A few questions about ball pythons (:?

Question

im intrested in getting a ball python, & i have a few questions i need answered.

1) as a fully grown adult, what size vivarium would be best? would a 4ftx1ftx1ft viv be okay?

2) what substrate is best for them?

3) do ball pythons climb? would a 1ft high vivarium be okay or would a higher one be better?

thanks (:

Answer 1

1. all my fully grown ball pythons are in 55 gallon tanks. the dimensions are 48''x18''x12'', 18'' being the width, not the height. so 1' might be too small

2. honestly, indoor/outdoor carpet is the safest. it may not look good but its safe. the other alternative is aspen shavings. just do not spray the aspen down everyday for humidity. this is done with a humid hide box. bacteria grows on wet substrate and could kill your snake. i would know, thats how my two adults got sick before.

3. some love to climb and others dont care much for it. mine love climbing but a 1 foot tall viv would be fine. they are not aboreal which means they dont live in trees in the wild. but some love climbing on driftwood.

good luck!

Answer 2

Well bigger is always better but that should be an alright size for an adult.

Substrate . . . peat moss, newspaper, paper towls, or walnut shells. Those are just off he top of my head.

Good luck!

Answer 3

1. I think that's not really wide enough, a 4-5ft snake trying to turn around in a 1ft space? It wouldn't be very comfortable for the snake. I used a 40 gallon breeder tank - 3ftx18"x17" and I thought that was the perfect size for a typical Ball Python. Just remember in the world of reptiles bigger is always better.

2. I used coconut shavings - it's cheap, looks good, snake likes it, and helps keep humidity. It comes in a compressed brick at any petstore and one brick filled my 40 gallon tank about 2 inches deep.

3. They might climb a little bit if you give them something to climb on, but with the exception of a basking spot they don't need anything to climb as they are terrestrial, not arboreal.

If you have any more questions feel free to send me a message.

Good luck and have fun if you get a new snake.