I am really wanting to get a ball python (or something similar) for a personal pet. I want something that will stay under 6'. My wife is opposed, but its easier to ask forgiveness than permission.
Question is...how much am I looking to spend on the snake, and housing for it. How big of an aquarium? Heat rock? What else do I need? How often do I need to feed it?
Been a lot of years since I had a pet snake, and I really want another one now
Ball pythons are finicky eaters at best (sometimes going months without eating) and prone to URI.
IMHO - The best snake would be a corn snake, also called a red rat snake (elaphe guttata guttata).
They get up to about 5 or 6 feet long, but only as big as your two thumbs, much more active than a royal python (true name for a ball) and come in colors ranging from black to white and every color in between.
Very tame snakes by nature, I've plucked wild 5 footers off a fence and never been bitten.
Basic baby corns will cost you around 30, maybe up to 100 for a fancy hybrid, and half that at a reptile show or online.
They are hardy snakes, and Florida natives, so you aren't contributing to our exotic problem if it escapes.
Perfect setup would be a 55 long (bigger if you can afford the tank and the space) with a heat stone for direct heat, heat pad for indirect, escape proof lid, and a UV light.
Branches for getting off the ground and shedding, a shelter to get privacy and cool off. Water container big enough to soak in and at least 1-2 inches of non toxic substrate. They make calcium enriched sand in case eating prey the snake ingest some.
Go with the big tank from the beginning, if you start with a tank that fits the snake you'll be upgrading as it grows.
Snakes grow faster the more they eat... One feeding a week will have it growing and shedding every month or so. Once every other week is good slow growth maintenance diet.
Handling the snake daily (except immediately after eating) will keep it friendly and less likely to hide when you approach.
Snakes can live for 20 years or more so plan on a long term commitment to at least 1 electrical outlet being taken up.
Corn snakes are amazing animals, come in hundreds of morphs and like Ironcat said, are very hardy and relatively easily handled.
They are a Colubrid, though, so this means they're an active hunter, as opposed to an ambush hunter. This translates into they are ALWAYS moving. (And they are expert escapists)
We've raised both Colubrids and Constrictors and our personal preference will always be the Constrictor species, because of their relaxed, laid back dispositions and willingness to just sit and hang out with their handler.
Ball Pythons can, indeed, be very picky eaters and our 2 males continuously go off food throughout the winter months. They never loose more than 5 grams of weight, though, and our 2 females more than make up for the boys' lack of appetite.
BPs are a bit higher maintenance than Corns. They do need belly heat from an undertank heater, ambient heat at about 78-83* and 65-70% humidity. BPs are also one of the few python species that enjoy coming out to bask on occasion, so a light source that doesn't emit too much heat will encourage a BP to come out and be seen. BPs are nocturnal, so no UV light is necessary, and if they don't have a basking spot, they really don't care.
Good substrates would be newspaper, Reptile Carpet, EcoEarth, CocoSoft, Repti-Bark, or dampened Cypress mulch. We have used Aspen before, but have noticed with the BPs that they have a difficult time shedding. Should you used Aspen, I would recommend you add a humid hide to the enclosure. If you have a loose substrate, think about possibly moving the snake to a tote or having apiece of slate in the tank for feedings to try to avoid it digesting anything but rat.
We've kept our BPs in everything from Rubbermaid totes, to Vision cages, to Critter Cages. They like tighter, confined spaces, though, so whatever size tank you put them in, make sure they have a nice, snug hide to curl up in.
Now, as a rescue and rehabber's point of view: Heat rocks are a death trap. I can't tell you how many animals we've had to treat for belly burn because of them. Sand substrates are the same. Its abrasive on their scales and can cause alot of damage. The only time we have ever used sand was with Uromastyx and Knob Tail Geckos. Stay away from Pine and Cedar at all cost. They cause severe neurological damage and will ultimately kill the snake.
Heres a listing for some of the Repticon shows in Tampa this year: http://www.repticon.com/tampa.html
A normal BP hatchling-yearling will run anywhere between $20-$80, depending on who you get it from. I strongly advise you not to purchase any snakes from large pet stores. They are most of the time captive borns, imported from Africa, and can come with a series of disastrous health problems. Hit one of the shows and find a good, healthy, captive bred baby from a reputable breeder.
If you have ant other questions fell free to ask.
Thanks Tim. Ive had more rat snakes than most folks have ever seen. I used to sell gray rat snakes back when I was a teenager. Had a guy that would buy every one I would catch.
I am gonna start looking for a tank. If you run across a deal on a BP, let me know
