Ball/Royal Python Care

Life Span: 20-30yrs

Housing: Ball Pythons do very well in wooden vivarium's as they keep the heat and humidity well. A good size for an adult would be around 4x2x2ft however you can also keep them in tubs of around 30-70ltrs, either accommodation choice will work and both will need a daily spot clean and a monthly full clean. While these snakes are not arboreal they do enjoy being able to climb, even a little bit, so you should provide some logs or branches, at least two hides and other enrichment will also be needed. 

Substrate: Ball Pythons do extremely well on humidity holding substrates such as coco fiber, orchid bark or coco husk. However more arid substrate can work such as Aspen or Lignocel.

Heating: With these snakes either a heat mat or a heat bulb can work well, if a bulb is used then a cage protector will be needed to prevent burns and with both of theses heat sources a thermostat is needed. The warm/basking side of the enclosure should be between 26-32c and the cool side should be 24-26c.

UVB/Lighting: Usually no UVB lights are needed with ball pythons however if you decided to use one then it would not do any harm and will have some natural benefits. In regard to lighting no added lighting is needed but if the animal will have no access to natural lighting you should use some UVB as they need a natural day/night cycle.

Humidity: Ball pythons need a relatively high humidity level, they will be comfortable with a range of 40-60% humidity, this can be achieved through daily misting, humidity holding substrate and a humid/shed box. 

Diet and Water: While young larger mice will be a stable diet for these snakes but as they get bigger they will need to move onto rats as their main diet. They can also eat day old chicks as a treat. These snakes will need a large water bowl that will aid in keeping humidity up, is big enough to curl up in and can hold a lot of water.

Housing Together: Ball pythons do not work well when living together, the only time they should be together is when they are breeding other then that they should be solitary animals.

Picky Eating: One disadvantage to Ball pythons is that they have a reputation of being picky eater and going on hunger strikes if stressed. To prepare for that i suggest having a small plastic tub that the ball python can fit in, when/if the ball python refuses a meal then you can try placing them in a smaller environment to eat, this can sometimes encourage them to eat the meal!