Ball Python Complete Care Sheet: The Bare Bones Version
Python regius

Bare minimum equipment needed:

*A 41 quart clear Sterilite, Rubbermaid, or similar plastic blanket box will provide a suitable home for an adult ball python. You may also use a taller clear plastic latch box over 100 quarts, if you want to provide vertical space as well, though ball pythons are largely terrestrial. For a hatchling up to one year old, an 18 quart bin is sufficient. From age 1 to 2, a 32 quart bin will provide ample space.
*Luggage padlocks or other small key locks. Ball pythons are quite strong. They can injure themselves easily attempting to pry up the lid on a plastic bin and crawl through the gap, so the lid should be secured tightly and be impervious to being forced open or warped to provide an exit for a strong snake.
*A radiant heat source. This must be safe for use with a plastic bin. Shopping around online in reptile supply stores will give you a variety of options for heat pads that can be used with plastic cages (most such pads can only be used with glass, so shop carefully), or a heat rope.
*A thermostat or rheostat. This is an essential piece of equipment which should never be done without. It may be the most expensive purchase in the setup, but it is the most crucial for your pet's health and safety. A proportional thermostate of good quality, such as Herpstat or Helix, is best. An analog thermostat such as Big Apple Herp's BAH1000 is also a decent alternative. Rheostats should only be used in an environment where the room temperature stays very constant, night and day, thoughout the year. Never use heating devices without a thermostat or rheostat, as most produce enough heat to burn the animal or cause it to overheat (which could prove deadly). *A water bowl deep enough for the snake to submerge in to soak.
*A substrate. Newspaper or paper towels work very well, and are cheap to replace frequently. Reptile cage carpets which can be washed are also an option. Many people prefer aspen shavings or coconut fiber--be sure to change these substrates frequently if you use them, as they can hide urates, so a cage can be dirtier than it looks. Do not use fine silica sand, aquarium gravel, corncob, or other beddings that might stick to prey and be eaten and cause an impaction of the digestive system, nor any that might be excessively drying. The substrate should be fairly dry, as excessive dampness can cause skin infections.
*Two temperature gauges (thermometer).
*One humidity gauge (hygrometer).
*Two hide boxes or caves, large enough for the snake to fit inside completely, but small enough that the snake can feel secure. They should fit closely around the snake. You may need to get larger ones as the snake grows, if you get your snake when it is small.

Optional equipment:

*Low, sturdy climbing branches, plastic plants, or other decorations (be sure they are too large to be eaten, and do not stack rocks which might fall if pushed). These are heavy snakes, so anything that's not very sturdy may be crushed.
*Backdrop for cage, if using aquarium.
*Feeding tongs--hand feed your reptiles without getting nipped.
*Book on ball python care (necessary if you plan to breed them, a good idea even if you don't).

Setting up the enclosure:

Rinse out the cage with very hot water, and dry it. Use a soldering iron to create a series of small holes along the top edge of the bin. About 3 rows of holes is sufficient. Be sure there are no very rough/sharp edges sticking through inside the bin. Carefully create 4 holes at equal distance along the top rim of the bin which go through the lid as well. Make sure that the distance from the edge of the lid and bin rim is very short, and that your padlocks can fit through the holes. Place the substrate in the bottom. Place one hiding cave one one end of the cage. Place the other hiding cave on the other end of the cage. Place watering dish wherever you like, as well as the other decorations. Be aware you will need to change the water daily, so don't cover the bowl or place things that will make it hard to take out. Make sure that there is always an available water supply, particularly for hatchling snakes, which are delicate and prone to dehydration. Stick one thermometer down low on the side, on the inside of the cage so that you can read it. Stick the other thermometer (or remote probe from an indoor/outdoor thermometer) on the opposite side of the cage, on the floor of the cage over the heat pad. Place the humidity gauge down low in about the middle of the cage. If you are using an undertank heater, place this beneath one end of the cage, as far to that side as possible. Arrange heat rope to loop back and forth beneath half of the bin (without crossing the rope over itself).

Turn on the heat source, program the thermostat if you are using one, and leave the tank for about an hour. Come back, and read the temperature gauges. The warmest area of the cage should be around 90 degrees Farenheit. The cool side should be no more than 85 degrees, and no less than 80. If the cage is cooler than this, you will need to add another heat source, or adjust your thermostat or rheostat if they are aren't supplying full power. If the cage is warmer than this, you will need to turn down your thermostat or rheostat. Most undertank heaters get up to 110 degrees, so a rheostat is necessary. Additionally, many heating pads and devices actually get hotter as they get older, making a reliable controller essential to prevent serious risks of burns or even fires. If you believe your older heating device is getting TOO hot, replace it with a new one. Checking the actual temperature of the cage floor is highly recommended when using an undertank heater. The surface should be no warmer than 90 degrees on the warm side of the cage. You can do this using a thermometer with a remote probe, and placing the probe on the cage floor. It is important to set this up before putting your snake into the enclosure, and preferably before bringing it home.

