Ball Python Questions.

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hmoobvwj

hmoobvwj

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Feb 13, 2008
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First of all, I work at a pet store, and right now we have a male pastel ball python, and 2 male spider ball python. I was seriously thinking about getting one of them (going against my parent's wishes). Here is where I have the questions:

ONE: I don't really want to keep the python in a glass tank, as I know they like their privacy and I don't want them stressing out with all 4 sides open to the world. SO I've noticed that a lot of people keep them in these plastic drawers and will usually have a snake to a drawer. I was wondering, by doing so, how can you make a basking area? Or is there simply just isn't one? How do you maintain the temperature that the python wants without worrying about burning the plastic?

TWO: What substrate should I use? I see people using paper towel, newspaper, wood bark/wood chips/mulch, to sand. What is the best IYO. Something that won't promote bacteria growth due to dampness.

THREE: How much should I feed? The python I might be getting is roughly around 20"? I asked and we feed them a large mice every 2 weeks. Should I stay with that feeding schedule or what do you guys recommend with this size of a python. (I'm not really pro-feeding live, so I will be switching to F/T after and if I get the python).

FOUR: How much is too much for handling? I would like to handle my snake on a daily basis for us to better understand each other.

FIVE: Any other advices and tips? What is the maintenance level on pythons IYO? Anything compare to rays? AHAHA. :D

TYVM and sorry for the long write but kinda a noob, and wanting to step into the world of reptiles for the time being.
 
Well, to start off, did you consider any sort of hiding spot for your ball python? They're naturally very shy & meek [&so sweeeet], often to an extreme degree. For a tank, you can provide an appropriately sized shoebox for the snake to hide in. My ball python spent much of his time there, unless he was shedding or soaking. Under the shoebox, I placed an under-tank heater. He loved that spot and never needed a basking light. This is also what you would do if you were to place it in a drawer-type setup: an under tank heater. Getting a smaller type strip heater might provide better results, because it shouldn't burn plastic. Heat strips are the best option for the drawer setup anyway, basking lights seem like they might be dangerous in that kind of setup, making burns possibly more likely.

Once you take a look at all your heating options you might get inspired.
In my opinion, the bricks of shredded coconut are the best. They hold moisture amazingly, all the animals love burrowing in it; I've been using it for 10 years and never found anything better. Certain brands are better than others, but I can't recall my favorite at this moment. The coconut brick stuff is definitely some of the, if not the best stuff you could use for snakes that need a pretty good amount of humidity. And, it NEVER molds, and when it dries out you just pour water in and rehydrate it. They love this stuff like crazy.
Once my snakes start to get around 3 feet i start feeding them every 3 weeks, and then about 4 feet it becomes once a month. Overfeeding or power-feeding is detrimental to your snake in the long run and will cause it to have a shorter, unhealthy life.

Frozen-thawed is definitely the best way to go. Even if the snake might be reluctant for the first feeding, or not eat at all, just let her get a little more hungry, and try again in two weeks. make sure it's slightly warm, too, and she shouldn't have any problem switching :>

Handle your snake as much as often!!! Except for a full day after feeding, where they need to be left alone. Removal from a heat source after feeding will result in the snake vomiting, as heat is needed for them to digest their food. [power outage once cause the under-tank heater to go out, I returned to school to find a horrid snake-vomit in the cage] Otherwise, the food will rot in their bellies. I repeat, othrwise handle as much as often! Take him for walks, introduce him to grass, let him become familiar with sharp movements gradually&he will become the chillest snake B) I used to and still do, kiss my snake babies big&small on their little noses. <3

The best thing about snakes is that you can go on a vacation and not worry about the snake much at all as long as he's got water. They're so deliciously low maintenance, and total lap dogs. Er, snakes.
Hope I can help anytime, herpetology is my next favorite hobby and I've been at it my whole life. <3 Good luck, and I have to admit there's nothing like owning a snake! [youshouldtotallygetone!] &#9829;
 
Thank you so very much! That helped out a lot! I was also reading that most did do the under the setup heat thing, but about the strip lights for the drawers. Can you or someone provide a link to the best ones around? Otherwise I might just go with the "Zoo Med" heating pads. BTW I will be adding a hiding spot and a piece of wood for it to chillax on. Otherwise I was also debating on just spray painting my 20 gallon long on all 3 sides black and just leaving the front visible to the snake.

