Ball Python Habitat

by Dr.FS
Ball Pythons are great for new snake owners, as they are fairly easy to care for. However, though they are not difficult snakes to maintain, it is just as important to set up their habitat properly as it would be with any other reptile. They have unique housing requirements that are necessary to preserve their overall health and well-being. The following tips will help you to set up the best habitat possible for your Ball Python.

Fresh Air Screen Cover with Cover Clips Dome light with ceramic heater and black or red reptile bulb Fluorescent Strip Light with UV Bulb, on a Timer For a more streamlined look, consider using a combination heat/light fixture like "The Slider" Reptile Hood or Zilla Combo Fixture. Thermometers and Hygrometer Artificial Plants for cover Hide Box Water Bowl Climbing branches, like Bamboo Bars Terrarium Carpet Liner or other safe substrate Under Tank Heater (UTH)

Enclosure/Cage
The size of the terrarium will vary with the age of the snake. Young hatchlings will only need a 10 to 20 gallon terrarium. However, as your Ball Python ages and grows longer, a significantly larger terrarium will be necessary. Young adults need at least a 20 gallon terrarium, and full grown adults will need at least a 30 gallon terrarium. A good rule of thumb to follow is that the perimeter (two times the width plus two times the length) of the enclosure should be two times the length of your snake. Keep in mind that if you purchase a smaller terrarium when you have a younger snake, you will have to upgrade it later, possibly more than once.

Ball Pythons are excellent escape artists, so a tight fitting lid or door with a lock is an absolute necessity. It should be made of wire mesh to provide proper ventilation.

Appropriate substrates that you can use in the enclosure include cypress mulch, paper towels, terrarium carpet liners, and newspaper. Never use shavings. Be sure to keep some extra substrate around so you can switch it when it becomes soiled. Substrates like terrarium carpet liners can be cleaned and reused.

Landscaping and Cage Accessories
There are two main things that your Ball Python absolutely must have in his enclosure - a hide box and climbing branches. Because they are nocturnal, Ball Pythons will spend most of their days in the hide box, which can be a hollow log, a wide terra cotta flower pot turned upside down with the drain hole enlarged, a cardboard box, or any other item that provides darkness. The hide box must be big enough that your snake can fit his entire body in it, but not so big that it is significantly larger than your snake.

Climbing branches will provide both a hiding place and a basking area for your snake. Using artificial greenery to screen part of the branches from view will give your snake a place to curl up out of sight. Putting the branches in the basking area of the cage will allow him to climb closer to the heat source if he needs to raise his body temperature.

Other landscaping can include a few large rocks for your Ball Python to bask on and a small pool of water where he can drink from and submerge himself occasionally. A food dish is not required in the habitat as Ball Pythons should be placed in separate enclosures (such as a large plastic container or tub) for feeding.

Temperature
We recommend maintaining the temperature of the habitat at 77° to 85°F during the day, with a 90°F basking area, and at 69° to 75°F overnight. Use two thermometers to monitor temperature, one under the light in the basking area and one near the floor on the other side of the enclosure.

Primary heat sources are used to regulate the ambient temperature throughout the entire enclosure. In your Ball Python's habitat you can use under tank heaters and overhead ceramic heaters. You can also use infrared heat bulbs or room heaters to maintain the terrarium temperature at night.

Secondary heat sources are used to create hot spots in the cage, such as the basking area, and for this, you should use a 75 watt or lower incandescent light bulbs with a reflector. These should only be placed at the end of the enclosure used for the basking area.

Avoid using heat rocks as a heat source, as they will burn your Ball Python when he rubs against or touches them.

Light
Ball Pythons require a basic 12 hour light / 12 hour dark photo period. "Daylight" periods should be increased to 14 hours in the summer and decreased to 12 hours in the winter. Changes between seasons should be made gradually to mimic the natural shortening and lengthening of the days.

Full spectrum lighting isn't required, but it is recommended as it is beneficial for proper vitamin and mineral metabolism. Use daylight or full spectrum with low wattage during the day. No nighttime lights are necessary, though, as mentioned above, you can use an infrared heat bulb if necessary.

All lights should be outside the enclosure and screened in to prevent injury.

Humidity
Ball Pythons naturally live in a climate with fairly low humidity, so the humidity in their enclosure should be no more than 50% to 60%. When your snake is shedding, you may need to increase the humidity to 65%, or you can mist the enclosure daily.

Water
Ball Pythons should always have access to a pool of water for drinking and submersing themselves. The pool should be a heavy container your snake cannot knock over, and the water will need to be changed daily, as Ball Pythons often defecate in their water. The water temperature should be approximately 72° to 79°F, and any water added to the pool should be the same temperature.

Cleaning
A proper cleaning schedule is important to maintain your Ball Python's health. Every day you should replace soiled substrate and change the water. You will also need to clean and disinfect the entire enclosure as needed, usually about once every one to two weeks. To do this, you can use a 5% bleach solution with water. Be sure to rinse everything thoroughly after cleaning it, and always wash your hands after handling your snake or anything in the enclosure.

Housing More Than One Ball Python
If you have the room, you can house two Ball Pythons together. You will need a significantly bigger enclosure as well as more hide spots throughout it. The two Ball Pythons must be approximately the same size when housed together, and the new one must be quarantined until you are sure that he or she is not carrying any diseases. You will most likely have to feed them in two separate enclosures, and there is always a chance that they will not eat if housed together, so be sure to have an extra enclosure handy in case you need to house them separately.

