Buying a baby Ball python from Petco?
As you said, Petco is not the best place to buy pets, but you should be fine if you know what you're doing. First ask if they are captive-bred or imported. Imports usually carry mites or parasites and are more likely to die after purchasing. Next, inspect the snake. Check for any skin injuries or deformities or scales missing. Also, look for clear eyes and facial pits. If there is any mucus or build-up in them it is probably not a good idea to buy it. You can request to hold the snake (reccomended when buying, but be careful because babies tend to be sort of aggressive), and feel for any broken ribs or spine deformities (will feel like a gap in the side of the snake, or a divet on its back) as well as make sure it has a good muscle tone and squeezes slightly on your hand. If possible, check its mouth for mucus or build up on the gums (signs of respiratory infections or mouth rot). Check for mites or tick-like insects on the outside of the snake, they will usually be small and white and move very quickly on the snake's skin. Check its vent and make sure it is clean and that there is not crust or fecal matter. If the snake seems lethargic or suspiciously calm, it may be sick. Also, ask what they use for bedding/substrate in the snake enclosures. Cypress mulch, aspen, coco fiber, newspaper, or reptile carpet is all okay, but if they use pine or cedar, the snake will probably have a respiratory illness (never use pine or cedar for animal bedding, especially snakes). Also, buying online can be okay from trusted websites (www.backwaterreptiles.com seems good) but you can't inspect the animal until it gets to your house, which can be unfortunate if you get a sick animal.
How do I teach a ball python to Eat LIve Mice?
I'm buying a baby BP I want my ball python to eat live Mice. Is there any way to train a baby BP to eat live mice without hurting him (ie nice bites and scratches).
How do i care for a ball python?
That is set up a living environment in my bed room. How much times do i feed it and what do i feed it? Its it a great idea to get a male and a female in one living environment? How do i clean the environment? The amount of water needed... Basically all the essentials one needs to know when having one as a pet..
How hard are Ball Pythons to take care of?
Improbably simple to take care of — as long as you have put in the money to set them up correctly.A solid-top reptile cage such as those made by companies by like Boaphile and Animal Plastics will do the trick. A quality proportional thermostat (Herpstat, Helix, etc), a couple of digital indoor/outdoor thermometers, and quality hygrometer, a good water bowl (a dog dish works well), and a couple of single-entrance hides just big enough for the snake to fit into will set it up right.Newspaper or cypress mulch for bedding.All you need to do is feed the animal a rat as big around as the widest part of its body, once a week. Keep the water bowl clean and full. And clean the cage well when it’s soiled (which will happen once a week, as that’s how often snakes defecate, generally — you can spot clean urates when you see them, probably just a couple times a week). Disinfect the cage every couple months.Take the animal to a vet for a checkup and fecal exam once a year.That’s all. Couldn’t be simpler. Very few pets are lower maintenance.Skimp on any of the above, and that could change radically. (It’s an amazing hassle to try to keep humidity and heat in a screen-top tank, and cleaning it’s a real bear, too).
What do you do if your ball python bites you?
Oh, it’ll happen at some point, and it’ll be your fault when it does, lol. And you’ll know it, right before it happens — that it was your fault, and you set this up.But that wasn’t the question. The question is, what do you do? Well, you hold still.You absolutely do NOT pull away, or try to pry the animal off if it’s wrapped your hand. Just hold still.If you try to pull away, or remove the snake, then you’re going to wind up with lacerations. If it’s an adult, they might be serious enough to require stitches! What’s more, the snake’s teeth could break off, creating a route for infection (in both of you) (and hurting a whole lot). The snake could even die as a result. So don’t do that.A snake that bit you defensively will have simply nipped you and released immediately. Wash it with soap and water, and call it a lesson learned.A snake that bit you accidentally because you forgot to wash your hands after handling a rodent will probably wrap up your hand (or whatever it bit), and constrict. This hurts a little. The bite isn’t really painful, but when the snake squeezes down on its own head and drives the teeth in deeper, it can hurt a bit. No big deal, though.Just wait. Seriously. Hold perfectly still. Ball pythons have powerful instincts, and they’re simply not capable of letting go until their ‘prey’ has stopped moving, because that’s how they avoid being injured.After a minute or so, if it still hasn’t let go, you can try tapping it gently on the nose, or unwrapping it starting at the tail. The snake will release you as soon as it realizes it made a mistake. It will then look very sheepish, and probably refuse to eat that day. Oh, well.Wash the wound with soap and water. It’s just a row of pinpricks. They will bleed, but they’ll heal fast. Of course watch for any signs of infection, but if you reacted the right way, the risk is pretty low.And don’t do what you did to earn the bite, next time. lol.
Should I introduce my baby ball python to my cats now while he's small to avoid future potential bites/eats when he's bigger?
