Ball pythons are native to Africa and may be found in Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, Senegal, Mali, Democratic republic of Congo, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan and Uganda.
Subspecies/color varieties of the Ball Python:
There are 75 different color morphs of the Ball Python. Seeing as 75 is too much to list, here is a website showing some of the various forms: link
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GENERAL INFORMATION SECTION:
Size of The Ball Python at maturity:
Adult males generally do not grow more than 3-4 feet in length at maturity, while females can average up to 4.5 feet. Their weight shouldn't be heavier than just a few pounds.
Average Life Span of Ball Python:
The captive life span of a Ball Python is normally around 20-30 years, with the record being 48 years.
Ball Python's favorable natural habitats:
Most Ball Pythons are born in Western or Central Africa. They require a Humid environment of at least 80 degrees fahrenheit to survive. Most Ball Pythons prefer savnannahs, grasslands,and lightly wooded areas.
Interesting Facts about Ball Pythons:
Ball Pythons have paired claw like structures on the sides of their vent, which are remnants of legs present in the animals from which the modern specie had evolved from. Another fact is that these snakes are called ball pythons because of their defensive posture of coiling into a tight ball with their heads protected in the center of the coil. The Name Royal Python is believed to come from the fact that many African rulers were known to have worn live pythons as jewelry.
Are Ball Pythons endangered?
No, they are actually the most common python kept in captivity.
REPRODUCTION:
Mating time of the year: Around Decmber 1st is when Ball Pythons go through termed temperature cycling, so it serves as the best time for breeding of the Ball Python.
Sexual Maturity Ball Pythons reach sexual maturity after about 3-5 years.
Do they lay eggs or have live birth? Ball Pythons lay eggs. Most lay them in cluthes of around 5-6 in one setting.
CARE IN CAPTIVITY:
Cage Size:For an adult Ball Python, the mininum cage should be something close to a 20 gallon enclosure, such as a fish tank.
Sample Cage:
Feeding: In the wild, the Ball Python's diet consists mostly of small mammals, such as African soft-furred rats, shrews and striped mice. Younger individuals have also been known to feed on birds. Pythons that are imported from the wild tend to be picky eaters and may not respond to food as well as captive-bred pythons, which usually do well on domestic rats and mice, either live, pre-killed, or frozen-thawed. The size of the prey item given to a python should be equivalent to or slightly larger than the width of the largest part of their body. This python is known for being a picky eater and may not eat for months, particularly during the winter breeding season. While this is not odd, care should be taken to watch that the snake does not experience significant weight loss. Parasites can also cause the snake to not eat. Other causes of not eating are stress caused by overhandling, or too hot or cold temperatures and not enough areas to hide in the vivarium.
Substrates: Shredded bark, newsprint, Astroturf. Astroturf is probably the easiest - cut a few pieces to fit the cage, and simply replace the dirty pieces as necessary (the soiled pieces can be soaked in a solution of one gallon of water with 2 tablespoons of bleach, rinsed well, dried and then used again).
Temperature: Day- 80-85F; Night- Fall to around 75F.
Video: Here is a link to the video
So, that's about all you need to know about Ball Pythons. Enjoy.
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