My Care Sheet

1. Size- The maximum size is around 6 feet for females and less for males. The Average size of ball pythons range from 3.5 to 5 feet long, with females being larger than the males.

2. Behaviors and Temperament

 Ball pythons are Nocturnal, meaning they are mostly active at night. They also do not "enjoy" being handled; you can handle them but lots of handling can result in stress, which might cause it to go off feed. They (along with almost all other snakes) are solitary animals that seek each other out only to breed. Keeping two Ball pythons in the same cage for prolonged periods might cause one or both to become stressed.

As far as temperament Ball python's are one of the most docile snakes available today. The majority will not bite if frightened they will curl up into a "ball" (hence their name). If you are handling it (or are about to ) and it goes into a "ball" it is a good idea to put it back in its cage and wait a few days.

3. Caging

 Up to 24" long, house in something approximate size of a 10 gallon (10" by 20"). If using a 10gallon cover 3 sides with paper to make it seem more secure.

Juvenile (over 24") and adult males and juvenile females, cage in something the approximate size as a 20 gallon long aquarium (12" by 30").
Adult Females, cage in something the approximate size of a 30 or 40 gallon breeder aquarium.

-Note- When using aquariums for caging it is very hard to heat and keep humidity in. I suggest using appropriate sized Rubbermaid / Sterilite containers with air holes.

4. Setting up the cage

 -note- Thermometer was taken out to get clearer view of cage.

-Equipment needed- 2-Clay flowerpot hides 1-digital thermometer with probe (a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer) 1-Water dish 1-Humidity gauge 1 or 2- Heat sources (heat pad or heat lamp) 1-Thermostat...

Hides. Position one of the hides on each end of the cage. One directly over or under the heat source (heat source should be at one end) and one at the other side of the cage.

Digital thermometer with probe. Place the base unit of the thermometer on the cool side of the cage and place the probe inside the warm side (side with heater) hide. The analog thermometers you find at pet stores are very inaccurate which is why you should use digital.

Water dish. Position the water dish near the middle of the cage. Move it closer or farther away from the heat element to make humidity rise and lower (aim for 50-60%).

Humidity gauge. Place the humidity gauge in the center of the cage 2" up the back wall. It will tell you the humidity in that spot. You can use 2 (one at hot end one at cool end) for more accurate readings. Or if your digital thermometer has it, the digital thermometers humidity gauge.

Heat source/s. For heating you have 2 options, a heat pad or a heat lamp. I suggest using a heat pad as it does not dry out the cage with a Convection current, and belly heat is preferable to air heat. A good heat pad is made by the company known as "Four Paws", it heats to 90 degrees. Most other heat pads heat to 110-120 degrees making a thermostat required or your snake might burn itself. Purchase a heat pad that is slightly less than 1/2 the floor of the cage in area. Heat lamps provide heat to the air. Only use heat lamps if you use a "red" or "blue" reptile bulb, a good bulb source is the Exo-Terra company. You should experiment with wattages until you find one that gives you the correct temps (90 warm side, 80 cool side).

Thermostat. A thermostat ensures that your snake will not burn itself on overly hot heating surfaces. Purchase a thermostat with probe and plug in your heat source/s into the thermostat and place the probe inside the warm side hide. Set the thermostat to 90-92 degrees. This will keep your hot side at that temp. I suggest purchasing a thermostat like the one here as I (and others) have had great success with it. It does not have to be that same brand, but it should look like that one (many brands have a thermostat of that kind).

5) Substrate

A cage is not yet done without the substrate (what you put on the bottom). For substrate you have several choices.

Newspaper Astroturf/indoor outdoor carpet Paper Towels Aspen bedding Cypress mulch

Newspaper. Newspaper is my favorite substrate. It is cheap, you can clean it easily (if it is soiled throw it away and replace), and is non toxic. If you want your cage to look nicer just use the pages with pictures (the ink is non toxic)

Astroturf/ Indoor Outdoor carpet. This is one of my least favorite substrates. It is fairly expensive, looks fake, and is hard to clean. To clean take the piece out and soak in a 1:10 bleach to water solution. The Rinse, soak in water, rinse again, and let dry. It is best to have multiple pieces so you can have a substrate in your snake cage while cleaning a piece.

Paper Towels. are a good substrate. They are cheap, easy to clean, look moderately nice, and mold easily. Paper towels are like newspapers in every concept except the fact that they mold easily. They need to be replaced immediately when wet or soiled as they will mold and be a breeding ground for harmful bacteria.

Aspen bedding. Is a very good substrate. It is relatively cheap, easy to clean, looks nice, and is non toxic. If it gets wet/soiled clean (take out the wet/soiled and put new in) immediately as it doesn't mold as fast as paper towels it still will mold if given the chance.

Cypress Mulch. An awesome substrate, it is fairly cheap, easy to clean, looks nice, is non toxic, mold resistant, but holds humidity very high. Cypress mulch is like aspen, but it can harbor bacteria if you don?t clean it regularly. It also holds humidity very high, if you are having humidity problems (to low, not to high) try using cypress mulch for your substrate.

NEVER USE BEDDING MADE OF PINE OR CEDAR. THEY ARE TOXIC AND WILL HARM YOUR SNAKE.

6)Temperatures and Humidity

 Daytime Temperatures- 90-92 on the Hot side of the cage, 80-82 on the cool side of the cage.

Nighttime Temperatures- Your Nighttime temps will drop around 5 degrees as your house gets cooler at night. Do not try to lower the temps manually as it will get to cold, keep the heating set up like it was in the day.

Humidity-The humidity should be between 50 and 60% at all times except during shed cycles. During shed cycles mist the cage (not the snake) once a day.

7)Feeding 

Ball pythons will be fed mice and rats their whole lives. Only fed live Mice or rats under close supervision as they can kill your ball python. Only feed live rats that are rat pinkies or rat fuzzies, try to feed all food prekilled or Frozen then thawed. Make sure all food is of high quality and is not in bad condition.

Feed a prey item that is the width of the snake once weekly. Many ball pythons will go off feed in the winter months, that is totally acceptable. If it goes off feed during the spring, summer, or fall make sure your temps and humidity is correct and check for medical ailments. Don't get overly worried unless it doesn't feed for more than 1 month (again not during the winter), if it does go off feed for more than 1 month see your herp vet.

Try to feed all prey pre killed. To get your snake feeding prekilled, make sure it is feeding regularly (every time food is offered, at least 4 regular feeding). Then get a prey item of the normal size and kill it by placing it in a bag and slamming the head against a hard object (do it hard so it dies instantly [if feeding mouse or rat fuzzies give the mouse/rat a few very hard flicks on the head]). Place the dead prey item in front of the snake so it knows it is there. If it does not notice it take the prey item with hemostats, or forceps and wiggle it a few times in front of the snakes head