What is a better snake proof setup though? I would think the drawer will make it practically snake proof VS a tank with a lid. There will be a weighted item on top of the lid IF I do go with the 20 gallon setup. I'm just carefully managing a budget here. LOL.

Much appreciated!!!
 
Anyone?
 
In my experience, Zoo Med anything sucks... it tends to be cheap&unreliable. Ebay can get you practically anything, it's your best bet for heating options; but pet stores usually carry many different kinds. For a strip or pad, you want something large enough but not too large [placed at the end of the tank, so he can remove himself from the heat if he desires, that way he regulates his own heat] since burns are one of the number one snake injuries [usually from heating rocks, lights, and pads that get way too hot]; it should be just big enough for his whole body to rest on when it's curled up, and no bigger.
My advice is to make sure there's a good layer of bedding between the tank bottom and heat strip so that the snake doesn't get burnt. I always had to make sure a small layer of newspaper sat ontop of the warm spot in the tank under the other bedding, so when his fatness would push all the coconut substrate away&his belly sat flat, he didn't touch bare hot glass.

Leaving a piece of wood in there is also necessary and a great idea, because when it comes time to shed, the snake is going to need a lot of moisture and something he can rub his whole body against to shed properly. When snakes shed in pieces and not a whole skin this is a good indication they didn't have enough humidity or anything to scrape their skin off against.
Spray-painting the tank may also be a good idea if the tank is going to be in a high-traffic area; otherwise, you may want to just let your snake get used to the activity to keep it from being spooked constantly.

Tanks with lids& a weight can be just as effective as the drawer idea, if not a better idea. Drawers are usually only convenient when you have a space-saving need&multiple snake setups, & you would assuredly enjoy viewing your tank and decor. However, this is really totally a preference/budget choice x3 Not like snakes move much, but I always had fun giving each tank a 'theme', so that driftwood deserts and dense jungles provided dramatic settings for the dramatic, albeit lazy snake xD
 
Well about the setup

Mine is kept in a very simple setup,
That is a 96 qt, sterilite tub, with airholes at on the lid, an appropriately sized heating pad with a dimmer built in, and a water bowl. I have him on newspaper substrate.

For the heating pad, you must have something to control it, such as a thermostat or rheostat (dimmer). Especially for the zoomed ones that get extremely hot. This is definitely necessary for a tub. To measure the temperature inside the tub, get a good digital thermometer with a probe. You put the probe inside the tank right on the plastic, directly above the heat pad. This is the way to ensure that the closest point in the tub to the pad is not too hot. I keep my temps in the low 90s.

For the substrate, I am finding the newspaper very good. He hides under it generally, and he has one piece sheds. Also when he's shedding, I do generally put a rock in, but he seems to prefer using the temperature probe :p

I feed him one small rat a week (he's 40" long), except when he's shedding, I skip a feeding.
 
Ive actually had decent luck with zoomed. One thing is those zoomed heat pags get hot do use a thermostat. For enclosure you could buy a aquarium and paint three sides black. From what Ive heard ball pythons can be picky eaters and will go on food strikes from time to time
.
 
Too lazy too read the comments, but don't use paper towels. They WILL get wet, thus making the bin super humid and making it a great place for bacteria growth, You could use aspen but if you feed in the tank there is a chanve it could get a chip stuck in its mouth or throat which could give it an RI.
 
I think paper towels are fine
How would they get wet? Unless you make them wet, in which case any substrate would mold or w/e
And an aspen chip stuck in the mouth would probably cause an infection but not respiratory
 
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