Ball python
Manny's Care Guide
Ball pythons, the way we keep them.
What we actually do in our snake room, checked against veterinary references, product labels, published studies and the breeders we trust. Every chapter ends with its sources, and anything that is our own habit rather than a sourced rule is marked our practice.
Disclaimer: I'm not a veterinarian and I don't hold a degree in animal science or animal care. This is a guide I compiled and use with my own ball pythons. For a sick animal, a reptile vet is the authority.
- 01Start here
Who this guide is for, how to read it, and the animal in one page.
- 02Housing
Enclosure size and material, hides, water, clutter, and why every snake lives alone.
- 03Heat
Temperatures, thermostats, probe placement, and how we verify every setup before a snake goes in.
- 04Humidity and substrate
Humidity targets, how to measure it, what to put on the floor, and what never goes in a ball python enclosure.
- 05Feeding
Prey size, frozen-thawed, schedules by age, refusals, and how we start hatchlings.
- 06Handling
Settling in a new snake, how to pick one up, and how to read what it's telling you.
- 07Quarantine and health
The quarantine protocol, the health checks we do at every feeding, and the signs that mean a vet visit.
- 08Shedding
What a normal shed looks like, how often, and what to do about a stuck one.
- 09Mites
How we find, treat and keep out snake mites: the soak, the ivermectin paper-towel tub, the room, and what never to use.
- 10Buying and shipping
What "established" means, what to ask a seller, and how live animals travel safely.
- 11Breeding
When a ball python is ready, the season from first introduction to hatch day, incubation, genetics in plain words, and the morph genes we won't work with.
- 12Sources and credits
Every reference used in this guide, how far we trust each kind, and the photo credits.
Last revised November 2, 2026.