General Ball Python Questions

[Squeezey]

I was thinking about getting a ball python and just had some very general questions.

1) How big do ball pythons generally get. Everything I saw said 3-5 feet but some look very large in pictures. Total weight?

2) Would a fully grown ball python fit in a 20 gallon aquarium?

3) How often do they "go to the bathroom"

4) Can humans get the mites or parasites on them that some snakes carry?

5) Does a bite from a full grown ball python hurt?

6) How much can you handle them without stressing them out?

7) How tame do these snakes actually get?

[jeffjr464]

to answer some of your questions, a adult ball won't do in a 20 gal, 40 gal breeder yes, the bite is equal to a bee sting, if not less, my kid's bite is worse, most balls are freakishly tame, mine has been a sweetheart since it was a baby, never even tried or thought to strike at anyone, balls stress when the husbandry isn't right, they like nice and tight hides, one on the hot and cool sides, temps should be 90-92 for the hot side, 80-82 on the cool side, anything below 75 is dangerous, my bp usually takes a dump every week before his feed, like clockwork, can't help ya with the mite question, never had em, balls generally get big girth compared to length, biggest i've seen was a 6 foot breeder female, she was like 2600 grams, the weight of an adult can differ greatly, they are all different.

[muddoc]

1) How big do ball pythons generally get. Everything I saw said 3-5 feet but some look very large in pictures. Total weight?

3-5 feet is fairly accurate. Althoug I have seen some get to 5.5 feet. Most females will max at about 3000 grams (about 6.5 ponds) although I have seen some go to 7000 grams (15.4 pounds). I have heard of 9000 grams, but that is an extreme rarity.

2) Would a fully grown ball python fit in a 20 gallon aquarium?

No a 20 gallon would be too small for an adult female. If you had a male, you MIGHT be able to make it work, but I would suggest a 40 gallon breeder for an adult ball.

3) How often do they "go to the bathroom"

That depends on how you feed them. However, most of mine that eat well go about every 14 days. Very low maintainance snakes after you have their environment set up properly.

4) Can humans get the mites or parasites on them that some snakes carry?

No. mites are host specific, and only feed on reptiles. They can get on you, but they just crawl around. They will get off of you, because you have nothing they need. With that said, if you practice clean husbandry, you should never see a mite, and if you have a fecal done on your snake when you get it and get a clean bill of health, than you should have nothing to worry about.

5) Does a bite from a full grown ball python hurt?

It can, but most of my balls never bite. Also remember that most of the time the reason it hurts is because you pull away when they bite. If you leave your hand still when they strike, it usually is over before you kno what happened.

6) How much can you handle them without stressing them out?

It is not a dog or cat, so they don't like to sit in your lap for hours at a time, mostly because our body temperature is 98.7 degrees, and that is too warm for them. However, as long as you avoid handling for 48 hours after a meal, you can handle your snake for short periods of time everyday.

7) How tame do these snakes actually get?

Ball pythons are known to be the most docile snakes in the world. With that said, I don't really think they tame down any, but they are not prone to bite unless they are in feeding mode or are threatened.

I hope some of that helped, and I'm sure that some other members will expound on what I said.

[catzeye21138]

Well, I can't answer some of them but I can answer a couple!

3) It depends on how much you feed it. I tend to find a little present I'm estimating once a week or so.

5) I would scream. I have screamed, but then again that was a mean snake. He has a different home now. It all depends on your pain tolerancy(sp?). My dad got bit by my other sister's old snake and he just inhaled sharply. I got bit, and I screamed and ran to the bathroom. xD

6) I handle mine about 4-5 days a week as that is about how often I feed him. I feed him on Wednesdays, so I hold him for about 3-10 minutes Friday/Saturday-Tuesday. My sister handles her's 2 days a week. They both seem chilled as far as I know.

7) Depends on the snake. A snake we once had was a firey little devil. I'm not overexaggerating. He, was, hell. His whole life. And my sister had one, that loved coming out and exploring. Mine likes to hook around my ear and just hang there. [he is a baby] Just don't be mean to the snake and he won't be mean to go I guess. (the mean one we had came from an owner who never took it out of it's cage.)

[WingedWolfPsion]

I have a big 3500 gram female, she's a big, long snake, they don't get much bigger than that. Males stay smaller than females, and seldom get much past 4 feet.

[Squeezey]

Thanks to everyone that replied. That was very helpful. Since I am only going to get one snake I have decided to go with a 40 gal. aquarium over a plastic container. I was thinking I would insulate the top as best I could and then the back and two sides just leaving the front open. Does anyone know of good heating sources I should use that would effectively heat this tank? I was thinking an under aquarium heat mat and some sort of light or ceramic heat emitter but I do not know what sizes or watt level I need. Also does anyone know where I could get a sliding screen top for the tank because I want it to be very secure? Lastly, I would want some sort of temperature regulator that would regulate the heat levels on its own with digital thermometers but I do not know of good brands or what to get. Any advice so that I don't have to experiment with equipment forever?

[frankykeno]

Just a couple of thoughts here. If you are intending to get a young ball python, say an 07 hatched snake, you'd want to start off with a smaller enclosure than that 40. These snakes tend to like smaller areas since their natural inclinations in the wild are to live in rat burrows and termite mound tunnels. A baby is likely going to be very stressed with that much open space.

For heating I would direct you to this site. Rich is an expert on proper heating for any type of enclosure and won't steer you wrong.

http://www.reptilebasics.com/

Lastly, I'm going to assume you are likely looking at ball pythons in pet stores. You may want to consider going with a reputable breeder instead. Many pet stores do not maintain their ball pythons properly, allow the spread of snake mites, etc. They also tend to stock captive hatched snakes which are not the same as captive bred and if not well started after importation from Africa, tend to be tough for a new owner to deal with. There are some excellent reptile based pet stores out there, but sadly they are few and far between and they aren't any of the major pet store chains (PetCo, etc.).

With a reputable breeder you will get a snake that's been properly sexed, has a hatchdate provided to you as well as feeding records, etc. and is in good health. It may be something you want to consider when thinking about purchasing your first ball python.