they are escape artists, tahts why i mentioned having a tight lid and a weight, lol
I've wanted a ball python for a long time...
- Thread starter clawlan
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they are escape artists, tahts why i mentioned having a tight lid and a weight, lol
I had a ball python (Python regius, I think) for years too. They are generally very mellow. I ahve yet to see one develop the attitude problem that is so common among larger boidae family members (who frequently get grumpy once they break the 6' barrier, probably due to reduced handling). They seem to like being held (or at least, they tolerate it well) and they like to explore, so let them look around, but don't take your eyes off them for a second. They can "disappear" long before you can't see them anymore (like getting the front third of their body into a sofa as mentioned above). I have heard that some wouldn't eat anything but chicks while others have no problem w/ mice. Many won't do prekilled, so you may have to let it kill its own or you can kill the mouse and toss it in, still twitching.
Personally, I preferred live mice. If the snake didn't take it within 5-10 minutes, I would move the mouse to a small cage w/ bedding, water & lab chows and try again in a week. Sometimes mine would eat 3-4 mice in a month, sometimes it wouldn't eat for 3 months (hence my preference for live mice). Ball Pythons only range from 3-5' as adults, so you never really have to switch to rats. This is a good thing, especially for live feeders as rats are a lot more likely to injure a snake than mice are.
In short, get one that has been eating mice, maybe even watch it eat by appt. They are common in stores, but if you live where there is a herp. club, you may be able to get something more colorful, or at least different from the common morph found in pet stores. Club specimens are also usually locally bred, which is good if you are concerned about collection and importation practices (as you probably should be).
I would like to second the motion for frequent water changes.
I kept mine in a 20L with a big chunk of driftwood, a warming stone and I cut a few scraps of astroturf to fit the bottom. I could just switch one out, hose it off and let it dry somewhere. I would also provide a small shoebox w/ a hole in it from time to time as a hiding place. I eventually moved it and my CA King (L. getulus, striped morph) into a larger, custom built cage.
Newspaper can/will disintegrate, spread odors all over glass, leave ink all over stuff over time... I do not recommend it.
Personally, I preferred live mice. If the snake didn't take it within 5-10 minutes, I would move the mouse to a small cage w/ bedding, water & lab chows and try again in a week. Sometimes mine would eat 3-4 mice in a month, sometimes it wouldn't eat for 3 months (hence my preference for live mice). Ball Pythons only range from 3-5' as adults, so you never really have to switch to rats. This is a good thing, especially for live feeders as rats are a lot more likely to injure a snake than mice are.
In short, get one that has been eating mice, maybe even watch it eat by appt. They are common in stores, but if you live where there is a herp. club, you may be able to get something more colorful, or at least different from the common morph found in pet stores. Club specimens are also usually locally bred, which is good if you are concerned about collection and importation practices (as you probably should be).
I would like to second the motion for frequent water changes.
I kept mine in a 20L with a big chunk of driftwood, a warming stone and I cut a few scraps of astroturf to fit the bottom. I could just switch one out, hose it off and let it dry somewhere. I would also provide a small shoebox w/ a hole in it from time to time as a hiding place. I eventually moved it and my CA King (L. getulus, striped morph) into a larger, custom built cage.
Newspaper can/will disintegrate, spread odors all over glass, leave ink all over stuff over time... I do not recommend it.
if your going to feed a 5 foot python mice..it would take..maybe 5-8 depending on the size of the mice.
i have never fed mine any mice, even the babies get hopper rats..rats seem to be more nutritious for them. i gave a freind of mine a baby from a litter last year, i kept one also..he fed his mice..i fed mine rats, mine grew 3 times faster than his..and is a fattie now..i dont know why im staing this...lol..just another observation i guess
but yeah, i cant see how mice would do for a 5 footer, a single large rat will keep it hunger-free for a least a week and a half maybe two
I want to discourage live feeding. It's cruel to the mice, it's dangerous to the snake. Live animals can carry parisites that can be transferred to the snake, as well as the risk of the rodent chewing on the snake (and I've seen the results of that, very not pretty). Some ball pythons, I'm told, are picky about converting to prekilled, but if you start it young, I wouldn't expect there'd be any problems. The snake doesn't need the interaction of killing its own prey, and they do just fine if they never see a live mouse or rat in their life. (people talk about "that's how it is in the wild," but we're not *in* the wild). Frozen thawed is probably the best way to go (when I had a snake, I ordered with about five or six other people who had animals that ate whole prey, so shipping came out to be a reasonable amount, and the prices were like a third or less of PetCo 
). And there's no need to have to keep the mice around either. Yes, balls can sometimes refuse to eat for several weeks at a time, but I'd rather lose the "money" on some frozen animals than have to re-subject a mouse to the snake on a regular basis and potentially injure my snake. But that's my take.
I liked newspaper as a substrate - easy to keep clean, especially as ideally you're cleaning the tank every couple days (I usually ended up about every 3-7 days, depending on school and whatnot). Though it's not as aesthetically pleasing as some of the other options but it's very easy to keep the tank clean and sanitary.
Eventually, larger tank is better. Captive snakes are often obese due to overfeeding and underexcercised, and if you're not going to let the snake out on a daily basis to exercise, you'll need a good sized tank. They may not have problems like the development of diabetes, and they may not get knee problems from obesity, but they can certainly have problems from large fat pads pressing on their internal organs, and if not regularly exercised, and develop spinal issues from lack of movement...
). And there's no need to have to keep the mice around either. Yes, balls can sometimes refuse to eat for several weeks at a time, but I'd rather lose the "money" on some frozen animals than have to re-subject a mouse to the snake on a regular basis and potentially injure my snake. But that's my take.I liked newspaper as a substrate - easy to keep clean, especially as ideally you're cleaning the tank every couple days (I usually ended up about every 3-7 days, depending on school and whatnot). Though it's not as aesthetically pleasing as some of the other options but it's very easy to keep the tank clean and sanitary.
Eventually, larger tank is better. Captive snakes are often obese due to overfeeding and underexcercised, and if you're not going to let the snake out on a daily basis to exercise, you'll need a good sized tank. They may not have problems like the development of diabetes, and they may not get knee problems from obesity, but they can certainly have problems from large fat pads pressing on their internal organs, and if not regularly exercised, and develop spinal issues from lack of movement...
