Ball pythons are nonvenomous snakes that are commonly used as pets. They are docile. These pythons are ectothermic, that is, they are cold-blooded. Since pythons are cold-blooded, they can’t produce their heat and that’s why they depend on external sources that can provide them with warmth. If your python lacks an external source of heat, its immune would below, it will be lazy, slow and it will experience difficulty in carrying out metabolism. Pythons have labia pits that they use in sensing heat and help them source warm-blooded prey.
The reason why your python may be laying down all the time is that it is trying to provide warmth for itself in your home. If you do not have a refrigerator in your room that produces heat in a way, you will be the only source of heat for your python. So, you may find your python laying down close to your body all the time because it is trying to absorb the heat from the whole of your body.
If you don’t want your python to be laying down next to you all the time, bring in another source of heat into your home, so your python can depend on that source of heat too.
How Long Should I Wait To Handle My Ball Python After Feeding?
Did you just get a python? Are you still trying to learn how best you can take care of it? Many people often ask the question, “how long should I wait to handle my ball python after feeding?”
It’s good you know how best to handle your python at all times, so you don’t end up putting its safety and health at risk. I will provide you with tips on how you can handle your python.
You should not handle your python immediately after feeding. You should wait for at least 48-72 hours before you handle your python so it can properly digest its food and prevent it from regurgitating. If your ball python regurgitates, it could lead to its death. Generally, you should handle your python at least 1 to 3 times a week. You should not handle your ball more than 4 times a week and more than once a day.
Why Do Ball Pythons Need To Be Handled
Are you wondering why your python needs to be handled? I will tell you.
Your python needs you to interact with it. It also needs you to handle it at least once a day. You shouldn’t just allow your ball python to stay alone all the time.
Your ball python needs to be handled because it needs to interact with you and the people in your house. It helps your python to know that people are just associated with feeding time.
Regular handling of your python also helps it to exercise its body so it can always be active.
If you also want your python to be friendly with you and the people around you, then you should start handling it daily.
If you want your python to be nice to you and the people around it, take some minutes of your day to handle it. Don’t deny your python the attention it needs every day.
When should you not handle your ball python?
Although it’s important to handle your ball python regularly, there will be times when you need to leave it alone.
You should be aware of when handling your ball python becomes uncomfortable for it, so you don’t end up stressing it.
The tips below will inform you of situations when handling your ball python is not allowed. Check them out.
1. When your python is shedding
It is very important for you not to handle your python when it is shedding. Most ball pythons become easily irritated when they are shedding. So, you handling it during this period may lead to stress and your python doesn’t need stress during this period.
You should allow your python to finish shedding before you handle it.
2. After bringing your python home for the first time.
Just like some humans like to adapt to an environment they are new in, your ball python also needs time to get used to its new home before you start handling it. Your python may experience stress because of the time spent transporting it to your home, so you should try not to handle it until it adapts to its new environment.
Your new ball python may see you as a threat when you try to handle it immediately you bring it to your home. And when it sees you as a threat, it may want to defend itself.
So, how long should you allow it to adapt to its new environment before handling it? Give your python 1-2 weeks to adjust to its new environment or after it is done eating and digesting its food. After this, you can then go ahead to handle it.
3. Immediately after feeding
This is another period when handling your ball python is not healthy. You must follow this tip so you don’t end up killing your python.
You need to give your python 48-72 hours after ratings its food to digest it properly. Don’t handle it during this period so you don’t end up stressing it.
If your python feels threatened, it may vomit the food you fed it with and this will damage its throat and further complicate its health.
If your python regurgitates, it can lead to its death. So, avoid handling it immediately after feeding.
4. When your python is stressed
It is not healthy for you to handle your ball python when it is stressed. If you attempt handling it when it is stressed, it will get grumpy and would want to defend itself. And it may further cause it to develop stress-related health issues.
There are certain signs you will see your ball python display when it is stressed and doesn’t want to be handled.
It will try to hide its head when you are handling it, it will lose appetite and it may become unnecessarily active during the day.
When you see these signs, give it enough time to calm down before you handle it again.
How Long Should Handling Sessions Last
Now that you are aware that you should only handle your python only once a day. How long should your handling sessions last?
You should keep your python handling sessions within the range of 15-20 minutes. Although it is not compulsory.
If you handle your python for too long, it can make them develop certain health issues and it could also lead to stress. This is because snakes love staying alone.
