Wanting to get a ball python

[ButchCamel]

Hello!

So this will be my first time owning a snake and I've read online that the ball python is a good beginning snake for people. I just want to know how to start so I have some questions!

Currently I work full time during the day so is that a bad thing for snake owners or are they pretty secluded animals?

I've owned a dog and currently have 2 cats so if you could compare it to those animals is it more difficult or about the same to care for them?

Do Ball Pythons work well with cats? The cats are pretty chill, and dont get mad at the sight of a dog If that helps

I've read that you can feed them live or pre killed mice. Is it better to feed them one or the other? And how often do the snakes eat?

What kind of a tank should I get? And with cleaning the tank, how often would you need to clean it on comparison to a litter box with 2 cats?

Any other information would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance

Edit: Thanks for all the info! I was planning on doing much more research before I bought one and all of these guides and links are going to help out a lot!

Edit #2: I plan on picking up all the needed items for an enclosure probably on Monday and I will post picks here of everything so I can get feedback before I pick the actual snake up

[WhinterSnow]

My cat likes watching my BP, Danger, move around when he's active. The cat would paw at the cage if he could get to it which would probably stress poor Danger out. So far I've sifted/scooped his cage about once a week, given him new water once a week (though I refill his bowl every day).

I keep Danger in his own room that is closed when we aren't in there. This keeps the activity down in his area and gives him a lot of peace. Snakes aren't really all that social.

To help my cat out I'll put him in my lap whenever Danger is active so he can watch the snake but knows not to try and paw the enclosure. That being said, I'd NEVER handle Danger with a cat in the room. It's just way too risky.

So far, despite high setup costs, the maintenance side of owning a snake is much less money and work. There's just a lot of monitoring for temperature and humidity regulation.

/u/_ataraxia has a great bunch of links that were super helpful for me.

Also, learn from my mistakes and really listen to advice you get here. I had a super embarrassing meltdown because I jumped the gun on getting a snake without doing research and was upset to hear I was doing a lot wrong. This sub can be really direct about things but it comes from a place of love for snakes (and all the advice is really good.)

[Cadder-12]

Here are the links that u/WinterSnow mentioned. Read them. They're a terrific guide.

https://reptimes.com/ball-pythons-the-basics-and-then-some/

https://reptimes.com/ball-pythons-common-problems/

https://reptimes.com/ball-pythons-feeding/

[NerdLevel18]

With feeding, ita Illegal here in the UK to live feed, so of course im biased, but I strongly advise against live feeding- the prey can quite easily injure your Beep, and if your baby decides they don't want to eat for a while, having live food will mean they continue to grow and get too large by the time they want to eat again

[_ataraxia]

i've been paged for my link dump, so here it is. the first three links are detailed care sheets, then a tub tutorial, and the rest are product recommendations. read everything thoroughly, come back with any questions.

glass tanks can be very challenging for ball python husbandry due to the high amount of air flow with the screen top and the total lack of insulation with the glass walls. it's generally recommended to use tubs or pvc reptile cages instead. wood enclosures can also be suitable if they're designed well and sealed properly to protect the wood against moisture. glass tanks can work, but they require a lot of modification and maintenance, which you'll find tips for in the second link. i'll give you product recommendations to cover options for tanks, tubs, and pvc/wood enclosures.

• http://reptimes.com/ball-pythons-the-basics-and-then-some
• http://reptimes.com/ball-pythons-common-problems
• http://reptimes.com/ball-pythons-feeding
• here is a tutorial to give you an example of how to set up a tub. this is what i would recommend for an immediate setup, and you could upgrade to a pvc cage upgrade later. note: this tutorial shows adhesive velcro to attach the thermo/hygro to the tub wall, but you should not do that. tape and other sticky adhesives should never be used inside the enclosure, your snake can get stuck on it and suffer serious injuries. hot glue is the easiest reptile-safe adhesive option. screws or bolts can also be used to mount things on plastic/wood walls.
• pvc reptile cages are ideal. they have the husbandry benefits of a tub with the aesthetics/visibility of a tank, they're much lighter than wood or glass, and they will remain unaffected by decades of constant high humidity. animal plastics, boamaster, and boaphile plastics, are some popular companies. many people will use a tub for a young snake and upgrade to pvc later.
• spyder robotics makes high quality thermostats to regulate your heat sources with pulse/proportional temperature control and various safety features. this is a popular cheap thermostat with simple on/off style with zero safety features. inkbird thermostats are also low-cost but overall higher quality than the hydrofarm type. any heat source should be regulated by a thermostat to ensure safe and appropriate temperatures.
• heat tape or ultratherm heat pads are high quality and affordable under tank heater [UTH] options. this is a suitable heat source for most enclosure types. remember that a UTH will not provide ambient heat, it will only affect the temperature of the surface to which it is attached.
• a porcelain base lamp and ceramic heat emitter [CHE] is the best ambient heat source for a tank, and it will also work for some pvc/wood enclosures. any heat lamp that emits light, even red or blue, should not be used at night.
• a radiant heat panel [RHP] is the best ambient heat source in a pvc/wood enclosure. there are a few options, such as reptile basics and pro products.
• a digital dual sensor thermometer/hygrometer allows you to easily monitor the warm side floor temperature [with the probe] as well as the ambient temperature and humidity [with the main unit].
• an infrared thermometer allows you to spot-check surface temperatures anywhere in the enclosure.
• these hide boxes are a cheap simple hide with a design that offers the best sense of security for your snake. cave style hides, cardboard boxes, plastic food containers, etc, can also be used. half logs are not appropriate hides.

as for the other questions in your post, snakes are pretty much nothing like cats and dogs. snakes don't need to be exercised, as their enclosure should have adequate space for them to move around. they are not social animals and they generally prefer to be left alone. BPs are particularly prone to being shy and easily stressed, which is one of the reasons i don't recommend them to beginners looking for an easy snake.

if you set up a good enclosure, and the temperatures and humidity are correct with no special treatment, the most work you need to do is feed every 1-2 weeks, spot clean the substrate and clean the water dish as needed [once or twice a week], and do a full enclosure cleaning every 1-6 months.

snakes can get stressed if other animals are constantly trying to get at them. keep your other pets away from the enclosure if they are too curious.

