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If you decide to attend the Reptile Show at the Convention Center this weekend be sure to stop by the Northern California Herpetological Society table and say hi.  Some of the animals we will have up for adoption are bearded dragons, a red tail boa, a corn snake and an iguana. If you interested in any of these reptiles be sure to look at our care sheets on our website, www.norcalherp.com .  I plan on bringing my reticulated python both days if she can tolerate it that long.  This type of snake is the biggest snake in the world, but she is only 6 feet and a year old.

 
Common name: Ball python

Latin name: Python regius

Native to: Central and western Africa

Size: Adults average in size from three to five feet

Life span:
Ball pythons are one of the longest-lived snakes. It is not unusual for these pythons to live 20 - 30 years in captivity. One specimen lived for 47 years at the Philadelphia Zoo.

Animal description:
Ball pythons are named for their defense behavior of rolling into a tight ball with their head in the middle. Like all other pythons, ball pythons have spurs at their vents. There are many different color morphs and patterns available today in captive bred specimens. The "standard" ball python has large chocolate brown markings with lighter medium-brown spots interspersed between the darker spots. The belly is generally off-white or a pale gray.

Housing requirements:

Enclosure:
Remember that all snakes are escape artists and when designing an enclosure it is of the utmost importance that whatever enclosure is used is made as escape-proof as possible. Generally an adult ball python should be kept is a 30-gallon sized enclosure (12 inches x 36 inches).

Temperature:
Daytime temperatures should be maintained at 80° - 85° F with a basking temperature of 90° - 95° F. Nighttime temperatures should be 75° - 80° F.
Heat/Light: There has been no evidence to suggest that photo periods affect the keeping of ball pythons. If a regular photo period is provided it is recommended to use fluorescent bulbs in order to minimize the extra heat generated by incandescent bulbs.

When providing heat, do NOT use hot rocks. Hot rocks are notoriously unpredictable and can cause serious burn injuries to your animal. Red basking bulbs or ceramic emitters can be used to generate basking spots. Under the tank heating pads can also be used to help raise the ambient temperature of the enclosure. It is recommended to routinely check the temperatures of the enclosure with thermometers.
Substrate: Newspaper and newsprint make excellent substrate even though it is not very attractive. It is easy to clean and is excellent to use when acclimating new ball pythons to their enclosure. Wood shavings can also be used, though cedar should never be used and some pine can also cause health problems as well. Aspen shavings are usually an excellent choice if using wood shavings. If keeping the snake on wood shavings, care should be taken when feeding the snake to avoid shavings becoming lodged in the snake's mouth.

Environment:
Like all snakes, ball pythons are strictly carnivorous. Adult ball pythons can be fed two to three adult mice per week. Hatchlings and juvenile animals can be fed one appropriately sized prey item per week (i.e fuzzies for hatchlings, hoppers for slightly older animals).

It is important to note here that ball pythons are notorious for not eating on a regular schedule. This is especially true of wild caught specimens. Whenever possible try to obtain captive bred snakes that have already fed to minimize problems eating. If your new ball python does not eat immediately it is important to not panic. Ball pythons have been known to go months without eating and there are records of ball pythons of not eating for 22 months. Often a variety of foods may need to be offered in order to get the snake to eat and often many will only eat live food. If you are experience difficulty getting your ball python to eat you may need to consult several more in-depth texts on the subject. One excellent resource is The Ball Python Manual (see references below).
Diet: Hatchlings can be started off feeding on pinkie mice. Juveniles and adults can gradually take larger prey of fuzzy mice, adult mice or young rats. Young snakes can be fed 1 - 2 times a week. Thawed frozen rodents are the easiest and safest way to feed snakes. A supply can be kept in your freezer and there are no problems from live mice biting your snake. Water should be provided in a bowl. The snake will drink from it and may soak itself before it sheds.

Maintenance:
Fresh water should be offered daily. If using newsprint then clean as needed. Wood shavings should be spot cleaned as needed. Periodically, the enclosure should be disinfected. A 5% bleach solution makes an excellent disinfectant. Be sure to rinse the enclosure thoroughly after disinfecting. As always, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling your ball python or any cage accessories.

Corn snakes make excellent pets for first time herp keepers.  They usually have a terrific temperament, stay relatively small and are easy to maintain.  Also, corn snakes have been bred to come in a variety of colors way beyond any other snake.  These snakes are also less costly to buy than most other snakes although adopting a rescued one, if available, is even a better choice.

Currently I have 5 corn snakes residing in my house, and not a one is aggressive.  I have rescued dozens of corn snakes with only one being defensive inside his tank.  Once taken out of his habitat he was perfectly fine.



The maximum size for a corn snake is about 5 feet long and less thick than say the cardboard round inside a roll of paper towels.  Most corns are smaller than this with most females being bigger than males.

Maintaining a corn snake is really comes down to snake keeping basics.  The corns that tend to grow to the maximum size would do fine in a 40 gallon terrarium, and the smaller corns could easily be housed in a 20 gallon terrarium.   My preferences for substrate(bedding) is either newspaper(after you read it) or CareFresh.  Bark, wood shavings and the such is something I would pass on for several reasons.  If the snake is fed in the tank, the chance of ingesting the bark or shavings could result in a blockage in the digestive system of the snake resulting in a major surgery or death.  Those substrates also harbor bacteria which can lead to infection.  Heating can be accomplished with one of 2 methods.  A heat lamp with a night light bulb can be placed on one end of the tank on the top of the screen, or a human heating pad on the bottom of the tank located also on one end of the tank.  Always provide for temperature gradient so the snake can choose whether it wants the warm side or the cooler side.  Optimum temperature on the warm side should be 85 degrees.  DO NOT USE A HEAT ROCK!  I have taken in too many snakes and lizards with thermal burns due to heat rocks.  Also stick on reptile heating pads frequently get too hot as well.  I have measured temperatures as high as 108 degrees from these pads using a laser heat gun for measurement.  Frequently these pads wind up cracking the glass on the bottom of the tank.  A hide such as a half log or you can make your own out of a cardboard box should be placed in the cage.   A  bowl  of water needs to be provided for the snake to drink from and possibly soak in.  I feed all my snakes frozen/thawed prey, and I have 30 snakes.  Feeding them f/t versus live has a few benefits.  The prey cannot bite the snake if it is dead to begin with.  If a live rat, for instance, bites a snake an abscess can result along with a trip to the vet and antibiotics.  By freezing the prey some parasites are killed and cannot infect your snake.  Corns can typically be fed f/t adult mice or even small f/t small rats when the snake matures.

Corn snakes come in colors to match your sofa or drapes.  They have been bred to come in reds and oranges, yellows, lavenders, snow and many more.  The price of many corn snakes starts at about $ 30 and even less at the annual Reptile Show.  These animals live for about 15-20 years so this is a long commitment.

Hope you find this dialog helpful in your awareness of keeping this type of snake.