Ron's Ball Python Blog

Have you ever heard the famous Disney children’s song, “It’s a small world after all”? That song brings a smile to my face because I can recall first hearing it when I was a young child visiting Disney Land. Unfortunately though, “It’s a small world after all” makes me realize just how small this world really is with respect to ball pythons and other exotic pets and how the government is again on the offensive.

I’m sure everyone has heard about the recent fatal attack by a chimpanzee. That was a very sad incident and our hearts go out to the injured parties. The US government felt bad too and their way to thwart future incidents was to pass H.R. 80: Captive Primate Safety Act, which reads, “To amend the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to treat nonhuman primates as prohibited wildlife species under that Act, to make corrections in the provisions relating to captive wildlife offenses under that Act, and for other purposes.” Was this house resolution extreme? That is a question that I cannot answer because I haven’t done enough research to make a conclusion. Why and how does this tie into ball pythons?

The US government is on the offensive once again in an effort to stop the transportation and importation of pythons and alligators (including crocodilian species). They’ve foolishly lumped these reptiles together and are on a mission to try and stop people from keeping and owning these animals. Since they are not what “mainstream” considers to be cute cuddly pets (i.e. cats, dogs, bunny rabbits, etc) and since some of these reptiles can in fact harm or possibly cause death to humans, they feel that every python and alligator (still including crocodilians) is a threat. As we all know, this is not the truth.

Since I deal exclusively with ball python snakes, I can only speak on their behalf because this is the only snake species that I have a first hand knowledge of and day-to-day experience with. They pose no “life or death” threat to humans, dogs, cats, etc., only rodents, simply because they are a natural food source for ball pythons. Although I do not own or have first hand experience working with other reptiles that are in the crosshairs - Anacondas, Burmese Pythons, Reticulated Pythons, Alligators, Crocodiles, etc – I can say that there are many responsible keepers that own these animals as pets and do so with the utmost care, responsibility, security and respect for the dangers that some of these animals can impose on humans and wildlife in general. This brings me to why I chose to title this blog entry as, “It’s a small world after all.” Believe it or not, it’s a very small world after all because tragic events such as the recent chimpanzee attack places not only these animals under the microscope but other animals as well, including innocent victims like the beloved Ball Python.

Since it’s such a “small world after all”, we need to be diligent and responsible as owners of exotic pets to keep safety in mind first and foremost. Not only the safety of ourselves but the safety of our families and neighbors. Keepers of potentially deadly exotic pets need to respect the potential of these pets in their care and constantly remind friends that keep similar pets as well. Exotic pet breeders that sell these animals to the public must be responsible and make certain that their customers understand the potential of what these animals can do. This not only goes for reptiles, it goes for other exotic pets as well including but not limited to exotic pets such as Lions, Bears, Tigers, and etc. that people keep as exotic pets. I subscribe to an exotic pets magazine that has pages upon pages of private for-sale and/or trade advertisements for Lions, Bears, Tigers and more so I know for certain that there are many people that keep potentially deadly non-reptile animals as pets too.

Do you like ball pythons? Do you think ball pythons are safe snakes to keep as pets? Do you feel that banning interstate transport of ball pythons is wrong? If you answered “yes” to these questions then you need to make your voice heard and help stop the passing of H.R. 669, which is “To prevent the introduction and establishment of nonnative wildlife species that negatively impact the economy, environment, or other animal species' or human health, and for other purposes.” Ball pythons do no such thing and should no be demonized and included in this house resolution. We can stop the US government from passing this house resolution but in order to do this, we have to speak together collectively as one unified voice with a resounding vote of “NO!” NO, we will not allow you, the US government, whom are servants of the people, to include ball pythons in this house resolution. NO, we will not passively sit by and allow you to include other non-life threatening species in this resolution.

YES, we will make our voices heard today and electronically sign the petition to stop this action. YES, we will make our voices heard and tell our friends about this and have our friends tell their friends and so on. YES, we will put a stop to this by signing the petition today!

