Ball python: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 05:15, 20 October 2005

Revision as of 16:46, 9 December 2005

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== Ball Pythons as pets ==

Ball Pythons are commonly owned snakes due to their non-aggressive personalities. They come in a few different color phases. The natural phase is brown and black in color. They are also sometimes seen as [[albino]], caramel, jungle, reverse-stripe, anerythristic, axanthic, ghost, lemon pastel, pastel jungle, pied, and striped. There are more than 62 known genetic morphs to date.

In captivity most are fed mice as juveniles. Adults will take rats. Ball Pythons have a reputation for being picky eaters, but this is much more of a problem with snakes caught from the wild rather than captive-bred because they prey-imprint early in life, and it can be difficult to convince them to switch prey items. Offering different food items instead of just mice usually solves this problem, especially in captive-breed animals.

Like all ectotherms,[[cold-blooded]] animals, they must be housed with an external heat source, and they must also have enough space to be comfortable. Contrary to folk-myth, snakes do not stop growing to fit their housing space.

==External links==