Caresheets Ball Python Care Ball Python Information Page

ONLY GUARANTEED CAPTIVE BRED ANIMALS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED BY BEGINNERS DUE TO FEEDING PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED WITH WILD CAUGHT ANIMALS.

Grows to a maximum length of 5 - 6 ft (1.5-2m).

DISTRIBUTION: West Africa; Senegal to Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and parts of Central Africa. Most are imported from Togo and Ghana.

HOUSING: The minimum size of a vivarium for an adult Royal should be 36" x 18" x 12", and preferably larger. Substrate can be Newspaper, wood chip or bark chippings, or a commercially produced "Astroturf" or "reptile carpet".

Royal Pythons are secretive snakes and should always have a hide box. This can be as simple as a cardboard box or cereal packet, large flowerpots or cork bark tubes, again commercially produced decorative hides made of plastic or ceramics are available.

Water should always be available, large heavy ceramic dog bowls are ideal. They are easy to clean, and the weight prevents them from being over turned easily.

Royal python require high temperature to do well in captivity. The ambient air temperature should be around 80 - 85F. A heat mat is ideal for achieving the required temperature. The mat should cover no more than half the base of the vivarium to give a temperature gradient.

No special lighting is required for these snakes as the are nocturnal. A low wattage bulb is all that is required if necessary to see your snake during the day. To cause fewer disturbances to the snake a red bulb is best, as snakes cannot see light at that frequency, but you can see them.

DIET: Royal Pythons are notorious for their feeding problems. One thing to remember is that if your snake is healthy it can go without food for several months.(22 months is a recorded fast in the USA). It should also be remembered that Royal Pythons have a natural fasting period related to their breeding cycle. It is common for wild caught animals or even first generation captive bred animals to fast from autumn to spring.

Most hatchling captive bred snakes will eat within the first few weeks after purchase, or after their first shed if newly hatched.

All Royals will take rodents of some kind, in proportional size to their mouths. Hatchlings will take "fuzzy"mice (10 day old), adults will eat large mice or half grown rats. Gerbils or hamsters of the relevant size often tempt those that refuse these.

A CHECK LIST TO GET YOUR ROYAL FEEDING

1. Make sure your vivarium is at the correct temperature.
2. Allow your snake time to settle in. (2-3 weeks). DO NOT HANDLE IT.
3. Make sure it has a shelter to feel secure. If the vivarium is in a busy room, cover it up.
4. Make sure that it is not about to shed.
5. Introduce the food at night.
6. If mice are refused try gerbils or hamsters.
7. If new food sources are refused, then place the snake in close confined contact with its food, either a small box or pillowcase and seal it.
8. The above methods should be tried several times before contemplating force feeding. It should be carried out only after weight loss is becoming evident.

BREEDING: Only healthy, regular feeding snake should be considered for breeding. Plus they should be of the opposite sex to avoid disappointment. Royals are difficult to sex, as both genders have small spurs, plus males unless totally relaxed will clasp probes whilst being sexed, and will show as females.

Royal Pythons in captivity are seasonal breeders. Most Royals will stop feeding from October, and mate sporadically through to February. Most successful matings occur when several of each sex are housed together. For single pair best results are achieved by introducing the female to the male for periods of two to three days once a week, and then repeating this throughout the mating season, or until the female appears gravid in that time.

Eggs appear from February to August depending on when the female was mated. Clutches are from 2 to 10 depending on the size of the female. The standard method of incubation is to half bury the eggs in a container (ice cream tub) of moist vermiculite (equal parts by weight). Incubation is usually 56-70days at 90F. The hatchlings are 8-18 inches (23-43cm)in length an weigh around 2 oz(50 grams.)

SUITABILITY: Because of possible feeding problems these snakes are not recommended for beginners unless they are captive bred, or the owners has access to a responsible Society or Vet who can give advice should problems arise.

Due to the increasing knowledge and variety of equipment available these snakes are now easier to maintain and breed in captivity. In the USA albino, piebald and golden colour types have been bred. These snakes are usually very docile and as they grow only to 6 ft are preferable to larger Pythons and Boas.

AUTHORS K. HOLLINGSWORTH

(11/04/95)

REFERENCES: E.Zimmermann(1986) Breeding Terrarium Animals

P.Vosjoli(1990) The Care and Maintenance of Ball Pythons.

R. Ross(1990) The Reproductive Husbandry of Pythons and Boas.

J. Protheroe

B. Pomfret(1994) Snake, The Snake Keepers Guide

Various Authors Royal News Magazines

PRAS care sheet number 14

PRAS offers you this care sheet for your own information, should you wish to republish then please do not edit or reformat this sheet in any way and quote PRAS as the source.