MY First Ball Python

Recently I have been looking for ways to switch over my ball python food source.  I live about 45 minutes from home so I wanted to try to switch over to frozen mice to cut down on long trips.  I found a post on the internet with a couple tips and I finally found one that worked for me.  First I got the frozen mouse and put it into a zip lock bag and submerged it under hot water for a couple hours for it to get thawed out.  Then I got some paper napkins and laid the mouse out on it.  I took a hair dryer and went over the mouse until it got fairly warm as a live mouse would be.  Then I took a pair of tongs and moved the mouse around a little and bam she ate it right up like a live mouse.

Be sure the humidity is high in there cage, I usually spray my snakes cage once a day when I start to notice the eyes getting glazed over.  Also be sure to have some sort of object it can rub against like a rock or branch.  You can also give your snake a warm bath and let it soak for about ten minutes.  Occasionally when my python still has small pieces of skin left on it after the shed; I will get a rag soaked in warm water and lightly rub it down the snake until it comes off.  The snake definitely does  not enjoy this usually, but it works pretty good and I also will just use my hands after it gets soaked a little bit.

With my ball python I use a combination of a heating pad and heat lamp. I also use a thermostat and thermometer to keep the temperature between 85 -90F in part of the cage. The other part of the cage can stay around average room temperature, unless you keep your house extremely cold. The snake should not experience temperatures lower than 65F. Ball Pythons are Nocturnal, this means they are mostly active during the night. It is not recommended to have your lamp on during the night time hours. I bought an aquarium timer from my local pet store to kick off power to the heat lamp at around 9 o clock at night and kick back on at around 6 or 7 in the morning. This gives your ball python the appropriate time of darkness it needs and it is ok if the temperature drops during the nighttime hours. The temperature naturally drops down to between 60 and 70 degrees at night where they are located in the wild. If your house gets colder than this you might want to think about getting a night bulb as a heat source, the type of bulb puts off very little light but still heats the cage.

The frozen mouse must be thawed out until it is at least room temperature.  I prefer to lay mine somewhere sunny for a few hours to get it warmer like a real mouse.  Then I use a pair of common kitchen tongs to entice the snake with the moving mouse.  One thing to keep in mind is to always have another place to feed your python.  Use a cardboard box or you could even use your bathtub if you would like.  This keeps the snake from associating you putting your hand in the cage with being fed, and makes your hand less likely to be confused for a snack. When your ball python is under one year old it’s ok to feed your snake about twice a week.  After the python gets over a year old it is a good idea to cut it back to just once a week.  When your python gets to be an adult and you are feeding it larger prey its fine to feed twice a month depending on your size of prey.

In the wild Ball Pythons naturally eat small mammals, amphibians, lizards, birds, and sometimes other snakes.  It is best to choose a captive bred ball python because most likely its diet will consist of mice or rats, unless you plan on going out and catching small snakes and lizards for it.  Most pet stores carry mice and rats live and frozen cheaper for feeding purposes only.  Most ball pythons will eat live mice, but getting a ball python that will eat a frozen mouse or rat isn’t always as easy.  It is much better to get your python to eat frozen mice though and it is much easier since you do not have to make so many trips to the pet store or keep a little city of mice yourself. 

Another option would to go with the Reptarium.  Which I believe is probably the most economic choice for the space and availability you get with one.  They are made from a Nylon Mesh that allows you to simply place a heat lamp right on the Reptarium directly and it is made to be heat resistance so you do not have to worry about it catching on fire or melting.  They are very light weight and you can buy them very cheap.  One recommendation would be to go ahead and buy a cage liner to go along with it; it makes the cage much easier to clean.  You can search on Ebay or many other online stores and you can usually find this item fairly cheap. With mine I also find Aquarium liner to line the sides, which makes it look much more attractive and it also helps keep in more heat.  I also have a video below to show an example of mine.

Another option is to build your own housing for your ball python which would have to be my recommendation if you are able to do this.  There are many ways to build custom housing.  I have seen some with pure fiber glass and some that are made of mostly wood and a glass window in the front or top.  The advantage is that when you build your own custom cage you can have all the lighting and heating in mind before you ever begin the cage.  There are many websites online that can give you exact step by step instructions on how to build custom housing for your python.

The first step to keeping a ball python is to make sure you have a sufficient home for it to live.  The main goal for your ball python’s living quarters is to make as comfortable as possible for them and meet all their needs.  There are a couple different paths to go.  There is the standard aquarium, custom build housing, or there are also Reptariums.  

The standard aquarium is probably the most attractive type of housing, but it also has many disadvantages as well.  It is most likely going to cost you a big chunk of change to purchase an aquarium the size needed for an adult ball python.  It would need to be at least an eighty gallon aquarium to be a comfortable home for an adult ball python.  Which if you have the money it is definitely a good path to go.  Another disadvantage is when it comes to cleaning your aquarium it is not the easiest task.  I will continue tomorrow by explaining some details about the other types of housing for you r ball python.

Before you decide to purchase a ball python there are a couple things to consider first. Ball Python males get 3-5 feet in length and weigh from 5 – 7 pounds.  Female ball pythons usually get larger than males; the adult size for a female can get up to 6 feet long and weigh up to 12 pounds.  You must be able to keep a cage big enough to fit an adult ball python comfortable.  Also Ball Pythons usually live from 20 – 30 years so it will be around for a long time.  Be sure you will be able to provide an adequate food supply for your python, adult ball pythons usually need to be fed every week or two depending on the size of the meal.  It would be a good idea to check your area for a pet store and ask them what kind of feeder options they have.  In some areas there are private individuals that raise mice or rats for their own snakes and might be willing to sell some to you.