Easy Ball Python Care

If you take a close look at the history of pets, you will see that humans have always been dependant on companionship, which has always led to the keeping of pets. All the way back to the Egyptian empire, you can see that man ha revered animals as gods or kept them as sacred pets. In India, cows were given special foods and adornments because they were regarded as sacred. Basically, the keeping of pets is something that has been with us, as the human race, for a long time and will continue to be that way.

While the main pets used to be cats, dogs and occasionally birds, the diversity of pets is rapidly growing. You will find that people are keeping animals such as crocodiles and snakes, animals that would have never been considered pets in the past. As long as people understand the animals and know how to care for them, people find it all right. However, there is a lot to know. For example, ball python care requires a lot of understanding regarding the feeding habits of the snake. They are demanding pets, all through their life.

The ball python care is sensitive in nature and should be completely understood before taking on the task of raising such a pet. Adapt to climbing trees and moving across the ground, this west and central African snake is one that should never be taken for granted. It is call the "ball" python because it will curl up in a ball when it senses danger that it cannot get out of or when it is nervous.

The ball python is also a favorite of many since it does not grow very long, at least in comparison to some of its python counterparts. It grows to a maximum of about 1.5m making ball python care a little simpler. The python has anal spurs and small claws that show that these snakes actually had feet to begin with thousands of years ago. The males are easily identifiable since they have longer spurs and smaller heads than their female counterparts do.

When you start to learn first hand about the ball python care, you will see that they do have some poor eating habits. Because of their meticulous eating habits, care can be difficult for those who lack patience. Even though the ball python enjoys birds, small mammals, and smaller lizards, they do not view something you catch for them as something edible which sometimes leads to long periods on non-eating.

Since they are naturally fussy eaters, you want to purchase a captive born because it will already have good eating habits and it will have been socialized. When taken from the wild, ball pythons have been known to go up to one year without eating a thing. This makes ball python care extremely challenging. Make sure that you get a good list of ball python care requirements when you purchase the snake.

Sadly, there are more bally pythons being imported and killed than purchased as pets every year. Another fact is that even though the ball python rarely gives birth, its market price remain very low which is not something you would see with other animals. Wild pythons may also have parasites, which are unique to them. This means that all of the ball python care tips could be pointless. Your best bet is to purchase your snake from a reputable breeder.

It is important to know that the ball python can reach up to three feet long in the first year alone. This means that they generally reach sexual maturity between the age of three and five. Typically, even with great ball python care, these snakes do not live very long in captivity. The oldest recorded died at age 48.

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Kurtis Gilespie is an avid reptile enthusiast and has kept ball pythons since 1997. He has successfully bred and raised thousands of ball pythons and is a recognized expert in ball python care.

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