Small collection of balls.

[valkea]

Ended up picking up a few ball pythons over the last month or so. Started with a big normal who was fed live and kept in a way too big enclosure. They wanted 300$ for all of it (it was a crazy tall exo terra) and I offered to take just the snake and give him a good home. Poor guy has some scarring on his belly. He took frozen / thawed for me immediately with no hesitation.



Next I picked up a proven breeder pastel calico male at an expo.



And a special pastel lesser from an individual who was moving. Stuck shed is now gone.



Then a pair of double het pied and orange ghost 2016s I won through an auction on another forum.



I reached out to the breeder who produced the lucy and we ended up chatting a bunch. I explained I was really new to balls and slowly (ha) growing up a small collection. He ended up giving me a pair of het clown hatchlings.

Pastel het clown


Lesser het clown


Finally, a person nearby was looking to find a good home for his Mystic Potion male and Lesser female pair. We chatted a bit, I explained I had a rack set up and didn't need enclosures and he agreed to give them to me. I've promised to give him a couple babies once he's ready to have snakes again.





And those are my balls haha. Most of the photos were as I unpacked so they're not great. Pretty excited about all of them!

[sattva]

Nice additions! Fun,Fun,Fun...

[dannybgoode]

Nothing wrong with a big viv for a ball - height is good too. They are semi-arboreal in the wild, particularly males.

Of course a big viv needs plenty of hidey spots but size itself is not in any way an issue for a small snake whatsoever.

Clearly if the snake shows signs of injury then the previous care was poor in general so good job in giving it a new home but don't skimp on space for him.

I have the plans for what a very experienced herpetologist (30+ years research in to snakes and lizards) considers to be the ideal ball enclosure - I'll grab a copy of it and post it up.

[sirtalis]

Originally Posted by dannybgoode

Nothing wrong with a big viv for a ball - height is good too. They are semi-arboreal in the wild, particularly males.

Of course a big viv needs plenty of hidey spots but size itself is not in any way an issue for a small snake whatsoever.

Clearly if the snake shows signs of injury then the previous care was poor in general so good job in giving it a new home but don't skimp on space for him.

I have the plans for what a very experienced herpetologist (30+ years research in to snakes and lizards) considers to be the ideal ball enclosure - I'll grab a copy of it and post it up.

Beat me to it haha, great minds think alike?

Those are some stunning ball pythons, the calico is really impressive!

[dave himself]

Very nice pick ups the het clowns are my favourites

[RAD House]

To Danny and sirtalis, do either of you keep ball pythons?

[dannybgoode]

I don't but I've been speaking to some hugely experienced scientists/herpetologists who do and who have studied then extensively in the wild.

I have been looking into their requirements as I'm almost tempted by one. Why do you ask?

[RAD House]

I would just be hesitant to give advice on a species I have no experience with. There is a huge difference between how an animal acts in the wild to how they can be successfully kept in captivity. The reason most breeders keep them in racks is secondarily about space and more that they do better in this setup. In my experience in a rack system where they are nice and snug they are insatiable eaters. For a species that is a notoriously an unreliable eater, this seems telling. Finding an animal in a tree every now and again does not make it semi-arboreal, if you have any evidence otherwise I would love to see this. Anytime I have heard something similar it is anecdotal. Even if they were would it matter, in captivity, if the animal is an unreliable eater? I just think you may want to lay off some certainties until you have some experience yourself.

[dannybgoode]

Originally Posted by MesoCorney

I would just be hesitant to give advice on a species I have no experience with. There is a huge difference between how an animal acts in the wild to how they can be successfully kept in captivity. The reason most breeders keep them in racks is seconda

The reason breeders keep them in racks is convenience and profit IMO. I appreciate I am courting controversy here but I firmly believe all reptiles should be kept in as close to a naturalistic environment as possible and the more papers I read on the subject the more I am of this view.

As I say - I have researched this a lot recently and have spoken to internationally recognised herpetologists on the matter and all of them agree on this.

There is mounting evidence (and I mean peer reviewed scientific evidence) that snakes hugely benefit from enrichment and a proper environment. I am just waiting for a word doc summarising the main papers on this subject and I will share it on here.

[Albert Clark]

Originally Posted by dannybgoode

The reason breeders keep them in racks is convenience and profit IMO. I appreciate I am courting controversy here but I firmly believe all reptiles should be kept in as close to a naturalistic environment as possible and the more papers I read on the subject the more I am of this view.

As I say - I have researched this a lot recently and have spoken to internationally recognised herpetologists on the matter and all of them agree on this.

There is mounting evidence (and I mean peer reviewed scientific evidence) that snakes hugely benefit from enrichment and a proper environment. I am just waiting for a word doc summarising the main papers on this subject and I will share it on here.

. Well, actually the reason breeders keep ball pythons in racks is bc it most closely resembles their living conditions and also where they thrive. They reside in termite mounds and rodent burrows essentially a underground existence. It's purely coincidental that it turns out to be convenient whereas it's easy to keep multiple animals in a rack setup. A rack is certainly naturalistic for a ball python. It may not be for a retic or a boa constrictor. Ball pythons get enrichment in a rack system when you give them the proper temperatures and humidity and most definitely the darkness that they prefer. So, I feel that the snakes these herpetologists are referring to are not the ball python.

