#snake tips

General

Royal pythons, better known as ball pythons are a species of constrictor snake from West Africa. Ball pythons are known for rolling up into a ball. They come in hundreds of different morphs (patterns and colors) with thousands of different morph combinations. Ball pythons range from 3-5 feet with females tending to be larger. They live about 20-30 years. They tend to be incredibly docile snakes that don't mind being handled.

Husbandry

Ball pythons have very specific husbandry needs. One end of the tank needs to be a warm basking area and one needs to be cooler, so all heat sources should be placed at one end of the tank. The required temperatures are about

Basking surface temperature: 95-104°F (35-40°C)

Warm hide temperature: 86-90°F (30-32°C)

Cool hide temperature: 72-80°F (22-27°C)

Nighttime temperature: 70-78°F (21-26°C)

Fahrenheit is a more suitable measurement because of the smaller increments. The air temperature should never reach more than 95°F.

Ball pythons need plenty of hiding spaces, at least one hide on each end of the tank, preferably more depending on the size of the snake. Along with hides, they should have plenty of rocks, leaves, and branches to feel comfortable. While ball pythons are not arboreal (living in trees) many will climb if given the opportunity, so climbing space is also useful. A basking rock or branch in the hot end of the tank is also important. They need at least 6 inches of substrate that retains moisture well. Pythons are diggers and the depth is important. Coconut fiber and sphagnum moss are a good mixture to help retain humidity. Ball pythons require 60% humidity to thrive and so a water-retaining substrate is helpful, along with a large water bowl, daily mistings, and a humid hide. The snake also needs a heavy water bowl large enough for the snake to lie in but shallow enough to avoid drowning.

Growing ball pythons can be fed rodents no larger than the thickest part of the snake once every 7-10 days. Adult ball pythons can be fed once every other week. They should always be fed with tongs. Do not feed your snake if they are in shed. You will know they are in shed by a blue coating over their eyes.

Handling

Ball pythons almost always take well to handling and depending on the temperament of the snake can even enjoy it. It's best to tap train them which involves taking a paper towel roll or something extended from the hand beside the feeding tongs and tapping the snake every time it's taken out to be handled. This helps let the snake know that it is not being fed. It is important to pay attention to the snake's body language. If it seems stressed (tensing, bucking, heavy breathing) you should return it to its enclosure. A happy snake will have slow tongue flicks. A ball python (this depends on the snake but as a rule) should only be handled once daily for about an hour. You should not handle the snake for a few days before or after feeding it as this can cause it to go off food or regurgitate respectively. You should not handle your snake if they are in shed unless they have stuck shed. There are multiple ways to remove stuck shed including placing the snake in warm water or placing a warm wet towel on the snake.

Difficulties

Ball pythons are an incredibly popular snake. This unfortunately leads to a lot of mishandling. Snakes are kept in enclosures much too small with much too few hiding spaces. An adult ball python requires an enclosure that's at least 4x2x2 feet. Ball pythons tend to be very picky eaters. There are many reasons that they may go off food including improper enclosure conditions, handling before meal time, shed, and you look at them wrong. Feeding live is a controversial topic in snake keeping though I'm personally against it as it can be incredibly dangerous for the snake.

In snake breeding, there are several morphs associated with neurological issues including any spider, bee, champagne, spotnose, and woma morphs. These morphs are intrinsically linked with what is known as the wobble. The wobble is a neurological condition that can cause a snake to have difficulty keeping itself upright. It may lift its upper body so far that it falls back on itself (stargazing) and it may also turn its head in circles multiple times (corkscrewing). These behaviors create an incredibly stressful life for the snake.

