Ball Python?

Question

I'm thinking about getting a ball python. What do they eat? What times do you have to feed them? Are they friendly? How big do they grow up to?

Answer 1

Mine ate mice. Other things to try to feed them are baby rabbits, frogs, small stuff like that. I fed mine once every week or so. Sometimes she'd eat the mouse right away, sometimes it would live in there with her for a couple days until she decided to eat it. She never attacked me, altough she did try to strike at the mirror once when I was holding her. And if I recall correctly (mine died a few years ago), ball pythons can grow up to 6 feet. Something to think about, though, is that they can get intestinal problems that can kill them; that's what happened to mine.

Thanks for mentioning the environment part, NitaJ; it completely slipped my mind, lol.

Answer 2

IMHO, they are more an intermediate level snake than a beginner. They can be very picky eaters and not eat for 4+ months for seemingly no good reason other than seasons changing the photoperiod. 4-5 feet is usually about right and they are pretty heavy bodied snakes. They can start with frozen thawed 2 week old hopper mice and some will be fine with just jumbo mice and others will need rats. Adults can be fed every 10-14 days and juveniles every 7-10 days. Their temperaments are usually pretty good, but not necessarily. There are some snarky ones out there. Just make sure they are captive born and bred. I actually suggest a corn snake to a newbie snake person. Tons of different colors, good disposition, excellent eaters, same size as a ball python, just not nearly as heavy, and easy keepers if you do your research.

Answer 3

If you have never had reptiles before you should probably start with something smaller like a corn snake. Ball pythons can be really tough eaters and they are not all nice. Boas in general have a better temperment. The size will be another factor because they may only get to be about 6-7 feet depending on the sex but they get to have a pretty big girth. If you get it as a baby, you will have to feed it pinky mice and work your way up through adult mice and on to rats.They eat about once a week to every two weeks depending on the size of the prey. Any refuse should be picked up immediately. I do not recommend a heat rock for any reptile habitat because of the burns I have seen on the animals. As they get old the temperature control goes out and the animal will sit there and burn it self to death if it goes unnoticed.
If you are dead set on getting a python, go to a reptile shop, not just a chain pet store. The staff should be able to tell you about humidity, proper temperature controls and feeding.

Answer 4

I had a ball python a long time ago and if you have the time and the patience they actually are an easy pet to care for. The answer of being fed once a week is true and it is important to clean the enviroment at least once a week also. The start up for supplies can be a little pricey but not too bad. i had a heat lamp and a heat rock and the snake prefered the rock so it could hide. They really don't do much as far as social interaction but on the whole they are quite interesting.

Answer 5

I have several ball pythons and I run a reptile rescue. One of my ball pythons eats frozen mice, the other eats live. It depends on the snakes size. You can feed something a little larger than the width of the snakes head. I feed mine 2 mice once a week. They are great snakes and are very friendly. You do need to handle them though. Always feed the same day, same time each week and when you feed DO NOT feed them in the enclosure they live in. The size of the snake depends on if it is male or female, females are usually bigger.

Answer 6

I had a ball Python in my youth. DO NOT EVER:

1. Feed your snake in it's environment you risk being bitten if you open it the top to just pick up your animal. This is lazy and irresponsible. Too Many Snake owners do this

2. NEVER leave your ball and its living prey unattended. The rodent (rats especially) will attack your ball python if he doesn't eat it right away.

Mine went several months a couple of times. It's really no big deal. Ball pythons can go 2 years (not recommended) without eating. ALWAYS leave fresh water in the habitat. Most neglected ball pythons suffer dehydration and rodent attacks.

Answer 7

Way cool choice, i have two one pastel ball and a normal. they eat small mice as babies then as they grow so do their meals usually going to large rats and jumbo rats, how often, well most of the care sheets i have read state that as a juvenile to yearling to feed every 5 to 7 days an appropriate sized meal (as large as the snake is at his biggest point) then at around 18 months to two years feed once every 7-10 days. yes they can be very friendly and not aggressive with regular handling. they can get 5-6 feet but average is 4-5 (females) males are a little smaller usually.
one thing that is usually said about balls is that they are picky eaters and usually go for long periods without eating but this is probably due to the wild caught balls none of my captive bred have shown this trait. that said i would recommend finding a local breeder or a pet shop with a good reputation and ask if its wild caught. there are also breeders online that will ship just look for live delivery guarantees.
good luck and HAPPY HERPING

Answer 8

If this is your first snake, think about a corn snake or a kingsnake-they are easier to keep (they get stressed less easily) and feed more readily.

Balls are very docile, but they are so docile that they can sometimes starve to death because things stress them out.

If you do get a ball, put it in its new home and leave it alone for a couple of weeks till you see it start to come out of its hide-ALWAYS have a hide in any snake habitat.

They eat mice/rats and are well known for wanting live-but you can work with them and get them to eat frozen thawed. Never leave a live rat/mouse in with your snake unattended.

They get between 3-6 feet, with 6 being very rare and 5 being fairly common.