Ball Python Complete Care Guide 2022 | The RIGHT WAY and What Has Changed!
#ballpython #snake #reptiles
Become a Patron for $1
NEW MERCH
Chat with us on Discord
Join us for Among Us? Jackbox?
Want to Track a Sea Turtle, Elephant or Polar Bear? – Use Code WWR20 to get 20% off!
Need a wicked PVC enclosure?
Get free door handles when you use code WWR at checkout
Need reptile grub? Use Code WWR at checkout for 10% off your order!
Get Your Reptile Shoes!
We’re on TikTok !
?
Want to send us something to start off 2022?
Adam Wickens
221 Glendale Ave
PO Box 25037 Pen Centre
St. Catharines ON
L2T 4C4
Canada
WEBSITE►
EMAIL► [email protected]
FACEBOOK►
INSTAGRAM►
Equipment
WiFi Thermometer Hygrometer
Smart Plugs
Thermometer/ Hygrometer
Premium Thermostat
Gargeer gecko food –
Budget Thermostat
Enclosure Lights
Smart Humidifier –
Temp Gun –
Snake Hook
Reptile Spy Cam
Main Camera
Main Lens
Backup Camera
B Roll Lens
Microphone
Mic Stand
Drone
Studio Key Light
Studio Color Lights
UVB Light
Industrial Velcro
My female is just about 6 ft..
I thought ball pythons were boring and wanted something cooler. So, for my first ever snake, at 15, I got a BCI/BI boa. She’ll probably get 8 feet based on what the breed said about her parents. I’ve had her for a year now and I love her. She acts like a ball python though, not the feisty boa I was looking for. She balls up and tries to get away instead of biting. She’s probably 3 feet now. I converted a 50 gallon Steralite tote for her, I got her with multiple ceramic heat emitters, a deep heat projector, and uvb. All she does is hide but that’s okay.
Then we were at a reptile expo, mom and I both agreed, no more pets…… and then we came home with 2. One was a ball python. I new it was over the second he got my little sibling to hold her, and talked about how he held her everyday. I was so wrong about them being boring. I’m not sure she’s even 6 inches yet but she has so much personality. She’s not super shy, and every time I get her out she wraps around my Apple Watch and won’t let go. I just upgraded her to ten gallon (from a little tub) and she barely stretches out across one side. She sat under the deep heat projector immediately. It was fun to watch this even after having the cage setup to make sure I checked off all the boxes.
Thank you for this! We are picking up our 1st BP (1st reptile ever) this week. A friend's son is rehoming him. My daughter's and I have watched all your BP videos (& more) and spent hours more researching their care. We will slowly be making a few changes about his current care to fit our research (Snake Discovery, Clint's Reptiles, GoHerping, + more) so fingers crossed he transitions smoothly!
Could you please make a video on anole care guide
I find the DHP's which emit UVA I believe? did make a difference in the long term my snakes been less moody
I’ve been doing so much research and stuff on ball pythons and I think this jus sealed the deal. I’m ready for it 😎🥹
If you haven’t seen Green Room Pythons video on BP hunger strikes, you should check it out. Yes, some BP just do that. But he has some things to check on or change to give BP the best opportunity to eat. I know, some still won’t. But it’s worth your time as a BP keeper. Thanks for the video!
Sulcata tortoises are the most active creatures in the world. Proof? My cat sleeps 2/3rds of the day, meanwhile Pog runs around her tortoise house climbing her hide, water dish, and basking rock. She dashes from one end to the other. She has a ball and she likes ramming it before she gets bored and goes back to running. She demolishes her salad and she gets teckdeck privileges once a week after her bath and she zooms around the room. She. Is. Speed.
My ball python WILL NOT eat white rodents. Frozen or live. I've never successfully gotten him to eat frozen, either. I also just found out yesterday that he's a male, after having him for almost a year, so he no longer has a name! 😅
Red tail boa Care !!!!!!!🤔🤔🙏
I absolutely adore ball pythons. Can you make a video featuring a list of bigger snakes that ball python lovers would also love. To qualify size wise, would top off at large rat. Thank you!! Love your channel
Haha. The only snake I've ever been bit by was a BP. It was my own fault though! He was conditioned to be fed in front of his hide and I put my hand in front of his hide. He wasn't handled much so my bad.
I love that you give your ball python plenty of space and plenty of enrichment. Whereas I realise your care is exemplary I worry that other people keep the same animal in a drawer.The animal cannot stretch to it’s full length in a drawer and has no enrichment. What is your opinion on this ?
Thanks for doing these videos! It really helps new ball python owners like myself take better care of my babies <3
Crap, I was too slow to change before the video started . you got lucky Wick. Medical my foot , well it does work for sleep. Not good during the day.
