Royal / Ball Pythons

After noticing yesterday that I have not explained thoroughly about the types of snakes that I own and work with daily, I think it is time to do two posts: one about royals and the other corns. This should be an easy post as I will not have to do much research!

Royal Pythons make impressive pets for owners that do not wish to work with one of the larger breeds of python. They generally max out at around five feet but are heavily bodied animals and can weigh around 1600g+. Females grow bigger than males due to egg laying. Alongside being a great size of snake to work with, ball pythons come in many colours and there are hundreds of morphs available.

Pastel Royal

Setting Up

The setup needed for a royal python consists of a vivarium that should be the correct size for the animal as a too large of space will add stress for the animal. My royal python Blaze is currently 300g and about 2ft in length and I have him in a 24 x 15 inch enclosure. Generally adults will require a vivarium around 3ft x 1ft. You can also keep your animals in a rack system and this is generally made of wood and the enclosures are plastic boxes, like vivariums they need to be sized accordingly for your reptile. 

All reptiles need a heat source to regulate their body temperature. There are a few different methods for heating a reptiles enclosure. One of the most common is a heat mat, which is used for lots of snakes, mostly colubrids. This is what I use alongside a Microclimate thermostat. Other heat sources include: heat cable and ceramic heater. Ceramic heaters are commonly in bulb form, so therefore could not be used with a rack system. Always ensure that you control all heat with a thermostat and that you use the correct heating method for your reptile.

Super Chocolate Royal

Royals are native to Africa and therefore need high temperatures and high humidity. I keep my royal's hot spot at 32⁰C. The humidity has to be around 50%-60% although this will need to be increased when the snake is in shed to around 70%. I would strongly recommend having a digital temperature and humidity reader in your vivariums.

Lemonblast Royal

A place for a royal python to hide is essential for making the animal feel secure during the day. I have two placed in my tank, one on the hot spot and another on the cool side. During shed use the cool hide to house sphagnum moss in order to raise the humidity. As pythons have trouble shedding due to their heat pits. Furthermore, they need a fresh water source that should be changed as often as possible. Be aware that sometimes ball pythons have a habit of going to the toilet in the water dish. If this happens, wash and sterilize the water dish thoroughly before refilling with clean water. 

Angel of Death Royal

Feeding

When it comes to feeding, royals are notorious for problem feeds. This is more prominent during the breeding season and shedding process. Some pythons are just darn right fussy! In order to properly prepare the food item for a royal, steps need to be taken. You need to thaw the frozen rodent (usually a rat) in warm water for an hour. Once the hour is over, place the rat into hot water but not overly hot nor boiling. You should be able to put your hand into the water without hurting yourself. Leave the rat in there for around 10-15 minutes. Dry the rat off (if required) and offer it to the python. To avoid injury to yourself, you can use tongs or forceps to grab the rat. 

The method of feeding is also important. It is very important not to irritate the snake with the prey item so do not slap the rat against the snake's head! Simply dangle/move the rat in front of the snake in order to provoke a strike. See the video below as a reference.

There are many ways to coax a fussy eater into eating:

1. Braining the rodent by making incisions into the head of the prey item. The scent of the brain can increase the royal's appetite.
2. Feeding in the dark provides a royal with extra security. Pythons are nocturnal and hunt at night so by providing a dark environment for them to eat will simulate natural conditions. 
3. If you use a separate box to feed your python in, try placing one of the hides into the feeding box. Again, this provides extra security for the python.
4. Leaving the rodent overnight in the snake's vivarium, on the heat mat, may increase the appetite by allowing privacy for the animal.
5. By dipping the rat into warm chicken broth, you provide a scent that may excite your snake, therefore making them want to eat. For some reason, they like the scent of chicken. 
6. You can try changing their food item to the likes of mice or gerbils, etc as the snake may simply become bored of it's food.
7. If your snake continues to be stubborn and not feed for three weeks or more, this is the time period to begin to worry. In the circumstance that your snake is losing weight drastically, you may need to consider assist feeding. This is more common in baby royals and should be undertaken by a professional. Not recommended personally.
8. The last resort is live feeding. Some reptile owners have reported that their snakes ONLY eat live food. This is a center of some controversy as live prey items can injure the snake or even kill the snake. I personally, would refuse to feed my snakes live food and believe that with the right method, all snakes will eat frozen thawed prey.

Pastel Candy Royal

Handling Your Balls

When it comes to handling, it is vital that the royal knows you are not prey. To do this, I use the 'tapping' technique which involves lightly stroking the snake a few times before lifting them from their vivarium. Always ensure you lift the snake from behind and not from in front as royals are head shy. Once you have them lifted, avoid touching their head. Placing your hand too close to their head will cause them to dart back/away from you. Think of how you would feel, if a giant were to pick off your home's roof and lift you high in the air. 

Personally, I find royals a joy to keep. They are impressive snakes and don't grow too big so they are easy to handle. I must admit, I am very tempted to get more royals. You can view these previous posts that you may find useful;

Different Morphs 

Feeding Guide 

Heating Information