How do ball pythons need to spend winter and how to raise ball pythons

Under natural conditions, most snakes, except for those that live in the tropics, have to go through natural hibernation to survive the harsh winters. Nearly 30%-50% of individuals do not wait for spring to wake up, especially those who are old and weak, and if they do not catch enough food in the previous year, their bodies will not have enough nutrients to survive the winter. For this purpose, the preparation before wintering must be sufficient to ensure the supply of food, so that the snake can have a healthy and strong physique.

Individuals who cannot actively feed before winter should be dealt with in time, and if they cannot adapt to the captive breeding environment and are not health problems, they should be released and eliminated as soon as possible. If you are weak but can eat actively, you can consider warming to delay hibernation or not hibernate. It is worth mentioning that some wild individuals, especially adult or elderly individuals, will refuse to eat even if they are heated during the hibernation period due to the influence of biological rhythms.

Therefore, the nutritional reserves of snakes before wintering are crucial.

Snakes that live in the tropics, like most pythons, do not need to hibernate but maintain the right temperature for them to live normally. Even short periods of low temperatures can cause serious health problems. Choose the appropriate heating equipment, such as heating pads, concentrating light bulbs, etc.

Snakes like to hide in a small space bunker, do not move for a long time, ** is not very sensitive to high temperatures, the heating area of the heating stone and the heating hiding hole is too small, the local temperature is too high and the heating is uneven, it is easy to cause the failure of the thermostat and is not easy to be found in time, so it is not suitable for heating snakes. The concentrator is installed on one side of the terrarium and is separated from the snake's movement space with a heat shield, especially for those species that are good at climbing, such as the arboreal green tree python, to prevent accidental burns and electric shock. The heating pad is best installed on the outside of the vivarium, and depending on the season and the outside temperature, it can be installed on the side or bottom of the vivarium.

If it cannot be installed on the outside, it should be installed on the inside with a heat-insulating material, and the conductors should be properly placed. No matter how you install it, you should leave a low-temperature area for the snake to choose freely. It is important to note that for larger adult pythons, heating bulbs or generally small heating pads may heat unevenly, which can cause snake diseases.

In this case, it is best to ensure the temperature of the room, or choose a larger heating device and install a temperature control device. For example, consider using household heating blankets, electric heaters, etc., but be sure to ensure safety. Wish.

Heating lamps or heating pads will do.

2. Bedding: It is recommended to use paper as a bedding, so that the paper can be easily and quickly replaced after being dirty, when the ball python adapts to the environment, some decorations can be used as bedding, such as cypress branches and fir bark;

3. Hidden places: empty cardboard boxes or inverted plastic containers, semi-upside-down flower pots, can be used, plastic is easy to clean, this container must be easy to move and replace, and there is enough space for the whole snake to accommodate;

4. Keep warm: the right temperature is the most basic requirement to make your snake healthy;

5. Lighting: There is no need to provide full-spectrum lighting, the ball python is a nocturnal snake, in order to easily observe the ball python during the day, you can use a light tube, or a low-wattage electric lamp, and the snake can not directly contact the bulb;

6. Feeding: Feeding artificially hatched ball python larvae can be used for one week to ten days old just out of fluffy mice, smaller ball pythons need to be fed smaller size of young mice, you can try to feed 5-day-old mice, different types of ball pythons to feed suitable for the size of the rodents.

2. Bedding: It is recommended to use paper as bedding, so that the paper can be easily and quickly replaced after being dirty, and when the ball python adapts to the environment, some decorations can be used as bedding, such as cypress branches and fir bark;

3. Hidden places: empty cardboard boxes or inverted plastic containers, semi-upside-down flower pots, can be used, plastic is easy to clean, this container must be easy to move and replace, and there is enough quiet space for the whole snake to enter;

4. Keep warm: the right temperature is the most basic requirement to make your snake healthy;

5. Lighting: There is no need to provide full-spectrum lighting, the ball python is a nocturnal snake, in order to easily observe the ball python during the day, you can use a fluorescent tube, or a low-wattage electric lamp, and the snake can not directly contact the bulb;

6. Feeding: Feeding artificially hatched ball python larvae can be used for one week to ten days old just out of fluffy mice, and smaller ball pythons need to be fed smaller mice, you can try to feed 5-day-old mice, and ball pythons of different sizes should be fed rats with suitable body types.

Problems that should be paid attention to when feeding.

In Africa, ball pythons grow in warm areas, not hot and dry places. Many people make the mistake of keeping their ball pythons in an excessively humid environment: using moist sphagnum moss as bedding and spraying around the clock to increase humidity.

Too much humidity can cause blisters, usually in the abdomen, to cover the blisters. As a result, it will cause a bacterial infection, which will seriously affect the health of the whole snake.

The inside of the snake box can be kept dry, and a suitable size vessel can be used to soak the snake in water to meet the humidity requirements of the ball python. In fact, the humidity of the indoor environment is more than enough for a ball python. But if you want to be safe, you can supply a box of sphagnum moss that is large enough.

Catch: After a period of getting your ball python used to the new environment, you can start catching it and holding it in your hands. He may crawl away from you and threaten you with a wagging tail and hissing sound, but don't be afraid, it's just scaring you.

Snakes, like other reptiles, are very good at scaring others. Your movements should be gentle and long-lasting. Daily contact can build a certain level of trust between you and the snake.

As soon as he is comfortable with your movements, you can take him around your home. At the same time, avoid sudden movements. If your snake is wrapped around your neck or arm, you want to untie it from his tail with gentle movements, remembering not to start with his head.

Some snakes are more sensitive when picked up after eating. If you are feeding your snake outside of the terrarium, then put him back in the snake box only after he has finished eating. Don't touch him for a few days afterward.

If your ball python is no longer so nervous about you, then he won't vomit.