Ball pythons do not require a night time drop in temperatures, and allowing temperatures to fall too low at night may put them at risk of respiratory infections. A small drop of 5 degrees should be well-tolerated, but you will need to insure that temperatures stay consistant at night.

Try to avoid feeding your snake a live rodent. If the snake refuses thawed rodents (available at some pet stores, and through mail order), you may try pre-killing a live rodent for them. A live rodent can VERY easily injure a snake, in the close confines of a cage, and they also may transmit internal parasites. In the wild, the snake can escape from overly aggressive prey, but wild snakes are still occasionally injured. You do not want this to happen to your pet. Purchase frozen rodents of appropriate size (these should be as big around as the widest part of the snake). Ball pythons can be convinced to eat frozen/thawed rodents with a bit of patience, if they aren't already eating them when you get them. If your snake refuses a frozen/thawed rat, try offering a rodent that you purchased live, but have pre-killed for the snake. A frozen/thawed rat can be refrozen once if it has been out no longer than 1/2 hour. Baby rodents may contain less calcium than adults...some people recommend dipping their hindquarters in calcium powder before feeding them, and there is no problem with doing this, though no particular problems have been found from feeding baby rodents without supplementing calcium. Ball pythons have a reputation for being picky eaters, and in many cases, it's deserved. You may need to experiment to find out what your python will accept. CBB animals have been started on rats or mice--they may accept one, but not the other. They may also be more difficult to convert to eating dead prey than some other species, but patience and persistance will eventually win over all but the most stubborn and finicky individuals. It is well worth the time and effort in the long run, to protect your snake's health. Make your attempt a long-term effort--give it at least 6 months of trying all of the various methods before giving up and accepting that your snake will only eat live prey. There are a small percentage of ball pythons that fall into this category. Always be sure to supervise them carefully and be prepared to intervene with forceps to help prevent serious bites if they happen to grab their prey the wrong way. NEVER leave a live weanling or adult rodent alone with a snake. Rats and mice have both been known to attack and even succeed in killing a snake. Never starve a snake to attempt to get it to eat a new food item. Ball pythons are more likely to switch to a new food item if they are used to eating regularly--they will be hungry 'on schedule'. You may wait one extra day to encourage them, but if they refuse the new food item, feed them what they will eat, and try again at the next scheduled feeding time. Ball pythons are well equipped to live for many months without food--in some cases as long as a year! They will not cave in and accept a strange food simply because they are hungry. Snakes have starved to death rather than eat an unfamiliar food.

Because ball pythons can be finicky eaters, it's best to offer them food in their own cage. Wait until early evening, when the snake awakens and begins to move around--it will often only do so if the lights are out. Also, be sure to wash your hands very thoroughly after handling your snake's food, before you put your hands near your snake. Snakes have strong predatory instincts that are triggered by movement, and the scent of prey. Your snake may bite you if its predatory instinct is triggered by your hands, either because they smell like food, or because it's used to food coming when its cage is opened. This is not the snake's fault--it will usually let go of you immediately if you don't smell like food...it may hang on and try to eat your fingers if your hand DOES smell like food, because it doesn't yet realize that it's you. Once it realizes its mistake, it will let go. Bites due to feeding mistakes are the most common bites received by snake owners...they are always the fault of the keeper. A snake cannot control its own instincts, nor learn not to react instinctively. We must learn to understand their behavior, instead. A misting bottle can be used to stop a snake from hunting if it appears ready for food when you want to handle it. A few gentle sprays will usually send the snake looking for shelter from the 'rain' rather than looking for movement of prey. A snake hook or other similar tool can be used to gently touch and move the snake in order to let it know that it isn't feeding time as well.

Never house more than one ball python in a cage. Ball pythons are generally shy animals, and live solitary lives when not breeding. Company may stress them.

Clean the cage whenever the snake urinates or defecates--if using newspaper or paper towel, remove all of the soiled paper and replace it. Wipe out if necessary. If using aspen or coconut fiber, dig out and discard the soiled area, and replace it with fresh. Once every week to two weeks, completely replace the substrate. Once every month, completely clean the cage-remove all the furniture, throw out any loose bedding, and wash everything thoroughly with soap and water. Then soak it in a 10% bleach solution or chlorhexedine solution for 5 to 10 minutes (never mix bleach with chlorhexedine). Rinse very thoroughly, and let it dry. Dry any wood furniture in the sun, and replace it after it's completely dried and the bleach odor is gone. Do this also when preparing a cage that's been used before for a new animal.

