What Do Ball Pythons Eat? (+ feeding tips) (2023)

FAQs

What Do Ball Pythons Eat? (+ feeding tips)? ›

In general, the youngest, smallest ones eat small frozen feeder mice or rats. Larger ball pythons typically eat larger mice or rats. Selecting prey for a ball python. As a general rule, you should select a rodent that is 1 to 1.25 times the size of the midsection of your snake.

Ball pythons can eat only rats or mice for an entire lifetime, but they also love to spice up their diet in captivity and feed on other rodent species such as hamsters, gerbils, and other exotic breeds. Young ball pythons should only be fed with large crickets, fuzzy mice, and pinky mice until they grow into adults.

Pythons eat vertebrates, such as lizards and snakes.

The majority of a small python's diet consists mainly of lizards, which account for the majority of its weight. While growing in size, the python begins to rely more on mammals for food.

Boas and pythons will not eat crickets or eggs. They are carnivorous animals and should be consuming appropriate-sized rodents for proper nutrition. That is the basic fact of owning one of these types of snakes.

If your ball still doesn't eat, try cutting the pre-killed prey open to expose the blood and entice your snake with the scent. Using long tongs, hemostats, or feeding forceps to dangle and wiggle the food in front of your snake can also be helpful, especially if your ball prefers eating live prey.

Snakes are predators, and in the wild they're used to catching their own food. Your pet snake, though, will be fine with fresh pre-killed or even frozen rodents (you'll need to thaw them first.) It's safer not to feed your snake live prey.

Ball pythons in the wild eat a wide variety of rodents aside from mice, and they also eat small birds. In captivity, you can try to feed them any appropriately sized, commercially bred rodent. This includes domestic mice or rats, multimammate mice, gerbils, and hamsters.

Smaller snakes tend to feed more often than larger ones, but species like the ball python can go for as long as two years without needing a meal. Without an internal metabolism to manage, the energy cost of doing nothing is a lot lower than it would be for an equivalent mammal.

Snakes should be trained to eat dead prey. It is more humane for the prey and safer for the snake. Snakes can be offered either thawed, previously frozen prey, or freshly killed ones. You do not have to kill the prey yourself, as most pet stores will supply freshly killed or frozen rodents to feed.

Can I feed my ball python a lizard? ›

I would not feed house geckos to a royal (ball) python. In my experience, royal pythons are much more interested in warm-blooded prey items - in captivity, they are typically fed on mice, rats and occasionally on day-old chicks or larger quail.

Handle your snake at least 1-2x weekly, but no more than once daily. Snakes do not require social interaction for their mental health, but regular handling helps the snake stay tame and can be a good opportunity for exercise.

How Often Should Your Ball Python Poop? Typically, your ball python should poop about 1 week after eating a meal. This answer is not the same for all snakes as different environments, temperatures, and foods can cause digestion to take longer in some cases.

be a relatively large enclosure. maintain ambient daytime temperatures of 80-85°F (27-29°C). provide for a basking area of 90-92°F (32-33.3°C ). provide hide boxes. ● have access to fresh water in a bowl that is large enough for the snake to soak.

Ball Pythons will eat mice and rats in captivity, although they would not in the wild. In the wild they prefer birds, other snakes, frogs and lizards. They are constrictors; which means they constrict their prey to suffocate it and then eat it.

While you might see snakes being sold in pet stores, that doesn't make them “pets.” Snakes are wild animals who belong in their natural habitats, not your home. Wild animals kept in captivity all experience some degree of suffering because they don't experience the freedom they'd have in the wild.

Refusing to eat is a signal that your snake is stressed. It should come as no surprise that snakes are routine animals and don't like change so very much. If your snake has just been brought to his new home and is not eating, there are very high chances that your snake is refusing food due to the stress of moving.

Spoiler: No. People feed their snakes in different enclosures for two reasons. The main concern is that a snake will go into "feeding mode" when you open and reach into their usual enclosure if they are fed in that same space. Then, once the enclosure's open, they may bite you after mistaking you for prey.

Keepers of ball pythons feeding chicks will definitely need to wait until the snake is about 4 months old to begin feeding one chick weekly. As the snake grows, it may require two chicks weekly, or an older bird every other week.

Ball pythons can survive for up to 12 days without water, but after that, their health may start to suffer, and they will die after one month of dehydration. Providing them with a large bowl or dish of fresh drinking water should be your first priority when setting up a habitat for your ball python.

Can ball pythons eat frogs? ›

Almost any snake will technically eat a frog if it's convenient enough and the snake is hungry enough.

Ammonia: Snakes dislike the odor of ammonia so one option is to spray it around any affected areas. Another option is to soak a rug in ammonia and place it in an unsealed bag near any areas inhabited by snakes to deter them away.

Avoid overly dry beddings such as any wood shavings (even in reptile-safe woods) and Carefresh. If you do use any loose substrate, be sure not to feed on it. Instead, feed your snake in a separate container. It is important to provide décor that creates a hiding spot for the snake.

Snakes will let you know when they're hungry. They will start prowling their enclosure and their tongue flicks will increase in frequency and number.