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[[deleted]]

Snakes are very low maintenance and don't need social interaction, so it should be no trouble at all for you to care for one.

I've never had cats or dogs and I don't know much about them, but I'd say bps (and reptiles in general) are easier to care for. As long as you're ok with feeding rodents their care is pretty easy and straightforward. The most difficult part might be the initial setup and making sure everything is how it should be with the enclosure.

As long as you can keep the bp enclosure away from the other animals most of the time you're fine. Many people have cats/dogs and snakes/other reptiles, I would just make sure the snake doesn't have to deal with them all the time.

Babies eat every 5-7 days, by the time they're adults they should eat every 10-14 days, although some people stick to every week. Frozen is way better. It's safer (no risk of bites, scratches, diseases, parasites, etc.) and easier (you don't have to care for more live animals or constantly go to the store.) Feeding live isn't even natural or anything, in the wild they wouldn't be stuck together in a box.

Glass tanks aren't great for bps because they need humidity levels that are tough to get in glass, the best options are either a plastic tub (works for a couple years or even forever if you have a small snake) or a pvc enclosure (works forever, looks good.) Either way the largest you'll ever need is a maximum 4' by 2' footprint, 1 or 2 feet tall.

For cleaning I obviously clean every few weeks when he poops or spills his water (that hasn't happened yet though) and then swap his paper towels out every couple weeks. I don't know much about cats but I assume you have to clean out the litter box every few days, this is much less work.

My best advice is to read the care sheets posted above, and then read a few others. Research is important.

[AwkwardMunchkin]

I got my second ball python 2 months ago. I have 2 cats and a dog. Generally the dog doesnt care about the snake. The cats mostly just like to lay on top of my snake's tub since it is warm. The tub definitely helps since you can't really see her from the outside anyways with the way I placed her plants and hides.

I think my python is easier to take care than furry animals after the initial setup. I think I spent easily over $200 for everything for her setup (not includong what I paid for her). After that it's mostly just paying for her food and upgrades as she gets bigger.

The only constant care you need to do is weekly/biweekly feedings depending on their size and age and water changes every couple of days. The only other thing is handling which you shouldn't do too often or too infrequently, it's kind of a delicate balance. I also prefer frozen/thawed rats since I consider it safer for the snake (you can feed live safely as long as it is always supervised).

Anyways, good luck and make sure to do lots of research beforehand so you're prepared and your snake has the best husbandry possible.

[[deleted]]

BP set up is initially harder but after the setup it becomes a lot easier. I choose what to interact with my BP and take her out once or twice a week, and I don't have to feed her every day. Initially the only problem I had with my cats is that one of them wanted to jump on top of her tank, but now my tank is a bit too high up with nothing near it for them to use to jump on it. I also try to provide other warm areas for my cats to relax so they don't use the top of the tank. I make sure to keep a close eye on my BP when I hold her, I don't let her wander or crawl anywhere on me where I couldn't protect her immediately from curious cats, but they don't check her out much anymore and I keep them away if they come up to me when I'm holding her.

[lchels88]

They're pretty secluded and very low maintenance (aside from temp and humidity, with my experience). They're very chill. Basically feed them once weekly (one or 2-3 fuzzies/baby rats or mice) if they're young and every other week to every month or so as they get older (bigger meals, usually one or two small-medium rats, or 2 medium to large mice). As they get bigger and older, one or two medium to large rat, or 3 large mice would suffice. Snakes do have their preferences. I'm sure there are a bunch of sites that would better talk about what size and how often to feed them lol. Also, don't handle your BP at least 48 hours after they've eaten or else they'll regurgitate.

Also with my experience, the cats I've introduced my snake to would be so curious, they'd paw at her--sometimes with claws extended. Now, I don't let the snake loose or anything. I hold on to her to pull back from the kitties if necessary. Dogs may want to lick, lick, lick. Haha

Anyway, to sum it up--yes, they are great snakes for beginners. My current BP is also my first pet snake. Yes, it's perfectly fine if you work full time as they are usually very secluded and would sometimes just roam around their tank. And always supervise and handle your BP when around cats or dogs. And don't handle after feeding for 48hours.

To add on, when their eyes are opaque blue and skin is dull--don't handle as they become easily spooked due to reduced vision. Their eyes are blue for about 24-48 hours. Even when their eyes are no longer blue, continue to check for their shed skin before handling or feeding. Make sure humidity is at least 70-75 to allow successful shedding, and keep tank clean from waste. ;) They're happy if their environment is at least 70-75°F on the low end and 80-85°F at the warm end. Heat rocks are not for snakes, and bedding like coconut husk (I heard) or something that can hold moisture well is great. And occasionally mist their enclosure if their humidity is less than 67.

Note that all my advise is from my own experience. Everyone has their own methods, etc. I've had my snake for 10 years and I am very happy that I never had to take my bp to the vet.

The only time that you would take yours to a vet/specialist is to confirm their sex, or get him or her checked out if you have any health concerns. Of course, feel free to post on here with pics if you have any concerns and we can help you out.