Dav Kauffman just did a documentary about ball pythons. The whole termite mound thing is wrong. They live in rodent burrows and eat regular rodents. African soft furrs aren't even wild in Africa. They are also quite active in the mornings and evenings for a few hours at a time. I would definitely recommend you go watch that video. This care guide is great and very thorough for care but Dav's video is important for killing old myths like the termite mound thing.
About enclosure size: I always say that I'd fit in a coffin, but I wouldn't like to live in one. Keeping any animal in too small an enclosure is animal abuse. You're not just making a room for your snake, you're giving them a whole apartment, and I don't know about you, but I'm not a fan of those "micro apartments". Anyways, I study at a veterinary hospital, and a while ago since I'm on pretty good terms with one of the exotic practice medics I asked her about royal pythons, since I want one and she's right there so I might as well ask, and she pointed me to a veterinary handbook and our country's legislation (Portugal):
– The book was a BSAVA (British Small Animal Veterinary Association) manual titled "Manual of Reptiles" (I got the 3rd edition (2019) through "alternative" means, so you can, too; it's got great stuff, I recommend it!). The minimum recommended dimensions to house a ground-dwelling snake is as follows: 3/4 of body length as length x 1/3 of body length as width x 1/2 of body length as height.
– The legislation is Decreto-Lei n.º 276/2001, 17th october, that establishes certain rules and obligations about owning pets in general as well as the protection of companion animals according to european convention (the specific annex was hellish to find among all the rewrites and addendums and corrections to this law set) states the minimum dimensions for a ground-dwelling snake as follows: 2/3 of body length as length x 1/2 of body length as width x 1/2 of body length as height.
In either case, the sides of the base when added are at least as long as the snake, BSAVA adding up to 1.08 of snake length, and national legislation actually being a little bit more generous with 1.16 of snake length, confirming the notion that you and others said before that the snake should be able to stretch fully along two sides of the enclosure at the very least. The height (1/2 of snake length) is so that the snake is a safe distance away from any electric apparatus like lights and such that might be installed inside, and in the case of top opening enclosures to make sure the snake doesn't get out, or at least to make it very hard to climb out.
And this is of course only the MINIMUM recommended amount for a specific length of snake, and even adults will keep growing, so by all means go bigger on an adult's enclosure. Appropriate use of covers and enrichment are also important in what the BSAVA manual describes as "naturalistic" habitats, as a contrast to "clinical" habitats as used in hospital settings or medical situations (bare necessities, paper towel, etc), and is encouraged. I quote from Chapter 3 – Captive Maintenance > Housing: "Aside from the appearance, the primary advantage of this type of set-up is the provision of psychological and potentially stress-reducing benefits, such as natural cover, infrequent handling of cage inhabitants and a range of microclimates". They do mention that for large species like giant snakes (anything over 2 meters) a clinical setting is the most efficient to provide the proper conditions for the animal to be healthy, but that more timid species like our beloved Python regius would likely be over stressed from both the exposure and the amount of handling required to keep such a setting clean.
And about UV light: snakes do not need UV. They get all the vitamin D they need from their diet. It won't hurt them, and personally I see potential benefits for egg-laying females to help them calcify their eggs properly, but according to the medic I asked it's a definite "not needed".
Now if only I could focus so well on writing, researching, and sourcing my thesis as I did on a fucking YT comment. Cheers!
I think reading your snake for any illness and understanding what comes with it could have been addressed. I had my first snake for two and half years and then one morning I was getting ready for work and he was around my neck and the biggest glob of saliva was on my arm. Didn't go to work that day. That was last October… emergency visits, two exotic Vets different locations, antibiotics and at one point being tube Feb. But he pulled through and today he is healthy. But two different scenarios that happened a couple days apart caused the RI but we made it.
every animal probably benefits from UVB, its the wavelengths that the earth experiences and everything on it is therefore influenced by, even plants too. so giving a species that doesnt take this frequency in high quantities often would probably help it adjust to its non natural state (captivity) much easier, but the animal will make the adjustment regardless. its like how a sea turtle could survive in freshwater it would just have to get used to the buoyancy first.
Humidity is suppose to be 70 percent and above all day nuthin lower…50 to 70 is incorrect no disrespect…if anyone wants accurate info davkaufman just posted the new ballpython movie..
Caring for these pythons is so fun. I will say I messed up a bunch and continue to make mistakes but that is part of the journey. I started with a very basic enclosure and within a month I went bioactive…and now two months later my snake had tripled is size and I’m thinking about breading them, this “invisible ark” I am a part of really means a lot to me.
So happy to see this video come out! My girl is 5 years old now. (I say girl, not really too sure but she is about 4 1/2 feet right now.) This is the second year where she just stopped eating. Still isn’t. It’s been about 4 months now and I have gone through her entire rat supply. I knew it was something that they do, but still nice to be reassured because it IS concerning when they do this and you worry. Mine is easily stressed and doesn’t really like to be handled so I do always worry that she has associated food with “oh no the hooman is here!” But good to know and hear that I’m not the only one running into this.