An imaginary cross-section of a healthy ball python would look a bit like a melted Hershey Kiss, round on the sides with a gentle peak at the top (the spine). A prominent spine means that the snake isn't eating enough, and an invisible spine means that the snake needs to eat less.

Call your doctor right away or go to your local emergency room for immediate medical attention. Even without venom, a snake bit may cause severe damage to your body. You may need stitches and medication to treat your ball python bite.

Amongst snake owners and professional animal keeping institutions, there has been controversy regarding the feeding live prey debate. Officially, it is not illegal, under the 1911 Act, to feed live vertebrate to reptiles unless you cause it unnecessary suffering.

“Snakes don't like it too cold or too hot,” Clay said. “You're going to find them in shady areas in the summertime. If they get caught out in the sun for too long, they'll get too hot and die. So they'll be seeking shelter during the hot times of the day.”

Live-feeding of animals is an inhumane practice that must be avoided whenever possible. It is only justified if a predator absolutely cannot be trained to eat anything but live prey.

While some hobbyists feel snakes should be fed a more natural diet, others feel it's much safer to offer pre-killed rodents to their pets. Feeding pre-killed prey to your pet snake is a safer and more convenient option. In a confined space, live prey can scratch or bite your snake, leading to injury and infection.

Are birds good for ball pythons? ›

What Do Ball Pythons Eat? Ball pythons are carnivores that hunt and eat small mammals and birds. In their native range in West and Central Africa, they prefer African giant rats, black rats, grass mice, weaver birds, and rufous-nosed rats.

Temperature and Humidity

Ideal temperatures for Ball Pythons range from 75-80°F on the cool side and 80-85°F on the warm side. Provide an 88-92°F basking area on the warm side.

Side Effects of Over Handling

Too much handling can stress your snake and affect its behavior, which is Ball Python's greatest vulnerability. If handled too often: Even docile ball pythons may become overwhelmed and bite you. It can also cause a ball python to become defensive and unwilling to interact with humans.

Ball pythons are nocturnal but spend between 20 and 23 hours sleeping each day. Ball pythons are nocturnal and prefer dark spaces because their eyes are susceptible to UV lighting.

Provide water in a shallow dish at all times. Ensure this bowl is large enough for your ball python to completely fit in and to easily get in and out of. Soak your ball python two times a week in warm shallow water for 10-15 minutes. This increases hydration and helps with shedding.

Snakes – Yes, They Like Baths Too

Most people don't think that pet snakes need to bathe, yet many snakes enjoy soaking in a shallow tub of warm water. If their enclosures are large enough, snakes should be offered an open pan of water in which they can submerge themselves if they choose.

Thoroughly clean and disinfect the habitat at least once a month, if not more. Place your snake in a secure secondary habitat while you scrub the tank and furnishings with a 3-5% bleach solution. Rinse very thoroughly with clean water and continue to rinse until the smell of bleach is completely gone.

Most snakes eat lots of mice and rats in the wild. But if you want to offer a more varied diet, there are pet snake food alternatives available. Fish, worms, amphibians, and eggs are suitable for most snakes. Larger mammals, such as chicks and baby rabbits, offer variety.

Their diet depends on the species. Some eat warm-blooded prey (e.g., rodents, rabbits, birds), while others eat insects, amphibians (frogs or toads), eggs, other reptiles, fish, earthworms, or slugs. Snakes swallow their food whole. The most popular pet snakes usually eat prey such as mice, rats, gerbils, and hamsters.

Snakes can consume human food like eggs, poultry, fish, pork, and beef when they are unprocessed. This means that the food should be given in its basic and raw form. You cannot give fried or saucy food to your snake as there are already other ingredients in the food that may make your snake sick.

What foods are poisonous to snakes? ›

Avoid kale, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, and romaine lettuce, however, because these greens contain an ingredient that prevents reptiles from absorbing calcium properly.

No, snakes don't like cat or dog food, but rodents do. Feed your pets inside and limit the food for rodents. Get rid of debris and leaf piles. Piles of leaves and other lawn debris not only attract rodents, but they also provide protection for snakes, making them a great place for snakes to set up shop.

Fortunately, you can often convince them to feed by switching up the prey you offer. For example, you can begin by offering your snake a domestic mouse or domestic rat of a different color.

Spoiler: No. People feed their snakes in different enclosures for two reasons. The main concern is that a snake will go into "feeding mode" when you open and reach into their usual enclosure if they are fed in that same space. Then, once the enclosure's open, they may bite you after mistaking you for prey.

depending on the size of the snake and size of the food item a snake can spend a whole week digesting its food without eating. Absolutely. Dietary studies show them eating many kinds of mammals and birds. In fact males eat a roughly ratio 70/30 ratio birds/mammals and females eat a roughly 70/30 ratio of mammals/birds.

While many snakes prefer to eat live or freshly dead animals, some snake owners do report successfully feeding them store-bought or packaged meats such as hotdogs, However, it's probably not the healthiest food for the snakes, and for that matter, for humans either.