Common conditions include:

Mouth Rot: an infection of the mouth that can be noticed by white or red puss in the mouth

Parasites: Internal parasites are often hard to spot but general unwellness (regurgitation, diarrhea, infection) in the snake should warrant a visit to the vet

Ticks and Mites: They can be hard to spot sometimes, especially with a dark or spotted snake but lifting up the snake's scales can reveal them attached to the skin

Skin Infection: It can be caused by an enclosure that is dirty or too moist and is noticed by red skin and blisters

Respiratory Infections: They can be noticed if a snake is blowing bubbles with their nose, yawning frequently not after a meal, wheezing, and gurgling sounds Inclusion

Large exoterra tanks are not designed for small snakes, if you are getting a small colubrid (king, garter, corn, etc) I highly recommend using tank clips on the lid. My king escaped out of her 36x18x12 within 48 hours of her being put in there, though thankfully we found her before I even knew she was gone it was so scary. She used the background as leverage and the clips are spaced so far apart and the lid is thin plastic so it has a fair amount of give. I used a clip between all the clips already on the lid, both on the sides and back of the tank, using 3 total on the back and 1 for either side and I haven’t had any issues since. It’s so hard to try and provide large tanks for these animals when so few of them are small snake proof. I hope this helps!

If you have a colubrid or other smaller snake species, these make amazing hides for them because of the little half circle on each side. They're easy to clean, and cheaper than similar-sized hides marketed for reptiles. All of my adult corn snakes have them, and they love them. Bonus: if you need to, you can put the water dish on top, or you can use the top for placing the feeder, if your snake won't eat off the tongues.

And FWIW, that is not an affiliate link, I just want to share how much I love this item I repurposed from my cats for my snakes.

OMG! I’m so sorry that it’s taken me so long to respond! I’m in the process of moving and that’s not really a great excuse, but that’s why I haven’t been posting or responding to asks.I’m terrible! I apologize! I’ll try to do better!Anyway, to address your question completely backwards, there are lots and lots of great places to get a healthy, beautiful beebee snek. I recommend checking with local rescues first, as they will often get very pretty and very healthy and often quite young snakes surrendered that people can’t keep or have lost interest in. You’d be shocked how many corn snakes are given as gifts to children who lose interest after the third or fourth feeding, and then their parents end up frantically trying to rehome an animal they were never really invested in to start with. There are rescue groups on Facebook (and maybe on Tumblr??) and most dog and cat rescues will either occasionally get reptiles or may be able to refer you to a local facility or person who does reptile rescue. Depending on where you live, there’s likely to be at least one rescue near you!

If you’re looking for a particular morph, it’s better to go to a breeder directly rather than buy from a retailer. A reputable breeder (or just a good amateur breeder) will be able to tell you a snake’s hatch date, what they’re eating and how often, and they can provide you with a good idea of the animal’s health and family background.Fauna Classifieds has a Board of Inquiry that you can check for referrals for good breeders and warnings against bad ones.As far as snek parent tips, here’s the stuff I wish someone had told me before i bought my first snake:

1. Check in on your snake before you go to feed them, even if you already check them every day. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thawed and warmed up a mouse just to go in and see that a baby’s eyes were starting to cloud over and have them refuse to eat.

2. If you thaw a mouse in a plastic baggy in the fridge overnight instead of thawing it on the counter or in water and you haven’t warmed it up yet, you can refreeze it.

3. If a baby snake misses a feeding due to shedding, they’ll be fine. They can even miss two meals due to shedding and be super okay! Don’t flip out!

4. Every snake likes to do out-of-character stuff sometimes. Even sand boas will climb occasionally given the opportunity.

5. Never underestimate the power and determination of a wily noodle. If there is any way for them to escape their enclosure, they will find it and exploit it.

6. UVB lighting: Might not help. Definitely won’t hurt.7. Keep records both digitally and in a notebook or some other physical means of documentation. Record every feeding. Take weight and length measurements every month. Use something like the SerpWidgets snake measuring tool to make measuring easier. This might not seem important, but the first time you have to rush to a vet or you ask yourself if your noodle has grown at all in the past three months you’ll suddenly realize the value of those records.

8. You don’t have to feed in a separate enclosure, but it’s a good idea to feed on a flat dish or in a shallow bowl to prevent your snek eating substrate.9. You will get bitten at some point. It won’t hurt much (usually not at all) but it will probably be startling. Make peace with this.10. Have two water bowls on hand for when they poop-splode hardcore in the first one and you need to sterilize it before putting it back.