It really is the biggest con to owning a ball python. It’s a little sad to have to throw a rat away and feels so wasteful but it just is what it is. It’s safer for the snake if they decide they don’t want to eat, and it’s more humane for the rat itself. I try to catch her when she is active (usually at night) and showing an interest in food. Even still if she doesnt want to eat she will just sniff it, and then run away from it. Like literally boop her nose with it and she will squirm away. I just throw it away and take the trash out immediately at that point.
Other than that they really are a lot of fun, and they are easy to take care of if you have the patience. 🙂
Hello Adam! I'm from Argentina and have two tegus. They are sleeping now until October, most likely. Do you own any tegus? You should make a Tegu Care Guide 🫶🏻☺️💞
My step brother has a ball python or in the uk we call it royal python and now I really want one 😭
Just got my first ball today (July 23). He's a beautiful banana enchi
Day:2 of 2022 leopard gecko care guide
Given your collection of skinks would you ever consider getting a Peters banded skink? as they're handalable as well
Ha Ha "…Summer Solstice", I see that sort of thing a lot in a group I help moderate for new snake keepers. This was another great video! My own has gone off food several times, but actually became more consistent when I switched to a huge 4 by 4 by 2 enclosure set up. Now he eats wonderfully.
Canada has universal rocks now?!!!
Should I get this size tank if it’s a baby?
So my ball python used to love coming out. He’s in a 4x2x2 and I hardly see him out. Always in the same hide on the cool end now.
"You live in an apartment. Do you stay in that apartment all day? No. You leave, every day."
Me, who has lived in the same pajamas for the past 3-4 days: "Well… I suppose it has been a minute." *attempts to leave the permanent indentation on my sofa… struggles… and slumps back down.*
"Maybe tomorrow."
lol jk. Kinda.
Awesome video as always. Sometimes I wonder why you do updated care guides every other year. Then I remember one of my favorite quotes: "The most dangerous sentence in the human language is 'We've always done it this way.'"
Just like every year we're learning the secrets to being able to keep more exotic species in captivity to thrive; so too should we strive to always improve husbandry and care for the more common species.
I have a male coral glow x yellow belly het pied called Miso and he is the zoomiest snake ever. His girlfriend Ziti is a lesser x fire enchi and rarely moves😂
I don't throw out the uneaten frozen rats or mice I just save them and put them in the woods.
Awesome video and your not wrong about normals being so available I’m getting my first ball python this month for free because it’s a pastel normal
I want one so bad! And I made a whole list on what they need but my mom doesn’t want one (my dad notes one tho too cause he had 6 reptiles before me and my sister were born) :((
Edit: I saved up 450€ but then my mom said “we’ll pay the rest for an iMac cause there’s no way you’ll get a snake” (I’ve always wanted an iMac) I gave up on a ball python and now I’m at 50€ and I’m starting to save up again ☺️
I love the Ball Python videos, I was wondering if you can do a video including how to feed/handle a food aggressive one. I just got an adult female that was crazy when I fed her
I have a small tank for my python and i was wondering if i should put more plants in it and is it ok for him to have artificial plants?
Enjoy watching your videos , very informative and interesting and fun. 👍👍
I'm fascinated by ball pythons. I met my first one last night and held her. Sweet as any dog or cat.
After months of trying my mom is finally letting me get a snake so I’m choosing the ball python. Held a pied in the pet store and fell in love the moment it wrapped around my wrist like a bracelet. I’ll have it in addition to my bearded dragon, two Guinea pigs, and dog can’t wait to bring him home in a few weeks 🥰
This is awesome! I’m super excited to get my snake! I’m planning on getting a female albino and name her Banana smoothie 😀 This was very helpful!
As someone who also lives in canada I'm so glad I came across your channel! So many videos of Americans talking about reptiles and products they use but I can't get them in canada so I'm glad to know when I watch your videos odds are any products you recommend I'll be able to actually buy lol
Adam is a great helper I constantly refer to his videos if i ever need anything! ps for you ball python pros i have a 3-month-old bp and i have a 40-gal tank. Could i move him into that or would my snake feel vulnerable?
Any tips for getting my BP to eat large rats. He's the right size for large rats but will not touch the large one and will only eat the mediums.
Where do u get the mice/rats???
I love snakes because of you I've learned to care for them them even thank you live lone and prosper.
After swapping to UVB on my ball python I've noticed the color on them became more vibrant and mine has become a bit more active
What I don’t like is how as a viewer we’re told to keep our snakes in an enclosure that is relatively large compared to breeders … if a breeder can keep their hundreds of ball pythons in tubs so can I cause there’s literally no difference in care as long as heat and humidity is on point
Question, do you guys recommend buying reptiles online and if so any recommendations on places?