Basic Care Sheet
Ball Python
Python regius
By Marc Ellis
www.slithersandcritters.com
Natural History
The ball python, or royal python as it is called outside North America, Latin/Scientific
classification is Python regius. One of Africa’s smaller pythons, its range extends from Western
to Central Africa (Nigeria, Uganda, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea). Most ball pythons that
were (and sometimes still are) imported for the pet trade came from Benin, Ghana and Togo.
These pythons are generally found in open savannah and scrub forest, and often found around
people’s homes and farms where they dine on rats we attract.
Ball pythons spend most of their time in burrows and come out at night time, which means
they’re nocturnal. They’re small to medium in size, but heavy bodied, ranging in size from 90cm
(3’) -120cm (4’), with females being larger than males. Some females have been known to grow
over 150cm (5’). Life span is generally longer in captivity with an average age of 20 years, but
there are pythons on record that are over 40 years old.
Enclosures
You can choose the type of enclosure based on your preference (how it looks) combined with
the python’s needs. Many breeders keep their pythons in racking systems; most people keep
their pets in display cages. You can get display cages made of wood or plastic, perhaps with
sliding glass doors, or you could use a glass aquarium. Whatever you choose make sure that it’s
escape-proof - escape is no fun for you and can be very dangerous for your pet. Locks are a
good idea when there are little fingers around.
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Size of enclosure is based on the size of your python:
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Hatchlings do best in something small, i.e., a lunch container or plastic shoe box;
Sub adults can be kept in an enclosure approximately 30cm by 60cm (12” x 24”).
Adults can be kept in an enclosure approximately 90cm by 45cm (36” x 18”).
If your python is above average size you’ll need a bigger enclosure, but remember that in the
wild these reptiles spend their days underground. If the enclosure is too big for them, they will
be stressed and may stop eating - this is why hide boxes are so important. The hide box,
decorative or not, must be a nice tight fit for the python. Water dishes are also something you
need - your python should be able to get in and soak in the water, which should be kept clean.
Substrate
You can use a variety of things from newspaper to coconut mulch; all substrates have their
advantages and disadvantages. Aspin is a clean product, where bark, coconut, and cypress
mulch hold moist, which is good for keeping the humidity higher. Newspaper is inexpensive but
doesn’t look that good.
Care
Ball pythons are from a tropical environment, so they need heat. Provide a day time
temperature of 27C(80F) to 29C(85F) with a hot spot of 32C(90F) to 35C(95F). You can provide a
night time drop of 23C(73) to 25C(75F). Humidity is important if your python - if it’s too dry they
could have trouble shedding their skin – however, you have to be careful not to keep them too
wet. In the wild, ball pythons spend their days in burrows, where the humidity is higher. So
keep the humidity around 60% in their enclosures, and a little higher when they’re shedding
their skin. However, be careful not to keep the humidity too high – snakes can get respiratory
infections if the humidity is too high. Pythons shed their skin on a regular basis, depending on
their age and food intake. During the shedding process, which could last for a number of days,
their skin will go opaque in colour, they will stop eating, and they will drink more water. Note:
while they’re shedding their skin, they can’t see very well – this can make them nervous and
stressed, so it’s best to leave them to themselves.
Feeding
For size of food, a good rule of thumb is to feed a prey item that is similar in size to the thickest
part of the python’s body. The choice of prey item can be based on the size of your snake:
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Hatchlings will feed on hopper mice/ fuzzy rats; and
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Adults will feed on large rats.
Feeding schedule can vary more so with adults, but weekly feeding is the best schedule to keep.
Many people feed their snakes live prey, but you have to be careful - live prey can bite back. If
you are feeding frozen, it must be fully defrosted before feeding it to your snake, and you must
actually warm the food first - do not microwave. Warm the food on either a heat mat, under a
heat light, or warm water. However you warm the food, warm it up to room temperature. The
reason for warming the food is because pythons have heat sensitive pits. When feeding frozen once it is warm, present the food item to the python with tongs or forceps with blunt ends.
Comments
Ball pythons are a great snake as a pet or as an animal to breed. There are a number of colour
and pattern morphs to choose from, and they’re a good size - not too big, but big enough that
they can be handled, carefully. Ball pythons are very easy to care for and are kept by many as
pets, so there’s a lot of good information out there for you. I encourage you to learn as much as
you can about any animal that you keep.
There are some great books to choose from:
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For good information but light reading: “Ball pythons in captivity by Kevin McCurley”
For something more in depth: “The Complete Ball Python also by Kevin McCurley”
and/or “The Ball Python by Andreas Kirschner and Hermann Seufer”.
If you would like to learn more about morphs: “Designer Morphs by John Berry”.
© 2011 Slithers and Critters