Species: Ball Python

BALL PYTHON

Ball pythons are part of the Pythonidae’s family. It is a constrictor, and they measures 120cm once adults. Females are larger than males. They live mainly in West Africa, in meadows and savannas. They are easy to handle but these animals are often stressed.

The eat small rodents, rats in general. Pythons are oviparous, and sexual maturity is reached between 8 months for males and 2 years old for females in general. Females lays an average of 8 eggs, and they hatched after 60 days.

Wild ball pythons are often parasitized. In captivity, they are small feeders, and they can live 15 to 20 years.

Captivity’s conditions:

They can live in racks or in terrarium, depending on the animal, some of them prefers racks, others have a good life in terrarium. The light must be timed by day and night, but the daylight is enough for them. It requires heat with a thermal gradient, they need a hot and a cold point in the same living space. Cold point should be at 25° and hot count at 32°. At night, it will be around 26°. You also need a water bowl, and hiding places for your snake. Ball pythons loves hiding. We can change these variables in the winter, but it’s not mandatory.

Feeding:

The size of rodents must be adapted to the animal. You can give them alive or dead preys, or freshly killed, according to what the animal accepts. On average, one prey every 10 days is acceptable, but it really depends on the specimens. For the youngest, it can go up to all 5 days.

Breeding:

To mate males and females, it is necessary to put the snakes 5 days in presence, then to put the male to rest 2 days, and feeding it. A lot of breeders have different method, you have to find your own.

Females refusing to feed, changing color and growing during a variable ovulation time of 3h to 4j, may be pregnant. For the maintenance of eggs, an incubator is required with a high level of hygrometry and heat at 30°. Natural incubation may be possible for the most vigorous females, but it can severely strain the animal.