Ball Python Care 101: Part One
So you see those pretty little black and tan babies in the pet store, and you know they stay pretty small and they stay very docile. And come on, they're just pretty.
So you want one.
Pump the brakes, there, buddy. There's some things you should know.
First, where do you live?
I live in the desert. We complain if the humidity reaches 10%. Wanna know how much humidity a ball python needs?
Spoiler alert: It's more than 10%. It's probably more than you get no matter where you live.
50% to 65%. That's how much they require to keep them healthy. They will get sick and die of respiratory complications if you try and keep them in a desert habitat.
Can you provide supplemental humidity? This is something you need to consider. It's something you need to consider when choosing the tank. Those screen tops that are so popular are a nightmare. I'll show you how to offset that in Part 2.
Secondly, wanna take a guess at how long ball pythons live?
30-40 years.
I can't tell you how many people I've known have let their kids get ball pythons as teenagers, and then the kids grow up and go off to college and the parents are stuck with the snake.
Not all teenagers do this, I've actually known quite a few very responsible young pet owners. But a lot do.
They live for a long time. This is a decades-long commitment. Of constantly providing supplemental humidity.
Thirdly, they need carefully maintained temperatures. I'll get into the specifics of all that in Part 2, but you need heaters and thermometers, and you have to monitor the temperatures.
Fourthly, they eat fluffy little mice. And in all honesty, you need to feed them already-dead mice. Some enthusiasts insist on live, but it's a very bad idea, and Karana is a living example of that, and I will get into that in Part 3.
Humanely killing a very small and very squirmy thing is not easy, so you'll want to go the frozen route. Which means you're going to need to keep the mice frozen.
Yes, I literally have a box of frozen mice in my freezer right now. Right next to the peas.
The feeding habits of the ball python are a bit tricky, but I'll get into that later. Hopefully you're doing extensive research before going out and buying an animal anyway, so you already know about their obnoxiously picky eating habits.
I personally think they are amazing beginner snakes, and if you want one, you should absolutely get one. But get one from a breeder. They're about the same price, maybe $10-20 more, and they're captive bred and have solid genes.
The ones in the national chain stores are wild caught. They catch wild gravid (pregnant) females, hold them until they lay their eggs, and then release them and sell all the little babies to the national chains. 99% of these animals will have parasites. And you're supporting the destruction of an ecosystem.
Karana is a mojave morph, so she's a little more expensive, but she was $99. Go to Petsmart and take a look at their "fancy" ball pythons. These are nothing special, just random morphs found in the wild.
Or here, I'll do you one better. Take a look at this.
Right now it's on sale for $99. Normally $119. For random wild-caught morphs.
Karana's genes can be traced back generations. She's a healthier animal. She's a better quality animal. She's an animal with a 100% known genetic makeup. I can breed her and know exactly what her offspring will be.
And she was the same price. Male mojaves are actually cheaper, at $79. So for less than the price of a national chain wild python, you can get a captive bred, healthy, happy animal.
I mean, there's just no comparison at all.
So you want one.
Pump the brakes, there, buddy. There's some things you should know.
First, where do you live?
I live in the desert. We complain if the humidity reaches 10%. Wanna know how much humidity a ball python needs?
Spoiler alert: It's more than 10%. It's probably more than you get no matter where you live.
50% to 65%. That's how much they require to keep them healthy. They will get sick and die of respiratory complications if you try and keep them in a desert habitat.
Can you provide supplemental humidity? This is something you need to consider. It's something you need to consider when choosing the tank. Those screen tops that are so popular are a nightmare. I'll show you how to offset that in Part 2.
Secondly, wanna take a guess at how long ball pythons live?
30-40 years.
I can't tell you how many people I've known have let their kids get ball pythons as teenagers, and then the kids grow up and go off to college and the parents are stuck with the snake.
Not all teenagers do this, I've actually known quite a few very responsible young pet owners. But a lot do.
They live for a long time. This is a decades-long commitment. Of constantly providing supplemental humidity.
Thirdly, they need carefully maintained temperatures. I'll get into the specifics of all that in Part 2, but you need heaters and thermometers, and you have to monitor the temperatures.
Fourthly, they eat fluffy little mice. And in all honesty, you need to feed them already-dead mice. Some enthusiasts insist on live, but it's a very bad idea, and Karana is a living example of that, and I will get into that in Part 3.
Humanely killing a very small and very squirmy thing is not easy, so you'll want to go the frozen route. Which means you're going to need to keep the mice frozen.
Yes, I literally have a box of frozen mice in my freezer right now. Right next to the peas.
The feeding habits of the ball python are a bit tricky, but I'll get into that later. Hopefully you're doing extensive research before going out and buying an animal anyway, so you already know about their obnoxiously picky eating habits.
I personally think they are amazing beginner snakes, and if you want one, you should absolutely get one. But get one from a breeder. They're about the same price, maybe $10-20 more, and they're captive bred and have solid genes.
The ones in the national chain stores are wild caught. They catch wild gravid (pregnant) females, hold them until they lay their eggs, and then release them and sell all the little babies to the national chains. 99% of these animals will have parasites. And you're supporting the destruction of an ecosystem.
Karana is a mojave morph, so she's a little more expensive, but she was $99. Go to Petsmart and take a look at their "fancy" ball pythons. These are nothing special, just random morphs found in the wild.
Or here, I'll do you one better. Take a look at this.
Right now it's on sale for $99. Normally $119. For random wild-caught morphs.
Karana's genes can be traced back generations. She's a healthier animal. She's a better quality animal. She's an animal with a 100% known genetic makeup. I can breed her and know exactly what her offspring will be.
And she was the same price. Male mojaves are actually cheaper, at $79. So for less than the price of a national chain wild python, you can get a captive bred, healthy, happy animal.
I mean, there's just no comparison at all.
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