We sell CB ball pythons click here to see more

Reptiles: PYTHONS

Python quick facts:

Class: Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order: Squamata
Family: Boidae
Genus: 8
Species: 33
Size: longest—reticulated python Python reticulatus, up to 33 feet (10 meters); shortest—ant-hill python Antaresia perthensis, about 23 inches (60 centimeters)
Weight: heaviest—reticulated python, up to 250 pounds (113 kilograms)
Life span: up to 35 years
Number of eggs laid: 2 to 100, depending on species
Incubation: 40 to 100 days, depending on species
Size at hatching: 10 to 27 inches (25 to 70 centimeters)
Age of maturity: 2 to 8 years
Conservation status: woma Aspidites ramsayi and Indian rock python Python molurus molurus are endangered, most other pythons are becoming more rare due to the trade in snake skins and habitat destruction.

Fun facts

• Reticulated pythons have been seen swimming in the ocean, which is probably how they originally got to the islands in the Pacific Ocean where some of them live.
• Pythons have four rows of teeth in their upper jaw. They also have fangs, but they do not produce venom.
• Rock pythons Python molurus only need to eat an amount of food that equals their own weight in a year. It’s possible for them to do that in one meal!

Reptiles: Python

Range: Africa, Madagascar, Southeast Asia, and Australia Habitat: rain forests, grasslands and savannas, woodlands, and swamps

Pythons, boas, and anacondas: what’s the difference?

Because reticulated pythons, boa constrictors, and anacondas are some of the biggest snakes in the world, many people get confused about which is which.

The first thing to note is that the anaconda is a species of boa, not a separate type of snake. That leaves two groups, the pythons and the boas. These snakes are both constrictors, killing their prey by wrapping around it and suffocating it. And they are both considered primitive snakes with two lungs (most snakes only have one) and the remnants of hind legs and pelvic bones. But they have differences, too.

Pythons have one more bone in their heads than boas do and some additional teeth. And pythons are mostly found in the Old World (Africa, Asia, Australia) while boas live in both the Old World and the New World (North, Central, and South America). But the biggest difference is that pythons lay eggs while boas give birth to live young.

Constrict, not crush

Pythons are constrictors. They grab their prey with their teeth, then quickly wrap coils of their bodies around the prey and squeeze. They don’t actually crush the prey and break its bones, though. Instead, they squeeze tightly so that the prey animal can’t breath and it suffocates. The snake then begins the leisurely process of unhinging its jaw and swallowing the prey whole, usually head first. This is accomplished with rhythmic muscular contractions that pull the prey down the snake’s throat and into its stomach. How does the snake breathes while its mouth is full? It has a special tube in the bottom of its mouth that stays open to one side to take in air.

Do pythons have predators?

Yes, they do. Small, young pythons may be attacked and eaten by a variety of birds, carnivorous mammals, large frogs, large insects and spiders, and even other snakes. But adult pythons are also at risk from birds of prey like eagles and even lions and leopards.

Feeling the heat

Like most snakes, pythons don’t chase after their prey. Instead they are ambush hunters. They use both sight and smell to locate prey. Pythons also have an additional advantage: most have special temperature-sensitive "pits,” or holes, along their jaws that can sense the heat of a nearby animal. This helps them find prey even in the dark or among dense foliage. Depending on the size of the snake, pythons may eat rodents, birds, lizards, and mammals like monkeys, pigs, or antelope. One rock python Python sebae was even found to have a small leopard in its stomach. At The reptile King, our pythons eat thawed rodents.

Watchful moms

Unlike their close relatives the boas, pythons lay eggs. Some species lay them in a shallow nest or even cover them with leaves and soil. But what’s really remarkable is that most python mothers stay coiled around their eggs to protect them while they develop, and if the temperature gets too cold, the mothers of larger species warm their eggs up by "shivering.” This involves rhythmic contractions of the muscles and is described as looking like the snake has the hiccups. Even though snakes are ectothermic, the mother python can, amazingly, raise the temperature of her eggs up a few degrees by doing this. It takes a lot of energy, though, so she may not reproduce again for two to three years as she gains back the weight she lost. After the eggs hatch, she leaves and the babies are on their own.

Rib walkers

Because of their bulk, pythons move by traveling forward in a straight line, which is known as "rectilinear progression.” This is accomplished by stiffening the ribs to provide support, then lifting a set of ventral (on the belly) scales and moving them forward so the loose ends grip the surface, pushing the snake ahead. This type of movement works on the ground as well as in trees. They can’t move very fast though—only about 1 mile per hour (1.6 kilometers per hour) on open ground. But since they don’t have to chase their food, they don’t really need to move quickly.

Swimmers, not divers

Some people think that pythons launch themselves out of trees onto unsuspecting animals below. That’s not something a python would want to do. Diving out of a tree like that could cause serious injury to the snake, especially a big one. In fact, most big pythons stay on the ground for that very reason. Swimming is another story! Many pythons are excellent swimmers and spend a lot of time in the water. One of their ambush techniques to catch food is to lie submerged in a stream or slow-moving river with only their heads above the water, waiting for a bird or small mammal to come to the water’s edge.

Come check out our selection of live reptiles including Pythons, shipped overnight to your door step!

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