Ball Python
Python regius
Family: Pythonidae
Adult Size: Males can average around 3 feet, while females can get up to about 5 feet.
Range:
The species occurs in sub-Saharan central Africa, and can be found from Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia on the west coast, east to southern Chad and Uganda.
Habitat: Grasslands and savannahs.
Captive Lifespan: More than 20 Years
Dangerous: No
Care Level: Beginner
Gallery Images:
Overview:
Ball pythons require secure, well-ventilated cages. A glass aquarium with a secure ventilated top (screen wire or perforated metal) makes a satisfactory cage. Most adults could live out their lives quite happily in an enclosure the approximate size of a 20-gallon long aquarium. Pythons do well on aspen bedding or newspaper substrate.
Clean water should be available at all times in a glass or ceramic bowl. A ball python will eat mice its entire life. One appropriately sized mouse per week is an adequate feeding schedule. Older and larger snakes may eat two or three mice, or one small rat a week.
Ball pythons seem to do best if kept in the mid-80s Fahrenheit. It is good if the cage has a temperature gradient with one side warmer than the other. Ball pythons can better tolerate temperature extremes if they do not have food in their stomachs.
