Buying and Caring for Ball Pythons

Of the 2,400 or so known species of snakes, several make good pets and are quite popular as such! Though there are several things to consider when deciding to keep a snake as a pet, they are fascinating, beautiful creatures, and interacting with them can be a rewarding and quite educational experience! There are many species which are kept as pets, ranging from small Garter, Grass and Corn snakes to giants such as Burmese Pythons, which are upwards of 20 feet long when full grown! I'll be focusing on Ball Pythons for now, as they are more exotic than common Garter snakes, but are reasonably affordable, quite docile (when a few common sense rules of thumb are followed) and are of a managable length when full grown- between 5 and 6 feet. 

First, make sure you'll have a good home for your pet when you bring it home! A baby Ball Python will be comfy in a 10-20 gallon aquarium, but they grow quite fast (about a foot per year) until they're full grown, and will eventually need a much larger tank! For a full-grown adult, a 40 gallon breeder tank is great, because it will be wider than a regular 55 gallon tank, though either one will be fine. You'll also need to set it up for the new baby with a cool and a warm spot with a nice hiding place in the cool spot.