If you love ball pythons then make your voice heard by electronically signing the petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/usarkHR6311/index.html and help spread the word!

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The winter season seems to be the time of year when some ball pythons develop respiratory infections. Respiratory infections or “RI” can develop if room temperatures in your home reach low levels or if the ball python tank is placed in an area that’s colder than normal (on the floor, near a window, etc). RI can also come about from stress, dirty or damp cage, pine or cedar substrate, etc. because these conditions can cause an infection of the respiratory system. Being diligent of good husbandry practices during the winter season and making sure the “hot spot” in your ball pythons’ tank is optimum will reduce the chance of your animal coming down with RI.

It’s good practice to pay closer attention to your ball python during the winter season and look out for any symptoms of RI, sooner rather than later. Symptoms of RI include a wheezing or clicking sound when your ball python is breathing, bubbles appearing from the nostrils on the top of its head or a gaping mouth with thick bubbly saliva. Some ball pythons may not exhibit these symptoms and still have RI. A practice that I employ is to remove the ball python from its’ cage and hold it upside down vertically with its head facing the floor. Gravity will pull thick stringy mucous out of the ball python’s mouth to the floor. I stumbled onto this strategy by chance when I was cleaning cages a few years back.

The very first thing you need to do if you notice any symptoms of RI is to contact your reptile veterinarian right away! You can find vets that are local to you based on your zip code at this link - Reptile & Herp Veterinarians. The next thing to do after you’ve contacted your vet and made an appointment is to check the hotspot and increase it to at least 95F and make sure the cage and water are both clean. The extra heat will help your ball python fight the infection.

Your vet will more than likely prescribe Baytril, Tylan (Tylosin) or Amakacin as the medication of choice to help clear up the infection. He or she will also show you how to administer the medicine since he or she will medicate it first and you’ll have to continue administering the meds for the duration of treatment. Oral or injections are the two common ways of administering meds to ball pythons so pay close attention and watch carefully since you’ll have to repeat the process on your own. Don’t be bashful or shy if you have a question or are unsure of something. Your vet will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

We have many snakes and a terrific long term relationship with our vets so instead of having to go to the vet for issues that aren’t life threatening, we pretty much have all the necessary meds in bulk that’s needed to treat ball pythons in-house. Before you ask, we cannot and will not provide any meds to people since we are not licensed vets and do not have the authorization to distribute meds. We’ve been granted a privilege from our vets that allow us to purchase meds in bulk for our own use. I pointed this out to you so you’d understand based on the photos that follow how and why we have meds that you’ll only see in a vet’s office.

Baytril is usually the first choice of medication prescribed by vets for RI in ball pythons so I wanted to discuss briefly the proper way to administer Baytril if you have to inject your ball python via a syringe. The renal vascular system of the ball python dictates that the injection site must be in the upper third portion of the body. The photo that follows gives you a good idea of the safe injection site.

Your vet will more than likely give you syringes pre-filled with the correct dosage based on the weight of your animal. The dosage of Baytril for ball pythons is usually 10/mg per kg (1,000 grams) of body weight. When you inject your ball python under a scale you need to guide the syringe alongside the body as depicted in this photo.

An inch or so below the spine into the muscle and alongside the body is the proper route of the syringe. A noticeable bulge will develop at the injection site and a slight discharge of the medicine will occur from the site as well - this is completely normal and to be expected. Alternate the injection site every time you administer meds via a syringe. Right side, left side, right side and so on each time you have to inject your ball python with meds. Do not guide the syringe on a downward angle as this can cause serious damage and possibly puncture the lung. The following photo depicts the angle that can cause serious life threatening damage.

If you’ve completed your final administration of meds and your ball python still has RI, you need to contact your vet right away. He or she will more than likely try a different medicine to see if it will be more effective at treating the infection.

In conclusion, as noted above and reiterated here again, observe how your vet is administering the meds and ask them any questions you might have when you’re there with your ball python. The only stupid question is the one you don’t ask your vet.