As someone who has (accidentally) introduced her baby ball python to her cats, let me tell you how it went and maybe clear up some rumors/misinformation in the process.The gray one is indifferent, he doesn’t seem to even notice there is a living noodle nearby. The orange one is horrified. Even though the ball python was about 10″ when they first “met,” and couldn’t swallow his paw even if he tried, just the smell of the snake made him recoil in horror. He spent the following few days paranoid and jumpy, constantly searching for the little fear tube.After a few weeks, he got more used to him, and now is only scared of him when he sticks his nose right on top of him (he sniffs things like a moron). Meanwhile, the BP has grown slightly bigger and is still equally indifferent/mildly startled by the cat. I think he sniffed the cat once, just as he was exploring, and then the ginger fuzzball stuck his face right back in the snake’s face, causing the muscle tunnel to jolt back, but he never struck at him.Snakes’ brains don’t give them the ability to form original thought maps, or distinguish categories beyond “safe” and “not safe,” but they do have different personalities. Ball Pythons are some of the most docile animals in the world and the stories of BPs attacking their owners are often those who have been tank-fed (and thus associate motion in the tank with food), mistreated, or handled without any bonding - yes, your snake can bond with you in that it gets used to you and places you in the “safe” category.If you really want to introduce them, or if they decide to introduce themselves, I’d say you want to be 100% sure your snake is not a biter, because a baby BP may be too small to actually significantly hurt the cat, but it could still upset them. If he is a biter, just keep him at a safe distance from the fuzzballs. Cats and snakes unfortunately don’t like each other, but it’s not impossible to keep them in the same house if you just act responsibly.
How can ball pythons live together in the same cage?
“How” seems to suggest you either know this is a dumb idea and wonder how anyone gets away with it, or you want to do it, and are looking for some way that won’t make other people inform you that it’s a dumb idea.In the first case, this less than ideal situation occurs when two ball pythons of similar size which are not both males are housed together. They unhappily compete over heat sources (it’s not cuddling), and live their lives in constant low-grade stress. If one becomes ill, the other generally will become ill as well, catching whatever infection the first one has. They don’t thrive well, and this more than likely reduces their lifespan. So the answer is ‘they do it because they have no choice, but it’s not good for them.’In the case of the second possible question, the answer is NO. Don’t. Don’t be that irresponsible person who tries to force animals that depend on them to live in discomfort simply for the sake of convenience. The risk of cannibalism is there, especially with hatchlings, and even if they are of similar size, they may do it anyhow and both will die as a result. Adult males will combat each other, and one will likely die of stress. If one gets sick - has diarrhea or regurgitates prey - it may be hard for you to figure out which one did it, so they can be treated. It’s a dumb idea, and it’s cruel. Don’t do it.
Why does my ball Python move a lot?
If your ball python isn’t spending most of the day in its hide, then it’s obviously unhappy. You need to trouble-shoot immediately, because a ball python roaming in the open all the time is very stressed.Check temperatures — the basking area (from an under cage heat mat or cord) should be 90F, no hotter, no colder. Make sure the surface is not too hot or cold using a digital thermometer with a remote probe.The air temperature on the cool side should be 80 to 83 F. No hotter! If it’s too hot, the snake may be trying to escape from the heat to save itself. No colder — colder temperatures can lead to respiratory infections.Humidity — this rarely causes roaming, but it should be 60% at minimum. Dehydration will result, otherwise.Hides — the enclosure should have two single-entrance hide boxes that are just big enough for the snake to squeeze into tightly. This is crucial for ball python to feel secure (unless it’s in a rack system, which is basically a dark hole in a box anyhow).Cage size— while many ball pythons are very flexible in what they will tolerate, a huge percentage of them are claustrophiliac. By this, I mean they want a small enclosure, and become stressed out in a big one. If the enclosure is too big, especially if it’s not crammed with cover (fake plants, etc), they want to find someplace more secure, and roam to search for a way out. They will often not eat in a cage that’s too large.Now, if what you’re complaining about is actually the snake moving around a lot when you take it out of its cage, this is just normal, especially for a young snake that’s still getting used to being handled.A ball python that is very afraid will curl up in a tight ball. If it’s anxious and unhappy, but not terrified, it will try to leave. So, having your ball python try to get away is a normal step in the taming and habituation process.Keep handling sessions fairly short, and do it once a day or so (skip feeding days, and a few days after feeding). The snake will eventually calm down and be less inclined to bolt when handled.It’s normal for a ball python to spend time exploring its enclosure at night. They are nocturnal.
Ball Python in a Faunarium?
I was going to say excellent set-up you've obviously done your research, However i would add that a ball python known to us brits as a Royal Python is a rather difficult first snake as it's eating habits are often very unsettling to an owner. Congrats on the King snake though, just be sure to handle it every day as their attitude's can change drastically in a very short amount of time. Hope this helps, need anymore help... give me a shout, (i've kept all sorts of animals inc royal pythons, carpet pythons, numerous monitor lizards, scorpions and tarantulas (just to name a few) for the past 10 years) Andy