The ball python
The royal python is a constrictor, from Africa, mesuring about 3fts adult.
It’s probably the most common in captivity, but also the more developed with all the possible patterns. This species could be hard to begin for a beginner because royal python is shy, sometimes agressive when he is young and he also could refused feeding. It’s our favourite snake because of all the pattern’s possibilities.
The regius python is from pythonidae family. its a constructor, and it’s around 1,20 meter as an adult. Females are bigger than males. He lives in West Africa, in fields and savannah. He is easy to manipulate but they stress a lot! They eats little mices. This snake is ovipare, and sexual maturity is around 6 months for males and 2 years for a female. A female lays around 8 eggs, hatch 60 days later. Pythons from African farming often contains parasites and difficults for eating. They can live 15 years in captivity.
This species is submitted to annexe 2 CITES, limited to 25 without license CDC in France.
You must take a captive snake than a farming one, without wounds and slough, without spit around the mouth, sign of pneumonia.
This species can be raised in racks or terrarium. The terrarium can be around 90x50x50cm. The natural light is great for them, but you need an heat pad around 30 degrees, and a cold spot around 25 degrees. At night, 24 degrees are great. Hygrometry is around 65%, an hidden space can be great. Variables can change in winter but its not forbidden to keep those one.
Mices size need to be adapted to your python. You can give dead or alive mices, or just killed one, it depends on what the snake accept. But Be careful not to leave alive miles with pythons, she can hurt the snake.
Some pythons can have difficulties to eat, so you can give the mice with a clip, or a dead one. The force feeding can traumatize your snake so be careful. A prey each 10 days can be great but it depends on the animal. For youngers, it can be each 5 days.
You need to put them together for 5 days, then put your male alone for 2 days and give him a prey. If the female refuse the prey, change her color and is bigger than before for 3hours to 4 days, it can be a sign. An incubator is needed with high hygrometry, but natural incubation can be possible for vigorous females.