The Snake Guru
02-14-2008, 02:50 AM
(Royal) Ball Python, PYTHON REGIUS
Quick FAQs
SIZE: 36-48 INCHES
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: BEGINNER
TEMPS: 88-92 HIGH, 80-82 AMBIENT
HUMIDITY: 50-60%
Python Regius originates from Central and Western Africa. They are terrestrial (ground-dwelling) snakes with distinct brown and gold markings. Captive bred ball pythons are generally very docile, easily-handled snakes that maintain a small size, making them excellent for beginner hobbiests. Wild caught specimens often are difficult to feed and do not handle well. Of course, this is not the rule; there are plenty of exceptions!
Hatchling ball pythons average around 10 inches. Females average 3-5 feet; males 2-3 feet. At maturity, females are typically larger than their male counterparts. With proper husbandry, they can live to be 40 years old in captivity.
A 36" x 18" x 12" enclosure is more than large enough to comfortably house an adult ball python. You should provide your ball python with hide boxes; one at the cool end the other at the hot end of the enclosure. Your ball python should never have to chose between security and temperature. Your enclosure can be a homemade cage, commercial cage, aquarium, or rack system. Should you chose an aquarium, take into consideration you may have a difficult time maintaining the proper humidity and temperature. For a rack system, typically a 32 qt tub is large enough for most adults, though if you are considering breeding, you may want to move up to a 41 qt.
Proper heat can be optained by an under tank heater, heat cable, heat tape, or overhead bulb. Make sure your snake cannot come into direct contact with the heat source, as they may get burns. Also, NEVER NEVER NEVER use a heat rock! EVER! Your reptile can get very serious burns from this, not to mention it is not an effective means to heat your enclosure, as it only heats around the rock, one-two inches. The only safe heat rock is one with the cord cut off!
Substrate is variable. What works well for one person, may not for another. Some options are newspaper, craft paper, paper towels, aspen chips or shavings, or cypress mulch. You should NEVER keep your reptile on pine or cedar chips/shavings.
You should feed your ball python an appropriately sized rodent weekly. We recommend starting them out on rats as soon as possible. Appropriately sized means the rodent should be 1 to 1.5 times bigger in girth than the largest part of your snake. Ball pythons can be started on rats from the time of hatching with rat pups, then gradually moving up in size as your snake grows. We recommend switching your ball python to frozen/thawed rats as soon as you can. You should never leave a live rodent with your snake unattended. The rodent could turn on the snake and inflict serious damage, even kill the snake. There is much debate over this, but we believe feeding frozen/thawed is the safest for your snake.
Ball pythons are known for going off-feed, especially during the winter months. Be prepared for these hunger strikes, as they may happen often, depending on your individual snake. Ball pythons can go an amazingly long period of time without food, and in most cases it is nothing to worry about. However, in some instances, it can be because of stress. Stress can be caused by improper husbandry practices, internal or external parasites, having a cage-mate, or any other number of problems. So long as your snake maintains its bodyweight and general health, you most likely have nothing to worry about. It is very frustrating to the keeper however. If your snake has lost 15-20% of its original body weight, we recommend you take your snake to a qualified herp vet.
Ball pythons can reach sexual maturity anywhere from 18 months to 4 years old. The captive breeding season ranges from November through March. Feeding should be stopped at this time and a cooling period should be started. Your animals should be in top condition before any breeding is attempted. Breeding can be "suggested" by reducing the photo period to 8-10 hours of daytime and cooling the overnight temperatures to the mid 70s. You should introduce the female into the male's cage. Breeding in the wild also takes place during the rainy season. Many breeders mist their animals to emulate this. Females typically shed 14-20 days post-ovulation and eggs are generally laid 30 days following the shed. The average clutch size ranges from 4-12 eggs. With an incubation temperature of 88-90 degrees, the eggs should hatch in about 60 days.
