Ron's Ball Python Blog

Ball pythons make wonderful reptilian pets but as you’re probably already aware, they won’t fetch a ball or bring your newspaper to you in the morning. However, you don’t have to walk them several times a day nor do you have to put up with them barking late at night and waking up the neighbors either. Ball pythons are considered the most popular pet snake to date and many people are becoming interested in them every day and for good reasons!

Is a Ball Python Right for you?
Ball pythons make excellent beginner snakes due in part to their reputation of having extremely docile temperaments. Rarely do they ever strike or bite their owners and they grow to very manageable lengths. The majority of adult’s range anywhere from 3.5 to 5.5 feet in length and weigh upwards of six (6) pounds as adults. Adult female ball pythons outweigh adult males because they need the extra body fat to produce eggs. Most ball pythons are considered puppy dog tame and maintain excellent temperaments well into adulthood. I had a customer contact me recently and shared with me how wonderful her ball python is as a pet. This was her first snake and she was absolutely pleased with him and was very happy that she made the decision to purchase a ball python.

Normal or wild-type ball python

As mentioned earlier, you don’t have to take ball python’s out for a walk several times a day for them to relieve themselves. Ball pythons defecate every two weeks on average and urinate a couple times a week at most. Spot cleaning their cage is extremely easy and can be done in less than one-minute tops. Ball pythons can be fed a mouse or rat once a week and many will often accept frozen/thawed rodents via tweezers or hemostats.

Ball pythons are the perfect pets for people who live in an apartment, condominium or dormitory because they don’t make loud noises, are practically odorless and pose no real threat if they should ever escape from their tank. A ball python will not kill and eat your cat, your dog a small child or baby as some larger bodied pythons and snakes could. Reticulated pythons and Burmese pythons grow to very long lengths often exceeding twenty (20) feet and are a serious threat to small children and pets such as cats and dogs.

Burmese python handled by Mark O’Shea

A suitable ball python cage and setup is pretty inexpensive and should last for many years if it's kept properly. Read my recent blog about Setting up an Environment for your Hatchling Ball Python for more information about an ideal environment for ball pythons. Ball pythons come in an assortment of colors and patterns so there’s quite a bit of variety to choose from. Ball python morphs or designer ball pythons are rare and exotic looking animals that are growing in popularity. They differ drastically from normal looking or wild-type ball pythons and are more expensive than normal ball pythons due to their rareness and potential as investment quality ball pythons.

Bumblebee ball python

Should you Purchase a Ball Python?
Ball pythons can live for a very long time and are extremely low maintenance pets. You have to ask yourself if you truly want a snake as a pet and if so, you need to commit to your pet ball python because it will be with you for a long time. Before purchasing your first ball python I would also suggest doing some background reading and having a tank/cage setup before you receive your ball python. It’s not a good idea to get a ball python first and have to purchase caging second.

We offer a wide range of ball python educational material, articles and reports on our website and invite you to read up on ball python's before you purchase one. Once you’ve read up on them and you’re ready to purchase a ball python, take a look at the captive born and bred ball pythons we have available on our Ball Python’s for Sale page.

Our ball python forum is a friendly on-line community for ball python talk, questions, answers and general discussions so feel free to check out the forum and become a member. :)