Pet Python Snake Care Guide

The ball python (Python regius), or royal python, is an attractive and gentle snake native to western and west-central Africa। These nocturnal pythons prefer mixed grassland and trees (savannah) as their habitat. When they are frightened they coil up into a ball; thus, the name “ball python.” Free-ranging ball pythons are considered a threatened species.

PET POTENTIAL/BEHAVIOR

• Generally prefer to be left alone; shy and docile.
• Small; typically reach 4 feet (120 cm) in length.
• May grow 1 foot (30 cm) per year during the first 3 years
• Crepuscular; active at dawn and dusk.
• Inexperienced python owners must be prepared for potential feeding problems and internal and/or external parasite problems.
• Ball pythons are notorious for not eating and may go for extended periods (sometimes over a year) without eating.
• Health problems may occur secondary to chronic anorexia.
• A newly purchased snake should be left alone in its enclosure for 1-2 weeks to acclimate to its new home.
• Avoid any interactions until it is accustomed to its cage and is eating, then gentle handling may begin.
• A frightened snake may lash with its tail, hiss, or in rare cases, bite.
• Many reptiles are potential carriers of Salmonella and owners should use common sense in their personal hygiene when handling ball pythons.
• Ball pythons are nocturnal; therefore, the best time to interact with the snake is during the evening hours when it is more active.

SEXING

• Ball pythons are difficult to sex visually, but are easy to sex via a probe.
• The males have thicker tails, and the anal spurs are longer and more curved.
• Females have a probe depth of 2-4 subcaudal scales and males have hemipenes with a probe depth of 6-10 subcaudal scales.

HOUSING

• Standard aquariums work well as enclosures.

IDEAL SIZE:

• Hatchling: 10 gal tank (20” x 10” [50 x 25 cm])
• Adult: 20-30 gal tank (36” x 12” [90 x 31 cm])
• Snakes must be able to stretch out in an environment that encourages exercise.
• The cage should have a screen top for adequate ventilation. Tops should be secure and escape proof.
• Sliding doors should be secure and raised on a plinth to prevent waste accumulation.
• A dark hiding box is mandatory for a sense of security and a place to rest during daylight hours.
  The lids of glass and plastic vivaria must be at least 50% mesh to provide adequate ventilation.
• Suitable substrates should be easy to clean and include newspaper, paper towels, indoor-outdoor carpet, Astroturf.
• Unsuitable substrates are corncob, wood chips/shavings, gravel, dirt, rocks or other substances that could be ingested and cause blockage of the digestive tract.
• Cypress mulch may be used as a substrate for adults but must be kept free of moisture and fecal/urinary contamination and changed frequently.
• Some ball pythons will not eat unless they are able to burrow.
• Bally pythons do not require sources of UV light in their enclosure because they are nocturnal and obtain vitamin D3 in their diet.
• A climbing branch or two should be provided. Artificial greenery adds a nice touch as well as a sense of visual security for the snake.

TEMPERATURE:

• Ambient air temperature should be provided throughout the enclosure.
• Proper temperature regulation is the most important aspect in maintaining a healthy snake.
• The enclosure must be kept between 80-85 F (26-29 C) during the day, with a basking area kept at 90-94 F (32-34 C). At night, the air temperature should not fall below 75F (24 C)
  Room temperature is not adequate for the digestive process and health of the snake.
• Heating may be provided by special reptile heating pads or tape or with overhead ceramic heaters in porcelain reflector hoods, screened off or placed to avoid direct contact with the snake. Thermostat control is ideal.
• A barrier should be provided between the snake and any heating elements or hot surfaces.
  Two thermometers are needed for the cage: one 1” (2.5 cm) above the floor in the general enclosure area and another near the basking site.
• The use of “hot rocks” in the snake’s enclosure is a leading cause of thermal burns and should be avoided.

HUMIDITY

• Proper humidity levels help to ensure successful sheds.
• The ideal humidity of the enclosure is between 60-80%.
• An alternative is to provide a shedding box (e.g., Tupperware container with moistened sphagnum moss or terry cloth towels and the two opposite corners cut out for entry and exit).
• The snake can be trained to use this box for shedding. A box with moistened sphagnum moss may also serve as an egg-laying site.
• Fresh water must be provided at all times in a water bowl that is large enough for the snake to soak in. the water should be changed when soiled.

DIET:

• Bally pythons are fed at night.
• Young snakes (2-3 years of age and 18-36 inches long) should be fed every 7-10 days; older snakes should be fed every 2-3 weeks.
• A prey item appropriate to the size of the snake should be fed at each meal.
• Ball pythons are constrictors—they coil around their prey and suffocate it.
• Only stunned or prekilled prey should be offered to avoid sever injury to the snake.
• Gerbils are the initial prey of choice, although dark-colored mice or hamsters might work as prey in a reluctant eater.
• Some snakes do not recognize red-eyed white mice as a food item.
• Rubbing mice with a gerbil can impart the scent of the gerbil to the mouse and aid in converting the snake to a mouse diet.
• Frozen mice are available in many pet shops.
• As thesnake gets large, small rats are ideal.

MOST COMMON DISORDERS:

• Anorexia
• Endoparasitism
• Necrotizing dermatitis
• Respiratory disease
• Stomatitis (mouth rot)
• Ectoparasitism (mites and ticks)
• Dysecdysis (retained skin shed, retained eye spectacles)
• Obstipation/constipation
• Dystocia/Retained eggs
• Bite wounds from prey
• Inclusion body disease
• Rectal/Colon or uterine prolapse
• Spinal Fractures/Trauma/thermal burns

ZOONOTIC POTENTIAL:

• Salmonella
• Aeromonas
• Camoylobacter
• Enterobacter
• Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae
• Mycimbacterium sp.
• Zygomycosis
• Candida
• Pentastomiasis