That Reptile Blog – Reptile, Amphibian and Exotic Pet Care and Information

Please see The Natural History of the Ball Python: Pythons in the Wild, for information on the natural history of the ball python.

General

Ball pythons are now very well-established in the pet trade, and captive born animals are readily available.  They have much to recommend them as pets, including a mild disposition and manageable adult size.  Particularly unique is that they offer a “big constrictor feel” in a small package – thick bodied and muscular, ball pythons put one in mind of a much larger snake.

I heartily recommend this species for those interested in boas and pythons, but who lack the space required by larger snakes.  The very real safety issues involved in keeping giant constrictors are also not a factor with ball pythons, yet they display all of the behaviors exhibited by their larger relatives.

Ball pythons are available in an amazing array of color morphs and unusual patterns.

Captive Habitat

The Enclosure

Hatchlings may be started off in a 10 gallon aquarium and moved to a 20 long style aquarium as they increase in size.  Such might accommodate a small adult as well, but larger specimens do best in a 30-55 gallon aquarium.  Screen cover clips or metal cover screen locks are absolutely essential.

Heat, Humidity and Light

Ambient temperature should be maintained at 80-85 F, with a basking site of 90 F.  Temperatures can be reduced to 75-80 F at night. A ceramic heat emitter or under tank heat pad can be used to warm the air and create a basking site.  You can also use, in combination with these or solely (depending on terrarium size) an incandescent bulb.  The Coralife Reptile Spot Brightlight provides UVA and heat.  Ball pythons do not require UVB light, but may benefit from the provision of UVA.

The R Zilla Nightlight Red Halogen bulb or other night viewing bulb will provide heat at night without disturbing your pet’s natural day/night cycle.  It will also enable you to view the snake’s nocturnal activities.  The ceramic heat emitters and under tank heaters mentioned earlier also provide heat without visible light.

A water bowl should be provided for drinking and soaking.  Fill it only to a level such that it will not overflow when the snake submerges its head or body.  The terrarium should be kept dry…moist conditions will lead to bacterial skin infections (“blister disease”).

Substrate

R-Zilla Douglas Fir Bedding or Zoo Med Aspen Snake Bedding are good substrate choices.  Both allow for easy “spot cleaning”.  All substrate should be removed and the terrarium cleaned with R Zilla Terrarium Cleaner on a regular basis (i.e. once monthly).

Physical Environment – Habitat Type and Terrarium Decorations

Your ball python should be provided with a secure retreat….R Zilla Rock Dens and Hagen Hiding Caves are ideal.  A piece of freestanding driftwood will provide a rough surface upon which your snake can rub when in the process of shedding its skin.

If space permits, consider adding a log or piece of driftwood for your snake to climb upon.

Please see The Natural History of Axolotls and The Captive Care of Axolotls for further information on this fascinating captives.  Today I’ll finish up with a note on reproduction.

Inducing Reproduction

Adult axolotls are sexually dimorphic, with females being of a heavier build and having shorter and broader heads than males.  The cloaca of the male is noticeably swollen during the breeding season, and gravid females become very plump.

The natural change in day length and room temperature in temperate regions is often enough to stimulate reproduction.  Animals under my care in NY respond to natural variations in room temperature (they are housed in a cool basement) and possibly day-length (light enters through a ground level window).  Females generally lay from January through March, sometimes into April, at water temperatures of 55-60 F.

A sudden increase of water volume and a drop in water temperature seems to stimulate breeding even outside of the normal breeding season. Be careful, however, that females actually lay their eggs when artificial methods such as this are utilized. Retained eggs are a great concern among many captive amphibians, although I have not run into such with axolotls.

The Eggs

Please see the Natural History of Axolotls for details on courtship and mating.  Females have been observed to pick up several spermatophores during the night, although it is not clear all are from one or several males.  Eggs are attached to water plants or any other substrate within the tank. Plastic plants make ideal deposition sites (from a pet-keepers point of view!) as they are easily removed from the aquarium.

Axolotls are ravenous consumers of their own eggs, and few will survive if the adults are left in the same tank. At temperatures of 55 to 60°F, the eggs will hatch within two to three weeks. I generally provide them with mild aeration, just enough to keep the eggs slightly moving. Eggs deposited on plants and on floating objects seem to have a higher hatch rate than do those laid along the bottom of the aquarium, so be sure to provide suitable sites for your females.

Caring for Axolotl Larvae

The larvae lie motionless for a day or so after hatching, after which they become veritable eating machines.  They are best raised in a bare-bottomed plastic or glass aquarium.  Mild aeration via the return from a corner or sponge filter should be provided.  The young require daily feedings and very frequent water changes – after having raised 160 to adulthood at one point, I can vouch for this as being a labor-intensive but ultimately rewarding task.

I’ve found light plastic terrariums or sweater boxes that can be easily dumped and filled to be the method of choice when rearing large numbers of salamanders.  I’ve also used plastic wading pools, but unless you can arrange a way to drain and re-fill easily, these can be a bit un-wieldy to work with.  The extra room they provide does, however cut down on cannibalism.  Please see Captive Care of the Mexican Axolotl (Physical Environment, Feeding) for tips on setting up enclosures and feeding axolotl larvae.

The IUCN’s recommended conservation strategy for this species, as well as historical and natural history information, is posted at:

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/1095

I’ve come across several of the 11 unique snake species known as sand boas, and have had the good fortune of working with breeding groups of an Asian and African species. Following are some remarks drawn from my notes and conversations with colleagues.

