In 2006 two Ball Pythons arrived in our Home. Both were females. We named them Lillith and Karmen. They are about a year or two years old.
When the "snakes" arrived we were very excited.
We also had a lot to learn:
The first task at hand was setting up a habitat for the snakes. We chose a location in the living room on top of a small coffee table. This was a pretty easy choice, there wasn't a lot of furniture to deal with in that room!
Both of the Ball Python's have their own 10 gallon habitat / reptile tank to live in. I will describe their homes from the ground floor up.
Ball Pythons are tropical snakes. We learned that it is important to prepare a habitat that varies from a cool area to warm area. We began our foundation by placing an Under the Tank Heater under the the right hand side of our tank.
Now our Ball Python can thermo-regulate within their habitat. The reason that you want your Ball Python to thermo-regulate or to control their temperature is because Snakes don't sweat! Your snake relies on the environment they live in for a variation in temperature range. It will may move around until it finds a sweet spot that feels just right. Do not be tempted to use a heated rock, you could accidently burn your snake.
Next we covered the bottom of their habitat with a layer of newspaper. On top of newspaper we placed 1" to 2" of bedding. Most people call this bedding - substrate.
The substrate we use in the tank is Zoo Med Repti Bark.
It is fantastic substrate for your Ball Python. It is very good for tropical pets that require humidity.
Some friends have also enjoyed the Aspen Snake substrate.
They feel that Aspen Snake substrate could be better for snakes because it is very absorbent, low toxidity, and is hypoallergenic.
The key thing about any substrate - is to choose something that is easy to use. You want something that is easy for you to setup. And easy to cleanup after your pet. Our vet suggested trying another bedding, I'll update this page after trying it.
We started with some fancy Zoo Med Reptile Rock Bowls like these ones. They look more natural in the habitat when used with the repti-bark.
 Lillith and Karmen outgrew these bowls. We found that they needed a larger bowl to drink and soak in. Our current habitat won't support the Large Zoo Med Reptile Rock Bowl, so we searched for a substitute. For a transition bowl we are using some fajita bowls. They fit in with the habitat, are inexpensive, and did not have any rough edges. Don't be surprised if you find a milky substance in the water, they sometimes pee in their bowls.
Ball Pythons are very shy snakes. It is important that you have a hide for your snake to go during the day or when they are scared or stressed.
We use a Zoo Med Hide like this one, it looks great with the substrate, has interesting holes for your snake to crawl through, and provides a place for your snake to go during the day. Snakes are nocturnal, they will spend most of a typical day in hiding.
Ball Pythons enjoy a tropical environment - You will want to monitor and control the humidity in your habitat. Another way you can do this is with a combination hydrometor / temperature monitor.
We mounted one of these hydrometers on the side of the habitat. You want to have keep your snake from drying out. A Ball Python is comfortable when the humidity is between 60% - 80%.
When the humidity falls below 50% - we mist the tank, their hide and Substrate / Bedding.
Keep a mister near your reptile tank. You can use a standard mister, but to avoid confusion; you may want to get one that is marked for your reptiles. Especially if you are adding nutrients to the water.
On top of their habitat we have a heavyweight metal screen. This keeps things from getting in, and our snakes from getting out.
The screen is secured by using a series of tank clamps.
A pair of these clamps secure the screen to the top of their habitat. You can hear them click, when you put them in place. Double check the clamps - Periodically my kids forget to click them all the way down after they play with them. To remove your screen, compress the clamp while pulling it away from your tank.
The screen is sturdy enough to place a Infra-Red Heat lamp on top of it. Because our room is cool we use the lamp 24/7 in the winter. We will need to monitor it when spring and summer arrive.
Because we are using a heat source day and night we monitor temperatures all the time. The temperature on the cool side is between 67-72. On the warm side we try to keep the temperature range between 80-85.
Above the tank we have a UV-B lamp that provides nutrients during the day.
Warning I accidently purchased a UV-A lamp, and the temperature in the tank became too warm. The UV-B lamps allow your snake to get proper nutrition through artificial daylight. Then I placed the light on a cheap Home Depot timer that turns the UV-B lamp from 7 till 6 at night. The manufacturer says that the lamp will last a year. Most vet's recommend changing the bulbs every 6 months.
Many people use a thermal strip in the center of their tank to to monitor the temperature. I found a digital thermometer like this one on clearance for about $10 from Ace Hardware. The indoor - outdoor setting allows me to monitor both sides of the tank.
The unit is rests on top of the screen on the cool side of the tank and captures the "In" temperature. The "Outside" reading comes from placing the probe in the substrate on the warm side of the tank. It is nice to be able to get readings from both sides of the tank. The digital thermometer pictured here has shorter leads... instead of one that is long enough to reach outdoors. Fluker has combined a thermometer and a hydrometer into a unit that costs about $20.
Care
Karmen had trouble shedding... We took her to Olathe Animal Hospital and they took care of her. Because they were new pets to us, we had them do a checkup. The Vet gave us a shedding aid to help her. The checkup was about $40 and was well worth it, next time I will have Zoo Med shedding formula on hand.
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