return to main index

  mobile - desktop
follow us on facebook follow us on twitter follow us on YouTube link to us on LinkedIn
International Reptile Conservation Foundation  
Click here for LLL Reptile & Supply
This Space Available
3 months for $50.00
Locate a business by name: click to list your business
search the classifieds. buy an account
events by zip code list an event
Search the forums             Search in:
News & Events: Herp Photo of the Day: False Coral Snake . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Bearded Dragon . . . . . . . . . .  Greater Cincinnati Herp Society Meeting - Apr 02, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Calusa Herp Society Meeting - Apr 04, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Southwestern Herp Society Meeting - Apr 06, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Hamburg Reptile Show - Apr. 13, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  St. Louis Herpetological Society - Apr 14, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  San Diego Herp Society Meeting - Apr 16, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Suncoast Herp Society Meeting - Apr 20, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  DFW Herp Society Meeting - Apr 20, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Colorado Herp Society Meeting - Apr 20, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Chicago Herpetological Society Meeting - Apr 21, 2024 . . . . . . . . . . 

Photo and Text by Ken Felsman

Polar Rodents - US based provider of frozen rats and mice.

Troubleshooting Guide to BALL PYTHONS
Photos and Text by Ken Felsman
Natural History | General Information | Housing Your Snake | Care and Husbandry | Feeding Strategies
Breeding | Common Questions | Glossary | Ball Python Breeders | Classified Ads | Forum

Natural History

Ball Pythons, Python regius (also know as Royal Python) are a relatively small and docile specie of snake, which are native to Western and West-Central Africa. If you have purchased a Ball Python from a pet store, chances are it was born in either Togo, Benin, or Ghana. They are called 'Ball Pythons' because, when frightened, they coil around their head and into a ball.

Ball pythons are in the same scientific family as other Boas and Pythons, as such they are constrictors. The term constrictor refers to their method of subduing food by coiling around the intended item, a small mammal, and suffocating it. Ball Pythons prefer to live in areas of mixed grassland and trees (savanna), and are active at night (nocturnal). They hunt at night with the help of their labial heat pits×, and their Jacobson's Organ×. During the day, they spend their time hiding in underground rodent burrows or termite mounds.

The average hatchling is about 16-18 inches long, and adults can pretty easily reach 36-48 inches. In captivity they can live up to about 50 years, but 20-30 years is probably more likely. Unfortunately due to the pressures of habitat fragmentation and destruction, as well as commercial collecting for the pet trade, skin trade, and the killing for food, Ball Pythons in the wild do not live as long. "It (Python regius) is considered a threatened species and permits are required for its legal export, living or dead." (J. Mehrtens, ca.1987)

NEXT >

This page brought to you by..... The letter H, The number , and...

©2001 Ken Felsman, all rights reserved

Sponsored Link
Click here for LLL Reptile & Supply
advertise here



Recent Ball Pythons Forum Posts
• Is This Enough Airflow?, posted by BelatedBoa
• Can’t find extremely rare morph: normal, posted by breitenup
• Sick Python, posted by pandalumps
• Introducing New Morph, the "Nguyen", posted by KNreptile
• Picture Request, posted by zippy00_99
• Mystic VS Mojave, posted by alchemyreptiles
• Ball Python Eggs ????, posted by mingdurga
• Wrinkly baby ball, posted by jmsandlin
• 6 y.o male hypo, het albino - San Diego, posted by zraverherp
• Opinions please on these snakes..., posted by ArmorofGod
• Female Lemon Blast Spider Ball Python, posted by Northwest
• Super banana spider, posted by jerryruiz510
• Stressed? (Change in behavior), posted by MessickMe
• ball python acting strangely, posted by jmsandlin
• White Diamond, posted by RichardHurtz
• Help with Bamboo Vanilla Ghost clutch, posted by Chad_Ramsey
• New Owner . . . soon, posted by Leah844
• Ball Python, posted by alexisstar
• How to maintain humidity?, posted by HiddenMe
• Eating problems, posted by Pythons1233

Recent Ball Python Classifieds:
- Albino Pied Banana Pied ...
- WANTED Large Quantiti...
- Pied Ball Python
- WANTED HEALTHY BALL PYTH...
- 1 Beautiful Lavender Alb...
- 3 Dreamsicle Male Proven
- Super Tangerine Enchi Sp...
- 4 Albino Black Pastel Pi...
- 92 Black Pastel Pied Ma...
- 91 Black Pastel Pied Fem...
- 12 Lavender Albino male ...
- 73 Normal Triple Het Fem...
- 18 Proven Pied Female 10...
- 2 Black Pastel Pied Fema...
- WOW Panda Pied Female