Some people wonder about the ball python. Is it a good pet, and what is it's background information?
Well, let me tell you. My python thinks this is the second most important topic next to basic snake care.
Ball pythons are really called royal pythons by people outside the USA, their official name. Well then, you may ask, why do we call them ball pythons? The answer is that when they are scared they curl up in a tight ball to protect themselves.
The ball python can be found in the wild in Africa. They sleep underground in tunnels most of the day, and are more active during the night.
The ball python is a good pet. it's not partcularly active, and is easy to find and buy in pet stores.
You should always pick up a snake by its back, not by its head. Like any snake, ball pythons do not like their heads touched.
If you startle the ball python, smell like prey, or neglect him for say, three weeks or so, the python will get mad.
A mad python may bite. If you get bitten, please try to be careful you don't jerk your hand out of its mouth if you still want your snake to be able to eat after he detaches from your hand. He may lose his teeth if you do that.
You sometimes cannot get a biting python off of your hand. Just wait it out if that happens.
Now onto the food the python eats. Like all snakes, the python eats no vegetables. The ball python eats meat. It likes other snakes, mice, rats, and sometimes fish. It may try to eat other kinds of meat if it feels like it.
Feed the ball python about every seven to ten days. Like any snake, look at its middle, the largest part of its body. If the snake's middle is as large in width as the animal you are trying to feed him, it is a perfect size of prey for the snake.
Most snakes from pet stores eat frozen rodents. You can thaw them and warm them before a snake eats by runnin g them under hot water. This is a must, as snakes only eat warm prey. If it is cold, they think it is dead and will not eat.
Ball pythons can be picky eaters. If they don't eat the first time they are offered a meal, try again in a few days.
Most ball pythons in the wild have parasites, so a person purchasing a ball python should get one from a breeder or pet store.
As with all snakes, ball pythons need basic snake supplies - - a red light, a living cage, hides, etc. I cover more about the basics of snake care in my previous blog.
Ball pythons that have eggs will not eat for four months, or until the eggs hatch. She spends this time wrapped around her eggs.
Male ball pythons can grow to about five feet tops, while females can grow to six feet. Most ball pythons, though, grow to about four feet.
Ball pyhtons have mild attitudes and wil usually not bite. A corn snake is apt to bite more often than a ball python.
Ball pythons can constrict prey. If the ball python tries to constrict your body part he is on, gently remove him from that body part.
So, now you have the basics of ball python care, very useful if one is to buy a ball python.
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