Python regius
Ball Python
Ball pythons are calm, long-lived snakes whose only real challenge is maintaining stable humidity and accepting their occasional refusal to eat.
PythonidaeLifespan 20–30 yearsCare complexity 3/5Suitable for beginners
At a glance
- Scientific name
- Python regius
- Family
- Pythonidae
- Origin
- Grasslands and forests of West and Central Africa
- Lifespan
- 20–30 years
- Adult size
- 100–150 cm
- Weight
- 1.5–2.5 kg
- Temperament
- Shy and gentle; curls into a ball when stressed
- Activity level
- Low; nocturnal
- Social needs
- Solitary
- Intelligence
- Strong route learning within the enclosure
- Noise
- Silent, occasional hiss
Housing and environment
- Housing
- Minimum 120 x 60 x 60 cm with several tight hides
- Space requirement
- Ground-level clutter is more valuable than open space
- Temperature
- Warm end 31–33°C, cool end 24–26°C
- Humidity
- 55–70%
- Exercise
- Enrichment with clutter, branches and varied hides
- Grooming
- Humid hide support during shedding
Diet and feeding
Frozen-thawed rodents every 1–2 weeks; adults often fast seasonally
Behaviour and compatibility
Hiding by day, exploring at night, seasonal appetite changes
- With children
- Suitable for supervised older children
- With other animals
- House alone
- Training difficulty
- Not applicable
Health
- Respiratory infection
- Scale rot
- Stomatitis
- Inclusion body disease
- Obesity from overfeeding
Reptile vet required; prolonged fasting with weight loss is not normal
Special care requirements
Avoid spider and other morphs linked to neurological wobble when choosing a snake