Ball python care isn’t about trend setups or guesswork. It’s about structure, observation, and consistency. At Soul Serpents, we manage hundreds of feedings, sheds, and pairings every season. Every detail counts, from the way a tub is cleaned to the way a female coils her eggs. This guide walks you through what we practice daily so your python thrives the same way ours do.
Environment Comes First
Ball pythons live by rhythm. Heat, humidity, and security drive that.
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Temperature: Maintain an ambient room temperature near 80 °F. Create a hot spot between 88 and 90 °F using a regulated heat source. Anything below 75 °F for extended periods risks digestion and feeding response. This should not fluctuate even at night time.
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Humidity: Keep 55–65 percent year-round. Slightly higher during shed. Use a digital hygrometer, not guesswork. Consistent humidity supports respiration and clean sheds.
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Lighting: Ball pythons don’t require UVB but benefit from a 12-hour day/night cycle. Timers keep their internal clock stable. We suggest NO red lights - ceramic bulbs work great for heat.
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Security: A secure hide on each side of the enclosure reduces stress. Whether you run display tanks or breeder racks, stability is the constant that separates healthy animals from problem feeders.
Feeding Routine That Works
Feeding drives growth, conditioning, and breeding readiness.
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Hatchlings eat every 5–7 days.
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Juveniles every 7–10.
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Adults every 10–14.
Feed prey roughly equal to the widest part of the snake’s body. Frozen-thawed rodents, properly warmed, are safer and cleaner than live. Document every feeding. We log date, prey size, acceptance, and post-feeding behavior. Patterns matter; if a snake skips two meals, we notice the trend before it becomes an issue.
Handling With Intention
Short, calm sessions build trust. Handle during the snake’s inactive period, not directly after feeding. Support the body fully. Read their signals—tongue flicks, relaxed muscles, smooth movement mean comfort. Tight coils or flattened necks mean pause. Regular, respectful handling keeps them confident instead of defensive.
Clean Systems
Clean enclosures equal healthy lungs and solid appetites. Spot-clean daily. Full clean weekly. Replace substrate, wipe surfaces with reptile-safe disinfectant, rinse, dry, and reset temperatures before returning the snake. At Soul Serpents, we run checklists for every rack: waste, shed, feed, weight, behavior. That discipline prevents the issues new keepers call “mystery illnesses.” We like to use F10, Chlorhexidine and peroxide as our cleaning agents. Do not mix them and you do not need all of these choices.
Hydration and Shedding
Provide fresh water daily. Deep bowls let adults soak if needed. When humidity drops or a shed begins, add a humid hide filled with damp sphagnum moss. A perfect shed—one piece, clear eye caps—shows your environment is dialed in. Retained shed means humidity or hydration missed the mark.
Seasonal Behavior
Ball pythons respond to seasonal cues. Cooler nights can reduce feeding in breeding males. Females nearing ovulation often refuse meals for weeks. Recognizing those cycles avoids panic. Document weight trends and follicle size if breeding; knowledge replaces stress.
Nutrition Quality
Rodent quality matters as much as schedule. Feed well-raised, disease-free prey. Cheap feeder stock can introduce parasites or malnutrition that slow growth and affect fertility. We maintain relationships with verified feeder suppliers and quarantine incoming rodents when possible.
Health Monitoring
Regular weights, body condition scoring, and behavior notes tell the truth before problems show. A healthy ball python has clear eyes, firm muscle tone, and steady feeding. Early signs of trouble: wheezing, mouth bubbles, sagging spine, or mites. Quarantine any new arrival for 60 days minimum. Never share tools between enclosures without cleaning.
Building a Routine
Ball pythons thrive on predictability. Feed, clean, and handle on schedule. Keep records—Shopify customers often ask what “feeding chart” we use. It’s simple: date, prey type, acceptance, shed, weight. Patterns build confidence for both snake and keeper.
Equipment Checklist
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Quality thermostat (Inkbird or Herpstat)
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Digital thermometer/hygrometer combo
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Two hides
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Water bowl large enough for soaking
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Substrate such as cypress, coco husk, or paper
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Spray bottle for humidity adjustments
Never rely on stick-on thermometers or unregulated heat pads; inconsistency kills more snakes than genetics ever will.
The Soul Serpents Standard
Our care standards come from repetition, data, and pride. We don’t cut corners because clean systems produce healthy clutches. Every animal we sell leaves in top condition, feeding consistently and shedding clean. When customers follow these same parameters, their success mirrors ours.
Caring for a ball python should feel controlled, not complicated. Master temperature, humidity, and routine, and the snake will handle the rest.
View our current available ball pythons on MorphMarket to see the results of consistent, documented care—high-contrast Axanthic TSK lines bred for quality, not quantity.
About the Author
Soul Serpents is a Michigan-based boutique breeder producing high-contrast Axanthic TSK ball pythons and other designer recessive projects. Every snake represents deliberate pairing, detailed records, and commitment to the cleanest genetics in the hobby.