General Ball Python Care and Husbandry

Proper care is essential for Ball Pythons as is for any animal, to ensure their well being and longevity. Ball Pythons in captivity have been recorded to living as much as 40 years, though it is very rare. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore various aspects of ball python care, including enclosure setup, temperature and humidity requirements, feeding and handling, health considerations, and more. The enclosure should have proper ventilation, with a screen or mesh top to allow for … Continue reading

Cleaning Tools for Reptile Tubs

Cleaning Tools for Reptile Tubs

Cleaning Scraper set- three scrapers with six different tips These are a recent addition, with a couple of sets around our own reptile facility. The Redline Science cleaning scraper set includes three different scraper handles with six differently designed tips. These plastic scrapers have ergonomic, comfortable handles and are perfect for home, office, auto or warehouse. For cleaning, scraping, removing gum, decals, animal waste and all types of funk and gunk. Incredibly versatile, you’ll need a dozen to spread around … Continue reading

The Curiosities Of Ball Python Life

Article submitted by: Cassandra Exmoor Ball pythons may appear to humans as innocuous creatures, but they have a lot of personality and a lot of curious traits. These traits delight and often surprise – the Indian Express highlighted one python who somehow laid 7 eggs despite having no male company for a decade. This is not common, but happens more than you think, it would, and is called parthenogenesis and we’ve had it happen under our roof, where a female had been … Continue reading

Switching Ball Pythons from Live Meals to Frozen/Thawed Meals

We feed almost exclusively live mice and rats to our ball pythons. We do this for several reasons including: 1) ball pythons start easier on live meals, 2) when feeding a lot of snakes tease feeding can be very time consuming, 3) if we have left over feeders, we can just put them back in the tubs to grow a bit more. Many people would prefer to keep meals in the freezer, and thaw them as needed to feed to … Continue reading

8 Most Famous Myths Regarding Reptiles

When most people hear the word reptile, they picture a deadly wild anaconda which is ready to devour them alive. Picturing a venomous snake is another way we view reptiles. The reality is far from that. The truth is that there are several misconceptions about this group of animals. It is the reason why they are the most marginalized and misunderstood creatures. Even as pets, mammals rule our homes, but we think of reptiles as some robotic and dumb creatures … Continue reading

Ball Python Feeding Chart

Ball Python Feeding Chart

*Consider smaller medium rats (90-110 range, versus 120-150 range) All rodent sizes are assuming you are using standardized feeder sizes based off of Frozen charts, such as those found on PerfectPrey.com. When choosing African Soft Furs, consider the approximate weight of the soft fur in comparison to the more common prey items (IE, a small rat is usually between 50 and 90 grams, so feed appropriate size furs or combine as needed). ASF weights are harder to find. IMPORTANT NOTES: … Continue reading

Reptile Enrichment

We constantly hear people talk about enrichment for reptiles. Not all reptiles are the same species. We know this sounds like a duh but we constantly hear people try to argue “reptiles” and even “snakes” and create this one size fits all model. If you notice the study here references the need to understand SPECIES SPECIFIC NATURAL HISTORIES. That means that we actually have to understand the natural behaviors of the animals in order to determine what would qualify as … Continue reading

Myths about Ball Pythons

This post will discuss common myths associated with ball python keeping in the hobby and what the truth behind those myths actually is. This is intended as an educational platform to supplement our other articles. “You need to move the snake to feed it or it will become cage aggressive.” This is based on an outdated belief that moving the snake would allow it to not associate the cage opening with feeding. It has since been proven that moving the … Continue reading

Feeders for Your Ball Pythons

Feeders for Your Ball Pythons

This particular post will encompass feeder rodents in all their glory: where to buy them, how to humanely euthanize them, myths regarding them, and more. This is your one-stop shop for rodent information, basically. Live vs F/T: The Great Debate One of the biggest debates in the reptile community, especially in ball python groups, is whether or not feeding live is “safe” compared to feeding frozen/thawed. The fact of the matter is this: both methods have risks. With live, your … Continue reading

Yes, they really do live in small dark places.

Why small spaces? Why no light? Why no branches? Small, Dark Places. That is where they spend their time. What is the best way to keep any animal in captivity? In a way that best mimics the native conditions and allows for us to most effectively create the proper conditions. SO STOP TRASHING RACKS BECAUSE YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW THEY ACTUALLY LIVE. STOP anthropomorphizing the snakes and thinking that they are being deprived by being in “tiny boxes”. Reptile keeping … Continue reading

Why We Recommend Small Enclosures

The chief argument we hear for bigger enclosures is this one: “They live in the wild so a large tank shouldn’t be a big issue.” My question to you is this: You also live in the wild. Does that mean you would be 100% fine living on the streets instead of in a house? I’m willing to bet most of you are scratching your head right now wondering why I’d make such a comparison, but the simple fact is this … Continue reading