Ball python Q's.

[J.huff23]

Hey I just got a little ball python and have a few questions.

I looked at a care sheet but I want the expertsa to confirm the facts.

The sheet says that a full grown ball python can be kept in a tank that is 30 inches long by 12 inches wide, by 13 inches tall. Is that true? I mean, it seems a little small for a snake that big.:?

It also says that they need a heat lamp on them at all times in a certain spot of the tank. Is that true? Even in the summer heat?

Also, it says its ok to use newspaper as a substrate...is that ok? Will the snake be truly happy?



Thanks guys.

 

[Will Hunting]

Hey I just got a little ball python and have a few questions.

I looked at a care sheet but I want the expertsa to confirm the facts.

The sheet says that a full grown ball python can be kept in a tank that is 30 inches long by 12 inches wide, by 13 inches tall. Is that true? I mean, it seems a little small for a snake that big.:?

It also says that they need a heat lamp on them at all times in a certain spot of the tank. Is that true? Even in the summer heat?

Also, it says its ok to use newspaper as a substrate...is that ok? Will the snake be truly happy?



Thanks guys.

The sheet says it "can", but it is not at all advisable. You want to give the snake some environmental stimulation, which it won't get in a tank that small.

Ball Pythons are pretty easy to keep happy in terms of temps. Get a thermometer and adjust it to you see fit. I'd keep a Ball Python around room temp. You want the cool end to be around 75 and the hot end around 80, and give them a hide on each side. That'll let them move around to keep their body temp where they want it.

Newspaper is a widely used substrate and works very well, though lacking any aesthetic value. =p I personally like to go the extra bit and make the tanks look nice and natural.

 

[J.huff23]

So what size enclosure would you recommend for a full grown ball?

Mine is 24 inches at the moment.

 

[Will Hunting]

So what size enclosure would you recommend for a full grown ball?

Mine is 24 inches at the moment.

I've always been one to spoil my animals with large enclosures. I kept mine in an almost 4x4 square. Height really means nothing to a ball python, as they can't climb to save their lives. I'd say anything with at least the floor space of a 55 gallon fish tank should do the trick.

 

[J.huff23]

Ok, cool. Thanks!

 

[Mushroom Spore]

The sheet says that a full grown ball python can be kept in a tank that is 30 inches long by 12 inches wide, by 13 inches tall. Is that true? I mean, it seems a little small for a snake that big.:?

I don't know the measurements, but even my smallish male is in a 20 gallon long and will be moved to a 30 when I can afford it. The snake needs at least enough room to stretch out completely. I disagree that they need "enrichment" since my BP's idea of a good time is spending most of the day in a hide asleep, unless he's hungry or otherwise unhappy.

It also says that they need a heat lamp on them at all times in a certain spot of the tank. Is that true? Even in the summer heat?

Reptiles, being cold-blooded animals, need a fairly consistent environmental temperature. If the environment temp drops ten degrees, their internal temp drops ten degrees. A human suffering from a similar drop is dying of hypothermia. A reptile will suffer from a weakened immune system and get sick, or it will die - depending on the species and the severity/length of the temperature problem. This goes extra for tropical species like ball pythons, while something like corn snakes are from the US where we actually have winter.

So it doesn't matter what time of year it is, you need to keep their temps right. I don't know where the other guy got 80 from as an acceptable hot end temp, that's the COLD end. Hot end should be like 88-90. Also heat lamps are lame and will dry up your humidity, which results in a BP that can't shed and comes down with a respiratory infection. They also have to be turned off at night, which may mean too cold a tank. Get yourself a reptile undertank heater with a thermostat so you can adjust it to the proper temps. They're also cheaper long-term, since bulbs need replacing a lot more than a heating pad. I've regularly had them last a few years at a time.

Also, it says its ok to use newspaper as a substrate...is that ok? Will the snake be truly happy?

Not really, no. Ball pythons are burrowers, and they can't burrow in newspapers (well I guess they can hide under them, but it's not the same). They'll also get ink all over themselves. Do not, however, use sand, pine, or cedar as a burrowing substrate, as the former is quite unsanitary and can clog nostrils/heat pits, and pine and cedar are toxic. Aspen shavings are perfectly safe and my BP loves to dig tunnels in it.

 

[Boanerges]

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=30763
http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/Sections/index.php?op=viewarticle&id=59

 

[bigdog999]

regardless of your heating accessory, the most important item is a good thermostat. Left on their own, a heating element could easily top 120 degrees and dry out your snake.

 

[Shrike]

I agree, a bigger enclosure would be better. Newspaper will work just fine, but in my experience with newspaper, snakes tend to do a bit of rearranging, burrowing under the newspaper, etc. Not a very aesthetically pleasing substrate, but definitely functional. I use aspen, but you might want to use a substrate that will hold a bit more moisture--cypress or eco earth for example. I know some ball python keepers provide their snakes with a second hide box filled with moist sphagnum moss to help them when they shed. Great snakes!

 

[Bird Man]

How do you sex these guys? anyone got pics?

 

[Mushroom Spore]

How do you sex these guys? anyone got pics?

Pretty sure you have to take them to a vet or experienced hobbyist to get them probed. DO NOT try this by yourself no matter what diagrams you find on the internet, you can seriously injure the animal.

 

[J.huff23]

Ok, cool. Thanks guys. I am going to the local pet store tomorrow to get aspen bedding, cage locking clips, a hide, and a heat pad with a thermometer. Eventually I will get a bigger tank for him. My corn snake needs a bigger tank too.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Will Hunting]

I don't know the measurements, but even my smallish male is in a 20 gallon long and will be moved to a 30 when I can afford it. The snake needs at least enough room to stretch out completely. I disagree that they need "enrichment" since my BP's idea of a good time is spending most of the day in a hide asleep, unless he's hungry or otherwise unhappy.



Reptiles, being cold-blooded animals, need a fairly consistent environmental temperature. If the environment temp drops ten degrees, their internal temp drops ten degrees. A human suffering from a similar drop is dying of hypothermia. A reptile will suffer from a weakened immune system and get sick, or it will die - depending on the species and the severity/length of the temperature problem. This goes extra for tropical species like ball pythons, while something like corn snakes are from the US where we actually have winter.

So it doesn't matter what time of year it is, you need to keep their temps right. I don't know where the other guy got 80 from as an acceptable hot end temp, that's the COLD end. Hot end should be like 88-90. Also heat lamps are lame and will dry up your humidity, which results in a BP that can't shed and comes down with a respiratory infection. They also have to be turned off at night, which may mean too cold a tank. Get yourself a reptile undertank heater with a thermostat so you can adjust it to the proper temps. They're also cheaper long-term, since bulbs need replacing a lot more than a heating pad. I've regularly had them last a few years at a time.



Not really, no. Ball pythons are burrowers, and they can't burrow in newspapers (well I guess they can hide under them, but it's not the same). They'll also get ink all over themselves. Do not, however, use sand, pine, or cedar as a burrowing substrate, as the former is quite unsanitary and can clog nostrils/heat pits, and pine and cedar are toxic. Aspen shavings are perfectly safe and my BP loves to dig tunnels in it.

I've never once witnessed any of my ball pythons burrowing. And as for temps, I had first tried what most of the care sheets say (90 basking, 80 cool end) but they'd always hide on the coldest end of the tank. I then experimented with the temps in my tank, lowering it to 80-85 on the hot end and they'd thermo-regulate themselves.

So really, it's more about the behavior you observe rather than what someone else tells you. If your snake stays put in the hottest side of the tank, you may want to raise the temps, and vice-versa.