*This is by no means a complete caresheet, just an informational article. Please do your research before purchasing your animal!
Quick FAQs
SIZE: 36-48 INCHES
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: BEGINNER
TEMPS: 88-92 HIGH, 80-82 AMBIENT
HUMIDITY: 50-60%
Python Regius originates from Central and Western Africa. They are terrestrial (ground-dwelling) snakes with distinct brown and gold markings. Captive bred ball pythons are generally very docile, easily-handled snakes that maintain a small size, making them excellent for beginner hobbiests. Wild caught specimens often are difficult to feed and do not handle well. Of course, this is not the rule; there are plenty of exceptions!
Hatchling ball pythons average around 10 inches. Females average 3-5 feet; males 2-3 feet. At maturity, females are typically larger than their male counterparts. With proper husbandry, they can live to be 40 years old in captivity.
A 36" x 18" x 12" enclosure is more than large enough to comfortably house an adult ball python. You should provide your ball python with hide boxes; one at the cool end the other at the hot end of the enclosure. Your ball python should never have to chose between security and temperature. Your enclosure can be a homemade cage, commercial cage, aquarium, or rack system. Should you chose an aquarium, take into consideration you may have a difficult time maintaining the proper humidity and temperature. For a rack system, typically a 32 qt tub is large enough for most adults, though if you are considering breeding, you may want to move up to a 41 qt.
Proper heat can be optained by an under tank heater, heat cable, heat tape, or overhead bulb. Make sure your snake cannot come into direct contact with the heat source, as they may get burns. Also, NEVER NEVER NEVER use a heat rock! EVER! Your reptile can get very serious burns from this, not to mention it is not an effective means to heat your enclosure, as it only heats around the rock, one-two inches. The only safe heat rock is one with the cord cut off!
Substrate is variable. What works well for one person, may not for another. Some options are newspaper, craft paper, paper towels, aspen chips or shavings, or cypress mulch. You should NEVER keep your reptile on pine or cedar chips/shavings.
You should feed your ball python an appropriately sized rodent weekly. We recommend starting them out on rats as soon as possible. Appropriately sized means the rodent should be 1 to 1.5 times bigger in girth than the largest part of your snake. Ball pythons can be started on rats from the time of hatching with rat pups, then gradually moving up in size as your snake grows. We recommend switching your ball python to frozen/thawed rats as soon as you can. You should never leave a live rodent with your snake unattended. The rodent could turn on the snake and inflict serious damage, even kill the snake. There is much debate over this, but we believe feeding frozen/thawed is the safest for your snake.
Ball pythons are known for going off-feed, especially during the winter months. Be prepared for these hunger strikes, as they may happen often, depending on your individual snake. Ball pythons can go an amazingly long period of time without food, and in most cases it is nothing to worry about. However, in some instances, it can be because of stress. Stress can be caused by improper husbandry practices, internal or external parasites, having a cage-mate, or any other number of problems. So long as your snake maintains its bodyweight and general health, you most likely have nothing to worry about. It is very frustrating to the keeper however. If your snake has lost 15-20% of its original body weight, we recommend you take your snake to a qualified herp vet.
Ball pythons can reach sexual maturity anywhere from 18 months to 4 years old. The captive breeding season ranges from November through March. Feeding should be stopped at this time and a cooling period should be started. Your animals should be in top condition before any breeding is attempted. Breeding can be "suggested" by reducing the photo period to 8-10 hours of daytime and cooling the overnight temperatures to the mid 70s. You should introduce the female into the male's cage. Breeding in the wild also takes place during the rainy season. Many breeders mist their animals to emulate this. Females typically shed 14-20 days post-ovulation and eggs are generally laid 30 days following the shed. The average clutch size ranges from 4-12 eggs. With an incubation temperature of 88-90 degrees, the eggs should hatch in about 60 days.
*This is by no means a complete caresheet, just an informational article. Please do your research before purchasing your animal!