You need to be observant while handling your python. Observe its mood, so you will know when it starts feeling uncomfortable during the handling sessions.
How Often Should You Handle Young Ball Pythons
You should know that when your ball pythons are still young they tend to be defensive and you need to be very patient when handling them. And you should also learn to handle them with care.
You should not handle your young ball python at least once a week. Don’t over-handle them. It is not healthy for them at all.
How to handle an aggressive ball python.
There are certain safety measures you need to observe if you have an aggressive ball python. You can use a snake hook to handle your aggressive ball python. You can use the snake hook to remove the python from the hiding spot in its cage. With the hook, you can use your hand to hold the middle part of the python’s body and cover its head. Am aggressive ball python may want to strike at you when you first try to get access to it in its cage but if you successfully remove it from its cage, it’s less likely to at you.
Make sure you supervise your children when you are handling your python. Keep the head of your ball python away from your face and avoid it wrapping itself around your neck. Use your hand to reduce the grip of the python on your neck it tries to tighten its grip around your neck.
How long does it take ball pythons to digest food?
It usually takes 4-5 days for your ball python to digest the food you fed it with. To aid the smooth digestion of your ball python, ensure you keep it in a warm and dark spot within its terrarium.
Is it normal for ball pythons to be active after eating?
I know it is quite abnormal for your ball python to be active immediately after eating. Your python may be different and your python that has never behaved that way may behave that way sometimes. Its behavior after eating may change often.
It is normal for your python to be very active before you feed it with its meal and then become slow after eating its food. If your ball python is still active after eating, it may be that the food you fed it with did not satisfy it completely.
The normal ball python behavior after feeding is that its movement becomes slow. It is no longer as active as it was before you fed it.
You should know that the amount of food your ball python consumes should increase as it grows older.
For your baby ball python, you should feed it with a hopper mouse of not less than 12kg within a space of five days.
If your ball python weighs less than 200g you should feed it with a small mouse of 19g at least once a week. If your ball python weighs 200g, it can eat an adult mouse of 20-30g and it should be fed with it at least once within 7-10 days.
If the weight of your python increases to 350g, it should be fed with a weaned rat that weighs 31-45g at least once in 10-14 days. When your python weighs 500g, feed it with 2-3 adult mice that weigh 46-79g at least once in 14-21 days.
When your python weighs 1500g feed it with 4-5 adult mice that all weigh 80-250g in total. It should be fed once every 28-56 days.
Underfeeding your ball python may be the reason why it is still active even after eating. But if you are sure that you feed your python properly and it remains active immediately after eating then there may be some other reasons why that happens. Some of the reasons are:
1. Mouth rot
Inspect the mouth of your python for any infection. If you notice any form of infection in it, try to quickly do something about it before it becomes worse. An infection in your python’s mouth could be the cause of its activity after eating.
If you notice any bleeding or yellowish discharge in your snake’s mouth, do well to call the attention of a hero veterinarian to it.
2. Mites
As tiny as these insects could be, they can be the cause of your snake’s activity immediately after eating.
These insects can make your ball python easily get irritated and restless. They are black and they feed on the blood of your snake.
Always inspect the body of your snake, to make sure no mites are feeding on its blood. If you notice mites on your snake’s body, seek help from a veterinarian.
3. Regurgitation
Regurgitation is a process where your ball python vomits the food it consumed before the food gets digested.
Handling your ball python immediately after it finishes eating can lead to regurgitation. That is why you must avoid this situation by all means.
If your python is active immediately after eating, it may be that regurgitation occurred. Check the environment where it’s laying down to make sure it has not regurgitated.
4. Respiratory ailment.
Snakes don’t cough, so they find it difficult to eliminate excess fluid from their respiratory tract. And ball pythons easily contact respiratory infection.
Your python may make funny sounds when it is breathing and you may also observe a strange discharge from its nose or mouth when your python has a respiratory disease.
Ensure you quickly get a reptile veterinarian to treat your python when you see your python displaying those signs of respiratory infection.
Conclusion
I am sure you have learned how best to feed your ball python and how to handle it properly. You should always wash your hands properly before handling your ball python.
Ball pythons are friendly creatures, if you handle them properly you will enjoy keeping them as pets.
Always seek professional help when your ball python starts to depict signs of any disease that you don’t understand.