Snakes are very unique pets to have, and quite simple to take care of. Or, that’s what most people think.
Snakes aren’t as easy to take care of as it may seem, because they aren’t just some trophy that you feed and water. Snakes, especially pythons, are quite picky, and their environment has to be very specific for them to feel comfortable. Everything has to be perfect for them, or they could possibly stop eating for weeks or even months, get sick, become overly stressed, or die. If you do decide to keep a snake, although pythons can be picky eaters, a Ball Python might be the easiest snake to take care of.
Before you buy your snake you should have the cage ready at home. The cage you should choose depends on where you live and the temperature and humidity level there. The most recommended option is a glass aquarium, though if you live where the humidity level is very high, that isn’t a good option. If you do choose a glass aquarium, then it should be about 20-gallons for a baby, and about 40-gallons for an adult, and have a suitable lid that the snake cannot push open. Glass aquariums are good choices for drier climates because they are pretty cheap, come in many shapes and sizes, and are clear so you can observe and admire your snake at all times. A cheaper substitute for glass aquariums is plastic storage boxes, but you will have to modify them in many ways, for example by drilling air holes in them.
If you live in a high-humidity place then neither of those options are good for your snake. Instead you could look at manufactured snake cages with built-in air circulation, or at building your own cage. Most manufactured snake cages are small, but there are some that are very large with plenty of room for your snake to move around and climb, and they can even be rather fancy.
Once you have chosen the proper cage, you have to make the inside environment perfect for your snake, and that starts with the bedding. There are many options for bedding. All of them have their pros and cons, but practically all work the same. Newspaper and paper towels are the cheapest options, and they give the snake both a soft place to move around, and let him burrow under them and hide if he wishes to do so. They are very good options, but if they get wet they’d have to be replaced because they’ll soak up the wetness and turn into mush. Another great option is leaves. The snake can burrow under them as well, and they don’t have to be replaced very often. A few other options are aspen shavings, cypress mulch, and orchid bark. Aspen shavings, like paper, will rot and become mush if they get wet, but it is pretty cheap and a good option. The other two are able to take water, so they won’t rot, and they smell nice, but they are somewhat expensive.
Your snake’s cage should have at least two hides, one on the warm side, which should range from 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit, and one on the cool side, which should range from 75-80 degrees. Hides are places for snakes to hide, such as boxes, some sort or crevice, a pile of leaves, etc. Your snake cage should also have a water dish big enough for the snake to soak in. Be sure to give your snake fresh, filtered water, and change it often, to reduce the chance of bacteria growing in the water.
These are the basics, and you can add from there. It is recommended to add fake or real plants and logs for the snake to feel comfortable, and a thermometer to monitor the temperature.
Once you have your snake and its habitat all set up you need to know what and when to feed it. Ball Pythons are very picky, so you will need to experiment with your new snake to see what it likes to eat. Since their main food is rodents, certainly when they are young, you will have to choose between feeding live rodents or frozen, which can be found in pet stores. If you choose frozen, you have to warm up the carcass first, usually in hot water, and make certain it was frozen fresh and has not started to rot.
Normally a young ball python should be eating pinkies and fuzzies (baby mice) or bugs such as crickets. As your snake grows you can graduate to feed it adult mice. All snakes grow differently, but if your python gets big enough to eat rats, then you can upgrade to those, again starting off with baby rats and giving it bigger ones as it grows. When your snake is full grown, it can also eat gerbils, birds, hamsters, chicks, quail and guinea pigs as long as they are not too big for your snake. A snake can eat prey as wide as the widest part of its body, so that is how you can tell if the prey is too large for your snake.
The last thing you must know about having a pet Ball Python is how to tell if it’s sick, and how to prevent it from getting sick. Some symptoms of sickness in snakes are stargazing, mouth breathing, discharge, shedding problems, weight loss, lack of appetite, lethargy, and weird-looking scales. Stargazing is when your snake will freeze in an awkward position with its head pointing to the sky for several minutes. Snakes normally quietly breathe through their nose, so when they breathe with their mouth that is probably a sign of illness. Discharge can be from mouth, nose, or eyes, and it definitely isn’t normal for snakes, so it is a huge indicator that your snake is sick. When a snake has shedding problems the shed won’t come off all the way, or it will be very thin and weak, more so than normal, which shouldn’t happen. Weight loss or lack of appetite can be a sign of illness, since normally snakes can and will eat and even become obese (which you shouldn’t let happen.) If your snake is lethargic and fails to react to sounds or smells then that is another big sign that your snake in sick, since normally they are very alert. Lastly, weird-looking or inflamed scales is a huge sign of sickness, and sometimes even mites. If you notice small brown or red dots on your snake, sometimes moving, then it definitely has mites, and you should take it to a vet. In the future, to prevent mites, you should bathe your snake in warm water with salt.
A Ball Python is a good choice for a pet snake, as it is one of the easiest snakes to care for. You just need to provide and maintain a proper enclosure, maintain regular feeding practices, and make sure to stay observant for anything unusual, and you will have that pet for 30 or more years.