all, the better the health of the feeder animal, the more nutritious it is for your snake.
Feel free to contact us!
If something is unclear, if you need assistance, or if you want more information about caring for ball pythons, please contact us via the contact form, and we will be happy to help!