Indian Sand Boa

The Indian sand boa (2 possible subspecies) ranges widely through India and Pakistan.  Those I have kept have reproduced without a winter cooling period (this likely varies among the various populations).  It is a good deal larger than the more popularly kept Kenyan sand boa, sometimes reaching 40 inches in length.  Unfortunately, this impressive burrower is not commonly kept in the USA.

Courtship

Males in breeding condition go off feed and actively search for females.    During courtship, the male attempts to unearth the female’s tail (she is generally below the sand when found) with his head.   His spurs stand out slightly from the body and are rubbed along the female’s back.  Copulation seems a quite awkward affair, with the male burrowing below the female and flipping more or less unto his back.

The Young

The young are born alive after a 4 month gestation period.  They are larger than those of related species, averaging 10-11.5 inches in length.  A bit of umbilical cord usually remains attached for a few days, after which time it dries up and falls off.

The young shed within 2 weeks of being born, after which most accept pink mice.  In common with other members of the genus, young Indian sand boas likely prey heavily upon small lizards in the wild.  “Scenting” pinkies with a lizard may encourage reluctant feeders.

East African Sand Boa (Kenyan and Egyptian)

The East African sand boa is frequently classified as two separate subspecies, the Egyptian and Kenyan, with the Kenyan being the more brightly colored race.  However, taxonomists disagree on this point, with some considering the entire species’ name invalid (please see reference below).

Their reproductive mode parallels that of the Indian sand boa, but breeding is more likely if they are subjected to a winter cooling period (70F ambient, with a warmer basking site and a drop in temperature to 65F at night).

Mating usually takes place in June-August, and the young, 4-18 in number, are born in October-December.  They are 5-8 inches in length at birth, and reach sexual maturity at approximately 2 years of age (at which time they are approximately 16 inches long).

Sand boa taxonomy is currently in flux; you can review the species currently accepted by the American Museum of Natural History at:

http://www.jcvi.org/reptiles/search.php?submit=Search&genus=Eryx

The Influence of Hobby and Food-Species Research

As compared to the aquarium hobby, the keeping of reptiles and amphibians in captivity is a relatively new development.  Far more time and research has gone into the development of products designed for fish and aquatic invertebrates than is the case for herps, and we know a great deal more about keeping and breeding them in captivity.  Also, commercially valuable species such as salmon, tilapia, clams and shrimp have generated a great deal of husbandry-oriented research, much of which has found application in the aquarium hobby.

Fortunately, the needs of many amphibians and reptiles parallel, and in some cases closely match, those of certain fishes.  Many of the fine products designed for aquarists are therefore of great value to reptile and amphibian enthusiasts.

Keeping Amphibians and Fishes Together

The Aquarium Fish Dish  is a valuable tool for those keeping African clawed frogs and newts along with fishes.

Fishes that feed at the aquarium’s surface and mid-water level nearly always consume blackworms and other live foods, as well as sinking pellets, before resident amphibians are even aware that it’s feeding time.  Live food specialists, such as dwarf African clawed frogs, rarely do well with fish for this reason, despite otherwise co-existing well with many species and making for an interesting tank.  The Fish Dish allows you to specifically target bottom feeding amphibians in mixed-species aquariums.

Limiting Choke Hazards

I came upon the idea of using the Cone Worm Feeder many years ago when raising axolotl and red-spotted newt larvae.  I fed them largely upon live blackworms, which always clump together, even when finely chopped.  I found that larvae of both species sometimes choked to death while trying to swallow the tightly-packed worm balls.

The worm feeder dispenses live worms individually, and has proven very useful to me in raising a wide variety of salamander larvae.  I use it with adult salamanders as well, especially the smaller species such alpine newts.

Certain fish medications work well with amphibians…please see my article:

Methylene Blue As A Treatment for Aquatic Reptiles and Amphibians

Well, the name says it all – Titanoboa!

Snake-oriented web sites will be alive this week with news of the discovery of fossils belonging to a snake of unprecedented size.  Writing in the journal Nature, researchers from the Smithsonian Institute and the University of Florida note that Titanoboa was larger than the contrived serpent that “tries to eat Jennifer Lopez in the movie Anaconda” (Ms. Lopez and company appeared at the Bronx Zoo when that movie was in progress, seeking technical advice.  I was a reptile keeper at the time, but, sadly for me, the powers that be declined to become involved!).

Colombia‘s Anacondas…now and then

An artist’s rendition of the huge beast casts it much like a very large anaconda.  Indeed, the giant is believed to have kept to Colombia’s marshy areas, home to modern-day anacondas.  Titanoboa roamed Colombia during the Paleocene Epoch, just after the extinction of the dinosaurs (approximately 65 million years ago).

Chasing Today’s Giants

There is only one reasonably reliable account of a modern-day snake measuring over 30 feet in length.  A reward offered by the Bronx Zoo for another stood uncollected for nearly 100 years.

I’ve done my level best to find a record breaking anaconda, and I like to think that she is out there somewhere.  The largest anaconda that I came up with was just over 17 feet long and weighed in at 215 pounds – no Titanoboa, but then again not an easy animal to wrest from the muck of a Venezuelan swamp either.  For the full story and some photos of myself and others with that snake, please see my article Hunting Anacondas in the Venezuelan Llanos.