[dannybgoode]

Originally Posted by Albert Clark

. Well, actually the reason breeders keep ball pythons in racks is bc it most closely resembles their living conditions and also where they thrive. They reside in termite mounds and rodent burrows essentially a underground existence. It's purely coincidental that it turns out to be convenient whereas it's easy to keep multiple animals in a rack setup. A rack is certainly naturalistic for a ball python. It may not be for a retic or a boa constrictor. Ball pythons get enrichment in a rack system when you give them the proper temperatures and humidity and most definitely the darkness that they prefer. So, I feel that the snakes these herpetologists are referring to are not the ball python.

They most certainly are referring to BP's and the whole living in termite mounds is a myth. They do spend some time in them-absolutely-but they do not live in them all the time.

They have also been shown to thrive on and seek out UV and it is far from natural for them to be in darkness/semi darkness all the time. I can find a paper specifically on uv and it's benefits to bp's.

Unfortunately this hobby has a lot of long standing and ingrained practices that are slowly being proved to be outdated and this, in my opinion, is one of them.

Enrichment is more than heat and humidity-it's having things to explore and investigate and to stimulate. As I say I am just waiting for a synopsis of papers on enrichment for reptiles and I will share it when I have it.

But no-a rack system in no way whatsoever mimics a BP's natural lifestyle. Bear in mind or understanding of reptiles is evolving all the time and husbandry etc will evolve with it.

Apologies to the op for taking this so far off topic. However I do think this is a subject worth exploring and debating so perhaps I'll start a new thread on the matter when I have details of the papers I've mentioned.

[Albert Clark]

Originally Posted by dannybgoode

They most certainly are referring to BP's and the whole living in termite mounds is a myth. They do spend some time in them-absolutely-but they do not live in them all the time.

They have also been shown to thrive on and seek out UV and it is far from natural for them to be in darkness/semi darkness all the time. I can find a paper specifically on uv and it's benefits to bp's.

Unfortunately this hobby has a lot of long standing and ingrained practices that are slowly being proved to be outdated and this, in my opinion, is one of them.

Enrichment is more than heat and humidity-it's having things to explore and investigate and to stimulate. As I say I am just waiting for a synopsis of papers on enrichment for reptiles and I will share it when I have it.

But no-a rack system in no way whatsoever mimics a BP's natural lifestyle. Bear in mind or understanding of reptiles is evolving all the time and husbandry etc will evolve with it.

Apologies to the op for taking this so far off topic. However I do think this is a subject worth exploring and debating so perhaps I'll start a new thread on the matter when I have details of the papers I've mentioned.

1. It is not a myth that they live in termite mounds , rodent burrows and tight underground areas lying in ambush.. Just read Justin Kobylka's account of the ball python and its existence in his travels to Benin , Ghana , to study the reptile. They are out in the open only when they are leaving one burrow or mound and searching for another to set up camp.
2. When they are in transit and have either defecated in the area they have occupied or shed their skins and feel they may be detected by their prey.
3. The ball python is a ground dwelling species that is at home in the darkness and in tight fitting spaces underground where they can lie in wait for weeks at a time for prey.
4.Enrichment as far as ball pythons is concerned is providing the requirements that mimics and compliments their behavior. Some keepers want to enrich their eyeballing of a snake in the wild but ball pythons are secretive and don't require this. Par for the course for people who think the ball python is a "pet rock".
5. A rack system absolutely mimics a ball python's behavior and existence.
6. Thanks to the OP for bringing up the ball python and stimulating this discussion so keepers can voice their concerns and be heard.

[RAD House]

Originally Posted by dannybgoode

They most certainly are referring to BP's and the whole living in termite mounds is a myth. They do spend some time in them-absolutely-but they do not live in them all the time.

They have also been shown to thrive on and seek out UV and it is far from natural for them to be in darkness/semi darkness all the time. I can find a paper specifically on uv and it's benefits to bp's.

Unfortunately this hobby has a lot of long standing and ingrained practices that are slowly being proved to be outdated and this, in my opinion, is one of them.

Enrichment is more than heat and humidity-it's having things to explore and investigate and to stimulate. As I say I am just waiting for a synopsis of papers on enrichment for reptiles and I will share it when I have it.

But no-a rack system in no way whatsoever mimics a BP's natural lifestyle. Bear in mind or understanding of reptiles is evolving all the time and husbandry etc will evolve with it.

Apologies to the op for taking this so far off topic. However I do think this is a subject worth exploring and debating so perhaps I'll start a new thread on the matter when I have details of the papers I've mentioned.

The fact remains that even though you feel you have done your research , it is highly irresponsible to advise someone else test your theories. To change the status quo you need to test them yourself, hopefully not to the detriment of your animals, before suggesting others attempt something different than what is currently proven to work.

[dannybgoode]

And yes - I appreciate your point about not owning one and it is entirely valid but I would not comment on something I do not have good knowledge of.#

For example I am happy to explain the principles of flight and yet cannot pilot a plane.

[RAD House]

But should someone take your advice over an actual pilot? Sorry about the big edit of my post, but I prematurely posted by accident.