About Ball Pythons:

These snakes are a good choice for a "first pet" snake. They are generally docile, hardy, and easy to care for. Adult snakes can reach lengths of up to 6 feet, but usually get no more than 4 or 5 feet. They can live for around up to 30 years in captivity. It takes most female snakes around 3 years to reach breeding size (males can breed when they are one year old), but they will continue to grow slowly over the course of their lives, once they reach three years of age. They come in a wide variety of color morphs and patterns, which are available from a large number of breeders. Wild caught ball pythons are not very commonly available now, but captive hatched babies are very commonly offered during the summer. Captive hatched ball pythons come from wild parents. The eggs are collected, and placed into large pits in Africa, to hatch. These babies are often shipped straight out of the egg, and can be found in pet stores everywhere. They tend to be a bit more fragile than captive born and bred babies, but they can do well if treated properly. A fecal check should be done by a veterinarian shortly after you acquire the animal, to identify whether any parasites are present, and treat the snake to eliminate them. Internal parasites can build to lethal levels in captivity, due to continual re-infection, so they must be eliminated promptly. This is especially important with CH babies, as they are prone to carrying parasites, but since parasites can be easily transmitted by live rodents or by anything that has come into contact with the feces of an infected snake, any ball python can potentially have them. The vet check and fecal exam are relatively inexpensive, and well worth it to safeguard your pet's health.

Baby ball pythons will generally be shy, docile, and will hide their head defensively. Some younger snakes may be snappy, usually from hatching to 3 or 4 months old, but calm down and become docile later on. Keep in mind that animals have individual personalities, and it's always possible to get a very defensive, overreactive snake that will bite, or a very outgoing and calm animal--the temperment most ball pythons have isn't the temperment they ALL have. Ball pythons seldom defecate as a defense mechanism. If you work with them and handle them gently for 10 to 20 minutes or so every day, they will become used to you, and will become less defensive or frightened. Do not begin handling your python until it is eating regularly. Bites from a ball python bleed, because their teeth are needle sharp and quite long, but they will not be very painful. Ball pythons are not venomous. A serious bite from a fully grown adult python may require medical attention, in some cases. Never pull away or try to pull the snake away if you are bitten--this will make the wound much worse, even to the point where it may require stitches. It may also injure the snake or break its teeth. Gently coax the python to release you on its own by moving its coils off of its head if necessary, and tapping it on the nose, or spraying water on its nose. Keep as still as possible, as pythons instinctively constrict their prey until it stops moving. Most defensive bites are released immediately. Most accidental feeding bites involve constriction, and may take a bit longer. The snake will let go once it realizes it made a mistake.

When you first bring your snake home, leave it alone for at least 1 week, without handling it, to allow it to settle in and recover from the stress. Then, you may offer it food--when it eats, leave it alone for at least one full day afterward, so that it can digest its food. Handling soon after eating may cause a snake to regurgitate its meal. Never handle a snake that is not eating well, or is ill, unless absolutely necessary. Handling is very stressful for reptiles, even if they are tame and used to you. If a hatchling snake goes longer than 4 weeks without eating, re-evaluate your husbandry. Are the temperatures correct at all times? Does the snake have small, close hiding spaces on each side? Has it been left alone? Was it eating before you got it, and if so, what? (Try feeding it what it has eaten before). If none of that solves the issue, seek veterinary attention promptly. For adults, seek attention if the snake goes without eating for more than 8 weeks. This is a longer period of time than many other snake species, as ball pythons have a slow metabolism. Males may cease eating during the fall and winter months, but you will come to know your snake's habits over time--if its pattern of behavior changes, assume that something is wrong, and act accordingly. Monitoring your snake's weight is useful as well. A snake that is losing a lot of weight needs an immediate vet check.

To maintain it in the long term, have your snake checked by a veterinarian once a year for parasites or other health problems. If you notice your snake behaving abnormally, particularly if it stops eating, or seems less active than usual, seek medical care for it immediately. Reptiles do not usually show illness until they are seriously ill. Treated quickly, most ball python illnesses are not serious, the majority being related to parasites or to an infection, but if left for a long time, they can become life-threatening and difficult to treat.

Some ball pythons may stop eating for a week or so before shedding their skin, something they will do several times a year (more when they are young). Before shedding, the snake's colors will become faded and dark, and its eyes will become cloudy. The snake is nearly blinded by this pre-shedding condition, and it may be irritable as a result. A snake "in the blue" (close to shedding) should not be handled, as the new skin beneath its old one might be damaged. A snake's skin should come off in one intact piece. If it does not, the humidity in the cage is too low. Adding an airstone hooked to an air pump in its water dish may help raise the humidity. You can also mist several times a day with a spray bottle. Skin retained on the eyes or in other areas may be gently removed, after the snake has been placed in a plastic box (with air holes) and wet paper towels for a few hours. It should come off easily--if it does not, don't pull hard, as you may injure the snake. A piece of scotch tape can be used to remove eye caps, after soaking, by wrapping the tape around your finger sticky-side out, and very gently rolling it across the eye cap--if they do not come off easily, take it to a vet to have the skin removed. Skin stuck around the snake's tail can cut off circulation, and lead to loss of the tail. Retained eye caps can lead to eye infections, so it's important to inspect the skin every time your snake sheds.

With the proper care, your ball python should thrive problem free for its full lifespan of 15 to 30 years.